I gave in and am on my way to NOLA, it’s just a short detour from my route (ahem), I’ll only have 1.5 days there though… so I’ll be in NOLA on Wednesday (yes that’s the day after tomorrow).
if there was ONE restaurant I should visit that isn’t too pricey, which would it be? (knowing that I don’t particularly like seafood and that I want more a traditional/memorable experience than fine-dining per se, especially since even wearing my “best” clothes I still look like a bum)
I’m planning to visit the French quarter, not sure if you’d have other recommendations of must-see stuff in NOLA that can fit in a day…
I was curious about the Commander’s Palace wine list which was a great place to learn about wine when I was living in New Orleans in the early eighties. That wine list is now ridiculously expensive except for Cecile Tremblay Chapelle 2008 for $380. She made dynamite 2008s, and the Chapelle was incredible. I am rationing my last few bottles, but that is a wine I would happily buy at that price. Will someone please buy it.
You could spend a good bit of time in the French Qtr. No need to hit Bourbon. Spend your time on Royal st and Chartes and Jackson square and surrounding areas. After dinner grab a cab or Uber to Frenchman street(Fabourg Marigny area) where all the good live music now is. Please don’t walk there from the qtr at night though. Uber is a safer option.
Restaurants
For what I think your describing this is a classic/traditional and memorable for what it is option: