New Orleans Trip Report April 2025

[Mr_Happy]

I visited New Orleans last week for a few days over Easter weekend, I believe this was my sixth visit.

First, a picture of Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral at night for the thumbnail

I arrived at MSY around 11pm on Thursday from SFO, and after getting to my hotel in the French Quarter and checking in, went looking for something to eat at around midnight.

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Verti Marte

I ended up, as one does after midnight in the French Quarter, at Verti Marte. Verti Marte is a 24/7 convenience store on Royal Street that also sells food. I’ve been to Verti Marte a few times before. They’re known for their “All That Jazz” sandwich which has ham, turkey, melted cheese, mushrooms, and sautéed shrimp, but I opted for something a little more simple - a Fried Shrimp Po’ Boy ($21.12), which I got dressed with lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise, on a roll - there’s also a bun option for smaller appetites.

Verti Marte doesn’t have any seating, so I walked over to Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop nearby on Bourbon Street to eat my po’ boy. Lafitte’s is in an old late 18th century house that was purportedly used by the French pirate Jean Lafitte, who used a blacksmithing business as a front for his pirating activities. There’s live piano music in the back. I got a frozen Voodoo Daiquiri / Purple Drink ($11) from the bar to drink with my po’ boy. You can eat food from outside as long as you clean up after yourself.

There were a few pirates at Lafitte’s.

The Purple Drink was like a spiked grape slushy. It was ok, I had a few sips and didn’t end up finishing it.

I took my drank and sandwich to the patio. Verti Marte po’ boys are huge - I’m guessing this was maybe 15 inches long. This hit the spot. It had a plethora of nicely seasoned fried shrimp. The bun isn’t the typical po’ boy bread I believe - it’s softer and less airy and has sesame in it.

After dinner, I had a nightcap at Erin Rose, a dive bar on Conti Street, to end my evening. I had a good frozen Irish Coffee ($8) that tasted like a coffee milkshake spiked with Irish whiskey.

[linguafood (Natascha)]

@Mr_Happy

“All That Jazz” sandwich which has ham, turkey, melted cheese, mushrooms, and sautéed shrimp,

Fabulous first evening! I saw the Verti Marte menu when we were there and found that combo a lil strange.

Such a great city for late nights.

[Mr_Happy]

Galatoire’s

On the next day, which happened to be Good Friday, I went to Galatoire’s on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter to partake in their famous Friday lunch, which I’d wanted to try for awhile. Galatoire’s, which opened in 1905, is one of the Creole “grand dames” of New Orleans.

There’s a rack with jackets near the entrance. I think these are loaners for people who don’t meet the dress code? I remembered to pack my own jacket . Galatoire’s has a dress code - this is a place to dress up a bit for - but it’s a bit more lax at lunch. Jackets are only required for men on Sundays and at dinner.

I’d made a Friday reservation a few weeks prior, but the reservations site noted that reservations were not guaranteed to be seated in the main dining room. And indeed the main room was full when I arrived for lunch. I opted to wait at the attached bar - Galatoire’s “33” - for a seat in the main dining room. I was still on Pacific time anyway and it felt a little early for lunch.

Galatoire’s “33” Bar and Steak

Galatoire’s Specialty Cocktail ($14)
Pinhook Flagship Bourbon, Herbsaint, Peychaud’s Bitters, Simple Syrup, Served on Ice, Lemon Twist
At the bar I got a little liquored up with Galatoire’s Specialty Cocktail, which was like a Sazerac but on the rocks rather than up.

I also had a Corpse Reviver #2. It was good.

After about 45 minutes or so a table opened up in the main dining room, which was quite festive on Good Friday. There were a bunch of tables that were celebrating birthdays and also people wearing bunny ears and/or pastel colors for the Easter weekend.

My table had a plastic Easter egg on it that contained some jellybeans.

Bread and butter.

Menus

I had a N/A French 75 ($12) to drink. I was trying to pace myself.

I’d read that the way to go was to ask your waiter what to get, so I did that. She suggested a few options for me.

Oysters Rockefeller ($17.50)
oysters on the half shell, herbsaint scented spinach
One of the dishes Galatoire’s is known for is their Oysters Rockefeller, a broiled dish of oysters topped with a green mixture that was invented at another Creole “grand dame” in the French Quarter - Antoine’s. I’d tried the Oysters Rockefeller at Antoine’s Hermes Bar a while back and wasn’t too impressed. The Oysters Rockefeller at Galatoire’s, in contrast, were delicious. The oysters were plump and the topping was a little sweet and a little herbal, probably from the Herbsaint in it.

Turtle Soup au Sherry ($9)
turtle, trinity, tomatoes, veal stock medium brown roux, sherry
I also had a pretty good cup of turtle soup.

Crawfish Étouffée ($28)
For a main I had a crawfish étouffée, which I believe was a daily special. This was very good. There were a lot of fat crawfish tails, smothered with a nice slightly thick brown roux based sauce with the trinity vegetables still a little crunchy. It was very flavorful and a little spicy.

Bread Pudding ($9)
Banana Praline Sauce
For dessert I had the bread pudding, which was also very good. There was warm bread pudding with banana slices, on a whiskey caramel sauce.

I think a big part of the Galatoire’s Friday lunch experience is the people watching and the festive atmosphere, which I certainly experienced. The food was quite good too.

[TheLibrarian28]

Love the bunny ears! I’ve been to New Orleans several times but haven’t made it to Galatoire’s. Jealous!

[ieatalotoficecream]

We had lunch at Galatoire’s and cocktails at Erin Rose our last trip a couple years ago. This brought back great memories. Can’t wait to hear the rest of the report!

[BoneAppetite]

Any Galetoire’s Friday lunch is as much an occasion as a very tasty meal.

BTW – we looked at the Verti Marte menu – the shrimp sandwiches All That Jazz and Ernie’s Power House look formidable.

[Mr_Happy]

Muriel’s Jackson Square

For Friday dinner I stayed in the French Quarter and headed to Muriel’s, where I had a late reservation. Muriel’s is maybe a bit touristy. It’s right next to Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral, in an old building that is supposedly haunted by a ghost named Pierre. The restaurant is quite large with several rooms, including a “Séance Lounge” on the second floor, and also has balcony seating. I sat in one of the ground floor rooms.

This lady kept an eye on me when I was eating.

Menus

Free Focaccia with Butter

Strawberry Palmer ($7)
strawberry honey purée, lemon juice, with fresh iced-tea
I started with a Strawberry Palmer mocktail, which was like a strawberry flavored Arnold Palmer.

Muriel’s has a three course Table D’Hote menu option for $55 where one can pick an appetizer, and entrée, and a dessert. This is what I had.

New Orleans Seafood Gumbo
I picked the gumbo as the appetizer. It was poured into a bowl at the table out of a metal cup. It had a nice dark brown roux base and was slightly thick. There was a good amount of shrimp, and some rice. It was a very good gumbo.

Shrimp and Grits
slow cooked stone ground grits topped with Louisiana gulf shrimp, leeks, smoked tomato butter sauce & crispy garlic
For the main, shrimp and grits. There was a base of bacon-y cheesy smooth grits with a little broth. It was topped with lots of gulf shrimp that were pretty well cooked, they maybe could have been just a touch less done. It was delicious nonetheless. Especially the grits, which were warm and comforting. I added some hot sauce for acid.

Dark Chocolate Pecan Tart
pecan-brown sugar crust, salted caramel crème Anglaise and Chantilly cream
For dessert, a chocolate pecan tart which was more chocolate than pecan. It was very rich. There was a dense chocolate fudge or ganache on top of a pecan crust layer. More pecans were scattered about for crunch, and there was a chocolate caramel sauce and some whipped cream. Very good.

This was a very good dinner at Muriel’s, and at $55 for 3 courses, an excellent value as well.

[Mr_Happy]

Stein’s Market & Deli

Lunch on Saturday was at Stein’s Deli. Stein’s is a Jewish and Italian deli in the Lower Garden District on Magazine Street.

The Rules

Menu

You order at the counter and they call your name when it’s ready. They have a large bottled beer selection, but I didn’t partake this time.

Sam ($13.99)
Hot Pastrami, Swiss, Coleslaw with Russian Dressing on Choice of Rye Bread
I had a Sam sandwich, which is like a Reuben but with pastrami rather than corned beef. You have a choice of seeded rye, unseeded rye - which is what I had, and marble rye. It was an excellent sandwich! There was a lot of juicy hot thinly sliced pastrami that was nicely seasoned. It had melted Swiss cheese, a bit of tangy Russian dressing, and a little bit of coleslaw for crunch. It’s not a gigantic sandwich but I thought it was just the right size due to the richness of the meat and cheese fillings. There was also a pickle on the side.

Turkey and the Wolf

Since it was a short walk from Stein’s, I had a small snack and a drink at Turkey and the Wolf.

Menus

My number was “rhino”

G and TEA ($9)
gin, sweet tea, mint, lemon
This was a refreshing gin spiked sweet tea.

hog’s headcheese tacos ($4.00)
hog’s headcheese, jalapenos, shrettuce, sour cream, valentina, and american cheese on migdalia’s handmade corn tortillas
I had one taco as a snack. You can’t really see it in the picture, but the head cheese underneath the topping was soft like a pâté or rillettes. It was on top of a warm house made corn tortilla, with a square of American cheese, some crunchy fried tortilla strips, shredded lettuce, sour cream squiggles, a few jalapeños on top, and a salsa that tasted like Taco Bell hot sauce (which it may have been). It was a very nice haute stoner food taco.

Bonus pic of the Greetings from NOLA mural off Magazine Street.

[TheLibrarian28]

Love the Stein’s for Dummies rules!

[PedroPero (PETER)]

That Ruben looks terrific! I’m always on the hunt for a good one.

[Roro1831 (Roland)]

I love those hogs head cheese tacos. I found the sauce reminiscent of old El Paso taco sauce.

[Mr_Happy]

That could be it too - it definitely had an “American taco sauce” flavor.

[Mr_Happy]

Mosquito Supper Club

After lunch, I walked around the French Quarter and along the riverfront.

For Saturday dinner, I’d made a reservation at Mosquito Supper Club in the Milan neighborhood. Mosquito Supper Club is a Cajun restaurant owned and operated by chef Melissa Martin, opened in 2014. Dining is communal - you share a family style supper with strangers. There’s also a bar for walk-ins that has an a la carte menu. Pre-paid reservations ($135 + service fee and tax) are required for the main dining room. I’d wanted to try Mosquito Supper Club for awhile. I have chef Martin’s Mosquito Supper Club cookbook and have followed a few recipes from it.

The restaurant looks like someone’s house.

The bar menu on the patio for walk-ins.

Inside, and another table.

The nightly supper menu.

Drink menu.

House Daiquiri ($15)
Cheramie Rum Blanc, Lime, Steen’s Louisiana Cane Syrup
To drink, I started with a daiquiri, which was good.

Later I also had a St. Agrestis Phony Negroni ($8), which really tasted like a Negroni.

Many of my supper dining companions were visiting New Orleans from other places around the US, such as Los Angeles, New York, Connecticut, and Chicago, and there was also at least one local.

OYSTERS
Dinner started with a very good oyster, of which I forget the variety.

SWEET POTATO BISCUITS W/ STEEN’S BUTTER
Some very good biscuits made with sweet potato arrived, with a sweet butter with cane syrup.

FLOUNDER CEVICHE
And then a ceviche with potato chips, which was good

PEEL-N-EAT SHRIMP
And some shell-on head-on shrimp, which were excellent. They were cooked just right and were very flavorful from the cooking liquid. The heads were very juicy. There were also some Ritz-like crackers and a spicy aioli-like sauce.

CRAWFISH BISQUE
STUFFED CRAWFISH HEADS
CIABATTA
The next dish was a crawfish bisque, which was great! There was a roux based soup with the vegetable trinity, and lots of crawfish tails. The soup was rich and flavorful and a little spicy. There were also whole crawfish heads in there that had been stuffed with a mix of crawfish and bread crumbs and other things.

There was also some ciabatta bread. Apparently the pro move is to take some of the crawfish head contents and spread it on the bread.

STUFFED CRAB
CRAB FAT & SWEET PEA RICE
The main dish was stuffed crab. There were blue crab heads stuffed with a mixture of a copious amount of sweet crab meat, bread crumbs and I think some crab butter and tomalley as well, then cooked until a little crispy on the outside. There was also a flavorful rice and peas with the crab that was seasoned with crab fat. Delicious!

TOMATO & BEAN SALAD
Along with the crab and rice was a salad of edamame and tomato, dressed with a vinaigrette. It had some nice ripe tomatoes.

STRAWBERRY TRIFLE
Dessert was a strawberry trifle in a jar. It had many layers with different textures and flavors.
There was a granita, a panna cotta on the bottom, a meringue layer, a cake like layer, a cream layer, etc. It was a very nice dessert.

And finally, some mignardises - chocolates filled with a satsuma flavored filling.

This was a delicious supper with good company.

[small_h]

@Mr_Happy

The bar menu on the patio for walk-ins.

That is some aggressive pricing for NOLA.

[Mr_Happy]

The prices don’t seem out of whack to me, though I do live in San Francisco.

[Mr_Happy]

Mandina’s Restaurant

For lunch on Easter Sunday I headed to Mandina’s, a classic Creole Italian restaurant in Mid-City which opened in 1932.

They don’t take reservations but the wait for a table was pretty short.

Menus

Some free garlic bread arrived. The bread was fluffy and airy.

CRAB FINGERS IN WINE SAUCE (Market Price - $22.95)
I started with one of Mandina’s signature dishes - the crab fingers. There was a circle of easy to eat peeled blue crab claws swimming in a sauce with sherry, a lot of butter, and some bread crumbs for texture. Great!

GRILLED SHRIMP OVER PASTA BORDELAISE ($23.95)
I had a hankering for some old school pasta, so I had the Grilled Shrimp over Pasta Bordelaise. This was like a really old school shrimp scampi - the spaghetti was cooked quite a bit past al dente and it was swimming in a sauce of olive oil, garlic, and parsley, topped with a sprinkling of parm. There was a large quantity of grilled shrimp on top, that I think could have been cooked a little less. Still, I enjoyed it and it satisfied my craving. Perhaps for the nostalgia value. It was a large portion and I polished it all off.

After lunch I did some sightseeing at the Sazerac House Museum and the recently opened Storyville Museum, both of which are worth visiting. I eventually ended up back in the French Quarter, where there was an Easter Parade.

I had a drink at Jewel of the South in the FQ, which was awarded Outstanding Bar at the James Beard awards last year. This was an Earl of Tremé cocktail ($16), which had Wild Turkey 101 Rye, Cocoa Rooibos Amaro Blend, and Benedictine. It was very good - complex and strong.

[GretchenS]

That cocktail sounds outstanding!

[small_h]

I live in Manhattan, where they would be par for the course. But NOLA is a lot cheaper than where either of us live.