Heading to New Orleans next week. It's going to be hot, I know! My husband and I have been many times, just not in the heat of summer. We have reservations for Friday lunch at galatoires for his 50th. Want to eat at Peche while there as it's one of our favs. Someone recommended the Sazerac museum for tastings. I'm the one planning his bday so would like to try some different things. Any other recommendations that get us out of the heat some? No swamp tours, cemetery tours or anything like that. We just want to eat great food, have good drinks and listen to music. Didn't know if anyone had any different recommendations. Would be open to a good cooking/culinary experience but nothing too touristy.

Mr B's (ask to be sat in Kendrick's section - he's AMAZING) - they have the best BBQ shrimp in NOLA
Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleone
WWII Museum
Nola Restaurant for the egg roll stuffed chicken wings

We did a great creole cooking class on my honeymoon. Let me see if I can find who it was through.

Agree with JustPanda on the WWII Museum. Well worth it!

Would love the info on the creole cooking class. We did the WWII museum several years ago. It was amazing!

Here's the website for the company. Chef Amy was awesome. She's super easy going and worth a phone call if you're on the fence or would like to setup a class.

https://langloisnola.com/

Here's the link to the in person gumbo class:

https://langloisnola.com/programs/vip-couples-cajun-creole-gumbo-brunch/

They have a 5* review with 13 reviews so I guess we werent the only ones that really enjoyed it.

It's only like 2-3 hours too and they give you the recipe to take home.

Great way to burn a morning. Brennans for breakfast and then go learn the history and difference between Cajun and creole and whip up a tasty gumbo for lunch.

It's right outside the French Quarter in the Italian district. Not far at all and nice to have your own private kitchen space vs most of the others that are either demonstration only or group activities. This one is as personal and hands on as you can get. It's 1:1.

I forgot to add the Eggs Benedicts (they have like 10 types) at the Ruby Slipper are AMAZING.

I'd suggest downloading their little app and making reservations on it or at least look over it to see how crazy busy they may be before heading over in person. There are a couple locations and they're all stellar.

Edit to add: if you like muffulettas, the Central Grocery recommended below is where it was created.

Ideas for food:

Central Grocery (if open)
Bacchanal
Luvi
Felix (usually skip Acme if there's a wait)
Mr. B's

Thanks y'all! Getting sone good ideas. I'm terrible about planning bdays but thought I should step up for this big one!

Coolinary month

many pre fixe menu items at some good places to eat

https://www.neworleans.com/coolinary/listings/

WW2 museum is a great way to avoid the heat and the current revolving exhibit is Walt Disney and WW2

I would also hit up Preservation Hall for some jazz and also Frenchmen's Street for live music

I've never had a better dining experience than at commanders palace. Have fun !

You might walk over to 501 Esplanade Ave to a joint called Checkpoint Charlies. Dive bar with live music. Late night is good for this place.

Or get in a United Cab and head over to a joint called Snake & Jakes Christmas Club Lounge at 7612 Oak St for that real nola experience. It's about 5-miles from the quarter up near Tulane. Also a late night spot. Later the better on that deal.

Thank you! I'll look into these. Like I said, we have been many times. Just looking for a different experience.

Ghost and crime tour.

We did a cooking class at New Orleans School of Cooking a few years ago. It was fantastic. We'd walked under the sign a thousand times over the years but it just looked like a storefront selling sauces/spices/aprons/etc. We ended up cooking our best meal of that particular trip.

Manolito is awesome cuban drinks and cuban sandwich. A lot of tropical and tiki standards were born from the cuban hotel/vacation/party scene pre-Castro. I recommend being at the door when it opens at 4pm as it is very small and fills up fast. Don't sleep on the Cuban sandwich - it is one of the best I've tried. It is perfectly sized for 2 people to share as a mid-afternoon snack without killing your appetite for dinner. Their food menu can be found on Yelp but I've never found it on their website.

Keeping with the tropical/tiki theme (always an undercurrent in Nola fruity drinks) - Latitude 29 is great. Reservations recommended here as well. Depending on when you want to visit there may not be availability. It doesn't open until 4pm. The ownder is 'famous' in the tiki world as he spent years digging up old tiki recipes from the original inventors and writing multiple books on those recipes. Tiki drinks have been *******ized over the years into complete crap drinks that bear no resemblance to the original. Best example is the classic Mai Tai. On 99.9% of menus that means "heres a few fruit juices and a couple of rums, the last being a dark rum float" which is BS. Not at this joint.

For music I would seek out Charlie Halloran. He's a regular at the Spotted Cat on Frenchmen. World renown trumbone player. He and his band The Tropicales are absolutely fantastic live.

Gumbo Shop is good for dinner

Coop's Place for lunch...get there at 10:30 or 10:40 and wait till they open at 11.

Cochon is delish

FriscoAggieFan said:

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Cochon is delish

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Second

WINO is a cool spot (Wine Institute of New Orleans)

Wonderful! Thank you'! We have never tried Manoliti!

Cochon is amazing. Have Donald Links two cookbooks and use them all time!

coop's place

New Orleans is one of my favorite places. Saving some of these ideas.

I'd pass on Cochon - the place just seems to have lost a step.

I'd recommend St John's - same chef as Gris Gris, but has a bar seating right in front of the open kitchen.

For some fun time-wasting indoors, you can't beat M.S. Rau antiques on Royal. It's jaw-dropping and massive.

Unfortunately the Jazz room at Arnaud's is closed for remodeling - but you'll get that fix at Gallatoire's.

Bachanal was a cool place to buy a bottle of wine and sit on the patio with live music.

Jacques Imo's is a great spot for good

You can never go wrong with Commanders. We ate at La Petite Grocery in late May and it was excellent.

The only time we spend in the Quarter is to hit Galatoire's or Arnaud's.

Domilisie's for a poboy. It's in/near the Irish Channel.

any hotel or lodging recs in the garden district area?

Some of my favorite restaurants in town are Mais Arepa, Saffron, Saba, and La Petite Grocery - all of those are excellent and make great cocktails

Cochon - I know it was mentioned several times but I didn't find it to be anything special. Wasn't bad but didn't give me a reason to go back

Luvi - pretty solid but I'd say good, not great

Shaya - good food and drinks, though I'd give the nod to Saba

Hot Tin - Rootop bar at the top of Ponchartrain Hotel. Nice place to grab a drink

Bearcat - great for brunch but expect to wait 30-45 mins

WWII Museum is super cool but you probably need a half day to spend there. We went for about 2 hours recently and only got around to a fraction of everything

For hotels in the Garden District area - Hotel Pontchartrain is nice and St Charles Coach House was both pretty nice and clean.

The Columns and The Chloe are cools spots along St. Charles for hotel options

Ag_07 said:

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Jacques Imo's is a great spot for good

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Have heard this place is excellent

Good suggestions. Want to try the roof top
Bar! Thank you!

JustPanda said:

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Nola Restaurant for the egg roll stuffed chicken wings

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Missed this earlier and was a great call. Sadly that was Emeril's Nola in the FQ. It closed (I think during Covid) and never reopened.

Another right under, or above, everyone's noses is at Muriel's at the corner of Jackson Square. Walk past the host stand to the bar in the opposite corner of the front door. Grab a drink. Other end of that room has a door to go upstairs. Go look at the Seance room and soak in the rooms above the restaurant, then go out on the balcony. Pending when you go you may have the entire corner balcony to yourself, looking down on Jackson Square.

One night we had a front row view to carolers in the square during the holidays.

Anyone ever done Nola during Halloween?

Thinking I'll go for dia de Los muertos this year

It's usually a fun time to be in New Orleans - the weather is cooler and there are usually plenty of festivals. Plus all of the cemetery tours and ghost stuff in the quarter spike.

It's a kick and always fun to go during the LsU FB season.