I'm sure the New Orleans tigerfan'ers will chime in on their go to places. There's so many. I just listed a few I go to.
I walked into an Ethiopian restaurant one time in Arlington, VA. When I found out what the ingredients for stuff on the menu was I wasn't hungry anymore.
Some of the places you mentioned like Deanie's and Port 'O Call are well known. There used to be a bar near city park that served the biggest oyster poboy I ever saw. Had at least a dozen oysters on it. I don't remembering the name or if it's still open. There were always a lot of Tulane students in there.
I never knew there was a Jack Dempsey in NO. I used to have a picture of my dad and a couple of his navy buddies after the war or maybe they were on leave in NYC. Ate at JD's and the pic was of my dad and his buddies with the former heavyweight champion.
It's not for everybody. They make a spongy bread from fermented buttermilk. You're supposed to use pieces of it to grab the food instead of a fork.
I go to a lot of places of people I meet at restaurant depot that own places. There's a place on Magazine that I went to Charley G's near Louisiana ave.that I liked. About 20 years earlier it was just a bar and I knocked a guy off his barstool by hitting him in the face with my beer mug. He was drunk and was calling me a maggot. He pushed me in my shoulder so I cracked him right in the nose as I elbowed him in the chest. I hauled ads outta there, ran across the street and hid in some bushes. LOL...there were 3 more of them...I wasn't drunk and stupid. This year, I met the owner and when I told him the story, he laughed and invited me back. I told him I would be on good behavior. I probably never would have gone back otherwise. It was good and lunch and a drink was about $10. I enjoyed the food.
The most "hole in the wall place I go to is Roosevelts on Claiborne and St Philip. It's in the hood. Not a white person for a mile. Its in the treme under the I 10 overpass. Roosevelt is 90 years old and still cookin. The place has no AC and a few tables. Poor black people with a few teeth left go in there. Mostly take out. The food is good, the brothers are nice. Roosevelt is a friend and the place is a hood institution. So many people go in there opening the screen doors you have to ignore the flies. They don't eat much. I love going there.
My favorite steak place is Crescent city steaks on Broad Street. It was the original location of Ruth's Chris steakhouse. She moved up the street and the Croatian cook bought the place. I'm friends with his son, Anthony Viunovich. A prime ribeye is around $22. If you get 2 sides and a glass of wine or a drink it can jump to about $50 a person. Not too bad, but I don't go there a bunch. It's worth it. For oysters I like to go to the half shell on Bayou road across from Crescent City steaks. It's a black owned business and they do a good job. I take my girlfriend there on Sunday nights after I close my place. They are customers of mine and the owner is a former NOPD. One time I was talking to 2 NOPD officers outside Cafe Gentilly and he was passing by so he stopped to make sure I wasn't in trouble. They used to work with him. Cool that he stopped in case I needed help.
MANDINA'S on Canal street. I go there with my musician friends. Thursday night the special is bruscioloni. Awesome. Last time I went there I dined with my good friend, Al "carnival time" Johnson. They have a barbecue shrimp po boy too.
