New Orleans

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CHAPTER 4 . WHERE TO DINE
K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen CAJUN/CREOLE Paul Prudhomme
was at the center of the Cajun revolution of the early 1980s,
when Cajun food became known throughout the world. His reputation
and his line of spices continue today, while Chef was a culinary
hero during the disaster. His establishment cooked for volunteers,
firemen, troops, displaced locals, and more, serving tens of thousands
of meals. Unfortunately, although the American regional food is still
good (our last meal here was really quite good, in fact), it’s not spectacular
and certainly is not worth the wait (upwards of 1 1 ⁄2 hr. at its
peak) or the high cost. Different menu items are offered daily, but
you can’t go wrong with duck boudin, blackened beef tenders with
debris, or blackened drum with sautéed crabmeat chipotle. A Paullevel
of spicy bronzed salmon is just so-so.
416 Chartres St. & 504/524-7394. www.kpauls.com. Reservations recommended.
Main courses $26–$40. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Mon–Sat 5:30–9:30pm.
Muriel’s CREOLE/ECLECTIC Conventional wisdom
would have it that any restaurant this close to tourist-hub Jackson
Square—as in, across the street from it—would have to serve overpriced,
mediocre food. But then conventional wisdom notes the
Gothic-parlor look to the dining rooms in Muriel’s and decides to
sit down just to be polite. Then conventional wisdom eats excellent
duck confit, a charcuterie plate with chunky pâté, poached oysters
in a rosemary cream sauce, and rather sumptuous creamy goat
cheese and shrimp crepes—skipping the beet salad, which was a little
weird, to be honest—following it up with a perfect double cut
sugar-cane apple-glazed pork chop, and equally good wood-grilled
tuna (on top of risotto) and redfish. It then has a “dome” of peanut
butter mousse with a chocolate shell. Sated and fully satisfied, conventional
wisdom then floats upstairs and has a drink. Possibly a
canoodle with its dining companion. Conventional wisdom is
reminded that rules are made to be broken and vows to tell everyone
to come here.
801 Chartres (at St. Ann). & 504/568-1885. www.muriels.com. Reservations suggested.
Main courses $13–$18 lunch, $15–$20 brunch, $24–$37 dinner. AE, DISC,
MC, V. Wed–Sat 11:30am–2:30pm; Sun jazz brunch 11am–2pm; daily 5:30–10pm.
Nola CREOLE/NEW AMERICAN This modern two-story
building with a glass-enclosed elevator is the most casual of Chef
Emeril Lagasse’s three restaurants, and the most conveniently located
for the average tourist. Unlike Lagasse’s other restaurants, the dining
experience here can be a bit hit-or-miss. Whatever variation on duck
pizza they’re serving (confit and fried egg with truffle oil on a recent