A lot of the scratchin' and spittin' going on here has to do with regional pride, and who knows what good food is and what isn't. It's been a hoot watching this thread unravel.
New Orleans cooking ... there are so many little off-the-beaten-path places that personify what the town is about. Thinking of Mandina's, which took a horrific hit from Katrina. Or the hallowed Galatoire's, where there is no celebrity chef in the kitchen, just a gaggle of line cooks who are preparing the same family recipes they have for generations. And, perhaps nudging things back toward
DDP issues, Galatoire's had this inflexible tradition since its inception that they would take NO reservations, which meant that the Prince and Princess of Wales had to wait in line like everyone else, and Madonna stormed away in a huff when she learned of their policy. That line would snake way on down Bourbon Street. (They do take reservations for their upstairs dining room now.) You don't come to Galatoire's for cutting-edge cuisine. You come to it to eat a nice piece of fish, perfectly sautéed or broiled, topped with fresh crabmeat. Or you have a seafood dish with a gloopy white sauce, because that's what you've been eating at your regular Sunday-evening dinners, where all the old waiters know your name, for years.
I'm not sure what my point is. I guess that it's you pay the price of popularity anywhere you choose to eat, whether you have to wait in line for hours - literally! - or have to make reservations WAAY in advance.
This thread has got me so pumped that I'm doing sort of a low-country boil for supper tonight: shrimp, smoked sausage, little red potatoes, corn on the cob, onions, all cooked together in a big ol' stockpot with plenty of Old Bay seasoning ...
Want some?