<p>never mind . . . the definition has a special place on the home page :D</p>
<p>I’m starting to think that I need to merge this with the crowdfunding idea from that other thread 
Don’t all y’all want to see me have that special bonding time over food with my only son before he goes off to become a man?</p>
<p>Hey, if somebody can crowdfund to make a potato salad, one can crowdfund for anything, I guess! LOL! (As an aside, I had never heard the word “crowdfund” until reading it here yesterday…now I think I will never be able to forget it and wish I could!)</p>
<p>If you’re in the Riverbend area (pretty close to the Unis) you might like Pho Bistreaux. They have Vietnamese poboys and all sorts of other yummy things and it’s cheap, fast, not crowded, full of delicious freshness, and right on Carrolton Avenue (streetcar).</p>
<p>I also recently went to Noodle and Pie on Magazine street. Yes, they specialize in ramen and other noodles and also pies - like Grasshopper Pie. Yum. Domenica is a good restaurant downtown in the old Roosevelt hotel, but for you I would suggest Pizza Domenica on Magazine street. Very busy and quite casual and really, really good pizza. </p>
<p>Since you’re in the Marigny, if you head up Elysian Fields avenue you will find Sammy’s Food and Deli which has poboys and the famous Ray Ray sandwich (it involves fried chicken). Nearby is a rum distillery called Celebration Distillation.</p>
<p>On visits years ago, H and I enjoyed Praline Connection—real southern comfort food. On a more recent visit, we loved Louisiana Bistro–reasonably priced, excellent LA fare, small and friendly. If you are adventurous, try the Feed Me option, where you tell the chef your likes and dislikes, how many courses you want, and he goes back to the kitchen and whips up something just for you!</p>
<p>My H used to go to a conference in NOLA every year and I would tag along because it was a fun place to visit. A The organizers switched the conference to Las Vegas–so I haven’t been to NOLA in four years. I loved the jazz brunch at Commander’s Palace. Thought Galatoire’s was excellent. Brigstsen’s (not in the French Quarter)–was probably my favorite restaurant. Mr. B’s was good, too. Other restaurants with great food–Acme Oysters, Pascale Manale (barbecued shrimp!!), and Drago’s (not in NOLA–but amazing seafood). Went to the Emeril Lagasse restaurant (forget the name) and was very disappointed–we went with a group from the conference and we were in a separate room–don’t know if it was a different menu, but I like Emeril’s cookbooks and really wanted to like the place, but I didn’t. Afternoon tea at Windsor Court is another fun food activity. (WC is a really nice hotel–stayed there a few times). Soniat House in the French Quarter is another place we stayed.</p>
<p>Don’t know the kinds of activities you would enjoy, but I would recommend the French Quarter walking tour the National Park Service offers. I also went on a couple of other tours–Oak Alley Plantation and Longue Vue House and Gardens and a cemetery tour. There are some great art galleries–Arthur Rogers, Angela King, LeMieux, Harouni. The Aquarium of the Americas was really enjoyable. If you like jazz be sure to go to Preservation Hall. My husband had a list of jazz clubs where we went to listen to music–one was Snug Harbor. Just walking around the French Quarter or along the river walk is fun too. Enjoy your trip!</p>
<p>I can see that the boy will want a “Ray Ray” for sure!</p>
<p>Hahahah looking at the Praline menu . . . it never occurred to me that someone might go out and order fried chicken livers or turkey necks! That’s not very comforting at all ;)</p>
<p>Biggest tip for New Orleans if you’re going there for the first time: don’t go to Bourbon Street first.</p>
<p>Very casual & free ice cream for dessert: New Orleans Hamburger & Seafood Co. Best thin-cut catfish ever & very reasonable prices! Love their fries too. Multiple locations…we go to the one on St Charles Ave.</p>
<p>@megpmom, My sister has a house on Saint Charles St and she eats at JoeyK’s all the time! Seriously, like 2-3 times per week :-).</p>
<p>“Dirty rice” has fried chicken livers in it, ground fine so it gives the rice that dirty look. </p>
<p>We’ve been visiting NOLA for 20 years, son is starting Tulane in the fall! Jaque Imo’s has been going downhill for awhile now. Avoid the Gumbo Shop in the Quarter at all costs. It is the ONLY place I ever tell people to avoid, it was the most disgusting meal in the most dirty and disgusting place we’ve ever been to in NOLA. I’d rather eat a Lucky Dog! Other than that it’s really hard to find a bad meal in NOLA.
You may find you don’t need a car. We never use a car . public transportation is so much easier and cheaper than parking a car. especially in the Quarter. Magazine Street had a lot of great places that teens will like over the white tablecloth jacket required restaurants. My son loves Juans Flying Burrito,Dat Dog, Charcoal, Superior Grill, Camiellia Grill, Parkway Bakery, Willie Mae’s (best fried chicken ever), Katie’s, Mandina’s , Mothers, Mahoneys. If you like oysters you have to try Dragos char-broiled. For breakfast try Elizabeths in the Bywater (adjacent to The Marigny). I have to run to a meeting but will have some more suggestions later. </p>
<p>I totally agree with Galatoire’s for lunch. I also love the Camellia Grill. They are great. If you want to go to someplace fascinating, then go to M.S. Rau’s at 630 Royal Street. It is an extraordinary antique store. They have a bit of everything. It is just so much fun to look around. In the past, we have seen items that Churchill owned, Liberace’s sterling silver, beautiful Tiffany lamps and fabulous jewelry. Check out the website. It is just a great place to visit in the quarter.</p>
<p>You guys are great! No . . . saintfan is not NOLA based. We are Seahawks 12th man through and through. :D</p>
<p>We will have Saturday evening and all day Sunday to be tourists then DS is visiting Jazz Studies programs so will be sitting in with ensembles and other classes, taking lessons, meeting with people etc. I will do the standard tours and info sessions but will have some mid-day time free as well. We should be able to walk to anything in The Quarter and Frenchmen area as we are staying just off the east side. I’m assuming that we can find street parking everywhere else that we need to go. We have to get around in several directions and be on time to things in the mornings so public transportation doesn’t seem ideal for that. I’d also like to have the freedom to just cruise around neighborhoods to get a feel for the place outside of the main tourist areas. At this point NOLA is just an idea to him and could feel very much like another planet. I scheduled a leisurely trip to get the best possible idea of both the programs and the place. I have a friend whose D visited Tulane and loved it but realized too late when actually attending that it really wasn’t her place longer term (she successfully transferred and is happy as a clam now). S’s stuff is all mid morning to mid afternoon so I’m assuming we will do big breakfast then late lunch and maybe small plates or something later when we go out. We’re hoping to hear as much music as possible while we are there. And yes . . . we do like oysters very, very much. </p>
<p>OK - we are totally going for “epic fried chicken” at Willie Mae’s! </p>
<p>Now I want butter beans. See what you’ve done @dolphnlvr6?</p>
<p>I had a conference in NOLA in May and took D with me. One of the places we most enjoyed was the New Orleans School of Cooking :<a href=“http://www.neworleansschoolofcooking.com/”>http://www.neworleansschoolofcooking.com/</a>. One of my conference colleagues told me about it at the welcome reception, so D & I did the Saturday afternoon demonstration at 2 pm. We got a discount on our reservation from a coupon code in one of the tourist guides in our hotel room, so for $46 we got a funny & delicious demonstration. That afternoon’s menu was shrimp & artichoke soup, crawfish etouffee , and dark chocolate pralines. The only problem was that we were too stuffed to have a real dinner that night, so we went to the Court of Two Sisters and had appetizers at the bar - jalepno cornbread and barbeque shrimp. Every bite of those meals was to die for. </p>
<p>We also ate at Commander’s Palace on Friday night and Bourbon House on Thursday night of that trip. Both excellent meals as well, but I doubt if you’ll be headed to Commander’s Palace if you are looking to avoid the dress code.</p>
<p>One last thing, the cooking school lady, her helper, and one of the local attendees all said that Cafe Beignet was the best place for beignets in town; far superior to Cafe du Monde.</p>
<p>I’ll be nice even though you are a Seahawks fan Actually I just love RIchard Sherman. The only thing I don’t like about him is that he doesn’t play for the Saints! </p>
<p>In New Orleans you plan your lunch while eating breakfast, your dinner while eating lunch. 
Sounds like its going to be a pretty exciting trip! Make sure you go to Preservation Hall, Snug Harbor, Irvin Mayfields Jazz Playhouse and Palm Court Jazz Cafe. Sounds like your son will love Frenchman Street. You should also try to catch Kermit Ruffins somewhere. He owns and plays often at Bullets Bar, but also plays at the Little Gem Saloon and Blue Nile. Your son should be able to get in most everywhere, unless they have video poker machines. Then forget it. NOLA is pretty lax on the drinking but not on gambling! I don’t know if Bullets is a place I would go to on my first trip. Sketchy area.</p>
<p>My friend Leroy Jones is a pretty famous NOLA trumpet player. He fronts the Original Hurricane Brass Band, among other bands. . If he is playing at PReservation Hall or Bombay Club or Hermes Bar check him out. I love him to death. He learned from all the old timers. He started playing with Dannny Barker and played with Harry Connick Jr. for quite a few years. </p>
<p>If you see Bonerama is playing anywhere they are a great band, also good friends of mine. Also if you have time check out Rock n Bowl! They have live music every night as well and its fun! We saw the Saints cheerleaders there one night. </p>
<p>Parking could be tricky. Many areas are permit parking, especially in the Quarter. There are public lots though which are safer than wandering down side streets at night looking for a spot. Mostly permit parking by the Universities too. I would ask them if they can give you an on campus parking permit for your visits. Frenchmen and around Magazine are pretty open. </p>
<p>Willie Mae’s is in a sketchy area but you’ll be fine during the day. It is worth the trip. I sent friends there who are atheist and they said it came close to making them believers.They went back 3 times then stopped on the way out of town and got some to go! It’s nothing fancy but they make some good friend chicken! </p>
<p>From the Marigny you can certainly walk to Frenchman and the French Quarter. And yes driving Uptown to appointments will be smarter than public transit. While you are on Frenchman Street be sure to check out Louisiana Music Factory. TONS of New Orleans Musicians recordings there. </p>
<p>I agree about M.S Rau. They have some really cool stuff including a 17th century Vampire Killing Kit. </p>
<p>If you are into Museums there is the WW2 museum and the Confederate Museum in the Warehouse District. , NOMA (New Orleans Museum of Art) and the Sculpture Garden in City Park. City Park is a destination of it’s own - they even have a Gondola ride and a mini-golf course. There is the Conti Wax Museum, plenty of Plantations (but be warned they are outside the city and will take up much of a day to tour, as will a Swamp tour). You can get a good tourof the city on foot or the mule drawn carriages (confession, I never took one of those tours, I feel sorry for the mules). There are tours of historic buildings and Garden District, Ghost tours, katrina tours. There is Mardi Gras World, The Presbytere, The Cabildo, St. Louis Cathedral, cemetery tours (actually quite interesting) . Pro-tip- skip the paddlewheel cruise. The food is awful. Don’t waste a meal in NOLA on crappy food. Royal Street has great galleries, antique shops and cute shops. Magazine Street has more antique shops and more fun stores. French market is great for fresh produce and cheap souvineers. Be sure to check out Fleurty Girl on St. Peter near Jackson Square, and on Magazine- my favorite store.</p>
<p>Someone mentioned Domenica- FANTASTIC restaurant. It’s a John Besh restaurant, all his restaurants are amazing. He’s much better than Emeril (who is so over rated). I mentioned Dargo’s for the char-grilled oysters. I forgot about Cochon and Cochon Butcher., K-Pauls, Irenes, Muriels, Port of Call, Vincents, Pascal Manale, , . I could go on. and on.</p>
<p>In the Marigny/Bywater areas check out Elizabeths, Satsuma Cafe, Bacchanal, Maurepas, Mimis, Bootys, Mariza, </p>
<p>I could talk about New Orleans all day!</p>