NOLA

So good that I actually came back for lunch the next day, and I never eat at the same place twice when I’m travelling.

Emeril’s second outing after striking off on his own is a standout even in a town of outstanding food. Located in the French Quarter, nearly everything here has been “kicked up a notch”. If you’re on an informal lunch expedition, by all means try to get seated at the chef’s bar, situated directly in front of the wood-fired oven, where you can see all of the kitchen action and chat up the chef du jour. If it’s on the specials menu, the cedar-planked redfish is a must-have. The turtle soup is a rich smokey concoction, but the seafood gumbo is even better...bursting with flavor and not a hint of the okra turning to glue.

-dave