On our first stroll out, we checked in for Hurricanes and corn-fried pickles. These were deliciously unexpected and tasty. Apparently any thing fried does indeed have a special culinary appeal! We should note, however, that though the pickles were corn-breaded, we’re fairly sure the same oil might have been used to fry the gluten menu items. We kept our fingers crossed and hoped for the best.
Next we tried out Red Fish Grill where we treated ourselves to raw oysters, baby green and shrimp salads, and black fish. We were extremely pleased and glad to be a part of the scene.
Café du Monde was on our must-do list if anything for the experience. It was a raucous and bustling place piled high with powdered sugar beignets. We opted for take-out café au laits and took a walk on the riverfront. Unfortunately for celiacs, Café du Monde offers only beignets, coffee, and hot chocolate. But we didn’t mind! Well Rob did, I did not!
Muriel’s was a charming, stylish restaurant with old world
Lunch time found us at a casual eatery that didn’t have much in the way of gluten free. What we did have though was another round of fresh raw oysters, dirty rice and grilled vegetables. It was fair, though ironically a nice change of pace. We could actually walk out without feeling like our stomachs were about to explode from overeating!
On our last night, we gave Emeril Lagasse’s, NOLA a try. Were we ever glad we did! It was well worth the 40 minute wait. We were escorted to the 2nd floor via elevator and seated in an intimate room. We feasted on fresh green salads with blackberries and pistachio crusted goat cheese, and grilled tilapia. The tilapia could have been spiced up more, but I believe the chefs were ensuring the dinner was absolutely celiac-safe.
We ended our evening with a melt-in-the-mouth crème brulee that was just dynamite.
Our farewell breakfast found us back at Café Beignet for southwestern omelets and roasted potato hash-browns. We highly recommend their coffee and chicory too.
So do go to
7 comments:
Based on the recommendation above, we visited Muriel's in New Orleans this past weekend for their Sunday brunch. The staff hadn't heard of either wheat allergy or celiac. We had to insist that a special omlet be prepared. We should have left. The entrees were so over-spiced, we couldn't enjoy the food. If you have a wheat allergy do not visit Muriel's.
I was in New Orleans for 5 days, I found any place that was local and a small sit-down type establishment was very friendly and helpful. Also, they have a Saturday farmer's market. With fresh oranges, strawberries, kettle corn and pralines, I didn't have any trouble at all! A vendor with Mediterranean food at the market had all ingredients clearly labeled. Not many people had heard of such a thing as celiac's or a gluten intolerance.
Add Luke (a John Besh restaurant to the list) - Loved it before my wheat allergy appeared, adore it now. Called ahead to see if they minded if I brought my own bread/crackers and if they could make accomodations, not only did they say they could order the crackers and whatnot for me, they asked if I would like to talk to the chef and go through the menu. That's what keeps us going back.
I wish we had known about Luke, since we were just there a week ago.
I was there last week - first time back since I found out about my wheat allergy. The chef, Steven McHugh, was very accomodating - ordered me Glutino crackers for my duck & rabbit pate, experimented on a quinoa crust for his Flammenkuche, and said he would do cornmeal crusted oysters for the salad (I was too full). Once I talked to the chef at Palace Cafe, I got exactly the same treatment - you just have to get past the waitstaff if they don't get what you're asking.
Interesting. I have lived in New Orleans for over 15 years with celiac and the waitstaff here is the most knowledgeable I have ever encountered, usually knowing all ingredients in every dish and willing to ask questions if they don't know. I have never had a problem and always chocked it up to a higher standard for everyday food than most cities have.
I was in New Orleans for a conference in March, 2009. I had a pretty tough time finding places to eat, and many places told me that they could not accommodate the diet and I should eat elsewhere.
I finally found Bubba Gump on Decatur St. which has a gluten free menu, and it was fabulous. I had their tilapia with a mango salsa one night and cajun catfish the other night.
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