First trip to N.O.

My wife and I are going for the first time...October 7-10. It is our 40th anniversary.

We are staying at Iberville Suites and plan on doing a lot of walking around.

1. If we are going for one memorable dinner...where would you recommend. I%26#39;m not saying that price is no object...as long as the value for dollar is there, I don%26#39;t mind spending the money. Also some other places for reasonably priced dinners the other nights.

2. What spa in the FQ would you recommend for her.

3. Any tours that are ';must sees';

Hopefully the weather will be nice then...what clothing would be neccessary

First trip to N.O.

Oh, boy. Well, for the spa, the only one in the FQ I can think of is at the Ritz-Carlton - a really nice one indeed.

As for question #1 and #3, my only suggestion at this point is to put some queries into the search box to narrow it down a bit. There are a gazillion absolutely fantastic restaurants in the NO area and in the FQ in particular. As for tours, again, it just depends on what your interests are. Swamp? Plantation (both of those well outside the FQ area)? Ghost? Cemetery? Architectural tour? Historical? Carriage ride? The possibilities are numerous for a three day stay.

First trip to N.O.

I have heard about K-Paul and Antoines....

Would they fit in those categories.

I got back yesterday from my first trip to the Big Easy. (It was our anniversary, too.) A great Creole restaurant is Olivier%26#39;s on Decatur. It has the same great food as the ';famous'; places, but at half the price. The French Quarter and Garden District walking tours with the Historic New Orleans company are a must. The guides must pass a test and a background check, and they are so knowledgeable. They truly enjoy sharing their love for the city with tourists. Sorry, I didn%26#39;t go to a spa. Have a fabulous trip!

Amosct

For a special dinner Irene%26#39;s on St Phillip. ( Bayona%26#39;s %26amp; Stella%26#39;s are my next favorites)

for a regular meal Coop%26#39;s Place, Louisiana Bistro, Deannie%26#39;s Seafood, Cafe Maspero%26#39;s, Gumbo Shop

For a spa, Belladonna on Magazine

belladonnadayspa.com/misc/SpaMenu_11_27.pdf

Must see tour depends on what your interest are.

If you are a WW2 buff, the National DDay Museum

If you love art there%26#39;s Odgen Museum of Southern Art.

If you%26#39;re want something campy, do a ghost tour

If it%26#39;s nature, then do a swamp tour.

there%26#39;s Mardi Gras World, Laura Plantation, a Buggy ride thru the Qtr.

antique shopping on Magazine St, or galleries on Royal.

There%26#39;s jazz clubs on Frenchman St, cajun music at Tip%26#39;s or Mulates.

I%26#39;m a big fan of Mr. B%26#39;s for dinner. Other posters are right though, there are tons of great places.

When I was down in April I thought they were constructing a spa on Iberville somewhere towards the river from Bourbon. The building front had been redone and I could%26#39;ve sworn it said a spa was going in there. I could be wrong.

Oyvegas,

For walking, consider spending one day (although not Sunday) on Magazine Street. About a 5 mile (more or less continuous) stretch of shops, stores, food, boutiques, etc. including the belladonna spa. You can get a nice free brochure from the merchants association at http://www.magazinestreet.com/index.html

It is more or less 5 sections of about 10 blocks each, so you can pick and choose where to go. Almost everything there is local (versus chains).

If you are hungry, consider Casamento%26#39;s (Oysters), Theo%26#39;s Pizza, and Lilette for lunch, and if the weather is warm, a few block detour over to Tchoupitoulas street and Hansen%26#39;s and you can experience the worlds best sno-cones.

A short cab ride out to Commanders Palace for dinner or weekend Jazz Brunch is a great option as well. The food is just about perfect and the service even better.

I also like the D-Day museum and several of the films at the IMAX theater next to the aquarium.

Have a great trip.

Casamento%26#39;s is wonderful, but closes during the summer.

The following site won%26#39;t help you choose a dining spot, but it will give you hours, phone numbers, web sites, etc.

http://murl.se/26525

For good food with a New Orleans tilt, my votes go to Brigtsen%26#39;s and Clancy%26#39;s, both a taxi ride uptown from the French Quarter.

Wishing you a good trip!

I have to say that I cannot recommend Antoine%26#39;s at all. I would pick something else both for food and atmosphere/service reasons.

I have heard about the poor service and how Antoine%26#39;s has gone downhill however Tom Fitzmorris, a local food critic, on his show last week highly complimented Antoine%26#39;s. I guess I%26#39;ll give it another chance.

It%26#39;s a really tough call. As the nation%26#39;s oldest continuously-running restaurant, Antoine%26#39;s is very precious. The kitchen has been uneven for some years, and the restaurant was having trouble filling its enormous rooms even before Katrina.

The tourist industry still hasn%26#39;t recovered from Katrina, and Antoine%26#39;s is barely staying afloat. It%26#39;s something to be concerned about, because no one wants to see the grand old place -- a New Orleans fixture for 167 years! -- close its doors. Tom Fitzmorris is loyal to Antoine%26#39;s partly, I think, to keep the restaurant from falling off the map.

He also has a list of dishes that he feels Antoine%26#39;s does well. You may be able to find his old reviews in these archives:

neworleans.com/forum/…19.0.html

I have a great, sentimental love for Antoine%26#39;s, having spent many happy evenings there in fifty-six years. That aside, I wish the kitchen were more consistent. I%26#39;d love to see the menu re-imagined and redone while keeping the best dishes from the old menu. The place needs a major shot of adrenalin if it%26#39;s going to regain its status as a destination for serious diners.

In the meantime, I go back every couple of years for the soufflee potatoes, shrimp remoulade, various oyster appetizers, and the Cafe Brulot. After dinner, I love prowling the private dining rooms and looking at old photos of kings, queens and carnival krewes past.