Galatoires or Mr B's

My bride to be want%26#39;s to eat at new place on this visit. We have not eaten at Galatoires, Mr b%26#39;s, or Embers. So if any suggestions can be given, that would be great. Do we need reservations? Jacket? On the Mr%26#39;s website it mentions $1.50 bloody mary%26#39;s, so I am leaning toward them. Any suggestions for upscale place in the FQ that we can dress casual./ Cheers IT

Galatoires or Mr B's

Mr. B%26#39;s can be casual and I%26#39;d choose it. The Embers is super casual and has a balcony over Bourbon St. but can get quite noisy on biker nights as they hang out next to the Embers. I haven%26#39;t been to Galatoires in a long time but it did require jackets. Mr. B%26#39;s is fabulous. By casual do you mean the men with long pants and a buttoned shirt? or casual meaning shorts, pullover tshirt and sandals?

Galatoires or Mr B's

I like Mr B%26#39;s very much. I think it is more casual than Galatoires. Just a funny note, we walked by The Embers one nght, (there is a window to the kitchen in the front ) and saw them taking frozen breaded shrimp out of a box. We havn%26#39;t eaten there, Ha!

Mr B%26#39;s used to have a great line on their recorded ';on-hold'; message. It said ';Jacket not required, but often seen.'; So, you should expect that there will be some parties dressed up, but there will also be people dressed down. They usually don%26#39;t allow short pants, but I have seen exceptions made. Galatoires requires a jacket at dinner, but not lunch. The Embers is just OK and is not even in the same league as either place you mentioned. Skip it.

Of course, Mr B%26#39;s and Galatoires are very different places.

Galatoires can sometimes disappoint a first-timer because they may lack the context that makes this place special. Eating there should be viewed as an opportunity to step back in time and imagine fine Creole dining as it was in the 1905 -- because very little has changed at Galatoires since then and even seemingly minor change is met with howls of protest by their legions of local regulars (you should have read the series of letters to the editor of the local paper when they switched to cubed ice in cocktails instead of the waiters chipping ice of big blocks a few years ago). Think of Galatoires as a performance art piece representing something you can%26#39;t find elsewhere. Be prepared to splurge, take way too long to eat, put yourself at the mercy of your waiter (connecting with your waiter is essential here), expand your horizons, and keep the Sazerac cocktails coming. If you can do that, Galatoires can be a dining experience you will remember the rest of your life (depending on how may Sazeracs you have %26lt;g%26gt;).

Mr. B%26#39;s couldn%26#39;t be more different. They opened in the 1970%26#39;s with the expressed intention of turning old-line New Orleans dining on it%26#39;s head -- and the fact that they have been endlessly copied is evidence that the idea worked. No longer did fine Creole dining mean getting all dressed up and spending a small fortune. The menu has distinctly Creole touches, but everything has a more updated, contemporary flair. You will find dishes that are updated versions of New Orleans classics (BBQ Shrimp, for instance), dishes that were interpreted from more rustic county Creole and Cajun roots (Gumbo Ya Ya), and others that seem to have very little New Orleans influence (killer duck spring rolls, for instance). Mr B%26#39;s is a great restaurant. Very different (and less expensive) that Galatoires, but very good on all levels and much less ';attitude adjustment'; needed.

You really can%26#39;t go wrong with either place, unless you like your restaurants on the ';cutting-edge.'; If that is the case, go to Bayona or Cuvee instead.

Another vote for Mr. B%26#39;s

On our first visit, ten years ago, to Mr. B%26#39;s we (6 guys) literally stumbled in the door, and were politely seated (all in shorts), right inside the front door. We were impressed that we were seated at all. We were treated like we all had tuxes on.

Pasta Jambalaya, BBQ Shrimp, and OMG Gumbo Ya Ya!

We have been back many times since in small groups or couples. We were always better dressed than the first time, (business casual), but still treated royally. Even enjoyed watching Tiger win the 2001 Masters at Mr. B%26#39;s bar drinking insanely cheap ($1 I think at the time), bloody marys.

On our last visit, I paid with a $50 traveller%26#39;s check, and our waiter brought back change for $100. After I pointed out that fact to him, another waiter within earshot offered ';Whatcha tryin%26#39; to do, give away the sto%26#39;?';

We%26#39;ll be back again in Oct. Can%26#39;t wait

Here is one more vote for Mr.B%26#39;s.

It%26#39;s one of our favorites!

Yet another vote for Mr. B%26#39;s. My whole family including aunts and uncles went to Galatoire%26#39;s last weekend. The experience was what you go for. The food was good but nothing more. It was a 70% local crowd we figured as we saw many people we knew.

Mr B%26#39;s is a better bet. I probably would have enjoyed a meal at Mr. B%26#39;s more, but the family tradition/dinner was the draw for Galatoire%26#39;s.

Mr. B%26#39;s.

Should you decide to go to Galatoires and you go on a Friday or Saturday night, be prepared for the place to be a total zoo. I posted a review a few years ago about being disappointed in everything but the food; we won%26#39;t waste our time and money returning.

Thank Ya%26#39;ll so much for the valuable info. We are looking forward to spending our honeymoon in the big easy. We wanted to try someplace new. So it looks like Mr B%26#39;s is a winner.

Thanks again/ Irish Tiger