You'll want to get an early start for breakfast or you might find yourself waiting in line. As far as I'm concerned, the only place to eat breakfast in The Big Easy is Brennan's. Located on Royal Street, this New Orleans landmark has been setting the standard for Creole cuisine for over six decades. I usually choose to walk from my hotel, through the early morning traffic of Bourbon Street and the French Quarter, taking in the hustle and bustle of delivery drivers and locals. Brennan's offers a vast array of breakfast choices including crayfish omelette's, turtle soup, Eggs Sardou and Oysters Benedict. Everything is extremely fresh and you can't go wrong with nearly any choice. As one of the very few restaurants that promote dessert with breakfast, be sure to save room for pecan pie or Bananas Foster, which was invented at Brennan's. Wash it all down with something from the morning Eye Opener menu, which includes choices like Creole Bloody Mary, Brandy Milk Punch and even an Absinthe Frappe. At this point, you'll be glad that you walked from the hotel because you'll need a good walk to digest this amazing start to your day.
Believe it or not, if you spend the day sightseeing, you'll probably be hungry for lunch before you realize it. There are several good choices for a midday meal in the French Quarter; it just depends your mood. As a great crowd pleaser, The Acme Oyster House on Iberville Street has a menu that will make everyone in your party happy. Since 1910, The Acme Oyster House has been serving up fresh seafood, jambalaya, po-boys and lots of other great cajun food. My personal favorite is a po-boy sandwich stuffed with either soft-shell crab or fried oysters. Ordered with a cup of gumbo or sweet potato fries, this is a hearty lunch that will keep you going until early evening.
Planning dinner in New Orleans can be somewhat overwhelming, but I do have my favorites. For an early evening meal, check out Galtoire’s. For more than a century this grand dame of the New Orleans restaurant scene has served great food to celebrities, Presidents and locals alike. Galtoire's is one of the more upscale restaurants and is a little more pricey than some of the other options, but well worth it. There is one trick to dining at Galtoire's; be sure to eat in the downstairs dining room. The newer, upstairs dining rooms are nice but lack the charm of the older, downstairs rooms. The only caveat is their reservations policy. You can make reservations for the upstairs dining rooms, but the downstairs is "first come, first served" with no exceptions. They even proudly boast that they have made celebrities, dignitaries, relatives and even a President or two wait in line. It's kind of a New Orleans tradition and you never know who you'll meet in line. It's usually not a long wait and well worth the time.
Once you've had your fill of partying along Bourbon Street, you'll probably need a little late night snack to get you through to breakfast. Find your way over to the St. Charles area and pay a visit to Cafe du Monde. Touted as the Original French Market Coffee Stand, Cafe du Monde offers great coffee with chicory and the best beignets you've ever tasted. Served on paper plates with a generous dusting of powered sugar, they're a perfect way to end your culinary tour of New Orleans.
