Louisiana Bistro, New Orleans

We kept walking past this little unassuming restaurant front in the French quarter. It was at the end of the road that our Hotel was on. It was closed every time I went by, all that I could see was the menu on the wall outside. Every time I passed it, I commented to Gipsy Spread that they did the fried green tomatoes which I wanted to try as a local delicacy made famous by the film 'Fried green tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe'. So, it was on our penultimate evening in New Orleans (N'Awlins) and the penultimate dinner of the whole US road trip that we ventured into this exquisite little establishment.

The Louisiana Bistro was perfectly bijou, with a limited number of simply dressed tables in an eclectically old school wooden interior. It was very much in the french bistro style; french Louisiana.

We were seated swiftly by our very friendly waiter and brought bread rolls that had been warmed under a heater. I was slightly dubious when I observed this being done, however, the bread was lovely and crusty and perfect with the chilled salted butter which then melted onto it.

 

I already knew what I was having from the menu, it having taunted and tempted me on my sojourns to and from our Hotel. This was a starter dish, but I anticipated that it would be more than enough for me, especially with the bistro salad on its side. So, fried green tomatoes in a corn crust with jalapeno hollandaise was my main dish. Gipsy Spread had the crab salad with breaded asparagus spears.

 

 

I cut into my fried green tomatoes with delectable delight and savoured the flavours and textures of the dish. It brought a wonderful crunch from the earthy corn crust and then an explosion of natural flavours from the tangy and sweet tomatoes, followed by the rich and creamy hollandaise dancing with heat from the chopped jalapenos through it. This was my kind of dish. The salad was also very crisp and fresh and the balsamic dressing worked well with my tomato dish. Gipsy Spread also very much enjoyed his dinner. The salad was huge and the sensitively cooked crab had an excellent contrast with the crunchy asparagus.

 

 

I was done and simply had a digestiv of amaretto as prompted by the waiter. Gipsy Spread however had a whiskey, but also the highly recommended cream cheese ice cream with balsamic berries. I of course, for the purposes of research, then had to have a taste test. It was deliciously creamy, with sweet and tangy tartness from the berries and balsamic vinegar.

I think if you are in New Orleans and wanting a taste of the South, then a visit here is core to the itinerary. The restaurant is good old fashioned Louisiana Creole cooking, delivered exceptionally well. Is it any wonder that it has been voted the best restaurant in New Orleans by the people on Trip Advisor. If you are visiting New Orleans, you will be eating. If you only have one meal, make sure its here.