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French
Quarter Dining Alfresco
The French Quarter
in the springtime is blue skies, warm breezes, sunshine and blooming
flowers. Despite its steamy reputation, the weather in New Orleans
for most of the year is actually quite mild and pleasant. Winter
days and summer nights and mornings often feel just as spring-like
as an April afternoon. With this abundance of great weather comes
the ability and the desire to spend as much time outdoors as
possible. Alfresco dining combines fine dining with a Sunday
afternoon picnic, and the French Quarter has many restaurants
and cafes that offer a breath of fresh air. Mornings in the Quarter are filled with locals
tending to their hanging gardens and shopkeepers preparing for
the first customers of the day. Take a leisurely stroll to the
Lower Quarter and visit Croissant D’or,
a charming European-style pastry shop with extremely reasonable
prices. Enjoy fresh coffee, pastries, soups, salads, sandwiches
and quiches in their quiet courtyard. For a heartier appetite,
the Alpine Restaurant offers a variety of omelettes,
Eggs Benedict, Pecan French Toast and other breakfast favorites,
along with a full bar serving Mimosas and Cajun Bloody Marys.
Get a table by one of the several sets of French doors for breakfast,
lunch or dinner and watch the activity passing to and from Jackson
Square. Another good breakfast option is Fiorella’s
Café. Outdoor tables overlooking the busy French
Market catch the breeze off of the Mississippi River, and inexpensive
home cooking makes Fiorella’s a popular casual choice. Breakfast
options are traditional, and lunch features the much-acclaimed
fried chicken, considered by many to be the best found anywhere.
The Louisiana Pizza Kitchen
also sits just steps outside of the French Market, with sunny
sidewalk tables offering a welcome break from sightseeing and
bargain hunting. Gourmet, wood-fired pizza is the specialty here,
with ingredients such as sun-dried tomatoes, barbecue chicken,
banana peppers, Portobello mushrooms and even shrimp topping unbleached
flour or whole wheat crusts. Traditional toppings are also available
for the less adventurous, as well as a large selection of appetizers,
fresh salads and creative pasta dishes. For those who prefer gumbo
to gourmet, the Gumbo Shop offers all of the
New Orleans favorites such as jambalaya, red beans and rice, crawfish
etouffee, blackened fish, po-boys and, of course, several varieties
of gumbo. This busy restaurant has a small courtyard for dining
outside of the packed main dining room, and prices are reasonable.
Lunch is usually less crowded than dinner, and the central French
Quarter location makes an easy mid-day stop from sightseeing or
Royal Street shopping. Dinner in the French Quarter is superb cuisine
served in historic and charming surroundings. Muriel’s
offers these things and more in an opulently restored townhouse
complete with balcony dining and a courtyard bar. French doors
open the restaurant to Jackson Square, just steps away. Watch
the French Quarter go by while enjoying dishes such as Shrimp
Remoulade with Fried Green Tomatoes, Crawfish and Goat Cheese
Crepes, and wood grilled selections such as scallops, pork chops
and seasonal vegetables. For dessert, the Vanilla Bean Crème
Brulee is a standout. Bayona Restaurant is also
located in a beautifully renovated French Quarter home, but the
surroundings are more intimate. Several small dining rooms and
a romantic courtyard are available for dining on Chef Susan Spicer’s
creations. The Grilled Duck Breast with Pepper Jelly Glaze and
the Sweetbreads with Lemon-Caper or Sherry-Mustard Butter have
become almost as well known to New Orleans diners as gumbo and
jambalaya. Whether it be a sunny spring morning, breezy
fall afternoon or warm summer night, the French Quarter offers
a bounty of alfresco dining options. The above suggestions are
only the beginning – on almost every block you will find
both quaint cafés and elegant bistros offering a chance
to dine and soak up the classic Quarter atmosphere while actually
becoming a part of it at a street side table or balcony. Explore
all the Quarter has to offer and find a favorite of your own.
Susan Filipowicz is Associate Producer of FrenchQuarter.com and an enthusiastic observer of the Quarter scene. She once lived and worked in the French Quarter for two years without ever crossing Canal Street |
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