As is the tradition at Eater, we're rounding up the year with a survey of friends, industry types, bloggers and others to get a feel for the highlights and lowlights of the last year in eating in New Orleans. So far we've covered Top Restaurant Standbys, Favorite Newcomers, and One Word Descriptions. Now, dearest readers, our panel of restaurant experts weigh in on the best dining neighborhood of 2013. Feel free to add your description to the comments.
Cane & Table [Photo: Krieger]
Q. What Was This Year's Best Dining Neighborhood in New Orleans?
Rene Loupre, Blackened Out blogger and cofounder of Hogs For The Cause: The corridor of Magazine between Washington and Napoleon knows no equal in the galaxy.
Anne Berry, cocktail whisperer and Where Yat contributor: Wherever La Cocinita's food truck is parked.
Kim Ranjbar, Suck The Heads and Where Yat: I might seem biased because I live there, but I think the best dining neighborhood in 2013 was the Riverbend/Oak Street area. Let's face it, the area was a dining destination before last year, what with the arrival of Cowbell, Chiba, Truburger, Maple Street Patisserie, Boucherie, Panchita's and Oak Wine Bar, not to mention the older establishments like Brigtsen's, Dante's Kitchen, Maple Street Cafe, One Restaurant & Lounge, The Basil Leaf, Lebanon's and Cafe Nino's Pizzeria. Then, last year we had a huge influx of even MORE great restaurants like Satsuma Cafe, Ba Chi Canteen, Pho Bistreaux, Milk Bar, Jimmy John's and Kakkoi.
Poppy Tooker, author, legend, host of Louisiana Eats: It's a tie between Freret Street & the Bywater/Marigny.
Gwendolyn Knapp, editor of Eater Nola: The Bywater is still blowing up, for sure, and Magazine and Freret seem unstoppable, but the French Quarter had a lot of big openings, revamps, expansions and even a huge scandal this year, so I'm sending out my love all the restaurants that hit it big in the Quarter this year: Tujague's, Broussard's, Kingfish, Tableau, Marti's, Petit Amelie, Galatoire's 33 Bar & Steak, Counter by Kingfish, Cane & Table, Cafe Sbisa, and even the Big Pink. The French Quarter was definitely the best dining neighborhood for food and for eyebrow-raising.
Eater readers, what was this year's best dining neighborhood and why? Leave a comment and Happy New Year.
· All Year in Eater Coverage [-ENOLA-]
