Friends of Eater on the Top Restaurant Standbys of 2014

As is the tradition at Eater, our closeout of the year is a survey of friends, industry types, and bloggers. This year, we asked the group eight questions running the gamut from meal of the year to top restaurant newcomers. All will be answered by the time we turn off the lights at the end of the 2014. Responses are related in no particular order; all are cut, pasted, and (mostly) unedited herein. Readers, please do add your survey answers in the comments.

Q: What were your top standbys of 2014?

Rene Louapre, cofounder of Hogs For The Cause:
Lunch - Peche. Can meet wife downtown for lunch and have a healthy lunch of oysters, crudos, fried bread, pastas, shrimp and fontina croquettes, and salted caramel cake. Dinner favorite has become (even more so with arrival of second kid) to sit at the bar at La Petite Grocery and plow through the appetizers and wine list. For more casual, its still Freret and Company Burger and Freret St. Donut and PoBoy.

Lorin Gaudin, Nola Food Goddess, food editor of Where, cohost of New Orleans By Mouth:
Tan Dinh, Coquette, Patois, Rivista, Chinese Kitchen, Mizado, Kyoto2, Mais Arepas

[Photo: Brasted]

Scott Gold, author of The Shameless Carnivore, writer/contributor for Thrillist, NolaVie, Louisiana Eats!:
I'm a sucker for Vietnamese, and Pho Cam Ly and Lily's Cafe always make me very, very happy. If you've never had the egg rolls at Pho Cam Ly (Pho Bang-style, with sausage and a tapioca wrapper), you're missing out on life. The oyster happy hour at Luke is a close second.

B.E. Mintz, founder and editor of Nola Defender:
Man Chu (for the wings), Herbsaint (for everything), Cane & Table (for great Quarter dining… and drinking), Casamento’s (for seafood), Arnaud’s French 75 (for a snack and a cocktail to get the night going), Brothers (for gas station fried chicken), Jung’s Golden Dragon II (for Chinese… use the Szechuan menu), Sammy’s (for Roast Beef po-boys), Parkway (for all po-boys), Felix’s (for oysters), Commander’s Palace (for service and celebration).

[Photo: Brasted]

Kim Ranjbar, writer, Suck The Heads:
This year, I couldn't seem to stay away from Toast (give me ALL the quiche), Pho Tau Bay, Three Muses and Pizza Delicious.

Josh Brasted, photographer:
St. James Cheese Co., Kebab, Pizza Delicious.

Nora McGunnigle, beer writer and contributor to Eater NOLA and Gambit: Ancora, Coquette, McClure's, Toast

Gwendolyn Knapp, editor, Eater NOLA:
Pizza Delicious is still my go to for dinner with the fam. If I'm by myself, I like to eat at the bar at MoPho and Parkway. Crescent Pie closed, and that was one of my jams for dining solo. I'm still bummed about it. This year has been all about Satsuma Maple's pancakes for breakfast, and sushi at Horinoya before shows at The Civic. I always find myself at Peche when friends are in town or somebody has a birthday.