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i live 30 miles north of new orleans and unless you're accustomed to heat and humidity, visit in may. we don't get spring fever down here, we get fall fever.

can't give you any ideas about where to eat because i don't know what your looking for but seafood is our speciality. a few things you must eat while here, a roast beef poboy, the criteria here is that while eating one of these, you must have gravy dripping down your forearm. "parrains in metairie and bears in covington are my favorites" you have to try our gumbo and their are enough versions to suit almost anyone.

go to nomenu.com, it's a new orleans website by tom fitzmorris that discusses nothing but our local food. if you enjoy wonderful meals, this is the place to be.

I live Uptown, and I would highly recommend April or May. It's usually beautiful and not too oppressively hot. My favorite restaurants are Brigtsen's (started going there in college when they had early-bird specials on Tuesday nights, still LOVE it), K-Paul's, Luke, Cochon, Jacques-Imo's/Crabby Jack's, Domilise's, Baru, NOLA, Drago's, and Bacco (I think it's underrated and now sort of off the beaten path). I'll second Mr. B's as well. They do great lunch, too. You should also be here during snowball season—I suggest Plum Street or Pandora's. Angelo Brocato is also a great place for gelato.

Tom knows everything about local restaurants, and his website is great. Use him as your reference if you have any questions. I would stay away from websites and boards like Chowhound, since most people on those boards have very strong opinions about what New Orleans food is and should be, despite the fact that most of them have little experience with the city. They're kind of negative about our great city and our extraordinary restaurants.

I will also second the roast beef poboy as a need-to-eat item, as it's my favorite type of poboy, but I suggest you go to Crabby Jack's on Jefferson Hwy and try the roast duck or rabbit. Their fried shrimp poboy is also great with swiss cheese and plenty of Crystal.

Lastly, don't eat a lucky dog. The last ten or so people I know who have done so haven't been so lucky. I don't get why people even try their luck. Anyway, I am so glad to hear that you're visiting, and I wish you a wonderful trip!

You absolutely MUST go to Pascal's Manale (ma-na-lee) for barbequed shrimp. Not shrimp on the barbie -- these huge shrimp (heads and shells still on) are broiled while drenched in a garlicky, lemony, savory butter that will make you weep with delight. You must wear a bib while eating them with your fingers.

Impress the waiters -- dip your french bread in the sauce. Trust me on this.

1838 Napolean Ave. Take a cab so you can have some cocktails & oysters for appetizers. Finish up with the best bread pudding in N.O.The restaurant was founded in 1913. It's amazing!

Something not so fancy, but in my opinion can't be missed... Mother's. My favorite is the Ferdi Special. http://www.mothersrestaurant.net

@eatwelloften: I agree one hundred percent about mothers; i live in gulfport; have fond memories of mothers as a kid.

and absolutely about the seafood; really and truly, its difficult to go wrong with finding a well done seafood dish in nola, unless it is obviously a spot geared toward tourists. seriously--beware of those!

@ fozziebayer: early june is still a fine time to visit my favorite place on earth!!!! the warmth merely lends a great excuse to indulge in a luscious margarita while exploring!

the louisiana pizza kitchen right next to the french market is a place we always, always visit.

I would recommend visiting New Orleans in May over June, and April is even better (or October- we usually have great October weather).
I also live Uptown, and I couldn't agree more with the recommendation of the Crabby Jack's duck po-boy. If you have access to a car, it's worth the trip. Crabby Jack's has so many great options, there's something for everyone (go for lunch).

For fine dining choices, I like Gautreau's, Lilette, Stella, Commander's Palace (esp. for brunch), Iris, Bayona, and Brigtsen's, for upscale, yet more traditional Louisiana food. In the same vein, I also like Upperline, and think it is a great value. Other slightly more moderately priced places include Luke and Cochon (do not miss Cochon!). Luke has great daily specials- my favorite is the Friday special. I also like Cochon's new restaurant, Butcher, especially for lunch (the pork belly with basil and cucumber sandwich is delicious). Another Uptown favorite is Martinique Bistro.

If you want a decadent breakfast, go to Elizabeth's (get the praline bacon) or Stanley, on Jackson Square.

If you want tapas, Mimi's in the Marigny serves great tapas late. There's also Rambla. Also, both Cochon and Herbsaint both have small plates. Cochon's small plates are so good, you might have a hard time deciding on an entree.

Have fun and happy eating!

I second all of the above and add Herbsaint. Have a Sazerac (cocktail) and anything on the menu. It is all fab.
http://www.herbsaint.com/

No comment about the weather, because I have only been to NO in October (which was great btw). As for food...Commander's Palace definitely....19 years later I can still tell you what we ate....no trip to NOLA is complete without a stop at the Central Grocery for a muffaletta or Cafe du Monde for beignets!

I lived in NOLA in the summer of 2007, and I must say that one of the best meals I had was at Dante's Kitchen. It is often overlooked, since it is not in a central location (it's located uptown), but the food is divine. Everything we had was unbelievably good.

http://danteskitchen.com/

As for when to go: I think June will still be comfortable, July and especially August can be extremely hot/humid/uncomfortable.
Have fun!

You're visiting friends there? Let them take you to their favorite joints.

May is better than June.

Hurricane, but only one made with fresh fruit juices, not koolaid mix.
Luke has good dinner specials. I particularly like their "ravioli of local crabmeat".
Mother's has a really good debris po-boy. "Debris" is the juices and bits of meat that fall off when roasting beef.
Parasol's for lunch in the Irish Channel. Get the roast beef po-boy, it's huge.
Creole Creamery for dessert, they make incredible ice cream. The flavors are off-the-wall, and they have some standard favorites, but they are always rotating in new flavors. My favorite as yet is "cayenne lime butter" but I also liked "Steen's molasses oatmeal cookie" last time I was there.
Crabby Jack's is good, and you can take one of their cups home as a souvenir. The duck is excellent.
The Coffee Pot in the French Quarter for breakfast or dinner. They have amazing gumbo (better even than the Gumbo Shop, in my opinion), really good red beans and rice, and fantastic corn bread. For breakfast, you want cala cakes (balls of fried rice dough) or pain perdu ("lost bread", sort of like french toast).
The Bourbon House is pricey, but what I've eaten there has been very good. Their bread pudding is very tasty, although it boggles my mind how a place called the bourbon house does not use bourbon in their sauce.
Cafe du Monde for a late night snack of cafe au lait and beignets. Note: they're pronounced ben-YAY for a reason. But be careful of your clothes, they come in a massive mountain or powdered sugar.
The Camellia Grill is an awesome little diner at Riverbend. Their omelets are legendary, their freezes are good, and their bacon is out of this world. If you get waffles or something, use cane syrup, not maple.
If you make it out to Metairie, I suggest you check out Crazy Johnnie's in Fat City. Their lunchtime special of the filet mignon po-boy is tearfully good, and something like $7 for a filet mignon po-boy and crazy potatoes that fill you right up is nothing to sneeze at.
Daiquiris to go.

Even though it's hot, you must have at least one of each of these: red beans and rice, gumbo, and jambalaya. Also, something with crawfish. The food down here is amazing. And like others have said.... let your friends take you to their favorite joints!

Bias cause I'm a local...but it's not that hot in June but this summer might be different with the way our winter has been this year. Mild winters tend to foresee a hot summer.

I don't know if anyone mentioned it but Hansen's is also excellent place for a snowball. If you don't mind a trip to Chalmette go to Rocky & Carlo's for some traditional Italian New Orleans food (drippin po-boys and fine Mac & cheese with gravy). Mother's is also a go (even though I'm not a fan of the cabbage) and Central Grocery in the Quarter for mufflettas.

I second the suggestion for Camilla Grill on Carrolton by the river. Hands down is one of my favorite places to eat in the city. I cried tears of joy when I found out that it was reopening. Traditional diner fare but it's also about the experience you have there with the waiters. Try the pecan pie warmed up upside down on the grill topped with some lovely ice cream. Simply wonderful.

Ugh, I don't want to talk about Brunnigan's. Not the same as old Bruno's. Not at all. Old Bruno's was actually a "vile" college bar, and the new one doesn't have a soul. I'll agree that the food is decent.

And how could I forget Creole Creamery? I practically live there when it's not Lent. Bacchanal is also wonderful; will definitely be too hot outside (even at night) to fully enjoy the experience later than April or maybe May.

If you want to stay away from a tourist spot, stay away from Mother's. Totally overrated, in my opinion, and you will likely have to wait in a long line to get in. I don't think anyone's mentioned Parkway in Mid-City... they have great poboys as well.

Lola's is a true gem. The paella is wonderful, and they serve little warm rolls fresh out of the oven with this garlic butter that is more like garlic paste... delicious. It's BYO, and is it still cash only? Was it ever? I haven't been in almost a year and don't remember.

If you hit Ralph's on the Park, be sure to go for brunch--they have a great menu, and I think it's better than their dinner menu.

Yeah but a week before that was a nice breezy 70 degrees in Dec. So snow aside it has been a mild winter to say the least.