As a resident of New Orleans, I feel the need to chime in here. (In the interest of full disclosure, I'm just a resident and am not affiliated with any tourism or seafood industry organizations. I work in legal marketing.) The spill was really heartbreaking for us. Not only was it another disaster affecting our local economy, but it directly affected the Gulf, the lifeblood of our communities in so many ways. In New Orleans, we could actually smell the oil spill shortly after it happened and winds carried the stench of hydrocarbons our way, and it was clear that this would be a serious event. We are no strangers to disasters, and we were devastated once again.

Initially, all anyone here could talk about was whether or not Louisiana seafood was safe. Seafood plays a starring role in the many types of cuisine New Orleans and South Louisiana is known for, so it's safe to say that everyone kind of freaked out about the viability of our cuisine and traditions. But we're resilient, and in cases where certain foods weren't available for a while, like oysters, restaurants found a way to manage (Drago's served chargrilled mussels at an event I attended in May 2010, as an example) or took items off their menus (Parkway Bakery ceased to offer fried oyster poboys for a while due to supplier issues).

Since the spill, we have been assured and reassured that the seafood we eat is safe to consume. And we've continued to consume seafood as long as it has been deemed safe. To answer your questions, numerous reports have cited the safety of our local seafood. We've been eating oysters since last fall, and they have been great. Most have been larger than expected. It's amazing how things have bounced back.

That being said, there's still a long road for many in the greater seafood industry to get back on their feet, and I'm pleased to see that more efforts are being made to educate the rest of America about Louisiana seafood. Lately it seems like we've had more visitors than ever, which is especially odd during our oppressively hot and humid summer, and I guarantee that they are enjoying our seafood as much as we have been for the past several months. Individual restaurants go above and beyond the required inspections to make sure the product they're getting is safe and delicious, and in cases when I've dined with people who asked about the safety of Gulf seafood (which is proudly displayed as local on menus here), the answer is the same: If it weren't safe to eat, we wouldn't serve it.

Thank you for this article, and thank you for visiting Louisiana. I hope you'll continue to cover how we're doing and how restaurants in tourist-heavy parts of our state have dealt with the challenges brought on by the spill.

I'm not a Houstonian, but used to visit frequently. I really miss Goode Co. and Mexican food in general. I guess that's what you get for living in New Orleans!

The po-boy burger is not unique to Coop's, but I have yet to try it. I'm a fan of the jambalaya, although it's on the smokier, spicier side (think less tomato and more spicy meat). And for what it's worth, we love our Abita Amber—have yet to meet anyone in NOLA who'd drink Purple Haze in public.

Ohhhh, how we LOVE our Pizza Delicious. It is truly the best pizza in NOLA.

Finally got a Misto olive oil sprayer. Very excited about that! Brother got me a GIANT, lovely bamboo cutting board. Turned a Macy's gift card into a 7-cup Cuisinart food processor, which I've been wanting for some time. It was $70 off, sale price $89.99. Also got The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, which I've really wanted because I adore Back to Basics (which I won here on SE!!!) and wanted to try out the original book that has lots of recipes from the store. Boyfriend grew up eating food from the store in East Hampton, and I'm hoping I can bust out a surprise dish from the book that he hasn't had in years.

Wow, did this strike a chord with me. Night baking is my LIFE. I can't remember the last time I baked something during the day (or early evening hours, even) unless it was over a weekend.

@janaatwg Abita is our gem! Glad to hear you will be visiting.

I just have to add that, as I read this, every single ad on this page is advertising this show. It's kind of hilarious. And judging by the comments above, I must be lucky that my cable provider doesn't include Oxygen in my package.

Actually, I notice the same issues with my brownies/blondies when they're undermixed. Usually a little extra time in the mixer will help develop a little more gluten, so maybe that will help. I think adding fat will just mess with the texture and will cause your brownies to become oily or even more crumbly. I could be totally wrong here, though.

And why is it that I've come across ads for Serious Eats on foodnetwork.com? I don't remember the last time I saw one, but it made me think.

I've lived in NOLA for six years now and have to say, first and foremost,
THANK YOU for coming to visit our wonderful city!

If I had to pick a couple of my favorite restaurants to suggest, I'd go with Brigtsen's, K-Paul's (they also do lunch now Thurs–Sun, I believe), Cochon, Bacco, Crabby Jack's, Il Posto, Drago's, Domilise's, Baru, Coop's, Mr. B's, the Marigny Brasserie, and perhaps Boucherie or Jacques-Imo's if you're in for a little bit of a ride. I'll second Le Bon Ton—very classic, unassuming New Orleans. Their bread pudding recipe is in the original Silver Palate cookbook. I've never been to August, but would like to go. I've also had good food at Bayona, though I went with my bf in college and we had terrible service, with dinner lasting 3+ hours as parties came and went around us.

Places to avoid: Mother's is highly overrated, and you'd have to be insane to stand outside in long lines with temps currently in the 90s, plus high humidity and ZERO wind. Upperline, in my experience, is just okay, as are Dick & Jenny's and Clancy's, though these places tend to get high marks from visitors. Trust me—you can do better. Also, avoid the Praline Connection in both the Marigny and the airport.

I'll also give a thumbs up to Tom Fitzmorris (my friends and I refer to him simply as Tom at this point, haha) as the authority on New Orleans restaurants. He's been dining in and around New Orleans his entire life and is dedicated to the pursuit of deliciousness. I trust his taste and opinions, as well as his recipes. I'm pretty sure The Food Show is now on 1350 AM... it's changed a couple times in the past couple years. Check out nomenu.com or sign up for his e-mail newsletter. Good stuff.

Apple pie all the way, from an old Betty Crocker cookbook. This is the recipe from which I learned to make apple pie, and my mom shared her amazing crust-making skills that she'd learned in 4H in the '60s.