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GUMBO

"There's no one recipe for good gumbo," Anderson says. The stew is a menagerie of meat or seafood, stock, onions, bell peppers, celery and roux (a paste of melted fat-usually butter, oil or animal fat- and flour that's cooked down to varying degrees of color and nuttiness, and used to thicken the soup). Southern Louisianans swear by the smoky dark-roux; Northerners by the lighter, tomato-based roux. Both preparations find a home in New Orleans. Either way, this is one staple you don't want to miss.

Seafood Lover
GALATOIRE'S RESTAURANT
209 Bourbon St 504-525-2021
www.galatoires.com
THE DISH: Creole gumbo, $8.50

Under its fourth generation of Galatoire family ownership, this 104-year-old French Creole restaurant attracts dedicated locals who line up around the block for a sampling of its Creole gumbo. Executive Chef Brian Landry, named King of Louisiana Seafood in 2008 at the Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off, makes this dark-roux, seafood-based gumbo with crab and okra, creating an earthy dish that has enough pepper and spice to call every taste bud to command. This dish is so popular, patrons return again and again, consuming more than 25 gallons of gumbo per week.

Meat Lover
HERBSAINT BAR AND RESTAURANT
701 St. Charles Ave 504-524-4114
www.herbsaint.com
THE DISH: Duck and andouille sausage gumbo, $7

James Beard Award-winning chef Donald Link is known for his upscale take on Southern classics, but this Cajun dark-roux gumbo has gone unchanged since his mother made it when he was a boy. It has a deep, smoky flavor that lingers thanks to bits of tasso-smoked pork shoulder-and heavily spiced andouille sausage and duck. The thinness of the roux punches up the flavors in this complex stew, and the succulent duck makes it especially savory. Link taste tests it every day to personally guarantee its perfection- and it's always flawless.

OYSTERS

"The Gulf oysters here are different from what you see on the coast," Anderson says. "They're much bigger, making them more suitable for cooking." Eat them raw, in a sandwich, in pasta-they're good any way you make them. "And they're fabulous fried,"he says.

Simple and Savory
PASCAL'S MANALE
1838 Napoleon Ave 504-895-4877 www.neworleansrestaurants.com/pascalsmanale
THE DISH: One dozen oysters, $9.50

A good oyster bar requires two things: quality mollusks and a shucker with quick hands. At this Italian-Creole restaurant, open since 1913, you'll find both. Order at the bar (where local brews like Abita are on tap) and let the shuckers get to work-they'll flick a knife in one end of the shell and hand the oyster over to you in a flash. Let the slick mound of fish slide down au naturale, or dip it in ketchup, lemon juice, olive oil or hot sauce. "Our Blue Point Oysters are firm, salty and not too briny- they're perfect," says co-owner Mark DeFelice. "Then again, I haven't tried oysters in many places outside of New Orleans. But I don't really need to."

Surf and Turf
UPPERLINE
1413 Upperline St 504-891-9822
www.upperline.com
THE DISH: Petite filet with oysters and snail butter, $26.50

In the historic Uptown neighborhood, owner JoAnn Clevenger spins her passion for New Orleans and its well-loved recipes into a surf-and-turf masterpiece. Her chef, Ken Smith, spent six weeks perfecting a rich snail butter created by mixing butter, garlic and parsley, cooking it down and blending it to a rich green sauce. The sauce is then spooned over a delicately cooked filet of beef surrounded by five flash-fried crispy oysters. The aromatic butter infuses a herbaceous kick into each mouthwatering bite of beef and crunchy-yet-soft oysters. Clevenger personally thanks every visitor as they leave-but you'll want to thank her for turning a simple New Orleans staple into this outstanding dish.

PO' BOY

"The quintessential po' boy is sloppy, gravy-soaked and awesome," Anderson says. Its simplicity-a Louisiana French bread baguette dripping with either roast beef and gravy, or seafood like shrimp or oysters-makes it great. And, as any loyal local would swear, the dish is nearly impossible to master outside of the bayou.

The Classic
PARKWAY BAKERY AND TAVERN
538 Hagan Ave 504-482-3047
www.parkwaybakeryandtavernnola.com
THE DISH: Small home-cooked hot roast beef sandwich with gravy, $6.65

Parkway's classic beef po' boy won the People's Choice award at the 2008 New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival for good reason: The beef is tender, juicy and smothered in gravy, and it pours out over the sides of a flaky French baguette, leaving a second meal to scoop up after you've finished the first. Eat one of the 20 variations indoors, on the porch or at a picnic table on the patio amid the sounds of Cajun music.

Deep-fried Twist
JACQUES-IMO'S CAFÉ
8324 Oak St 504-861-0886
www.jacquesimoscafe.com
THE DISH: Fried roast beef po' boy with gravy, $9.50

When Owner/chef Jacques Leonardi craved a Philly cheesesteak, his griddle wasn't hot enough to melt the cheese. His solution? Drop the entire sandwich in the deep fryer. This crunchy po' boy cocoons the succulent flavors of beef, provolone, Monterey jack and tricolor peppers. Go with an appetite: This specialty is served as an appetizer, but it's more than enough for a meal.

IS IT CAJUN? IS IT CREOLE?
Before embarking on an eating tour of New Orleans, there's an essential lesson you need to learn: the difference between Cajun and Creole. It all goes back to the area's first settlers. Cajuns, originally from the west coast of France, were country folk who settled in Louisiana's bayous and open prairies. They employed rustic, provincial French-style cooking using local ingredients. On the other hand, the city-dwelling, aristocratic Creoles-descendants of early French and Spanish settlers-incorporated more refined European cooking techniques. Cajun food is known to be highly spiced, while Creole cuisine is subtler; however, over the years, the difference has lessened. Both styles rely on the "holy trinity"-onions, bell peppers and celery.

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