The Chosen Stew

THERE'S NOTHING BETTER THAN A BOWL OF GUMBO IN NEW ORLEANS. BLOGGER CELESTE UZEE REVEALS WHERE TO FIND THE BEST.

1. CAFÉ RECONCILE
"Feel good about eating the chunky sausage and chicken gumbo at this nonprofit café, which trains at-risk youth for hospitality careers." www.cafereconcile.org

2. DUNBAR'S CREOLE COOKING
"Celestine Dunbar turns out weekly special gumbos at this snack bar on Loyola University's School of Law campus." 504-861-5451

3. LIL DIZZY'S CAFÉ
"The legendary Baquet family of restaurateurs and jazz musicians ladle up a gumbo brimming with made-in-house sausage." 504-569-8997

4. BON TON CAFÉ
"Serving up Cajun food since 1953, this eatery dishes up a Bayou Lafourche-style gumbo, with shrimp, crab, okra and spices." www.bontoncafe.com

5. COCHON
"Chef Donald Link's pork and blackeyed-pea gumbo is a riff on the classic dish. Go native and order a side of horseradish potato salad." www.cochonrestaurant.com

Follow Celeste's food musings on her blog, www.bouillie.wordpress.com, named for the Cajun French word for, as she says, "soft, delicious things like egg custard before it gels to a firm texture."