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These reinvented classics are indulgent wonders to bite and behold! If you're heading to the country's latest foodie capital, you best be hungry for all its signature flair and flavor. Follow your munchies when you Follow Your NOLA!
1. Alligator Dog & Crawfish Étouffé Fries – Dat Dog (Uptown)
Rebecca Ratliff / Via FollowYourNOLA
An alligator sausage on a grilled sweet sourdough roll, accompanied by a side of fries topped with creamy classic crawfish étouffée.
2. Bananas Foster Sno-Ball – Hansen's Sno-Bliz (Uptown)
Courtesy of Hansen's Sno-Bliz / Via FollowYourNOLA
Snowballs are similar to snow cones, but SO MUCH BETTER, with velvety smooth ice that leaves a burst of flavor on your tongue. As a bonus, this one is topped with a timeless in-town original treat: bananas foster. 75 years of tradition just melllllting through your tastebuds = totally delicious.
3. Sweet Potato Beignets with Foie Gras – SoBou (French Quarter)
Courtesy of SoBou
A decadent and unexpected savory twist on New Orleans's traditional French doughnut! It's fried dough garnished with foie gras fondue and chicory coffee ganache. So many standards rolled into one crazy plate.
4. BLFGT – Emeril's (Warehouse District)
Rebecca Ratliff / Via FollowYourNOLA
NOLA-rooted legend Emeril Lagasse's twist on the classic BLT. Just add fried green tomatoes and shrimp remoulade!
5. Breakfast in a Go Cup – EnVie Espresso Bar & Cafe (French Quarter)
Rebecca Ratliff / Via FollowYourNOLA
While the "go cup" is usually reserved for taking your alcoholic beverage onto the streets, this one combines two scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, grits, sausage, and gravy. PORTABLE, ALL-ENCOMPASSING RECOVERY.
6. Grilled Pimento Cheese, Andouille, and Fried Egg Sandwich – Mondo (Lakeview)
Rebecca Ratliff / Via FollowYourNOLA
The classiest hangover cure you'll ever have as a weekend brunch option.
7. "The Boudreaux" Cochon de Lait Pizza – Katie's (Mid-City)
Rebecca Ratliff / Via FollowYourNOLA
This above-and-beyond pizza pie is topped with cochon de lait (roasted suckling pork), roasted garlic, fresh spinach, red onions, scallions, and garlic butter cream reduction.
8. Shio Crab & Pork Bowl – Noodle & Pie (Uptown)
Zach Brien / Via FollowYourNOLA
Ramen noodles in a salt-based blue crab broth with braised pork belly, butter, chili, charred corn, greens, and soft egg... but make sure to leave room for a fresh slice of pie for dessert, including new flavors ranging from chocolate cream to pink lemonade, baked daily!
9. Blue Crab Risotto – Borgne (Central Business District)
Courtesy of FollowYourNOLA
Blue crab and burrata risotto stuffed into crab shells. In addition to being delicious, this crab is local and fresh from the Gulf! Flavors and presentation courtesy of local culinary geniuses Brian Landry and John Besh.
10. Death by Gumbo – Restaurant R'evolution (French Quarter)
Courtesy of Restaurant R'evolution
Boneless quail stuffed with rice, oysters, and sauces, served with a roux, by James Beard Award winners Chef John Folse and Chef Rick Tramonto.
11. Deep-Fried Roast Beef Po' Boy – Jacques-Imo's (Uptown)
Rebecca Ratliff / Via FollowYourNOLA
A traditional roast beef po' boy made with New Orleans French Bread... BUT DEEP FRIED.
12. Duck Waffle & Praline Bacon – Elizabeth's (Bywater)
Zach Brien / Via FollowYourNOLA
Sweet potato and duck hash on top of a cornbread waffle with pepper jelly. Add that delightfully surprising side of praline bacon for a sweet and salty kick!
13. King Cake Cheeseburger – Food Drunk (Food Truck)
Courtesy of Food Drunk
An insane take on this sweet treat tradition, even when it's not Mardi Gras! A hamburger in a king cake bun — the perfect snack during a parade or, more predictably, late-night partying.
14. Foie Gras Macarons – Ye Olde College Inn (Uptown)
Courtesy of Ye Olde College Inn
Yes indeed, you are looking at macarons made with foie gras. They're garnished with torchon, foie gras foam, and garden blueberry balsamic.
15. Fried Rabbit & Biscuits – Patois (Uptown)
Courtesy of Patois
Fried Mississippi rabbit on a biscuit with poached egg and Italian sausage cream gravy.
16. Fried Frog Legs – Bayou Hot Wings (Uptown)
Rebecca Ratliff / Via FollowYourNOLA
This "Man vs. Food"-approved bar snack cornerstone serves buffalo wings, chicken tenders, "the best wings in the world" according to Adam Richman... and fried frog legs with Crystal Hot Sauce baked right in. Because think about where you are! Why not?
17. Crawfish & Goat Cheese Crepes – Muriel's (French Quarter)
Courtesy of Muriel's
Way beyond breakfast... goat cheese-filled crepes topped with Louisiana crawfish in a buttery sauce of chardonnay, onion, tomato, and bell pepper.
18. Oyster Absinthe Dome – Commander's Palace (Garden District)
Courtesy of FoodCollage / Via Flickr: claramichelle
A classic New Orleans dish from one of its most renowned restaurants, with the town's boozy touch intact! It's a medley of Gulf oysters poached with bacon, artichokes, tarragon, absinthe, and cream under a pastry shell.
19. Roasted Sweet Potato Po' Boy – Killer Po' Boys (French Quarter)
Rebecca Ratliff / Via FollowYourNOLA
Made with roasted sweet potato and local greens, this healthy po' boy is the unicorn of po' boys, except it exists! Find it in a pop-up shop in the back of Erin Rose bar in the French Quarter.
20. Shrimp & Tasso Corndogs – Café Adelaide (Central Business District)
Courtesy of Cafe Adelaide
White shrimp dipped in tasso (spicy peppered ham), corn dog batter with pepper jelly, pickled okra, and Crystal Hot Sauce butter sauce... YOWZA.
21. Turtle Bolognese – La Petite Grocery (Uptown)
Rebecca Ratliff / Via FollowYourNOLA
Who needs traditional beef bolognese, when you can try turtle? This one comes with bucatini, sherry, parsley, and fried soft-boiled egg.
22. Oyster & Bacon Sandwich – Cochon (Warehouse District)
Courtesy of Cochon / Via FollowYourNOLA
Consistently noted by diners as the hottest and most satisfying new spot in NOLA's culinary scene, this is Chef Donald Link's tribute to traditional Cajun boucherie (family pig parties), conveniently placed between two toast slices for easy tasting.
23. Red Hot Velvet Elvis Do-Bite – Debbie Does Doberge (Mid-City)
Rebecca Ratliff / Via FollowYourNOLA
This bakery specializes in insanely rich and delicious multilayered cakes originating from Hungary — some toppling over a foot tall! — but turned fluffier with French-inspired ingredients to honor New Orleans. In addition to these indulgent investments, there are bite-sized treats like this one: red velvet cake, peanut-butter-banana pudding, peanut-butter-bacon fondant icing, and cayenne pepper. POW.
