<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Early residents, the Choctaw and Colapissa tribes, among others, took advantage of the abundance of wild game and fresh seafood available in area bayous, rivers and lakes. Archaeological sites have unearthed large mounds of oyster shells indicating a fondness for the bivalves. Later residents, among them people of French, German and African descent, also relied on game and the area&rsquo;s waterways for food, as well as the rich farmland that produced a variety of crops, including vegetables and fruits such as figs, blueberries, tomatoes and some citrus.</span></p>

by: Emily Hohenwarter

New Orleans is a culinary mecca by any foodie’s standards. With its distinctive cuisine, top-notch chefs and goldmine of first-rate restaurants, the Big Easy is the ideal destination to sit down to an excellent meal, grab a cold one, and, as the locals say, laissez les bons temps roulez¬—let the good times roll.

With its unique blend of French, Spanish, Italian and Cajun influences, New Orleans Creole cuisine is a cultural gumbo of flavors. The city’s wide-ranging cultures come together to create New Orleans’ one-of-a-kind atmosphere, and many of its signature dishes are made much the same way. Jambalaya, etouffee, red beans and rice, and, yes, gumbo, are all prepared by throwing a variety of ingredients into a single pot and cooking it down for hours.

Some flavors are ubiquitous in traditional fare. Almost any time-honored New Orleans dish contains the Cajun Trinity, a vegetable base composed of chopped onions, celery and bell peppers. Spice is supreme; hot sauce can be found in every amateur chef’s kitchen here. There’s no such thing as using butter, cream and eggs sparingly in the Big Easy, so leave your diet behind if you’re planning a visit. And garlic? Let’s just say that renowned chef Emeril Lagasse didn’t learn to love the spice in his native Massachusetts. That was all New Orleans’ doing. Emeril’s days of glory first began when he served as executive chef of Commander’s Palace, one of many upscale restaurant gems in the city.

Loads of other prominent chefs call the Big Easy home, like Paul Prudhomme and John Besh. The late Austin Leslie, master of Creole soul food, spent his life cooking up savory classics like his signature fried chicken. The city is a breeding ground for up-an-coming chefs, many of whom are known within New Orleans but have yet to gain national acclaim. Any well-known restaurant most likely has a soon-to-be big-name chef working its kitchen.

It’s hard to go wrong when choosing a restaurant in New Orleans; the sub-par establishments usually don’t last very long, since there is such an abundance of near-perfect mealtime destinations. A stop in practically any restaurant in the French Quarter will yield a tasty meal, although some places are better than others. Stick to the big-name restaurants for a guaranteed mouth-watering meal and an experience to brag about back home. Emeril’s, Brennan’s, Arnaud’s, Antoine’s, K-Paul’s, August, Commander’s Palace and Galatoire’s are all very well known for a reason. If you’re feeling more adventurous, there are plenty of lesser-known, equally scrumptious restaurants to sample, as you’ll see throughout Foodtrekker’s New Orleans pages.

The New Orleans culinary experience awaits!