Lola’s Restaurant

A unique Faubourg St. John Restaurant with local art decorating the walls. This small, special place doesn’t take reservations. Try to arrive 15 to 30 minutes before opening time and wait in line. If you come later and there’s a mob, don’t be discouraged: Service is attentive and food comes quickly, so your wait shouldn’t be too long, though we’d either not bother on the weekends or bring a book.

They serve incredible Spanish dishes, from various paellas to starters such as garlic shrimp tapas and garlic soup. I recommend the seafood dishes. Don’t forget to bring cash!

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Voted one of the top 50 bars in New Orleans, as listed on their website. This should tell you that their food is not their bread and butter. Etoile once had a great diner menu. It also came with a good chef. Now it is just above bar food. For example I ordered the Hamburger the other day at the bar and it came with a white bun. I can get a white bun at McDonald’s. I also said medium rare and it came way over cooked. The only thing well done at this point was the meat. Ok, bad joke!

I do have to say it is a great bar though. I love the wine list and the bartender Chris is great. Tell him Brent and Tracy sent you and he will take care of you. The atmosphere is right out of a Michalapolous painting. This is because it was designed like a Michalapolous painting because he is the owner. If you like his paintings you will love this place. If you see him, tell him to bring back that good New Orleans food they once had.

I recommend this place as a great wine bar that has food if you are hungry!

Authentic Italian food in Covington, Louisiana. Who would have guessed it? This great little restaurant on the corner of New Hampshire and Boston street is a little gem. From atmosphere to the food, it captures it all. My wife Tracy and I spent the summer in Italy and fell in love with the food. We cried when we had to come home but Del Porto was here for our rescue. You could take this restaurant and plant it in a little town in Italian and you wouldn’t know the difference. You will not find a better meal on the Northshore. If you are reading this article to make sure it is as good as you heard it was, then you need to stop right now and make a reservation. I am serious! This place fills up quickly and you will be very upset if you do not get to try………………… anything on the menu.  Yes, the entire menu is to die for! I can’t wait for the next time I eat at Del Porto because I want to try the next thing on the menu.

Take my advice, order every course. The Europeans have long diners with many courses. This is how Del Porto structures their menu. Just like in Italy have the Anti pasta, salad, 1st course, 2nd course and dessert. Order a bottle of a house recommended Italian wine and enjoy the ride. Believe me when the diner is over and you walk out the door, you will have forgotten you are in Covington.

This is one of my all time favorite restaurants and it is in my backyard.

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This is my home away from home. I was a waiter here for one year but it felt like forever. This is the best restaurant in New Orleans. If you are looking for some home town cooking that will make you want to spank your grandma then this is the place. Not only will the food excite you but the atmosphere will make you fell like you are eating at your Mamma’s house.

I recommend anything on the menu. I have eaten it all many times and I have no favorites. Please, this isn’t a cop out. Try everything. Order a sampler if you can, or go family style and order a few entrees for the table to share. Also talk to everyone. This is the most friendly place on earth and you never know who you are going to run into.

So, don’t spend all your time trying to find the best restaurant to eat in New Orleans because you have already found it. K Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen is as good as it gets and as they say in ole New Orleans, les la bon ton roule.

I didn’t know Indian food was this good. Wow, Chakra Chakra, this food was electric. Seasoned to perfection. I love seasoned food. I had the lamb chops and it was seasoned with these flavors that tasted like fried chicken. It was put on top of this rice and spinach emulsion. To start we had these lentil seed chips with different Indian sauces that were better than any Mexican chips and salsa I have ever had.

This food left you so satisfied. It was like dinner and a message. The decor was typical of all Indian fining dinning. Long curtains and blood colors. I recommend this place to anyone who wants to take a culinary journey.

I highly recommend this restaurant.

This restaurant is in a great location. Right at the head of the bay in Newport, CA. The view is right out of “The Love Boat.” I wish I could say that the food was as good as the view. I ordered the fish of the day. It was Halibut. It had sautéed vegetables on top. I learned quickly that this was to cover up the over cooked fish. It was like tuna out of the can. I started with the Caprese, it was descent and for the desert I had the crème brulee. This was very traditional and delicious. The desert saved the day.

The service was good and the ambiance was classic Italian. It had that old italian movie feel. I would only recommend this restaurant for the location.

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This restaurant is a little deceiving. Stuck in a shopping center built in the 70’s, you may wonder what you are doing. Don’t worry because after you walk inside you will think you are in The God Father. The decor is right from the movie and there is memorabilia all over the walls.

The food helps create the entire Godfather feel. I had the Seafood pasta and it was more than I could eat. Before they serve you, they offer you these fried zucchini. It is amazing. It reminded me of my grandmothers cooking. We order some Italian wine. It was the Classico Chianti.

The restaurant was packed and the waiters also added to the experience.

I definitly recommend this restaurant. It is a little diamond in the ruff.

This is a local neighborhood restaurant that we visit often. They serve classic Italian food. I always order the Pollo Piccata. The Piccate sauce is very traditional and delicious. It comes with a side of paste and a red sauce. The wine list is above average because not only do they have a nice selection but the prices are excellent.

The waitress’ are so nice. They always are happy to see us and we have a great time with them. I love restaurants like this because you feel like you are dinning at home.

I highly recommend this restaurant because it is affordable and good quality.

BRUSSELS BISTRO

Phone: 1 949 376-7955
Fax: 1 949 376-7965
- info@brusselsbistro.com
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A little taste of Belgium. I found this restaurant hidden underground in Laguna Beach. It reminded me of my time spent in Belgium. I lived in Antwerp, not Brussels, which is so much better. Brussels is full of tourist and Antwerp is not. That should tell you everything.

The first image that grabs you when dining at the Bistro is that it is underground. My favorite places in Belgium were underground. Then the next attention getter is the beer. Belgium has the best beer in the world. You don’t have to take my word for it. There are over fifteen hundred beers brewed in Belgium and it is a country the size of Rhode Island. The monks make the best beers. My favorite is Leffe. It is a religious experience in a bottle. All Belgium beer comes in its own glass and Leffe is poured into a glass shaped like the Holy Grail. It doesn’t get much better than that.

I started my evening with the hamburger and Belgium fries. It is to die for. I believe the success of a hamburger first comes with the bread and then the meat. The bread and ground beef on this hamburger was amazing. It also has caramelized endives which add a little sweat bitterness to the burger. The Belgium fries make the dish. Belgium fries are served with mayonnaise. There is no better way to eat fries than with homemade mayonnaise. I topped off the dinner with a few bottles of Leffe Blonde. This is that kind of food that they say “Sticks to your ribs.” It will definitely put a big smile on your face. I opted out for desert because Belgians are also known for there muscles. No not Sean Claude Van Damm but the seafood. They steam them in a white wine sauce and it is better than desert. Wow, I was full but soooo happy.

I recommend this restaurant if you are looking for a great Belgian experience.

Telephone: 949-499-5350
Fax: 949-499-9760
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This restaurant exudes richness, from the decor to the cuisine, it is almost on the cusp of nauseating. If a color or a flavor exists, you will find it here.

We started the early evening sitting in the main dinning room. The last visit we dined on the balcony overlooking the ocean. I started the dinner with a glass of the house Chianti and ordered the Linguine de fruitt a mare. It was a mix of shellfish and the catch of the day in a garlic red sauce on linguine pasta. Before the entrée, we split a ceasar. It was on a parmesan crusted bowl.The sauce was of course very rich. It was so good I almost licked the bowl. I have had their beef but it wasn’t as delicious as their seafood.

The waitress was very nice and gave us a lot of attention, until her section filled up and then we lost her. They seemed a bit under staffed that night. When we asked for the check she brought it to us with an after dinner drink on the house. The drink was a little amaretto and cognac with wiping cream. It satisfied my sweat tooth and left me happy

I recommend this restaurant. From the atmosphere to the decor, it will stimulate you in every way.