Mat & Naddie's

937 Leonides St., New Orleans, 504-861-9600

 

With its colorful setting and playful, creative menu, it always surprises me that Mat & Naddie's still seems like such a hidden gem. Maybe it's just easy to overlook the place, tucked into its yellow cottage against River Road at the edge of town. Looking out of the windows -- or over the rail of the large deck -- to the green levee, it almost feels like you're dining in the country. But with a menu that ranges from Creole to Far Eastern to Mediterranean you know you're in the hands of a chef with an appreciation for global flavors. It's nowhere near as mobbed as the tourist magnets nearby, but this being Jazz Fest time reservations are still a must. 

 

Sassafras

2501 Leon C Simon Blvd., New Orleans, 504-288-3939

 

You find this relatively new restaurant in a strip mall beside a chain sandwich shop and a college bookstore, not far from the UNO campus. But once you start digging into the menu, it will likely remind you much more of the countless home kitchens around New Orleans that keep old Creole culinary traditions so strong. This is a place for dark, full-flavored filé gumbos, stewed okra with shrimp and sausage, liver and onions in a rich brown gravy, over-stuffed po-boys, fried chicken and stuffed peppers with gooey, yellow mac and cheese on the side. The menu is long, and the more generically American dishes aren't so great, but while countless visitors are out hunting down authentic New Orleans flavor this week you should easily be able to get a table to enjoy the real deal here by the lakefront. 

 

 


<…