On my visit to New Orleans last month, my husband, sister-in-law, brother-in-law and I enjoyed the city’s excellent food. A few spots were return visits for my husband and me, and we also visited some new-to-us places.

Felix’s Restaurant and Oyster Bar

Our first stop when we arrived was Felix’s Restaurant and Oyster Bar for chargrilled oysters. While they weren’t my favorite that I’ve experienced in the city, they were a tasty start to our trip. We then made our way to Bacchanal Wine for drinks and a cheese board. The wine bar and patio is one of my husband’s and my favorites in the city, and it did not disappoint. When you walk in the store, you can select cheese and/or meat from the refrigerator, and the staff creates a cheese board from your selections. Our cheeses arrived with accoutrements including bread, olives, cornichons, jam and nut brittle. For dinner that night we went to Toups’ Meatery. We all shared a selection from the small and large plates, including crispy turkey necks, roasted Gulf shrimp, Couvillion, roasted squash and marinated crab claws. It was a flavorful meal, and we all agreed the crispy turkey necks were the surprising hit, with pepper jelly and boiled peanuts on the side.

Bacchanal Wine

The second day of our stay we visited iconic Commander’s Palace for lunch. To start, I ordered the Commander’s crisp romaine salad topped with bacon, egg, croutons, cheese and a creamy black pepper dressing. I ordered the crawfish strudel as my entrée. The rich dish featured crawfish tails, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and Fontina cheese baked into flaky puff pastry. While richer than what I normally eat for lunch, it was a unique and flavorful dish. We shared three desserts: pecan pie, bread pudding and seasonal strawberry shortcake. Only available for a few short weeks, the strawberry shortcake was easily our favorite.

Commander’s Palace

My husband and I stumbled upon a charming Cuban cocktail bar in the French Quarter, Manolito. We stopped in for a snack before our evening concert plans. We shared fries, olives and ham croquettes. We agreed we would definitely stop in for a meal on a future visit.

Manolito

New Orleans’ food scene once again proved why it’s one of our favorite food cities in the country.

— Katie Skrzek, vice president/digital director