0 Followers
BEST $12.70 OR LESS RESTAURANTS (as of 8/29/16)
4 years ago I was shocked when my basic burger, side and drink at Burger King cost $12.70 (see pic in profile). That started my quest to find the best New Orleans restaurants that had good food under $12.70.
- 21
- 768
17 Places
-
Charles’s 5-star review: BEST SALAD I HAD OUT OF 150 RESTAURANTS THAT I TRIED IN 2013! BLOWS GREEN GODDESS OUTTA DA WATER! uncomplicated, flavorful & healthy; AFFORDABLE: all large, filling salads are just $9; again cheaper than Burger King! After 5 months of sampling what will be 125 local restaurants that I've never been to, I decided to start my annual, labor-intensive, 3 week cleanse November 1st. However, because of Carmo, my hours of chopping and prepping baskets of fruits & veggies will be thankfully reduced. Not only does Carmo have vegetarian & vegan options but they actually taste good! Further, they derive flavor from straight forward uncomplicated ingredients: apples, raisins, cucumbers, peppers, seeds, leafy greens, peas, cabbage, sprouts, cilantro, etc. And, like most really good vegetarian restaurants, they use spices & flavorful vinaigrettes & salsas to enhance the flavors. Even better, it's inexpensive: almost everything on the lunch menu is less than $9 (by comparison the cheapest lunch entrée at Green Goddess is the lowly salad wedge for $10!) 2013 FAVORITES: - Salad: CARMO, "The Brazilian" - Appetizer: M BISTRO, "Jambalaya Tempura Fritters with Chipotle Remoulade" - Best Restaurant: COQUETTE - Breakfast: JIMMY J'S, "Monte Cristo & Home Fries" - Burger: COWBELL, "Cheeseburger with an Agogo/Ketchup mix" - New Cafe: MISTER GREGORY'S,"Traditional Croque","Pain Perdu Cupcake" - Prix Fixe Lunch: CRIOLLO, "Osso Buco", "White Chocolate Creme Brûlée" - Price Value: MOJO LOUNGE, "Thai Wrap and Potato Salad, $7.50" - Sandwich: MILK BAR, "Shrimply the Best" -
Charles’s 5-star review: BY FAR THE BEST OF THE LINKERIES: finally a one of his eateries that doesn't try so hard to be a pale Besh imitator (which are basically less-polished Brennan family knock-offs). To me the city's restaurant culture would be better served if Pêche and Herbsaint were combined into a sort of food court at the Cochon space; then their former locations turned into Butcher #2 and #3. And, "Favorite Son" Accolades if Chef Link would buy out the insipid "Something Else" in the Quarter and the shameful poser "Bootys Strep Food" in the Marign-water for numbers 4 and 5. FAST, FRIENDLY, AFFORDABLE: counter service is very efficient. MAYBE THE FINEST MUFFALETTA IN NOLA; 2:1 meat/cheese to bread ratio, $12. Although "Milk Bar" still gets my vote as best sandwich café, Butcher is a close second! TIP: dining space is dear (convention & tourist throngs) so take-out is your best bet! -
Charles’s 3-star review: SLIMEY GREENS TO GO Their move from the quaint confines of the Jewish Community Center to an antiseptic Poydras lobby has not translated well. Take Out take aways: 1. My pricey 3-ingredient chicken Caesar wrap was no more inspired than what a hurried parent would throw together for their kid's lunch box (see pic). 2. The lettuce was wilted to the point of slimey (see pic), chicken dry and under-seasoned, and the wrap was store bought: almost $10 after tax. 3. The star at their JCC location were the muffins, but they were MIA when I went for lunch. 4. They operate next door to a Subway, which is about 1/2 the price with lots of seating. -
Charles’s 5-star review: BEST BREAKFAST OF 150 RESTAURANTS THAT I TRIED IN 2013! GULF SHRIMP BURRITO: huge; ask for some extra avocado créme, delicious: $10. BREAKFAST SERVED ALL DAY, 24/7 WEEKENDS! Now that I am through with my 2013 marathon quest to try 150 different restaurants that I'd never been too, I have the time to go back to those that were my favorites. Jimmy J's is really a find. Don't let its scuzzy 100 block of Chartres location deter you. The food is very good quality, huge portions, and inexpensive. 2013 FAVORITES: - Breakfast: JIMMY J'S, "Monte Cristo & Home Fries" - Appetizer: M BISTRO, "Jambalaya Tempura Fritters with Chipotle Remoulade" - Best Restaurant: COQUETTE - Burger: COWBELL, "Cheeseburger with an Agogo/Ketchup mix" - New Cafe: MISTER GREGORY'S,"Traditional Croque","Pain Perdu Cupcake" - Price/Value: MOJO LOUNGE, "Thai Wrap with potato salad, $7.50" - Prix Fixe Lunch: CRIOLLO, "Osso Buco", "White Chocolate Creme Brûlée" - Salad: CARMO, "The Brazilian" - Sandwich: MILK BAR, "Shrimply the Best" -
Charles’s 5-star review: "MELBA'S IS NOW OFFICIALLY OFF-THE-CHARTS WACKY" said my friend today after visiting the newest iteration of the crazy phenom that is Melba's. Every time I go the inventive Wolfe brothers have added even more creative front-of-house inventions. In the last few months they've moved doors to free up dining space, swapped the counter area to improve efficiency, and the biggest improvement: a roped ordering queue. IDA KOHLMEYER IS SMILING Then there is the bright artwork, the polychrome smattering of intense colorful machinery, the employee's new saturated Melba's blue T-shirts running amok. If you stand back and squint it's like being in a kinetic abstract painting. AND AS ALWAYS: 30 SWIMPS GUARANTEED! I still say it is the best shrimp po'boy in town. And having given up bread for Lent, I got it on their olive-salad club salad, with 30 swimps $11. The witty branding at Melba's has also exploded. Free signature cups, visors and caps are just $10, and now sandwiches are wrapped in a surprisingly tasteful print (pic) I'm recycling as gift wrap. -
Charles’s 5-star review: WHO HAS THE BEST FRIED RICE IN NEW ORLEANS? My vote is for Moon Wok's combination. First off it isn't mushy like overcooked jambalaya. It's buttery and slippery from the oil, smokey from the soy and a little sweet from the carmelization. But the best of its many bona fides is its full 1:1 fill to rice ratio. See my pic. There are big slivers of chicken, chunks of pork, generous portions of shrimp, bits of fried egg, bamboo shoots and green onions: $7 a pint! I've yet to find better (in New Orleans). YOUR VOTE? -
Charles’s 5-star review: THE BEST BACON I'VE EVER HAD and I hate bacon. When I was a kid my mother would start frying bacon about 10 minutes before waking us up for school. So, I've always associated that smell with the unpleasantness of a shrieking alarm clock. But today the non greasy, nitrate free, locally sourced, baked bacon at Refuel was a revelation. And I was doubly blessed to eat it with a bowl of THE BEST GRITS I'VE EVER HAD . -
Charles’s 4-star review: Get the surf 'n turf! I treated myself to it last week (OMG - at least 25,000 calories) and it's just as good as always. Rick's is one of the few restaurants left in Place St Charles. Given high vacancies in professional offices throughout the CBD, only the highest quality counters have survived. Rick's has deservedly survived. -
Charles’s 5-star review: MORE REASONS TO LOVE SURREY'S: 1. "El Yucateco Green Habanero Sauce" (pic): hard to find locally, imported from Mexico, thick hot and smokey. Great on migas or anything Tex-Mex...Heck I eat it on pain perdu!*** 2. State Street Coffee: locally ground and roasted, richly smooth and worthy of a third cup. 3. Their corn tortillas: Surrey's must conjure some form of prestidigitation to toast the edges - which keeps them from crumbling - yet maintain their flavorful soft moistness (see pic). ***"El Yucateco Green Habanero" posts an impressive 5-star average from over 50 reviewers on Amazon (where you can buy 4 bottles of this rare elixir for about $15). -
Charles’s 5-star review: FAVORITE FOOD TRUCK IN 2014 When I luckily stumble across Los Poblanos (usually in front of the old Whitney Bank at Broad and Canal) I always stop and try something new. Regardless of what I get it's always delicious, inexpensive and authentic. I've introduced at least a handful of friends that are now enthusiastic regulars to this truck. Other 2014 Favorites: Melba's, Dmac's, NOLA Smokehouse, Broad & Banks Seafood, De Ville Crêperie, New Orleans Coffee & Beignets. -
Charles’s 5-star review: MY VOTE FOR BEST THAI IN TOWN Finally this sweet little restaurant on Carrollton is gaining respect! Last year when I told folks what a great deal the $10 or less lunch at Thai Mint was, people invariably thought I meant "Mint Modern". Not now. Today I mentioned to some JCC workout buddies that I was dining here for lunch and gushing compliments ensued. I'D BUY THEIR HOT & SOUR SOUP BY THE VAT! And it's lagniappe along with a tasty spring roll with every entrée. LOTS & LOTS OF VEGGIES You can't help but feel that you're eating somewhat healthy despite the fact that the creamy coconut panang curry probably has more calories than a cheesecake. But oooooh it's smooth!
-
Charles’s 5-star review: BEST DARN FRIES IN THE QUARTER, THE CBD, THE WAREHOUSE DISTRICT, MARIGNWATER... Now although I love a good Montreal poutine slathered in chili & curd, and Texas's Whataburger fries dipped in their delicious house branded ketchup (it's cut with steak sauce); for me Quarter Grocery's frites, on a condiment-less unadorned basis, are the absolute best. SLAP!!! "THOSE'RE MINE!" when I mistook another's order for my own. THICK, CRISPY CRUST, CREAMY INSIDE, and over half a pound cost just $2.59!!! (& THE CRAWFISH PIES ARE SO GOOD, that I even have friends from Abbeville who insist on at least 3 or 4 every trip.) -
Charles’s 4-star review: Good option in the Quarter. if you're a tourist and are looking for wings or a superior pizza to that at the nearby Daiquiri shops, then VCP is a good option. LAGNIAPPE: it's probably the best quality cheap food open until 3AM in the Quarter. CAVEAT: this is consistently one of the most dangerous and violent corners in the VC. -
Charles’s 5-star review: BEST IN CLASS! super friendly local staff, inventive solid menu; AK is huge & muffuletta sized with 4 meats & 2 cheeses, enough for 2-3: $12.50! LAGNIAPPE condiment bar: 15 sauces including Roasted Garlic & Ancho Ranch. This eatery follows the beloved "Apple Seed" which was in the same location for years. I tried it for the first time today and actually, hate to say it, think it's even better. First off the staff have that personable chatty ease of locals, know their regulars and have adjusted their menu to ensure that they return. I had a perfect corn and crab soup, but after seeing the photo gallery here I am going to check out their website (updates daily with the specials) and seek out their mahogany kitchen sink gumbo. This place gets very deservedly busy but it's set-up well to handle the high volume. You may not get a seat but you are going to take most of it home in a go-box anyway. -
Charles’s 5-star review: IN OVER 30 YEARS I'VE NEVER BEEN DISAPPOINTED 1. Prepared Foods: perhaps the biggest selection in New Orleans. Some standouts: - the chicken salad is the best in the city and they can't keep it on the shelves. - they make my favorite coleslaw, lightly sweet and sour, with a bit of Creole mustard; great on sandwiches (see pic). - better cheddar is a little spicy - which I prefer. 2. Employee retention: I'd say that at least 6 employees ( management, cashier, deli, etc.) have been with this small organization since I moved back uptown 10 years ago. -
Charles’s 4-star review: "WHAT IS THE AUTHENTIC NEW ORLEANS?" has been a very active forum on NOLA.com this week. It started as a sort of guide for newbies but devolved into a diatribe by many transplants that their romanticized HBO version of "Treme" was gone. Personally I don't remember it ever existing, but I do know that outside of the bourgey Pontchy-Ex grid, in the old neighborhoods of Gentilly, Mid City and Uptown, generational traditions still flourish. PROBABLY THE BEST DINER IN TOWN The Please-U is the epitome of "before the storm" normalcy. It's basic diner food done well. Even their chicken tenders (with waffles and sausage cream gravy for dipping baby!) rival our best wingeries. The formica surfaces and yellowed oak seating are much more "real" than any café below Lee Circle. And the prices (almost no menu item is over $8) are cheaper than a silly designer juice at Satsuma. AND SHE CALLED ME "SWEETIE" which could up prolific Yelper "3-Star Shannon S's" rating on this unassuming relic, hun... -
Charles’s 4-star review: BEST $5 MEAL UPTOWN To me, NYP's huge Italian sausage slice (by far their star selection) and a pint of Amber is the best deal in my area. Unfortunately their take out/delivery doesn't hold up as well. So sit at the bar with a buddy or two, enjoy the pizza and watch a Sci Fi rerun on their humongous HD TV. FYI: THERE'S LOTS OF NEARBY STREET PARKING! 4 spaces across the street the Saturday that we went. Business in this area has dropped off dramatically with the Napoleon Avenue construction. Support! NB: this is a quasi dive, dark and dusty but an old-school gem.
