It's Restaurant Week in New Orleans! This annual campaign features a ton of excellent restaurants offering special prix-fixe menus. It's very similar to the annual Coolinary promotion that happens every August. I was looking through the Restaurant Week menus (while at the gym, naturally) and I can report: they look wonderful. Of course, it's impossible to choose the "best" in a city like New Orleans. So many, many restaurants serve incredible food—from corner mini marts to neighborhood cafes to the venerable grande dames of the Vieux Carré—that it's actually kind of shock if you stumble upon a meal that's not fantastic. Here are some of my favorites, in no particular order. But y'all: this is definitely, absolutely, not even remotely, a complete list.

• Crepes at Le Petit Bleu

• Beignets at the Cafe Beignet on Royal Street or the Cafe Du Monde in City Park

• Les moules au fenouil at Cafe Degas

• Le Grand Coq Rouge roast coffee at French Truck

• Crispy cauliflower at Tal’s Hummus

• Wedding cake and chocolate cream snowballs at Pandora's (or Lou Lou's)

• Fried shrimp and catfish at Casamento’s

• Goose fat pommes frites at Delachaise

• Zapp’s Crawtators at Breaux Mart

• Hot line specials at Canseco’s

• Croissants and sandwiches at Croissant d'Or

• Soufflé potatoes at Galatoire’s

• Bread service at MaMou

• Raw oysters at Superior Seafood

• Paella at Lola’s

• Hubig's Pies

• Fried oyster poboy at Parran’s

• Frozen French 75 at Superior Seafood 

• Arayes at Tal’s Hummus

• Paté board at Cafe Degas

• Duck and andouille gumbo at Delachaise

• Crawfish etoufee empanada at Empanola 

• Flank steak bruschetta at Delachaise

• Couchon eggs Benedict at Jimmy J’s

• Olive salad at Dorignac’s (well, it's really from Central Grocery, but my grandparents always bought it here)

• Shrimp remoulade avocado at Napoleon House

• Turtle soup au sherry at Commander’s Palace

• Pickle jar at La Petite Grocery

• Tamales at Price Busters mini mart on St Charles and St Joseph (great parade food)

Okay, well I think that was actually way more than 25—so a little lagniappe for you. Now, how about you? What do you always want to eat and drink?

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