And try Turkey and the Wolf in New Orleans if you get a chance. Really really good.
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This
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Turkey and the Wolf - lunch 12/17
What you’re looking at. Deviled eggs with fresh dill and fried chicken skin. Cabbage salad with sunflower seeds fried pigs ear cilantro jalapeños and vinaigrette. Smothered collard greens sandwich with cheese and rye toast. Fried Chicken pot pie turnover with tarragon. And a PBR tall boy. If I died right Then and here it would be as a happy man. A happy man who’s DIDN’T EVEN HAVE ROOM FOR THE FRIED BOLOGNA SANDWICH.
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Well I couldn’t ask for better first-hand feedback than a Mosca by marriage! Thank you so much for asking; I really appreciate it and I can’t wait to visit! I’m now insisting that we make the trip because these old time-warp family businesses don’t last forever. Btw, I came across this useful (modified) recipe/cooking video for ‘oysters Mosca’ on youtube the other day: Cooking Spotlight: Oysters Mosca with Mocavero Chardonnay - YouTube
Re. Pascals, aside from the BBQ shrimp (good but I agree that we’ve had better) I do remember that I really enjoyed their stuffed eggplant and I think their combo pan roast (maybe? I forget) on our last visit. I remember ordering at least three different casserole dishes- probably the au gratin potatoes as well. Anyhow, Liuzza’s was sort of disappointing for us but we probably shouldn’t have gone for dinner. Their fried green tomatoes with remoulade were very good and the frenchaletta and pickle chips would’ve surely been more rewarding as a quick lunch stop but that’s my fault. I seem to remember ordering some baked Italian dish as well, which was not very good. If I lived in the city, I’m sure it’d serve as a good cheap neighborhood option, but I was definitely more keen on our meal at Pascals. We spent 2 full weeks in NOLA on our last visit, so I tried to squeeze a few casual no-frills dinners into our itinerary to mix things up and give my credit card some brief respite. The only real flop we encountered was at Crescent City Steaks.
Anyway, I will most definitely update this thread with feedback upon return, although we’re not actually going to be in NOLA for another 8 months… we’re leaving for Tokyo in approx. 6 weeks… then Manhattan 2 weeks after we return… then Montreal in June… then New Orleans in September! I just booked our flights/hotel the other day and got inspired. 
(I don’t think I’ve posted in this LA forum before though; you might be thinking of the old Chowhound board)
DROOL!
Just what we needed-another food option!
Adding to my NOLA files.
Now that you mention it, Liuzza’s (I have only been there for lunches, it doesn’t feel like a dinner place to me) was just so-so on my last visit as well. The Frenchuletta was kind of dry and the whole place felt a little forsaken and forlorn. If you want a neighborhood old-school joint in mid-city Mandina’s is quite a bit better.
I’m going to Japan later in the year (in October - Tokyo/Kyoto/Sapporo) so if you have thoughts put them on the Japan pages here at FTC, or private message me. I have not started researching much yet.
Here is some of my Montreal thoughts (and a little NYC too, I see) from 2016.
I’ll be in NYC later in February -
King, Mission Chinese, Tetsu, Via Carota are on the line-up. Thoughts?
Yes - it was the old board I guess. No worries.
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I’d be glad to report back on everything, though I should point out that I’m originally from Montreal (born and raised almost 30 yrs) and we visit NYC at least once or twice annually, so I consider both places to second homes. My wife went to NYU and lived in every borough and I’ve had many family members and friends in the city at different points in life.
What drinks did you enjoy at Le Mal Necessaire? My wife and I are sort of cocktail snobs (it happens when you live in San Francisco!) and I have to admit that I found the drinks at LMN to be pretty bad, but again, when Smuggler’s Cove, etc. is your benchmark… I didn’t really dig the atmosphere either. I felt it was trying too hard and didn’t really deliver. Most of the drinks were overly sweet and syrupy and even their mai tai was pretty inept. I’d be glad to offer some good suggestions or alternatives for Montreal though, since I know the city inside and out! I’ve been to all of your other picks many times and they’re all solid choices.
Re. NYC selection, I’m unfamiliar with King and Tetsu, though the former looks very good and I’m going to add it to my ever growing list! I would personally scratch Mission Chinese from your itinerary. I’ve been to the original SF Mission location many times over the years (have been disappointed by lousy delivery a number of times as well) and I have to admit that I’ve never really thought much of what they do. Everything is super oily and greasy and lacks depth, imo. There’s a reason you’ll rarely observe any Chinese people actually eating there with the Bay Area’s status among the largest Chinese-American populations in US; it’s most popular with Mission hipsters and tourists who seem to think that adding corned beef/pastrami to poorly made Sichuan cuisine is so clever. I’m not against Asian-fusion btw, there’s some really good higher end examples of it throughout the city- though innovation isn’t necessarily improvement. I think someone on another forum said it best - “what you consider “creative” I consider drunken dorm hacks”. That basically sums up the MC experience for me. I would personally look into “Spicy Village” instead; though I can’t vouch for it personally as I’ve not been myself. When I go for Chinese in NYC these days (not often as it’s hard to beat regional Chinese in SF) I tend to go more for nostalgia; a late night bite at Great NY Noodletown, Wo Hop, Nom Wah. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend these places for anyone looking for a standout meal or refined cooking. Via Carota is supposed to be great, otoh. I might have been before (so many trips its hard to keep track) but I’ll dig through my notes for you.
If you’re looking for any other suggestions for NYC, Montreal, or Tokyo, just ask - I’ve been around!
Thanks. I’ll skip Mission Chinese then, I get all the great Chinese I need in LA. My Mom (who lives in the Village - I’m originally a NYer - said she thought I might like it).
LMN was just a fun break for us - I never expect good drinks at Tiki bars, just to get hammered with average ones.
Sure…what you got?
I love Mission Chinese and eat there at least once whenever I’m in the Bay Area. You should give it a try.
Then again, you don’t like Petit Trois, which I also adore, so maybe we are not food-compatible.
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Sorry I missed this post! How was your trip?
I’m leaving for NOLA next Tuesday and was wondering if anyone could give me any tips about the notorious “line-sitters” for Galatoire’s Friday lunch? I understand there are people that will get you in for around $60-80 a head by lining up at daybreak. I know it sounds kind of dirty to pay someone to stand in line for you but we’ve got a huge gift card and it’s our only free day / birthday celebration so I don’t want to leave anything to chance… plus its min. $20/hr if not more (no way anybody’s lining up 7+ hrs in advance) and people could really use the bread, so I can kind of reconcile the decision. How would I go about finding these “professional” line-sitters?
What a fun article if you haven’t seen it.
https://www.nolaweekend.com/friday-lunch-galatoires-special-tradition/
Thanks! I’ve seen it… and I just posted to Craigslist and found someone who’s very happy to do it (he texted me w/in 5 min of posting) so we’re all set!! 
I actually love the idea. Win-win! Have a great time and please report back.
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Not going till October.
Many of the city’s well regarded sushi places are closed due to a relocation of the Tsukiji fish market but I got Rez at one decent place and some excellent non shushi options. But would love to hear your thoughts.
I am so surprised to hear that one need’s to have someone to wait to ensure entrance to Galatiores even on a Friday lunch. Amazing.
That link above said that it’s specifically Friday lunch and not upstairs. I love tales like that 
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Oh that’s perfect; I’ll send you all of our top spots when we get back from NOLA next week and I have more time to dig through our itinerary! Refresh my memory- were you just sticking to Tokyo or traveling anywhere else on this trip?
Here’s a tough question for next week:
We’ve got an 11am lunch reservation at Bon Ton Cafe and a 7:30pm dinner reservation at Clancy’s- both on the same day. I’m trying to decide whether I should go for the “Soft Shell Crab Alvin” at Bon Ton or the “Smoked Soft Shell Crab w Crabmeat Meunière” at Clancy’s… or both!
If you were going to order one soft shell crab dish, would it be the ‘crab Alvin’ at Bon Ton or the famous ‘smoked soft shell crab’ at Clancy’s? The last time I was at Clancy’s it was unavailable so I ordered the smoked duck instead (the best I’ve ever had btw). I don’t remember ordering it at Bon Ton either but it’s one of their signature dishes. Are they different enough to try both??
tokyo
kyoto
Sapporo
hakodate
noburi betsu
Can’t help with Clancy’s v. Bon Ton.
Your inclination to do both seems right!
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