I want to eat somewhere the locals eat.
Well, it’s almost like you’re asking for two different things. If you want true cajun cuisine, New Orleans isn’t your best bet for that. For real cajun cuisine, your best bet would be to look in a city like Lafayette.
Now, if you want some great Creole cuisine, there are tons of places to be found. One of my favorite restaurants that kind of combines Creole cooking with all things New Orleans is Jacque Imo’s on Oak St., but it’s a little pricy.
Mandina’s (on Canal) and Liuzza’s (on Bienville) are great New Orleans hangouts, are more reasonably priced, and serve some great New Orleans dishes.
I don’t know if you’re interested, but here’s a link to a neat article on Creole vs. Cajun I found:
http://www.tabasco.com/taste_tent/menu_planning/cajun_vs_creole_cooking.cfm
Oh, and finally, for whatever your tastes, here is a link I sent to someone the other day. I find it to be the definitive guide on New Orleans dining right now:
http://blog.nola.com/brettanderson/2007/10/the_timespicayunes_fall_dining.html#more
Oh, and if you like oysters, and they got a place downtown now, you need to get some charbroiled oysters at Drago’s. They’re a little pricey, but it’s practically a New Orleans tradition–although, ironically, they were just in Metairie for forever.
