re: A good dinner date restaurant in New Orleans area?

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No one recommended Mandina’s?

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I live in Mid-City and love Mandina's. The wife and I headed over to Ye Old College Inn this past Saturday night for dinner. We had gotten a $100 gift certificate for the place several months ago and decided it was time to use it.

The food was very good, service was excellent but it is a very noisy place with all the hard surfaces and cavernous building.

I got the brisket, garlic mashed potatoes, au jus gravy and roasted Brussel sprouts while the wife got the shrimp and cheese grits dinner. She had a glass of house wine and I had a glass of draft. Bill was $62 prior to tip.

We enjoyed it and will definitely go back.


Was going to stop at Brocato's for some canoli and assorted biscotti but there had to be 25 or more people in the place waiting to be served, so I went back on Sunday when they opened at 10 a.m. That was $30 for 2 small bags of biscotti and 3 large canoli......................they are proud of their product.

I go to College Inn once a week, at least. I'm glad you enjoyed it! If you sat in the dining area BEHIND the bar, you might get some reprieve from the noise, but in the front and in front of the kitchen, you're out of luck.

Date place? Maple Street Café, but they're tearing up EVERY single street around it.

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If you sat in the dining area BEHIND the bar, you might get some reprieve from the noise, but in the front and in front of the kitchen, you're out of luck.

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We were seated in the area behind the bar, but the place was packed with standing room only at the bar and very few tables open. When we left around 8 p.m. there were people outside waiting to get a table.

We ended up no not going to NO (I got outvoted), so we went to Eliza’s in BR. When I say it was the worst food we ever had, dining at a nice restaurant, it is an understatement.
I left gloating, saying we should have gone to New Orleans.

I have a jar with 50 or so popsicle sticks each had a restaurant name on it. Places I really like have 2 sticks .
I pull a stick and go there. I have anther jar with 16 sticks that are more expensive places like Commanders and August for fancy nights.


Last two places I pulled were last Saturday at Oak Oven and the weekend before at Silk Road.

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So, your wife doesn't like good food at reasonable prices????

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I'm assuming you are an older gentleman.Younger folks don't really care for places with that kind of atmosphere as a "date night" restaurant.

Hell, Mandinas might as well have been a nursing home the one and only time I was there.

If it's a rare night out and the wives want to be treated special, having a good wine list or some nice cocktails as well matters. And my wife likes to dress up a little and be around others who are dressed nice.

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So, your wife doesn't like good food at reasonable prices????

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We aren’t 100 years old first of all.

Second, I grew up going to R&Os and like it just fine. In no universe, unless you are old or fat is it a “date night” place. It’s a great lunch place for a roast beef.

Mandinas is a great place to take your grandparents for a 5:30pm dinner.

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From the tone of your post, she's more concerned with how she'd be perceived if seen in both those establishments and that comes off as being pretty damn pretentious.

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Not at all. What a stupid thing to say.

A date night would be a place where you can at least get an interesting wine or cocktail and you can’t do either of those and those places.

And more modern food than that, in a moderately nice atmosphere.

Personally I think Mandinas is absolute trash.

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I'm assuming you are an older gentleman.Younger folks don't really care for places with that kind of atmosphere as a "date night" restaurant.

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Yeah, I'm an "Old Fart"-------71. I prefer to judge a restaurant by the quality of food served as opposed to the "atmosphere" as long as the place is clean and offers good service and food at reasonable prices.

As far as the wife and I heading out to eat, it too is a rare night for us since I do 99% of the cooking and am considered a very good cook by those who I've cooked for and had over for dinner parties. We'll go to restaurants that offer several things I cook at home and the wife will not order them now because she has said many times that she winds up disappointed by the way it tastes compared to what I cook.

Our big nights out are mostly local restaurants-----and a big night will include Ruth's Chris for steaks and Brigsten's for just about anything on his menu. We also do sushi about 5-6 times a year and will hit different spots around town.


Sorry if I came off kind of hard nosed....... apologies to you and your wife----

Some of y’all can only see things from your personal lens. You aren’t able to see from the OP’s perspective.
He specifically said he wanted something casual like R&O’s. Obviously, he and his wife enjoy that type of environment for a date night. Many of the recommendations for more upper scale restaurants are attempts to force your own preferences onto someone with a totally different idea of a good casual restaurant.
If OP asked for a good place to go see a rock band some of you would direct him to an opera.
Just because your wife wouldn’t want to go to R&O’s doesn’t make that type of restaurant a bad choice for another person’s wife.
Know your audience.