The main action may be in the city's panoply of drinking establishments, but the Big Easy is no slouch when it comes to serving up some of the best food in the country and providing the traveler with a choice of stylish hotels in which to recover from the excesses of the night before.

The area code for New Orleans is 504. Prices quoted are for November 2009.

Lodging

Deep in a quiet part of the French Quarter, Soniat House has three buildings, and it's tough to decide which has the most seductive courtyard or the loveliest rooms. Fine French antiques adorn the rooms, and similar pieces are sold in the shop next door (800-544-8808; doubles, $205-$245). The Omni Royal Orleans is ground zero for a bar crawl—including the Rib Room. Ask for a room with a cast iron balcony, and check out the rooftop pool (529-5333; doubles, $159-$229). A favorite for its great service, the 444-room Windsor Court has a fourth-floor pool, sprawling views of the Mississippi, and the sumptuous Polo Lounge (888-596-0955; doubles, $199-$370). Dog lovers prefer the sleek, well-appointed rooms at the Loews New Orleans, home to Café Adelaide and the Swizzle Stick Bar (595-3300; doubles, $169-$279). Restored to its former glory, the Roosevelt Hotel is part of the Waldorf-Astoria Group, which also restored the legendary Blue Room (venue to Louis Armstrong) and the Sazerac Bar (648-1200; doubles, $179-$299).

Dining

Domenica is the latest creation of Iron Chef finalist and Louisiana native John Besh. Local ingredients meet rural Italy, and the result is wood-fired pizzas, handmade pastas, and house-cured meats inside the chic Roosevelt Hotel (648-1200; entrées, $14-$24). The latest bistro to join Magazine Street's stellar collection of dining spots, Coquette is a great place for Saturday lunch, with deftly done seasonal specialties, from soft-shell crab to local figs, an interesting (and reasonable) wine list, and classic chocolate-filled beignets (2800 Magazine St.; 265-0421; lunch entrées, $14-$16).

The French Quarter has a concentration of notable restaurants, starting with Galatoire's, where delicious creole classics—oysters Rockefeller, trout meunière, crabmeat maison—are often accompanied by copious imbibing and frenetic socializing. Friday lunches stretch into Friday dinners, and your waiter is the key to your happiness (209 Bourbon St.; 525-2021; entrées, $18-$43).