It's hard to avoid being swept up in the convivial vibe while dining at this Uptown "house bistro." The tablecloths are white, but waitresses bring a diner-friendly warmth to the three dining rooms, while James Beard Award–winning chef Frank Brigtsen clanks away in the rear kitchen, plating up some of the city's best seafood dishes. A New Orleans native and avid sportsman, Brigtsen artfully blends Louisiana's two indigenous cuisines—sophisticated Creole and rustic Cajun—with an eye toward lesser-known fish. Black drum and red snapper are staples, but Brigtsen works magic with rarities like tripletail or triggerfish, grilling them to tender perfection and topping them with summer shrimp and sweet corn. Duck fans should try the roasted duck, deboned and served with savory corn-bread dressing.

Closed Sundays and Mondays.

"A couple of dozen raw and a couple of beers to wash 'em down" used to be standard after-work fare in New Orleans's working-class neighborhoods, where shuckers popped open the plentiful oysters for hungry stevedores and doctors alike. On the Uptown stretch of Magazine Street, Casamento's still does things the old way, from frying the seafood in unadulterated lard (the chef's choice for flavor and crunch) to closing during the summer months. Nothing fancy here, but everything's fresh and cool, especially during the winter months, when fat, meaty bivalves slide across the bar, chased by cold Abita beer in a dainty pony glass. Slurp 'em back, and don't forget to tip your shucker.

Open for lunch Wednesdays through Sundays; dinner, Thursdays through Saturdays.
Closed June and July.

If you doubt the concept of "elegant excess," book a long weekday lunch at Commander's, in the relaxed Garden District. The legendary flagship of the Brennan's restaurant dynasty hosts the local ladies who lunch as they celebrate their birthdays with a flood of 25-cent martinis (one of the best hidden lunch specials in town). The ambience of the new main dining room has shifted from restrained and clubby to playfully extravagant, with life-size feathered songbird dolls peeping out from the avian-themed wallpaper. The second-story Garden Room looks out onto the iconic oak-shaded courtyard. In both rooms, the efficient, brigade-style service never disappoints. Chef Tory McPhail, working the kitchen that launched Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse, artfully blends varied local influences in dishes like pan-seared Gulf fish with Louisiana citrus; crawfish and grits perfumed with cognac; and an earthy seared duck breast with Cajun dirty rice and roasted tomatoes. Eternal Commander's classics such as rich seafood gumbo, sherry-spiked turtle soup, and ethereal bread pudding soufflé provide a comforting sense of continuity.

Open Mondays through Fridays 11:30 am to 2 pm and 6:30 to 10 pm, Saturdays 11:30 am to 1 pm and 6:30 to 10 pm, and Sundays 10:30 am to 1:30 pm and 6:30 to 10 pm.

You just can't get any homier than this renovated Creole cottage steps from the landmark Tipitina's nightclub. With hand-painted plates on the wall and oilcloth-covered tables, this Uptown restaurant seems rustic enough, but don't let the grandma vibe fool you. The daring menu serves down-home American standards, but it also blends a few eclectic influences to create innovative comfort food. Though the menu changes seasonally, expect inventive dishes like savory crawfish and sausage cheesecake, seared duck breast with chorizo, and pecan-crusted Gulf fish, sautéed and paired with smoked mushrooms and cheese grits. If it's on offer, the mile-high lemon meringue pie packs just enough tang to raise a pleasing post-meal pucker.

Dinner only. Closed Sundays and Mondays.

For locals, Friday lunch at this sophisticated Creole standby is a weekly tradition; for visitors, it should be a once-in-a-lifetime culinary event. With its windows facing Bourbon Street's seamy club zone, Galatoire's first-floor dining room oozes old-world gentility with tiled floors, lace curtains, and mirrored walls (the better to people-watch, my dear). The menu is classic Creole: impossibly light soufflé potatoes, crackling oysters en brochette layered with bacon, pan-fried fillets of delicate speckled trout drizzled with drawn butter and pristine lump crabmeat. Given the semiformal surroundings—gentlemen's jackets required at dinner, suggested at lunch—you'd expect a stuffy atmosphere, but the crowd here gets borderline rowdy, especially after a few midday cocktails. Arrive early and follow their lead.

Open for lunch and dinner. Closed Mondays.

After a few years of plying their trade on a tiny Uptown side street, chef Ian Schnoebelen and co-owner Laurie Casebonne moved their award-winning operation to larger digs in the French Quarter's Bienville House hotel. The airy, light-filled room is perfect for early evening dining before a night on the town or a romantic tryst once darkness settles in. Schnoebelen's offerings are linked to the season and market, so springtime brings fresh shrimp paired with pickled ramps and house-made tapenade; a satiny guacamole subtly infused with kaffir lime; and savory duck confit with a salad of baby greens and roasted baby beets. Seasonal flavor themes even extend to the cocktail list, which uses a broad palette of herbal flavors and complex preparations to wonderful effect. We recommend the Velveteen, a vodka-based drink with Velvet Falernum, white-grape and apple juice, and muddled cilantro and mint.

Open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays 6 to 10 pm, Fridays and Saturdays 6 to 11 pm.

This twice-reborn Mid-City barroom is a testament to the staying power of New Orleans's po'boy culture. You'll find pitch-perfect examples here of the city's classic sandwich: generous lengths of crisp-crusted French bread overstuffed with handfuls of tender fried oysters and layers of locally cured ham, roast beef, or crunchy hot sausage patties seared on the grill and oozing just the right amount of spicy red grease. After bringing this century-old neighborhood landmark back from the brink of extinction in 2003, owner Jay Nix rebounded from Katrina-related flood damage without missing a beat. On Thursday nights, the Parkway serves up a gumbo of local New Orleans music with live zydeco, gypsy blues, and jazz.

Open for lunch and dinner. Closed Tuesdays.

New Orleans might seem like an unlikely place to sample Spanish cuisine, but local chef Adolfo Garcia combines his local pedigree and Panamanian heritage to produce outstanding takes on Iberian seafood. At this Warehouse District location, he offers a rotating selection of fresh, flavorful ceviches (using seasonal Louisiana seafood, of course) as well as a hearty yet light zarzuela de mariscos (a saffron-infused Spanish version of bouillabaisse). The list of wines by the glass is particularly deep—a good match for a tapas-style lunch. One of the restaurant's partners is Argentinean, so meat eaters are taken care of: The hanger steak (served with crunchy yuca fries and pesto-like chimichurri) ranks as one of the best beef dishes in town. More dedicated beef eaters can dine down the street at Garcia's second restaurant, La Boca, which was modeled on the casual neighborhood steak houses of Buenos Aires (857 Fulton St.; 504-525-8205; www.labocasteaks.com).

Open Mondays through Fridays 11:30 am to 2 pm and 6 to 10 pm, Saturdays 6 to 10 pm.

Chef Scott Boswell's French Quarter breakfast/lunch spot fills an important niche in a city with few outstanding morning options. If you've ever been disappointed by gloppy "brunch grade" hollandaise, order one of Boswell's variations on eggs Benedict and taste the difference that a saucier's training can make. The Eggs Stanley (poached and topped with hollandaise and crispy fried oysters) and Breaux Bridge Benedict (the brunch classic with a crunchy patty of Cajun boudin sausage) stand out on the morning menu, while the lunch menu shifts to classic sandwiches (a hefty Angus burger, tenderloin po'boy with tangy kimchi) and ice cream/soda-fountain specialties for dessert. The prices at Stanley might be a bit high (about $12 for the Eggs Stanley), but the level of polish, the central location, and Jackson Square people-watching more than make up for a few extra bucks on the check.

Open daily 7 am to 7 pm.

This Uptown eatery—an art-packed casual room with a stellar, homey menu—never fails to make you feel like family. The friendly, convivial vibe emanates from genial owner/hostess JoAnn Clevinger; since opening Upperline in 1983, she has built a reputation for mixing heartfelt hospitality with well-executed updates of Creole and Southern favorites. One of the now-classic combinations of contemporary New Orleans cuisine—fried green tomatoes and shrimp remoulade—originated here. The bistro-style menu is long on earthy, comforting flavors: duck with ginger-peach sauce, veal grillades over rich cheese grits, an outstanding duck and andouille étouffée. The three dining rooms house the owner's considerable collection of New Orleans-themed art; paintings cover every inch of wall, and folksy sculptures sprout from any surface that's horizontal. Get JoAnn talking about any of the colorful masks, photos, paintings, or prints in the room, and you can piece together an informal art history of the Crescent City.

Open Wednesdays through Sundays 5:30 to 10 pm.