The impact of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans' restaurants was severe, but the situation has greatly improved since the 2005 storm. When asked about the current state of the restaurant scene there, author and food expert Tom Fitzmorris told us, "We have 1,117 real restaurants now. We had 809 before the hurricane."
A look at the restaurants that have opened in NOLA over the past few years confirms that the city has restored its place as a culinary capital with its own identity. Many of these establishments have adopted national buzz words like seasonal and sustainable into their mantras, but there's no mistaking that what they make is New Orleans food. Here, now, the Eater Heat Map to New Orleans, a chronicle of the places of the moment.
Our thanks to Tom, Leslie Almeida of Nola-Eats, and Robert Peyton of Haute Plates for their invaluable advice.
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