"All things duck tends to be the star at this Mid-City favorite for Cajun fine dining, but the dark quail gumbo is nearly as famous. The hospitable, family-run restaurant on Orleans Avenue serves a bowl that’s dark and thick, smoky and rich — regardless of what comes in it that day." - Beth D’Addono
"Creole stalwart Gabrielle can be counted on again this year, as for most holidays, to provide an on-point meal with which to observe Lent. This year, it’s a to-go-only $20 fried fish plate with vegetables, potato salad, tartar sauce, and a cookie. Order online here, but get in early, as these sell out." - Clair Lorell
"This Treme gem from chef Greg Sonnier delivers a first-class four-course $65 Réveillon experience. Gabrielle is known for its duck, so how wonderful that it’s one entree option, along with whole salt-baked boneless Gulf fish and beer-battered fried rabbit. Impossible to choose between chocolate mousse cake with brandied cherries and the apple upside-down bread pudding." - Beth D’Addono
"This Treme gem from chef Greg Sonnier delivers a first-class four-course $65 Réveillon experience. Gabrielle is known for its duck, so how wonderful that it's one entree option, along with whole salt-baked boneless Gulf fish and beer-battered fried rabbit. Impossible to choose between chocolate mousse cake with brandied cherries and the apple upside-down bread pudding." - Beth D'Addono
"This chef-driven restaurant experiments with small-batch, oven-roasted roux so the darkness can be precisely controlled, blending light, slow-roux traditions from the chef’s upbringing with dark, high-heat techniques learned under Paul Prudhomme. The kitchen often features guinea hen and housemade sausages, and rotates proteins such as alligator or rabbit to keep the gumbo inventive and seasonally focused; rice is intentionally kept subtle rather than cooked in flavored stock to let the gumbo shine. Standout items include the duck/rabbit/guinea-hen gumbo, duck liver mousse pâté and an indulgent peppermint-chocolate dessert." - ByMegan Braden-Perry