On the dessert menu, the Double Chocolate Bread Pudding is even more decadent, with semisweet chocolate pudding, a white and dark chocolate ganache and a chocolate almond bark so elaborate the diner must order at the beginning of the meal and expect at least 20 minutes for preparation; it's $7.

Red Fish Grill: 115 Bourbon St., 504-598-1200.

BRIGSTEN'S

Cajun/Creole

Dining at Brigsten's, on the far side of the Garden District from downtown, is like visiting a the home of an old-fashioned aunt. A wood-frame house built 150 years ago from river flatboats, its interior walls are leafy green, its rooms decorated with small marble fireplaces, antique mirrors and slow-turning ceiling fans. Owner Frank Brigtsen is the former night chef for the legendary Paul Prudhomme at K-Paul's, here carrying on his Cajun style without quite the heat and heavy sauces.

The appetizer Gratin of Oysters with Italian Sausage, Spinach, Romano and Herbsaint Garlic Butter, at $8.75, is hot, crisp and buttery, with big, juicy broiled oysters under a creamy sauce, redolent of the anise-like liqueur Herbsaint that takes the place of the long-prohibited absinthe.

Other appetizers include Butternut Shrimp Bisque at $6.75, Pan-Fried Catfish with Stone Ground Jalapeño Cheese Grits at $7.50, Sautéed Softshell Crab with Spiced Pecans and Meuniere Sauce at $12.75.

The entree portion of Panéed (Cajun French for breaded) Rabbit with Sesame Crust, Spinach and Creole Mustard Sauce at $19 is generous and flavorful, a bit chewy. Other entrees include Broiled Gulf Fish with Crabmeat Crust at $22, Roast Duck with Cornbread Dressing and Honey Pecan Gravy at $24.

Desserts include the mandatory Banana Bread Pudding at $4.75, Pecan Pie with Caramel Sauce at $5.75 and Peanut Butter Mousse at $5.

Brigsten's: 723 Dante St.; 504-861-7610.

BAYONA

International

Bayona is cheerful, noisy, casual, a lure for boisterous revelers from Bourbon Street two blocks away who arrive in everything from little black dresses to Hawaiian shirts and beads. Built into a 200-year-old Creole cottage, it's bright, with pumpkin walls, white wood trim and lots of French windows and doors, white pressed metal ceiling, white tablecloths and huge vases of live flowers.

French-trained chef Susan Spicer is one of New Orleans' rising stars, having mastered the delicate art of creating a cuisine that is not from New Orleans but respectful of it. Her appetizer portion of Sautéed Sweetbreads with Potatoes, Mushrooms and Sherry Mustard Butter, at $9, is a revelation: hot, crisp, creamy sweetbreads with big chunks of mushroom and crisp potatoes, tiny, tangy cubes of beet and a rich sauce.

Other appetizers include Crab Cakes with Saffron Tomato Sauce and Avocado, at $8.50, and Goat Cheese Crouton with Mushrooms in Madeira Cream at $7. Spicer's signature entree, Grilled Duck Breast with Pepper Jelly Glaze, at $20, is a triumph. Other entrees include Grilled Poussin (Baby Chicken) with Chanterelles, Spinach and Thyme Jus at $18.

An innovative dessert is Plum Crumble Tartelette with Candied Ginger Ice Cream at $6.

Bayona: 430 Dauphine; 504-525-4455.

ZOE BISTROT

New American

The chi-chi Zoe Bistrot, in the W New Orleans hotel, which the guidebooks say is so hip it should be not here but in Manhattan, takes a stab at lighter fare on its lunch menu, with a Tuna Carpaccio Nicoise with big chunks of juicy seared tuna, potatoes, tomatoes, lemon zest, sweet and sour pickles and black olive oil; light but flavorful, at $14. But it also serves Steak Frites, an eight-ounce sirloin with french fries and a dollop of maitre d' butter.

Beluga Caviar is available at $84 an ounce; an $8 Green Apple Martini is citrus vodka with apple pucker and a chunk of the crisp, underripe Granny Smith apples that are used throughout the hotel as decoration.

Desserts include French Poodle Meringue, strawberry meringue cookie with dark chocolate mousse at $6. The dinner menu features Escargot at $10, Lobster Pie at $28, Seared Gulf Fish at $17.

Zoe Bistrot, in the W New Orleans Hotel; 333 Poydras St., 504-525-9444.