Love New Orleans, but tired of all the barfing buffoons on Bourbon Street? On your next N'awlins trip why not skip the Quarter and visit the Faubourg Marigny instead? We did and we loved it!
The Marigny district begins just below the lower edge of the Vieux-Carre with Esplanade Avenue running between the two. Close by is the French Market and the Riverfront Line streetcar that parallels the Big Muddy and takes you to the foot of Canal where you can connect with the St. Charles Avenue and Canal Street Line streetcars. We found very little need of venturing outside of the Marigny. This quirky district is blessed with a plethora of fine restaurants and music venues along a four block stretch of Frenchmen Street. The Marigny caters more to local folks than tourists and the rowdy college crowd, although that is changing as more out-of-towners are discovering this charming section of the Crescent City. If you are going to go, go now while the Faubourg Marigny is still not too touristy.
We stayed at the Frenchmen Hotel. This property looked and sounded charming when we pulled up their website. I would like to recommend the Frenchmen, but that won't be happening. Our room was way smaller than the photos on the 'net would indicate, which is about normal. We weren't too put out by that since we don't spend much time in the room anyway. What was truly annoying though were the lack of doorknobs for the bathroom and closet. Our room wasn't cheap and I think the Frenchmen could have afforded a couple of knobs. Do not accept a room next to the pool. You can hear every little ripple, not to mention the squeals of the naked women frolicking at three in the morning. It wouldn't have been so bad if I could have joined them, but my bride didn't approve of that idea. I tried to explain that from the conversations piercing our slumbers that these ladies were gay, in every sense of the word, so I doubted that they would want to hanky or panky with me. That made no difference. Women can be such poops!
One of our favorite restaurants in the Marigny was The Praline Connection, the home of Cajun - Creole soul food. My fried chicken livers and mustard greens were superb and my bride raved over the meatloaf. The servings were huge...you won't leave hungry and you will still have bucks to burn.
The Marigny Brasserie is another great dining option. We enjoyed a brunch one day and dinner another. Cajun - Creole style food but a bit more up-scale than Praline's, and they had live entertainment during both of our visits.
We had read mixed reviews on the Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro. Everyone agreed this was one of the best jazz venues around, but the food left much to be desired. We booked seats for the show and we had dinner beforehand. My wife's filet was cooked to perfection and my spicy barbequed shrimp were sensational. The jazz was hot! This is a much better venue than Preservation Hall for great jazz.
If your taste buds lean toward Italian food with reasonable prices, I cannot recommend Adolfo's at 611 Frenchmen. The prices weren't bad (cash only), but the food was bland and the sauces were watery.
I don't remember food at the Cafe Negril, but you really go there for the music. We enjoyed four local bands on two separate visits...rock, country, jazz, and a mix of each.
It's not in the Marigny, but a few blocks into the Quarter is the Russian themed Pravda...the home of the Green Fairy at 1113 Decatur Street. You must stop in for a drink and dance with the green fairy.
We were only in the Marigny for a couple of days. There wasn't near enough time to try all of the restaurants or live music clubs, but that means there will be more to do on our next trip to the Faubourg Marigny.
And, this last picture?
Perhaps I was dancing with the Green Fairy a little too long.
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