New Orleans, Louisiana
Acclaimed French Quarter Gumbo In An Airy Casual Space
Dined in March 2015
New Orleans is a town steeped in tradition, food, and history. My Daughter and I visited for the first time in 2015, just prior to the ten year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, to notice that the tourism areas were completely rebuilt, but some areas still in need of repair, especially the 9th Ward, the hardest hit area with the most deaths from the storm. While Visiting the famed French Quarter, we stopped by for lunch at The Gumbo Shop upon recommendations from the hotel concierge, and what a lunch it was. Nothing says creole like New Orleans.
Scroll down to read the main review
|
****
The worlds top 100 restaurants, based on the Elite Traveler’s Guide,
The San Pellegrino Guides, the OAD Guide, The Michelin Guides, and
That have been visited and reviewed on this site…
****
|
|
Chicago, Illinois, USA
|
Sydney, Australia
|
|
Cape Town, South Africa
|
Melbourne, Australia
|
|
Austin, Texas, USA
|
San Francisco, California, USA
|
|
Yountville, Napa, California, USA
|
Paris, France
|
|
Sydney, Australia
|
Franschhoek, South Africa
|
|
Charleston, South Carolina, USA
|
Dublin, Ireland
|
|
Ripponlea, Melbourne, Australia
|
Charleston, South Carolina, USA
|
|
London, United Kingdom
|
Denver, Colorado, USA
|
|
Dubai, UAE
|
Christchurch, New Zealand
|
|
Cape Town, South Africa
|
Dubai, UAE
|
|
Dubai, UAE
|
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
|
You can also use these sites for reference on the top restaurants out there:
OpenTable Top 100 in America
There are many more guides out their, but these will help sum up a world of travel for your next dining adventure.
Follow Wine, dine, and Play:
Star ratings chart:
|
5 stars
|
Extraordinary |
|
4 stars |
Outstanding |
|
3 stars |
Exceeded expectations |
|
2 stars |
Above average |
|
1 star |
Average |
|
No star rating |
Basic, poor, or appalling |
Review basics:
|
Overall Star rating by Wine, Dine, & Play:
|
3 of 5
|
|
Ambiance:
|
5 of 10
|
|
Quality of food:
|
7 of 10
|
|
Plate Presentation:
|
6 of 10
|
|
Customer service:
|
6 of 10
|
|
Wow Factor:
|
5 of 10
|
|
Corkage fee’s:
|
American Restaurant standard is $25.00 per bottle
|
|
Restaurant style:
|
Casual
|
|
Reservations:
|
Not Required, But Recommended
|
|
Walk-ins:
|
Accepted, but not guaranteed
|
|
Dress code:
|
Casual, or Conservative attire
|
|
Child policy:
|
The Restaurants reviewed on this site may have a child’s menu or cater to them; however for full enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended for children not to be in attendance, unless they have been trained in proper etiquette.
Hire a Babysitter.
|
|
Cuisine style:
|
Contemporary, Seafood, American, Creole, Southern, French, & Vegetarian
|
|
Music styles:
|
Background instrumental
|
|
Experiences:
|
Place for foodies, Hot spot, Great outdoor dining, Good for special occasions, Rustic, Hole-in-the-wall, Tourist grabber, and a Neighborhood gem.
|
|
Gratuities:
|
Industry standard is 18-20% added to parties of 6 or more
|
|
Payments:
|
Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express
|
|
Parking:
|
Public lot, or Street Parking
|
|
Transport options:
|
Bus, taxi, limousine, personal vehicle, and walking
|
|
Wifi
|
The restaurants reviewed on this site may have Wi-Fi, but do not require you to go online, because the excitement of the food and wine alone will keep you too entertained instead of checking your social media and emails.
|
|
Noise level:
|
Low to Medium
|
|
Smoking:
|
Nonsmoking restaurant, and nonsmoking patio
|
|
Patio:
|
Yes
|
Food Prices
(excluding taxes & gratuity)
$£€¥ - Under 50.00
$£€¥ x 2 - 51.00- 99.00
$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00
$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00
**Currencies chosen reflect the world’s major travelers and restaurant connoisseur’s**
|
My food bill:
|
Currency:
|
Price chart:
|
|
$43.00
|
United States Dollar (USD)
|
$
|
|
£28.00
|
Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
|
£
|
|
€38.00
|
European Union (EUR)
|
€
|
|
$56.00
|
Canadian Dollar (CAN)
|
$$
|
|
$59.00
|
Australian Dollar (AUS)
|
$$
|
|
¥274.00
|
Chinese Yuan (CNY)
|
¥¥¥¥
|
The Gumbo Shop Review
From restaurants home page:
New Orleans is a Mecca of culinary temptations and as a native I wouldn't want it any other way. Temptation and atonement are part of our culture. With religious roots that are primarily Catholic, thanks to our French founders, the church affects our calendar in a rather unique way: we celebrate Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, the final day of feasting before 40 days of Lent. The traditional abstinence from meat during this time leading up to Easter means that we have to "sacrifice" by enjoying the bounty from nearby waters: fish, shrimp and oysters from the Gulf of Mexico, crabs from Lake Pontchatrain, and crawfish from area swamplands.
New Orleans was founded by the French in 1718 and named after the regent, the Duke d’Orleans. Passed to the Spanish for a while, it went back to France long enough for Napoleon to sell it to a fledgling United States of America in 1803.
In New Orleans, the French influence over local cooking was just the beginning. Throughout the years African slaves were often the cooks. Through one of the nation’s busiest ports have come new citizens from Germany, Ireland, the French Caribbean Islands, Italy, Greece, Croatia and more recently, Asia. The Choctaw Indians were already living in this swampy mosquito-infested piece of land, below sea level and shaped like a crescent on the Mississippi River. They introduced powdered sassafras or file_ which they called “kombo” to settlers as a staple for one of many styles of the indigenous soup we call gumbo – from the African word “kingumbo” meaning the vegetable okra. A gumbo usually contains either file_ or okra as a thickener. Just as gumbo is a blend of many cultures, so is the origin of the word. However, the base of most gumbos is “roux” – flour and fat with seasonings that is browned to provide an almost nutty flavor.
Main review:
My daughter and spent the morning touring The French Quarter, then entered The Gumbo Shop without a reservation, and had about a fifteen minute wait for an open table. The main part of the restaurant to the front was indoors, with an attached bar area and kitchen, then a patio area surrounded by the other buildings, and another small eating area with tables attached to the other side of the patio half enclosed by the neighboring building. This is the area where we sat, to enjoy the air and breeze of outside, but yet still partially inside to avoid the sun. Being it was late March, the humidity was not that bad yet.
We had a lunch on the go style not having time to fully enjoy the many items listed on the menu that were the essential heart of creole cuisine. I had been making varieties of Gumbo for years, so I knew that while here in New Orleans, I had to have a traditional gumbo from the experts themselves. As a starter I had their cup of chicken and my all time favorite sausage; andouille gumbo, topped with white rice. The roux was perfect color, and the seasoning were perfectly balanced to the spice of the sausage. To enjoy the soup starter and going into entrees I had a local beer called NOLA Blonde Ale from the New Orleans Lager & ale Brewing Company, an American blonde style ale, 4.90% ABV, a grassy clean pilsner, with a taste of malt, smooth and easy drinking beer, a very refreshing afternoon beverage.
Other Appetizer selections include a seafood okra gumbo, blackened fish nuggets, and a salad selection with shrimp or crawfish remoulade’s as the main attraction. For main menu items my daughter had the Crawfish Pasta tossed with a spicy cajun bacon called Tasso in a reduced cream sauce. The menu was filled with classic creole and cajun dishes from shrimp creole, jambalaya, crawfish etouffee, chicken espagnole, fresh fish, and for those who want to be boring and ignore all of this great food with a New York strip steak. Further on the menu if you have space to hold it, they have a complete creole dinner, three courses that will have you in pure delight.
I took a lighter side lunch, knowing that I had reservations that evening for Commanders Palace, so I enjoyed a sautéed Shrimp Po' Boy Sandwich with a wonderful remoulade sauce and homemade bread. My daughter wanted dessert, but knowing of our dinner that would be coming, I declined for both of us.
This Restaurant reminds me of:
The Gumbo Shop was a wonderful first stop while here in New Orleans. The overall ratings listed above exceeded expectations for cuisine and comfort. The lower ratings on customer service reflected overall waiter attentions. The plate presentations were that of a common restaurant with basic garnish with no real wow factor to them. The ambiance was that of a regular restaurant as well, with the quality of food having the highest of ratings. I would compare the Gumbo Shop to The Lobby Bar and Bistro in Atlanta, Georgia and Hank’s Seafood in Charleston, South Carolina.
Other New Orleans favorites on Wine, Dine, and Play:
Willie Mae's Scotch House
Other trending story’s on Wine, Dine, and Play:
Prato in Orlando
91 Wood Fire Oven in Canton, Ohio
Constantia Uitsig La Colombe, in Cape Town
Vu de Monde in Melbourne, Australia
Qui Restaurant in Austin
Restaurant address:
630 St Peter Street
New Orleans, LA 70116
Neighborhood:
The French Quarter
Cross streets:
Royal Street & Chartres Street
GPS Coordinates:
Latitude: 29.957351
Longetude: -90.063965
Contact Information:
|
Maître d, Reservations:
|
(504) 525-1486 |
|
Restaurant Website:
|
|
|
Email:
|
|
|
Reserve Online:
|
opentable.com
|
|
Social Media & Accolades:
|
|
|
|
Hours:
Standard Time (GMT -6:00)
|
Monday
|
11:00 am –10:00 pm
|
|
Tuesday
|
11:00 am –10:00 pm
|
|
Wednesday
|
11:00 am –10:00 pm
|
|
Thursday
|
11:00 am –10:00 pm
|
|
Friday
|
11:00 am –11:00 pm
|
|
Saturday
|
11:00 am –11:00 pm
|
|
Sunday
|
11:00 am –10:00 pm
|
Reviewed by:
Sean Overpeck (CFE)
Executive Chef
Chef Sean cooks for soldiers in Afghanistan, 2012:
“Culinary perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things,
But in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
-Angelique Arnauld (1591-1661)
TTFN
