Sam Sifton, about New Orleans. Thanks to the HBO series Treme , people, especially foodies are becoming interested again in this amazing town. It's about time people got back to it and rediscovered the great melange of creole and Cajun cooking.
The city is vibrant as ever with old stand bys like Maldina's still serving a good mix of Italian and regional cooking. There is also the Vietnamese influence. They came here as refugees after the fall of Saigon in
1975 and like the Cajuns adapted the area and brought their own spin to the local foods. Now there are many shops featuring the Vietnamese sandwiches,sort of similar to po' boys. Of course New Orleans is nothing without Emeril Lagasse and his restaurant is still thriving. Some people felt he had abandoned the city after Hurricane Katrina but he is back generating good meals and money for recovering New OrleansIf you have the time, visit this grand dame of Southern Cities. The atmosphere is phenomenal. So is the food.