Commander's is fancy and expensive and in the Garden District. Lotsa people like it.
Arabella Casa di Pasta is one of my favorites and I'm not surprised my IRL best friend Dax recommended it because he has great taste just like me. Very casual, unpretentious funky sci-fi dork decor, good place to take a group of friends to kick off the night. Good food, good bar. Highly recommend.
My favorite restaurant in the city is Adolfo's on Frenchman Street above the Apple Barrel bar. Expensive and amazing but not super pretentious either. All the art on the walls looks like it's homemade as hell, and that's because Adolfo went dumpster diving behind the Tulane art building for decor. Toilet seat is way too big for the toilet it's on. It makes no sense and is hilarious. Everybody loves the ocean sauce. They discontinued the Chicken Vincent after covid, which is a bummer because it's the best meal I've ever had. Was devastated.