About.com Rating

The Bottom Line

This is the perfect place to combine art viewing with food tasting.

Pros

• Great Cuisine.
• Great Art.

Cons

• Small restaurant that's not open for lunch, so make reservations.

Description

• A restaurant within an Art Gallery.
• Creole Cuisine at its best.
• Ambiance of an old house.

Guide Review - Upperline Restaurant

Want to combine a trip to a fine gallery featuring some of the best New Orleans artists and have a great meal at the same time?

Then Upperline Restaurant at is for you. Owner, JoAnn Clevenger, is almost always there to greet you. JoAnn is an avid collector of local art and it's displayed all throughout the restaurant. My favorite local artist, Martin LaBorde and his creation, a wizard named Bodo, is very well represented. Three large images of Bodo are on the front of the building and LaBorde's work is featured on the front of the menu. Displayed around the restaurant are over 400 pieces of art collected over 40 years.

I think it's fair to say that the cuisine prepared by Chef Ken Smith is a work of art also. At Upperline you'll be served fine Creole dishes made with the freshest of ingredients. For starters try the Fried Green Tomatoes with Shrimp Remoulade, the Crispy Oysters or the Confit of Duck. The Chef does a great turtle soup and you can get a trio of soups that also include the duck gumbo and the oyster stew. For entrees there are great steaks, duck dishes and of course, seafood dishes. I like the New Orleans Style Veal Grillades with Mushrooms, Peppers & Cheddar Grits.

The Pasta Shells with Shrimp Bisque and Pesto Shrimp are another favorite.

Whatever you order you'll love it, and the cuisine is only matched by the ambiance of the art gallery-like surroundings of this unique restaurant. When you visit the Big Easy, try The Upperline.