Felix's by the Lake.
I am not a big fan of Lakeshore Drive.
Everything upriver of Lakeshore Drive, I think of as the West End, a magical part of New Orleans that makes little sense in the most delightful New Orleans way. Delightfully odd things lurk on the streets of the West End, things that make you stop and ponder and restaurants that have stood the test of time.
You want to be on the other side of the canal, where the sun is always shining—even when it rains.
Lakeshore Drive is Lakeview. It is very suburban. Most of it is empty and unvisited parkland. There is no shade.
There are a few seafood restaurants on Lakeshore Drive. I recommend them for the view, not the view. Landry’s is Exhibit A. It has the best view and, also, the most mediocre menu. I would like to say that this is just one man’s opinion, but it is not.
The other two noteworthy establishments in this restaurant row are Felix’s and the Blue Crab, which are essentially interchangeable in this man’s opinion.
None of these three is worth a trip to Lakeview unless you have company from out of town and they want to see water.
We rarely see the water in New Orleans because of the levees. Life in New Orleans is man against nature. We pray that the levees will hold.
“Our Father in Heaven through the intercession of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, spare us during this Hurricane season from all harm. Protect us and our homes from all disasters of nature. Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.”
New Orleans is a different world.