Review of Gordon Biersch Brewry Restaurant

Editor's Pick Award

Our Editors awarded this review for providing relevant information that may be useful and inspiring for other travelers.

I chose this restaurant because after walking the French Quarter on Lundi Gras, there were few options open and affordable. I wanted casual, not gourmet, but real good Southern food. Gordon Biersch is a brewery, and I tend to like brew pubs. I sat in the bar section, which probably accounts for the bad service.

Their Czech Lager won best American beer in 2004. It was on the lighter end, but the flavor was not sacrificed- it tasted clean and cool, with a nice blend of hops and subtle malts.

I got a salad- it was all leaves and that was just perfect, but that wasn't on the menu.

Resolved to fully experience Louisiana cooking - accepting the limitations of ordering at a less homespun establishment than other trendier places- I ordered a dish with andouille sausage. The Cajun Pasta. Fettucine in a tomato and cream based sauce loaded with Cajun seasoning, including shrimp, chicken, and that wonderful pork product. The sauce was fabulous. A little heavy but nothing to hurt the effect- the seasonings were a treat- all these spices I could neither isolate nor identify, and the spiciness created a level burn, a sizzle that did not detract from the overall flavor. I'm not used to heat that doesn't steal the thunder of the other flavorings, in this, it was the sizzle that was savory.  The shrimp was perfectly prepared, and the sausage as well. The dish would have been perfectly acceptable without the chicken.

Bear in mind please, dear reader, that as I have adopted this hobby of vegetarianism- which still includes fish in the ok category- I don't really want to eat meat much anymore. The joy I got from the sweet spicy pork reminded me of the great flavor of hogs, a superb part of the meal. But I prefer the tenderness of fish, their muscle chews so much differently than mammal or poultry.

The rest of the menu was standard pub fare, the pizzas looked delicious. Overall, if you're in the city and it isn't Lundi or Mardi Gras, try one of the little restaurants in the French Quarter and other historic parts of town. But if everywhere is closed or packed, this place ain't bad a'tall.