March 31- April 4

Okay, my wife and I will be in NO Tuesday night somewhat late leaving very early Sunday a.m..

What I am looking for are recommendations for:

a) a late night dinner spot, maybe with music near FQ on Tuesday night? Seafood or Cajun preferred.

b) Dinners Wed, Thurs Fri Sat- I need four solid recommendations- mostly not high end, but can do one splurge, and medium is fine.

c) Where to go for music and dancing- we are in our 40%26#39;s, and not looking to party with the 20 year olds- any recommendations on places with a more mature crowd that are fun?

I want to ensure we hit favorite Po-Boy and Muffaleta places too- so feel free to recommend those.

March 31- April 4

First it would probably be easier for you to use the ';search'; function and review section to get restaurant info. But, I personally love Coop%26#39;s Place for Cajun fried chicken and their red beans and rice; Gumbo Shop for gumbo, Commander%26#39;s Palace- this one is high end-for about anything. Mr. B%26#39;s Bistro seems popular for BBQ Shrimp, Acme for chargrilled oysters and Johnny%26#39;s for po%26#39;boys. Zydeco Thursday nights at Rock N%26#39; Bowl is often recommended. I really enjoyed Big Al Carson at the Funky Pirate, but the drinks were just so-so. Good drinks at Lafitte%26#39;s. Catch great live music on Frenchman St.

March 31- April 4

I would agree with Coops, Gumbo Shop and Acme. I would like to add Oceana to the list. And Cafe Beignet on Royal Street for an inexpensive breakfast. It%26#39;s very casual and the food actually comes in little plastic baskets. But, their cheese and ham omelettes are very good. Service is quick (you order it yourself and they bring it to you) which is good if you do not want to spend a lot of time over breakfast. They also make beignets. I have found that in New Orleans most of the music and dancing facilities have people of all ages in them. Unless of course it is spring break (as we found out the other weekend).

Sorry, I forgot to post the po-boys and muffalata places. I like Johnny%26#39;s for po-boys.

For muffs, I like Napoleon House, Frank%26#39;s and Central Grocery.

For music and dancing, I love Frenchmen St in the Marigny. It definitely has a more local vibe to it and there are some great jazz clubs there too!

For dinner my favorites are Dante%26#39;s Kitchen which is medium and Stella! which is expensive.

I would second the suggestion of Thursday night at Rock n%26#39; Bowl for Zydeco music and dancing, perhaps Tipitina%26#39;s on Sunday 5:30pm for Cajun music and dancing. These are experiences you won%26#39;t have in any other city. For music on Friday night, the Hot Club of New Orleans is playing d. b. a.%26#39;s at 6pm and on Saturday night, John Boutte is playing d.b.a.%26#39;s at 7pm. John Boutte is particularly awesome.

I also suggest going by the Louisiana Music Factory in the French Quarter for suggestions. Louisiana Music Factory is a music store that specializes in cds of Louisiana artists. Pick up an Offbeat magazine there and check out the club listings. You may be able to hear some of the artists at the listening stations. If you explain to the folks there what kind of music you%26#39;re looking for, they may be able to make some good suggestions for clubs.

Have fun!

Thanks for all the tips- I forgot to ask about Cajun/Zydeco music places so particularly appreciate those. After our trip I will try to post on our experiences.