Fodor's Expert Review SoBou

This sleek venture (whose name is short for "South of Bourbon Street") from the Commander's Palace team puts cocktails, beer, and wine front and center. The menu includes Louisiana-style snacks, such as grilled alligator sausage or cracklings with pimento-cheese fondue, and the cocktails are a mix of pre-Prohibition classics and crowd-pleasing originals. A row of self-service machines dispense wines by the taste or the glass, and a few coveted tables even have personal beer taps. The chef grew up in Puerto Rico, so Latin flavors creep into many dishes, like the oyster tacos or shrimp and tasso pinchos.