Howe’s Bayou

We’ve spent enough time in New Orleans to know the real magic isn’t at the postcard spots — it’s at the random bar that happens to have a kitchen, the place where the food feels like an afterthought and somehow blows away the tasting menu from the night before. Howe’s Bayou is that bar, transplanted to Ferndale. It’s a little dirty, in all the right ways — nobody’s polishing anything here, and that’s exactly the point. It’s not fancy. It’s authentic, it’s tasty, and we’re already planning to go back.

They pour Abita year-round too, which matters more than it sounds like it should — when you know what it feels like to actually miss New Orleans, that’s the detail that tells you this place gets it. There’s a small patio out front, but don’t count on space: it’s tiny, and it fills up fast.