Restaurants in Jefferson

The chefs at Sukho Thai evoke the streets and kitchens of Thailand with balanced dishes that spotlight fresh and exotic ingredients. In addition to bowls of sinuous egg and rice noodles, they craft panang curry filled with strips of pan-fried duck breast, fresh coconut milk, and kaffir lime leaves. Waterfall beef mingles with chiles, roasted rice powder, and mint, and the steamed fish of the day swims in garlicky lime or whiskey ginger sauce. Sukho Thai also rotates seasonal specials—including a recent collection inspired by Bangkok street food—through their menu on a regular basis.

Sukho's original Marigny location is housed in a vibrant-yellow building bedecked with red and blue trim. The Uptown location resides in a polished warehouse-style space, where exposed-brick walls surround long, buttery banquettes. Beneath a peaked ceiling, glowing paper lanterns hang in a cluster from metal beams.

Distressed walls and a second-story balcony lend Fiorella's Cafe a vintage ambience. That makes sense, because the restaurant's chefs channel time-honored flavors: since 1937, they've prepared sizzling fried chicken following the same recipe. They also fuse Italian and Creole flavors in entrees like fettuccini alfredo with fresh green onion and crawfish, though diners can opt for more traditional Italian entrees such as lasagna with Italian sausage, ground beef, and three cheeses.

In addition to a location in Metarie, Daisy Dukes Restaurant features a location nestled into the heart of the French Quarter with exposed brick and hardwood. Both locations of the eatery combine New Orleans charm with Southern fusion cuisine, and the French Quarter location is open 24 hours a day. Grills blacken catfish, alligator sausages, and fresh tuna steaks, which have close brushes with Cajun spices before arriving at tables. Classic po’ boy sandwiches cradle shrimp and other seafoods for which the area is famed. Each meal comes with hearty sides, from Cajun-spiced fries to cups of crawfish etouffee, a classic bayou recipe.

In an effort to find a healthy alternative to fast food without sacrificing speediness, the creators of The Pita Pit began assembling their signature sandwiches for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late-night snacks. At each location customers can sample thin, Lebanese-style pitas that encircle lean, grilled meats and fresh veggies. Sandwich selections span the spectrum from gyro meat and falafel to turkey and prime rib. The staff empowers customers to make healthy choices by displaying nutrition information for its bread, meats, and post-meal toothpicks and offering a selection of healthy sandwiches, which dining companions can wash down with fruit smoothies.

The premise of Pita Pit is simple—fast food can still be healthy. Though the menu is populated with several prebuilt pitas, including chicken caesar and philly steak, patrons can also build their own from a lengthy list of ingredients. Everything from black beans to dried cranberries mixes with meats, cheeses, and one of the eatery’s signature sauces in Lebanese-style pitas, the thinness of which keeps carb counts low relative to burgers on heavy buns or pizzas topped with baguettes. Scrambled eggs fill a variety of breakfast pitas, and vanilla frozen yogurt creates a thick foundation for smoothies blended with juice and real fruit.

Chefs at Randazzo’s Family Restaurant drizzle marinara and alfredo sauces on classic Italian pastas and stack fillings such as oyster and soft-shell crab on seafood platters and po' boy buns. Amorous foam fingers slow dance in the glow of several big-screen TVs as waiters plate omelets and other breakfast fare on weekends, and Pac-Man eternally munches his lunch in an attached game room. Randazzo’s catering can also serve up hearty trays of golden appetizers or large pasta pans each capable of serving up to 20 people or five hungry barbershop quartets.