Restaurants in Peru

From the beckoning peals of jazz-playing buskers in Jackson Square to the amiable rush of revelers traipsing down Bourbon Street, New Orleans’ French Quarter earns its reputation as one of America’s liveliest locales. The chefs at French Quarter New Orleans Kitchen bring this same bonhomie to the plate, recreating Cajun staples including blackened fish, gumbo, and Cajun-spiced steak. Like holding a jazz funeral for a dead goldfish, the dining room’s bead-strewn chandeliers and gold and crimson walls add a touch of Fat Tuesday flair to everyday life. As guests sup on spicy jambalaya and sip southern cocktails, a lineup of live acts entertains crowds with DJs and blues bands.

Owner and executive chef John Borras stokes his love affair with New Age Spanish cuisine by crafting a constantly evolving, seasonal menu of more than 40 classic tapas and fresh, unique dishes. Sweet sangria and wine flow as freely as newly paroled poetry while gustatory gurus sling such favorites as goat-cheese croquettes, mussels in spicy marinara, and beef tenderloin with manchego cheese and toast points. On the first Monday of each month, Macarena Tapas celebrates Lab Day, an event in which the flavors of nascent prospective menu items are paraded before discriminating guests, who nibble and offer advice on the ingredients' love lives.

JR's Place Restaurant satisfies roaring appetites with a generous menu of breakfast, lunch, and pizza-based eats. Breakfast lasts all day, sporting eggs made any style, specialty omelets, pancakes, or french toast, paired with sausage patties, hash browns, or bacon. Lunch kicks off at 10:30 a.m. and accompanies breakfast until closing with bacon cheeseburgers in half- or quarter-pound iterations, along with triple-decker turkey and bacon clubs or italian beef. Finally, pizza rolls in around 11:30 a.m., gracing the rest of the day with thin, double, or infinite crusts loaded with toppings such as green olives, italian beef, and mushrooms.

When he cofounded his first sandwich shop in 1965, 17-year-old Fred DeLuca planned to use his profits to pay his way through medical school. But the combination of quality ingredients and friendly service at the shop—then called Pete's Subway—proved so popular that nine years later, he and his partner found themselves in charge of 16 locations across Connecticut, and Fred left behind his doctoring plans for a career in business.

Today, Subway restaurants number more than 34,000 around the world—almost as many shops as there are sightings of Elvis buying cold cuts. At each location, staffers pile sliced ham, marinara-slathered meatballs, and other fillings into halved loaves of bread before customizing handhelds with tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and other healthy toppings plucked from chilled containers behind the counter. Salads free crisp veggies from bread's overprotective embrace, and crunchy baked chips or apple slices accompany entrees to tables. Subway's website also facilitates health-conscious eating by listing each item's nutrition information and fastest mile time online.

At Raffi's on 5th, chef Silverio Rodriguez alchemizes the cuisines of France, Italy, Spain, and other Mediterranean countries into a one-of-a-kind menu. A chandelier illuminates the exposed-brick walls and Middle Eastern rugs that feed eyes, while fork tines dive into steak, pasta, and seafood dishes. By marrying the cuisines of different cultures, chef Silverio paves the way for unique food pairings—meals may travel from an appetizer of goat-cheese fondue to an entree of lamb kebabs or a daily rotating pasta entree complemented by a sprawling wine list and periodic passport checks. The restaurant also presents catering options for feeding up to 500 people.

Offering a menu of inventive American cuisine with seasonal ingredients, SugarToad's kitchen at the Hotel Arista excels at bold flavors. The chef sources the freshest ingredients possible, including produce plucked from his own Chef’s Garden right outside the door. The rotating menu changes to match the calendar, with past entrees including pork tenderloin with dried-apricot chutney, sweet-potato mash, and napa cabbage, and Slagel Family Farm beef burgers with sun-dried-tomato relish. Between bites of tot-sized brunch boxes with fresh fruit and housemade twinkies, children may sip milk flights of chocolate, strawberry, and banana flavors while caregivers sample cucumber-cantaloupe mimosas, french-press coffee, and the sweet, fleeting silence of a tear-free breakfast.