Red Fish Grill, New Orleans

If you've been to New Orleans and walked down Bourbon Street, chances are you have passed Red Fish Grill. We have seen the restaurant multiple times and have never stopped in. Red Fish Grill has received many awards including Top 10 Seafood Restaurant in the United States by USA TODAY in 2013. They were also named a Best Seafood Restaurant in the United States in 2012 by Travel + Leisure Magazine.

We decided to give Red Fish Grill a try since is located outside of Hyatt French Quarter, where we stayed during this trip. We were instantly greeted by a very energetic server by the name of Ike. We learned that serving at Red Fish Grill is his primary job and acting is his second job. Ike has been on multiple episodes of HBO's Treme, HBO's new show True Detective and FX's American Horror Story. If you find yourself at Red Fish Grill, request for Ike - you will not be disappointed.

We started off the night with the Red Fish Grill Seafood Sampler appetizer, BBQ Blue Crab Claws; Gulf Shrimp & Tasso Fritters; and Creole Marinated Gulf Shrimp .

While everything was delicious, the BBQ Blue Crab Claws was by far a stand out in this dish. We typically find Blue Crab in FL to be fishy - so we tend to stay away from it. We learned that Blue Crab in Louisiana is sweet and the farthest thing from fishy. These claws reminded us of a smaller version of Stone Crab. And the roux it was served it.....out of this world and I had to refrain myself from drinking it out of the bowl.

Gulf Shrimp & Tasso Fritters were cooked to perfection and had the flavors played off very well together.

Finally, the Creole marinated gulf shrimp were a perfect companion to the other two items on the sampler. They were marinated then chilled with a creole sauce.

When I first read their cocktail menu, I became intrigued with their specialty crushed cocktails. These were cocktails served over shaved ice, so they weren't "frozen" but were slushy. I ordered the Frozen Pimm’s Cup, made with Pimm’s No. 1, ginger beer, fresh lime and cucumber. It was perfectly refreshing on that hot and humid day. Gabe ordered what was probably his 10th Abita Strawberry on this trip. So happy that they have our favorite beer on tap in New Orleans!

When it came time to order dinner at Red Fish Grill, I wanted to get something light and healthy. I ordered the Mayhaw Glazed Yellowfin Tuna, over bibb lettuce, blackened avocado, sweet onions, pecans, lemon Dijon vinaigrette. Let me tell you - this was DELICIOUS. This was my first time eating blackened avocado and I am now pretty obsessed. The Tuna was cooked to perfection. It had the perfect amount of lemon dijon vinaigrette and had a nice crunch thanks to the pecans. I would absolutely order this again and again.

Gabe ordered Mississippi Catfish & Shrimp Creole. This was a HUGE crispy catfish served over a bed of shrimp Creole and rice. The catfish was light and flaky and quite possibly the largest catfish either of us have ever seen.

For dessert, I received the Double Chocolate Bread Pudding with a candle for my birthday - a rich dark and semisweet chocolate bread pudding with white and dark chocolate ganache and chocolate almond bark. This dessert takes 20 minutes to prepare and I strongly suggest ordering it if you are at Red Fish Grill.

We also tried the Pecan Pie Profiterole - a flaky profiterole filled with brown sugar Diplomat cream and topped with crunchy, caramel and toasted pecans. This was a delicious dessert which Gabe enjoyed - I was afraid to eat more than a bite now that I have a crown.

If you find yourself in the French Quarter and are looking for a delicious seafood dinner, I strongly suggest a visit to Red Fish Grill. We truly enjoyed everything ordered and it is no wonder why they have won so many awards.