August Moon
3635 Prytania St.
504-899-5129
Though August Moon recently completed a total renovation of their menu and their Prytania Street dining room, the food is still great to behold — at a great value.
August Moon specializes in Chinese and Vietnamese cuisine and offers a huge selection of dishes with seafood, as well as vegetarian options. Soups are also an exceptional value: a massive bowl of egg drop soup will only set you back a few bucks.
The Seafood Pan Fried Noodles are a seafood lover’s delight, with shrimp, scallops, squid and crabmeat over rice noodles, sautéed with vegetables in a wine sauce.
For a twist on traditional noodles, order a dish with vermicelli pasta — made from vegetable starch, and extremely limp and tasty.
August Moon is a safe bet for dinner any time of the year, but Lent just gives you another excuse to go and try some of the best low-maintenance Chinese and Vietnamese cuisine in the city.
-Kevin Zansler
Reginelli’s Pizzeria
741 State St.
504-899-1414
3244 Magazine St.
504-895-7272
For Lenten diners, Reginelli’s offers great Lent-friendly dishes to be delivered to campus at reasonable prices.
All their pastas are available with shrimp (in lieu of the more traditional chicken), and pizzas can be made to order with several ingredients straying from the mundane pepperoni and sausage.
Their Sun Pie is a different approach to pizza and topped with pesto sauce, mozzarella cheese, sun dried tomatoes, red onions, roasted red peppers, portabella mushroom and goat cheese. They also offer tasty appetizer options like Tuscan Hummus and Spinach and Artichoke Dip.
For diners looking for a more filling option, the Pesto Tortellini ($8.95 plain, $12.45 with shrimp) comes with generous portions that leaves plenty for leftovers, and is creamy and delicious as well.
-Melanie Ziems
Ninja Restaurant and Sushi Bar
8433 Oak St.
504-866-1119
With its casual atmosphere and generous portions, Ninja’s sushi and tempura are delicious options for Lent.
The tempura vegetables are crunchy outside and al dente inside. One sushi roll of note is the special crunchy roll, which features crab mix and asparagus piled high with tempura flakes and topped with sweet eel sauce, spicy chili sauce and savory pink sauce.
The roll is rich and filling, but highly satisfying after a long day.
-Chris Jennings
Castnet Seafood
10826 Hayne Blvd.
504-244-8446
Castnet Seafood, located in New Orleans East, can be considered a fire hazard on Fridays, especially during the Lenten season.
The family owned restaurant on Haynes Boulevard, by the lakefront, sells fresh and boiled seafood as well as seafood plates and po’boys.
When Castnet opened up after Hurricane Katrina, as it was one of the first to open in New Orleans East, business was never slow. People lined up outside and smothered inside the store, screaming orders to the employees.
And four years later, Casnet Seafood still manages to provide diners with a great take-out experience — even when one has to scream their order; the employees always get it correctly.
A favorite among diners is a box of hot, boiled crawfish to take to the Lakefront for an impromptu crawfish boil party.
-Angelique Dyer
Adams Street Grocery
1309 Adams St.
504-861-1120
Many people are willing to go across town to find a good seafood po’boy, but one of the best places to get one is right in the Loyola neighborhood.
Located right in the middle of a residential block, Adams Street Grocery seems unassuming at first. But behind the shelves of canned foods and cereal, it offers a wide-selection of food in its deli, including Lent-friendly po’boys. It’s hard to go wrong with one of their shrimp, oyster or catfish po’boys, which are all filling and cheap.
Get one and you’ll never drive across town for a po’boy again.
-Masako Hirsch
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Il Posto Café
4607 Dryades St.
504-895-2620
Tucked amongst a maze of one ways on a quiet block behind St. Charles Avenue, Il Posto Café is busy preparing everything from grilled cheeses oozing with mozzarella, tomatoes and basil pesto to mouth-watering salads.
On Wednesday evenings a jazz guitarist performs for diners while they munch on their choice of Tramezzini or Paninis, the Italian versions of hot and cold sandwiches. The Humos Tramezzini with avacado, tomatoes, and semi-soft fontina cheese is a favorite.
There are bagels of all types that you can dress how you please: lox, tomatoes, onions, whatever your preference. For breakfast the cafe offers granola with milk, yogurt and fruit.
When Lent is finally over, meat lovers won’t have any thing to complain about at this Italian café, which is not lacking in their meat selection that includes Prosciutto San Danielle, Sopressata, Mortadella and Breasola.
The cafe may be tricky to find at first, but their food, friendly service and quaint atmosphere is worth the search. It is the perfect place to study, grab a quick lunch and enjoy a glass of wine during their happy hour Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., during which complimentary appetizers are offered.
-Elle Maloney
