being from both new orleans and cajun country, i go into restaurants outside of louisiana who offer louisiana food with very low expectations. that being said, my rating for nola is a combination of the atmosphere, service, food and especially abita on tap (which i totally appreciate).
i had the red beans and rice which wasn't bad - it needed more flavor and heat but is made correctly with the bean paste. i also had the abita battered shrimp which comes with a pepper sauce - not bad but it's better for the heat to be part of the batter rather than the cooked shrimp sprinkled with chili powder. also, the cole slaw was not good. finally, we had the griddle grits which was ok. the flavor was strange at first but it grows on you. the presentation of all the food was nice, but $11 for a few shrimp and $17 for grits is overpriced.
the service was attentive and good. the kind of music played was spot on. finally, one recommendation would be to put hot sauce on the tables, which is standard in louisiana and needed for what was served.