Ralph's on the Park

900 City Park Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana 70119
504-488-1000 http://www.ralphsonthepark.com

Overall Ratings (H in orange, C in purple)
Food: B / B+
Ambiance: B+ / A
Service: B+ / A
Drinks: A (Nice Selection and your glass is never empty)
Overall Experience: B+ / A-

H says, Ralph’s is a great place if you are going to spend an evening at the art museum or in the area. My only complaint is the prices seem a bit higher than those you would find a GW Fins and Muriel’s for the amount of food you get. I would say all three of these places are comparable in price but with Muriel’s and GW’s you seem to get more. I would go at least once though as the food is great and the location for going to NOMA is perfect.

C says, Ralph’s on the Park is located right on City Park, as you might guess, in what was Tavern on the Park many years ago. It’s part of the Ralph Brennan restaurant group, and, as usual when the Brennan’s are involved, you can pretty much count on good food. We went for their summer deal of 3 appetizers and a glass of wine for $28 (as you might be able to tell, we took advantage of as many summer deals as we could!). Going to NOMA, which is very close to the restaurant, followed by dinner at Ralph’s, is a great date night.

Crabmeat beignets

Overall thoughts from H:

C and I have been to Ralph’s a couple of times now and this is the first time I have had time to put my thoughts on paper. The restaurant itself has a very light and open feel without losing that sense of intimacy that is so nice to have when dining. I think they pull it off very well. The entire meal is an enjoyable experience and the staff has always been friendly.

We both agree at this point that the best appetizer are the crab beignets they are perfect. Honestly I would go there just to have them at this point. Light and fluffy with a perfect sauce. Other options include escargot and tuna which are good as well but just don’t stack up to the crab beignets. One thing I would warn you on are the oysters, which are sadly not that good. They are fried with a sauce but well...they are just fried oysters, nothing special and not altogether that tasty. [Note from C: The oysters were a special, being offered around Christmas time. They weren’t bad, but tasted underseasoned. Gulf oysters are so delicious, there’s no excuse for a mediocre oyster appetizer.] Trust me, get the crab beignets and skip the rest.

As for the entree, I normally get a steak when we go as I enjoy theirs and Tuna is not often on the menu. [C says, the steak is topped with a lobster thermidor sauce--talk about decadent!] All the dishes are always good but in my mind not special. It was good, but not memorable. Much like the desserts. Good, but not memorable.

Steak

If you are reading this, you are probably asking me why we rated it so high. The simple answer is it makes for an enjoyable evening when you are headed across the street to NOMA or are having friends out for dinner. But if you are just going out for the food, I’d say have some appetizers and dessert and enjoy the experience. It is good, but not amazing. It started off strong but as time went along what I always remembered was the events after and the food at the start. Hope this helps.

C says, As H noted, we have been to Ralph’s several times. I think our best experience was while they were running their summer special, when we just made a meal of appetizers and wine. That’s a good deal, and enjoyable. We’ve also been for dinner a couple times. I like the ambiance and the service is good. The crab beignets as an appetizer are delectable, as Henry said. I think they are really what keep us going back. Over the summer, I also had the escargot and a cold crabmeat app, which were both very tasty, but are not always on the menu. Others dining with us also enjoyed the turtle soup and lobster salad. For entrees, I have had the visiting fish, which has an Asian flair, and the gnocchi. Both were good, but not exceptional. The gnocchi were tasty, but I thought underseasoned and somewhat overpriced. The entree portions are not overly generous, but you won’t leave hungry.

Visiting Fish

For dessert, I have had the chocolate duet, which is a molten chocolate cake and chocolate hazelnut macaron ice cream sandwich. It was good, but again, not exceptional. Certainly tasty, nothing to complain about, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to have it again. 

Bread pudding

Chocolate Duet

So, I have to concur with Henry that the appetizers are your best bet. I’d still recommend it as a nice night out if you are doing something in NOMA or City Park, and especially for the summer appetizer & wine deal. Otherwise, not one you need to go out of the way for.