On a campus dominated by Panda Express and sandwiches from Bruff Commons, Family Weekend is a much-needed break for starving students. As parents come into town, Family Weekend slowly morphs every Tulane student into a true Crescent City foodie.

You may want to mix up your restaurant choices this weekend once your family comes. No matter how great the Rum House and Dat Dog are, now is your chance to travel a bit farther off campus and expand your palate (and probably shrink your parents’ wallet).

Allow the Arcade to assist you in compiling the perfect list of restaurants for you and your family to trek to this weekend.

Boucherie

8115 Jeannette St

Our first choice is only about half of a mile off campus. Boucherie is named after the Louisiana tradition of sharing pigs at a feast during the hardest times of winter and offers a menu full of contemporary takes on tradition New Orleans fare.

Boucherie is considered fine dining, but the price considering its high quality cuisine is considered a steal.

Freshman Brenna Byrne said her favorite dish is the Smoked Wagyu Beef Brisket with Garlicky Parmesan Fries.

This dish is moderately priced and is smoky, fatty and liberally covered in a vinegary barbecue sauce. All of the meat is smoked, cured, aged and prepared in-house and is for the most part locally sourced.

If you’re looking for a vegetarian option, the beet and hakurai turnip wellington with satsuma is a house favorite. The menu also offers plenty of gluten-free options.

Lastly and most importantly, do not miss out on the Krispy Kreme bread pudding for dessert.

Satsuma

7901 Maple St

Satsuma is a common Sunday morning stop of Tulane students, but there is no way it was getting left off of this list. The quaint coffee and breakfast nook is a great stop before bringing your parents on campus, as it is only a 15-minute walk away. Open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Satsuma holds some of the city’s best and most eccentric morning options.

The Mexican breakfast contains your choice of eggs with creamy black beans, pico de gallo, avocado, cheddar cheese and corn tortilla. We recommend eggs over easy with this breakfast, and pineapple ginger limeade on the side to have a spicy, sour and sweet accompaniment for this meal.

They also offer a tofu scramble with black beans, sweet potatoes and cilantro for any vegans searching for a breakfast spot near campus.

La Petite Grocery

4238 Magazine St

As a restaurant that serves up everything from shellfish stew to paneed rabbit, La Petite Grocery has quickly burgeoned to a favorite status for out-of-town guests and locals alike. Situated on Magazine Street, the restaurant is just a streetcar ride away and definitely worth the dollar and change to get there.

“I was really eager to try the griddled octopus,” freshman Jennifer Rattray said. “I had really good octopus in Spain, and I wanted to compare. It was just as good. The atmosphere even felt a little like Paris.” 

Why choose traditional beef bolognese when you can try turtle? If you prefer your meals on the tamer side of things, however, the steak tartare with pickled quail eggs is a delicacy in its own right with a New Orleans twist: a remoulade piled on top.

Baie Rouge

4128 Magazine St

Dim lighting and cheers greet diners as they enter Baie Rouge for a freshly updated dinner experience, now coupled with beer selections and additions to the long established menu.

Inspired by the cuisines of France and Spain, Baie Rouge has a menu filled with creamy cheeses, scrumptious seafood classics and most importantly, bacon beignets. For a vegetarian option, the brie pommes frites are heavenly and greasy and stand up well against everyone’s favorite from F&M’s.

The brunch menu offers a plethora of unconventional combination dishes, including one of duck and waffles. The duck leg is broiled and placed on a Belgium waffle, then drizzled with pecan syrup to complete a delectable salty and sweet breakfast treat, and an interesting take on a Southern classic.

Best of luck this weekend with all your restaurant excursions.