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After you've been to Arnaud's, Antoine's, Galatoire's, and Commander's Palace, what next? Here's the thing--if you live here, you develop strategies to avoid the tourists, so that's what I'm passing on. I find when people come to visit, they always want to know where to go for breakfast. It's crowded, but I still recommend:

For Breakfast

* The Clover Grill, Dumaine and Bourbon. Greasy spoon funky, and the real deal. Accept no substitutes.

* The Coffee Pot, 714 St. Peter St. is also good, as is

* La Peniche, 1940 Dauphine St., if you've got the nerve to go into the Marigny, the neighborhood I live in. Open 24/7. Best in the wee hours.

* Locals like The Rib Room at the Royal Orleans Hotel, Royal and St. Louis, but you have to get up early-they stop serving at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, can you believe it?

For Lunch or Dinner (Moderate Prices)

* Remoulade, 309 Bourbon Street. For some reason, this informal spinoff of Arnaud's has never caught on big with the tourists. It's often pleasantly uncrowded when the line for the Acme Oyster House stretches around the corner. Great raw oysters and oyster po-boys; good selection of other things. The food comes from Arnaud's kitchen and is frequently the same stuff.

* The Praline Connection, 542 Frenchmen, (for the greens and rice-- it's really a soul food joint), and Bennachin, the funky new African restaurant, at 1212 Royal Street, which has some very exotic vegetable dishes.

* Louisiana Pizza Kitchen at French Market Place and Barracks is blessedly devoid of unwashed hordes.

* Marisol, 437 Esplanade, has to be the best kept secret in New Orleans-- reasonable prices (though a little higher than at most places named here), a gorgeous setting (especially the courtyard) and an innovative chef who changes the menu every day. We always take guests here--you might run into us.

* Marigny  Brasserie, now located at 640 Frenchmen (in the Marigny), has a lovely menu and delightful ambience. There is still a coffee/dessert shop in the old location at 1913 Royal St.

* Another fave is Riomar, 800 S. Peters, a seafood restaurant in the warehouse district. Spanish flavor, exotic drinks, good prices, and European ambience. Casual but festive. One caveat: Extremely noisy if a big convention is in town.

*These days I'm really excited about Frenchmen Street. New restaurants everywhere--go to the corner of Esplanade Ave. and Decatur St., cross the street, and you're at The Hookah Cafe, 1407 Decatur St., which serves Indian fusion tapas, stays open late, has great wines at great prices, and offers the exotic pleasure of hookah- smoking. Other good ethnic offerings: Mona's at 504 Frenchmen St. (Middle Eastern) and Wasabi, 900 Frenchmen St. (sushi and such; open late.). Two good newish bars, too -- DBA (618 Frenchmen St.) and The Spotted Cat (623 Frenchmen St.). Great Music at The Spotted Cat, Cafe Brasil (Chartres and Frenchmen) and The Blue Nile (532 Frenchmen St.)

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