Old French Market (photo by William Henry Jackson, ca. 1880-1897, courtesy Library of Congress)

The Big Easy is a timeless treasure in so many ways, and one of its great strengths has always been the availability of unique and delicious foods at prices most anyone can afford. Gourmet meals that honor the tradition of Cajun and Creole cuisine are magnificently turned out at the city’s finest restaurants, but there is much to savor in some of the humblest establishments.

Oyster po’ boys go back to a time when an oyster sandwich was within the budget of a poor working man. You can still get an affordable po’ boy and there are plenty of varieties to choose from. Spicy crawfish boils, blackened catfish, red beans and rice, jambalaya, oyster stew and gumbo can be had today from folks that may not offer linen napkins and tablecloths, but boy do they know how to cook!

USA Today has come up with a list of five of New Orleans’ best restaurant bargains. According to the USA Today article, “Casamento's in the Magazine Street corridor is one of the oldest (it dates to 1919) and, judging from the lines that regularly form outside the door, most popular.”

The list of five is a great start, but we’re betting that additions to the list will go on for a long time to come.

If you’d like to read the USA Today article cited above go to: Best restaurant bargains in New Orleans