America’s Top 50 Restaurants

A meal at Herbsaint is a picture of modern New Orleans in action. The dress is casual. The crowd is coed. And the food—much of it available in small, tapas-size portions—is an unabashed combination of Euro (antipasto plates, homemade pastas), local (Gulf shrimp with green chile grits cakes and tasso cream sauce), classic (a delicious daily gumbo), and nouvelle (fennel-crusted pork belly with red curry sauce and lentil salad). As eclectic as it is, the menu really works thanks to executive chef Donald Link’s distinctively light touch. And Herbsaint’s Central Business District address ensures that it’s busting with corporate types looking to impress colleagues with their good taste.