If you like New Orleans and enjoy the food that's integral to laissez les bons temps rouler, this book is a gem. There are short histories of nine of the city's most famous restaurants (a couple of which have closed since the book was published in 1976). There are bookooodles of recipes in the remainder of the book, organized by type ("Soups," "Meat," etc.). However, the recipes are not detailed - they include ingredients and a short description of how to put it all together - so this is not a book a new cook would feel comfortable with. There are black and white photos of local personalities and the restaurants mentioned, but there are no pictures accompanying the recipes.