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New York isn't the ideal place to be looking for decent Cajun and Creole food. You're better up saving up for the real thing down in New Orleans, the argument goes, rather than settling for the often subpar versions here. Delta Grill may not rival the best the Big Easy has to offer, but what it does have are highly respectable versions of all regional classics, including red beans and rice; hush puppies; generously sized crab cakes; a peppery, dense, jambalaya served in an iron pot; po'boys, and shrimp creole. Delta Grill's muffuletta, that platter-like concoction on Italian bread whose interior includes layers stick-to-your-ribs cuts of salami, provolone, and other dense ingredients, may not be slathered in quite enough of that perky, chopped-up mix of olives and marinated vegetables that makes the muffuletta a prince among sandwiches, but this rendition is nevertheless a delicious option for the French Quarter partier in all of us. Whatever you order, you'll have to admit that the surroundings do their part of keeping things festive. The pine floors, exposed brick, Mardi Gras and JazzFest posters, fake shutters and doors, you could almost be at a slightly touristy Louisiana roadhouse. Finish your meal with a gooey order of bananas foster, ignited tableside, and the illusion that you're south of the Mason-Dixon gets even brighter. — John Rambow

Crawfish pie, $9; crab cakes, $14; small muffuletta, $11