Goldborscht,
Were this the old days, I would call you out to defend my adopted hometown's honor. We would meet under the oaks in City Park at dawn and it would be oyster po boys at 10 paces. First one to stop eating leaves the field head hung and dishonored in the eyes of gentlemen and women until the end of time.
1) Casamento's is great and it is now open for the season (R's only)
2) Acme is fine too. The Northshore location is good as well
3) Some places are like rocks, but here are a few where the oysters are like soft pillows of down in a five star hotel
a) Bozo's in Metairie (fried or grilled on the half shell
b) Mr. B's (fried BBQ'd oysters, trust me, shut up and eat)
c) Felix's (on Bourbon, one of several reasons to ignore advice)
d) Franky and Johnny's (fried, hell anything they've got fried)
e) Moscas (Oysters Mosca-best oyster dish on the planet)
f) Gumbo Shop (highly underrated po boy)
g) list goes ad infinitum
4) Dunbars, excellent reccomendation
5)Now for the part causing dueling fever:
While Bourbon St. has certainly become (and to some degree, has always been) an Adult Disneyland, there are certainly a number of dining establishments worth mentioning, a couple that are really good and one that is a standard among old line New Orleans Restaurants.
a) Galitoires (Oysters bienville, rockefeller, halfshell, etc)
is perhaps the best old New Orleans dining in New Orleans.
It is sure enough the most fun out of the usual choices.
b) Mike Anderson's Seafood is not just good, it can be great.
Excellent grilled and fried fish and the most consistent soups
in New Orleans
c) Felix's-Nothing wrong with a tasty bi-valve and a cold one
here
I could go on here, but I think I generally go on too much. Nothing I like better than belaboring a point.
I will agree that it is easily possible to get a bad meal in this town, but that crack about Reno? We have a chain of gas stations here called Danny and Clydes that I would feel fairly safe in saying that one of their overstuffed po boys is better than any sandwich you can get in Reno. How many "Reno Style Restaurants" are there in New York? Not many I would be willing to venture. New Orleans style places, plenty. Reno Schmeeno! We've got gas stations and grocery store delis with better food (actually, we have some of the best gas station food on the planet. That might make an interesting thread

).
Gentlemen,
Ten paces turn and eat.