I don't mind spending money for a special occasion meal providing the food and the service are commensurate with a high-ticket entr\u00e9e.  (about $40 per entr\u00e9e.)\n\nWe arrived at 8:30pm and there barely was a wait.  The greeter was courteous.  When we first sat down, they promptly took our cocktail order and told us that water and bread would follow.  \n\nThe good:  I had just ordered the same cocktail for dinner the night before at the Voo Doo Lounge.  The one at the other place was nothing to write home about, even though it was the same exact cocktail.  I don't know what they did differently, but the one I had here was truly spectacular.  I'd give it a 10.  I ordered a dirty martini using Grey Goose vodka.\n\nThe place was nicely decorated, on the main traffic isle to the concert arena (good for people watching), and was clean.\n\nThe bad:  They came around with bread, and you get just one piece of bread, the size of a garlic knot (not very big).  One of my dinner companions was very hungry and after asking, they finally came around with a plate full of bread, but the visual just served just as a tease.  She thought he was just gonna leave the whole plate.  Instead, he gave her just one, and moved on to other tables to pass out the other rolls and acted like it was the last bread on earth and he could only spare just one.\n\nThe wait for dinner was very long.  I didn't time it but I'm gonna guess to say it was 45 minutes.  I realize the kitchen might be backed up or something, but our waiter never came by to say he knew we were alive and we were up in 2 more tables (or whatever).  There was plenty of staff, in fact, they told us they were fully staffed that night gearing up for the exiting crowd (not until 11pm) from that night's AC/DC concert.  We were there during a non-busy time, as the restaurant was only about 75% to capacity and virtually no wait.\nFor a $40 entr\u00e9e, I want my waiter to be on top of things and attentive.  Not only did we have a waiter, but we had a waiter's helper/busboy who came by with water refills and the like.  There really was no excuse I could think of to ignore us that long.\n\nI had heard that the food here was so amazing that I simply couldn't wait to try it.  I ordered the Grilled Hawaiian Swordfish.  It was overcooked, very dry, and there was nothing special about it.  To me, the mark of good food is food combinations, seasoning, and the sauce.  Anyone can make fish, chicken, and steak.  It's what you pair it with and the sauce that floats my boat.  Anyway, there were no such good comments I could make.  There was no sauce or special flavors and the food pairings were nothing unusual.  How about you put together some Cajun seasonings or regional Louisiana cooking, for Pete's Sake?  I felt like I could have had the same fish for $10 at a local diner.  It was plain Jane and dried out.\n\nIt came with Coucous.  The coucous was very good, but hey, it's coucous.  Who can get excited about coucous?  It's like saying you got excited about rice.\n\nThe vegetable was asparagus.  I guess they put it on the grill as well.  It was so overdone that it brought back scary memories of my mom's generation when they used to boil vegetables to death.  It was completely wilted and also had no flavor or distinctive seasoning.  If you're gonna wilt it, then use some spices to rev up our palates.  If you're gonna make it plain, then serve it somewhat al dente so we can at least get in all our nutrients.\n\nI ordered the Beignets.  The last time I was in New Orleans, I am ashamed to admit, I bypassed breakfast and instead ate beignets every day for breakfast along with my robust French coffee.  Those beignets made a lifetime lasting impression on me.  While La Gasse's beignets were edible, they weren't light and fluffy and were certainly forgettable.\n\nI'm giving the restaurant a poor score for non-existent service (when they clearly weren't busy) and a meal that was no better than Denny's.\nDT