Editor's note: CNN Travel will focus on facets of a different American city each month in their Destination USA series. Next month they're looking at Miami, Florida.

Fat Tuesday is rolling up fast, so we asked for your recommendations for New Orleans' very best dishes.

"Excess is the new moderation," one iReporter proclaimed. Debatable, but not a bad mantra for a trip to diner's paradise. If you're not hungry now, you will be.

Oysters every which way
Tucked into a baguette, charbroiled, fried, smothered in butter and cheese, sprinkled with bacon or just slurped right out of the shell, oysters turn up in many a New Orleans memory.

The charbroiled variety from Drago's made a big impression on Heather Ackerly, a recent South Louisiana transplant. "The rich butter and garlic mixed with the fresh saltwater taste of the oyster is heaven. And before you know it - the oysters are gone. But that wonderful butter and herb sauce remains, waiting for you to soak it up with the French bread."

Felix's Oyster Bar gets iReporter Lulis Leal's vote. "Whether served ice cold on the half shell, chargrilled and sizzling in garlic butter or fried to golden perfection, Felix's oysters are some of the best you'll ever have," Leal said.

See the rest of the list - along a with a picture gallery that'll have you pricing tickets to New Orleans before you can say "beignet" - at CNN Travel