For the ninth straight year, October is Dining Month on OnMilwaukee, presented by the restaurants of Potawatomi Hotel & Casino. All month, we're stuffed with restaurant reviews, dining guides, delectable features, chef profiles and unique articles on everything food, as well as voting for your "Best of Dining 2015."

There's no place like New Orleans. And even the best of the best would fall short in replicating the iconic city with its moist, sultry air, rich culture and endless plates of irresistibly regionalized fare.

But, The Brass Alley, in all its shiny newness, makes a grand attempt to bring a bit of The Big Easy to Milwaukee. 

For the restaurant, which opens Friday, Oct. 2 at 1023 N. Old World 3rd St., it all begins with atmosphere. There is the New Orleans jazz that saturates the air, and cocktail ads and posters decorating the brick walls. There are street lights and trailing plants and even a faux French Quarter style balcony that overlooks the back dining room. 

And, although the menu is built to please nearly every palate, there are nods to deep south cuisine at many turns. 

Starters include boudin balls ($9), a tender combination of seasoned pork, rice and vegetables coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried until golden and crisp. They're served up with a creole tartar sauce on the side. Meanwhile, Southern-style bruschetta features tender crisped buttermilk biscuit halves covered in pickled corn relish ($9), providing a fresh and flavorful twist on an Italian favorite.

The fried green tomato salad ($8) takes the Southern staple and pairs it with pats of brie (no, that's not butter) and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. The cheese is a great foil for the crisp, slightly sour tomatoes. And a bed of lightly dressed arugula provides a fresh peppery bite. 

Entrees include jambalaya, which features bits of tasso ham and grilled andouille-style sausage, along with a choice of chicken, shrimp or seared scallops ($12-16), along with red beans and rice, featuring a hearty portion of slow cooked red beans with smoked turkey and grilled andouille-style sausage ($13).

Dirty orzo is a twist on the more familiar dirty rice, featuring seasoned pork, andouille and the New Orleans "trinity" of onions, celery and bell peppers ($13).

Each of the dishes we tried was flavorful, but not particularly spicy. Fortunately, there's a bottle of Louisiana hot sauce on every table, so you can kick things up a notch if you're so inclined.

Other entrees include crawfish etouffee ($15), blackened catfish ($13) and southern fried chicken ($12), along with seasoned and grilled Manhattan cut steak with mashed potatoes and red eye gravy for $28. A variety of po' boys and sandwiches are also available (priced $8-15), including the Voodoo burger with ghost pepper cheese, roasted red pepper, arugula and garlic aioli.

As far as sides go, don't pass up the mustard greens with black eyed peas ($4) if you love well-executed Southern-style greens. They're delicious, and their pot likker would make a perfect accompaniment to a side of corn bread with honey bourbon butter ($3). 

And, well, the only thing that could've made the individual pecan pie we had for dessert even better would have been a glass of bourbon on the side.

Cocktails include eight (fun and delicious) frozen drinks for $8 each, including a pina colada, frozen rum & Coke and Irish cream. A beer list features local favorites as well as a variety of brews from Louisiana's Abita. Meanwhile, classic cocktails like the hurricane are also on the menu, alongside options like the lemony and refreshing gin fizz and the slightly bitter rye-based New Orleans favorite, the sazerac.

The Brass Alley is open daily for lunch and dinner. Hours are 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday.