Peer into Herbsaint’s picture windows and see a bustling scene of diners crowded around white linen covered tables as the staff hover above attending to their needs. Chef Donald Link has been called the most passionate chef in New Orleans, and his food splits the difference between haute cuisine and down-home Louisiana fare. The nation has begun to notice his efforts here and at Cochon. Herbsaint’s sophisticated dining room never makes you feel like you need to behave, as the crowd of happy foodies and rowdy locals proves. The bartenders here are recognized as some of the best in town-no surprise at a restaurant named after a local liqueur that was created as an absinthe substitute.