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This review is structured around food. I’d argue that your taste buds are your most essential tool when exploring New Orleans. Although, all senses should be put to work to adequately absorb all she has to offer.

On that note, I gained at least 10 lbs during our trip. And I feel good about it. Because I ate like a queen and these were the kinds of meals that will stay with me for life. I will call those flavors to memory whenever I’m in need of a reprieve from the monotony of my daily palate. My mouth is still dancing with all the sensations from Palace Cafe’s Shrimp Tchefuncte.

So, prepare to salivate. It’s about to get Pavlovian up in ‘hur.

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Day 1:

What? Dinner
Where? Palace Cafe
Consumed? Shrimp Tchefuncte
Thoughts? Crystal’s Hot Sauce was purchased so that James and I can attempt to replicate this kind of culinary delight. Seriously, the number of flavors and taste explosions were unbelievable. Upon sampling his first bite, James paused and reflected, “Well… this is fun!”

Truth!

We then passed out. Baby on chest. Because sharing a small hotel room with a fitful 5 month old proved to be a challenging act indeed. Looks like we didn’t need to spend $50 to check the Pack n’Play after all.

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Day 2:

What? Breakfast
Where? Cafe du Monde
Consumed? Beignets and cafe au lait. Duh!
Thoughts? I mean, you can’t visit New Orleans and NOT do this adventure. They cover those fried delights with enough powdered sugar to stage one pretty dramatic crime scene.

We then wandered along the Mississippi, enjoying the lazy passing of steam ships. (Ed note: while typing that out, I happily sang in my head, M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I, a la elementary school. It was awesome).

We also visited the Audubon Aquarium, and watched the IMAX “Hurricane on the Bayou,” during which I cried more than the baby, who was a total trooper throughout the experience, only crying out in fear during the reenactments of Katrina. Girl knows when it’s appropriate to let loose a good scream. The film was overwhelming, to say the least.

What? Lunch #1
Where? Central Grocery
Consumed? Muffaletta
Thoughts? This is the birth place of the Muffaletta. It is like the ultimate Italian sub, on steroids. Every possible combination of Italian meats, on a ginormous sesame bun, complete with an assortment of cheeses and a chunky olive spread. The HALF sandwich is enough to feed a small army. Also, this is the grocery that supplied us with Crystal’s hot sauce. Double win!

What? Lunch #2
Where? Johnny’s Po-Boy’s
Consumed? Pork Sausage Po-Boy
Thoughts? James was disappointed that I didn’t opt for the full sized Muffaletta, so determined it was time to sample another New Orleans classic, the Po-Boy.  And yes, he finished the entire sandwich. When I say that we ate our way through the city, we literally ate our way through the city.

I grabbed some Praline cookies for the walk home. I was in the South, after all. Need I offer further reasoning? I think not.

We then headed back to the hotel and blissfully bathed in a tub deep enough to completely submerge my boobs. I tell you this because it is a rare and beautiful thing. A little something that I refer to as “Tall People Heaven.” I bathed every, single day to truly capitalize on the opportunity. Kaki thought that it was pretty grand, too.

What? Dinner
Where? Mother’s
Consumed? A little bit of everything… shrimp creole, crawfish étouffée, jambalaya, catfish po-boys, gumbo, fried chicken, collard greens, grits and debris (debris being the bits of roast beef that fall off the bone into the bottom of the pan while baking)… talk about a brilliant sampling of New Orleans’ legendary fare!
Thoughts? It was good. Real good. My belly literally ached from being stretched to capacity. I wish I’d had room for more.

This meal was particularly special as it concluded with a conversation with Tom Piazza (of this post). He spoke as passionately and poignantly as he writes. I fell even more in love with the city that evening.

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Day 3:

I was mostly in meetings all day, but managed to escape for lunch and then a lavish and extravagant dinner with fellow Ephs from the area. It was lovely. In every possible way.

What? Lunch
Where? Rambla
Consumed: The brussel sprouts. That’s all that need be said about this meal. Holy butter and bacon! If you think you dislike brussels, try this. I dare you not to fall in love.

What? Dinner
Where? Cochon
Consumed: A totally lavish 5-course meal. I was completely impressed. To serve over 100 people, 5 courses that are all mouth-wateringly delicious is quite the task. Brava!
First course: Chicken and Andouille Gumbo
Second course: Crawfish Pie and Boudin (essentially Louisana’s take on a meat ball) with Cochon Mustard
Third course: Catfish Courtbouillon. I have a soft spot in my heart for catfish as it’s the first meal my Grammy taught me to cook when I was a little girl.
Fourth course: Smothered Pork with Cabbage and Bacon Choucroute. The meat melted in your mouth. At this point my belly was so distended, I really wished I’d thought to pack my maternity clothes.
Fifth course: Lemon Buttermilk Pie

END SCENE.

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Day 4:

I had more meetings in the morning, and then, more eating. It’s a theme!

What? Lunch
Where? Commander’s Palace
Consumed? Many more outrageous courses. That were all so stinking good.
First course: Wild white shrimp remoulade over marinated hearts of palm and Creole tomatoes with limestone lettuce, ripped tarragon and spicy lemon vinaigrette.
Second course: Pecan-crusted gulf fish topped with champagne-poached jumbo lump crabmeat and spiced pecans in a crushed corn sauce.
Third course: Creole bread pudding soufflé with whiskey sauce. Stealing the thoughts of a fellow Eph and attendee, the word “outrageous” is not hyperbole. Just look at that thing!

Thoughts? This place is a New Orleans classic located in the Garden District. HIGHLY recommend. This is where my mom took me to celebrate my 18th birthday. It was a super memorable occassion, and very special to revisit the restaurant and share the story. It was at Commander’s Palace where I was first introduced to the Kir Royale. A table of gentlemen noticed the birthday balloons on my chair during that meal and offered to send over celebratory drinks to me and my mom. I, being 18, didn’t know what to order, so my mom recommended we sip Kir Royales. Smart, delicious choice! Not surprisingly, the New Orleans staff took no issue to serving the 18 year old birthday girl a cocktail, and I was hooked. At my wedding, 7 years later, the cocktail hour was equipped with a signature bar that served Kir Royales. James’ bar served up Dark n’Stormies (the obvious choice given his Bermuda roots).

Suffice it to say, I had to partake in an afternoon Kir to mark the occasion during our lunch.

After lunch, we took a tour of the Garden District, and I drooled and swooned over all the gorgeous mansions lining its streets.

The cemetery was hauntingly beautiful and unique as well.

We even passed Archie Manning on a stroll around the neighborhood. I nearly swiped the Giants hat off his head, but was pleased with the celebrity sighting nonetheless.

We then hopped in a cab and visited a friend of mine from high school who I hadn’t seen in nearly 10 years. She’s a fashion designer who relocated to the city 3 years ago and has no intention of ever leaving. It seems NOLA has that hold on people, especially creative types. It was so fun to see her studio, her creations, to hear about her life and the brilliant, playful, talented things that she is putting out into the world. I left donning a feathered wool cap that was quite the conversation starter at the evening’s dinner. I will be sure to document for a later post.

This was one of the highlights of the trip. To reconnect with an old friend, someone who I’ve always admired, and to be able to so easily fall back into conversation. To laugh. To share. To both be in such positive, inspiring places in our lives, and to value and respect those places, despite how very different they are.

She’s a reader of the blog, which I find flattering as my life could not be more different from her own. Yet she chooses to come and share in this space. I mentioned that I’ve been criticized by people for sharing too much. For being too honest and blatant in some of my writing. That at times, I make people uncomfortable. She laughed and said, “That’s funny. For me it’s just the opposite. I find all of that honesty to be really comforting.”

I’ll treasure that statement forever.

That evening we headed out to dinner in the French Quarter, the perfect end to the trip.

What? Dinner
Where? Muriel’s Jackson Square
Consumed? Crab cake, salad with a goat cheese medallion, petite filet mignon with wood-grilled gulf shrimp served over mashed potatoes with crisp haricots vert and topped with béarnaise sauce, and last, but certainly not least, crème brûlée.
Thoughts? The best part of this meal was the ambiance. Of course the food was delicious, but the restaurant itself provided a balcony overlooking Jackson Square where we all enjoyed cocktails and appetizers in the gentle Lousiana temperatures, to the sounds of street musicians, with a full scale wedding celebration occuring down on the cobblestone streets below. James and I sat in a quieter corner of the balcony, rocking a sleeping Courtland in her carseat (this was the only moment of peace and quiet, as she rebelled, loudly, for the rest of the meal. At this stage in the trip, she was over being a trooper). But that hour on the balcony, sipping sazerac, soaking in the sights, smells, and sounds of the city, donning my fabulous wool feather cap, was perfection.

We opted not to go out and enjoy the music and night life of the city, given the disgruntled baby in tow. She screamed for two hours straight when we returned to the hotel before finally unloading her bowels. All over everything. I think Mama’s gastronomic adventures had taken its toll on her baby system. She was ready to go home. And so were we. We missed her big sister and our crazy black mutts and the familiar sight of our purple mountains.

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Day 5:

What? Breakfast
Where? Merchant
Consumed? Duck Confit Crepe and Pancetta Crepe
Thoughts? Cool, modern atmosphere and decor. Even the staff were trendy. The food wasn’t the best, but after the week we’d had, it’d be hard to earn that title.

We managed to hightail it back to Cafe du Monde to grab beignets and cafe au laits to go. Best. Decision. Ever.

Then we boarded a plane and headed home to our neck of the woods. Bellies and minds full, exhausted, dreaming of a return trip for further exploration.

We arrived home to a blanket of snow in our cozy purple valley.

Photos: Courtesy of Ashley Weeks Cart & James W. Cart