Tags
Bananas Foster, bars, blue crab beignets, Bombay Club, Bourbon House, Broussard's, Burgundy Bar, Cafe Sbisa, Croissant d'Or, drink, Empire Bar, food, French Quarter, fried bologna sandwich, Haydel's Bakery, King Cake, La Petite Grocery, New Orleans, Palace Cafe, restaurants, Saint Hotel, Saint Lawrence, Sazerac Bar, Sobou, Sucre, Turkey and the Wolf, turtle bolognese
My first trip of 2019 was to New Orleans. It was ostensibly to visit a friend, who could NOT be there during that time due to his work schedule. Of course, that didn’t deter me from continuing on with my trip, as I always have a great time in New Orleans & have other acquaintances there.
This was to be my first time in New Orleans during King Cake Season, so I assured everyone that I’d be “King Cakin'” for the entire three days! I began with King Cake macarons & a King Cake tart from Sucre. They were so pretty, as well as being delicious. Next up was Bourbon House for their King Cake cocktail. It was ostensibly a frozen brandy milk punch with Mardi Gras sprinkles. I’d never had a frozen brandy milk punch before and was quite taken with it. Equally impressive was the very affordable price of $7.00 (or was that $8.00??). Either way, it wasn’t hard on the wallet. I tried to partake in the King Cake Old Fashioned at Soubou, but they said it was too early in the season for them to begin making them; they’d probably start the following week. Sad face! While over on Magazine Street, I happened upon Haydel’s Bakery, which several people mentioned had good King Cake. I bought a slice, didn’t eat it until my return to San Francisco and wasn’t overly impressed. My last King Cake conquest was to Croissant d’Or, where I bought a slice of King Cake, as well as the traditional French frangipane tart. I much preferred the King Cake from Croissant d’Or to that of Haydel’s Bakery. As for the frangipane tart, it was divine. The only “baby” I got from any of the food or cocktails was the one atop the King Cake tart from Sucre.
I made a concerted effort to eat at new places this time around. so purposely skipped Mister B’s Bistro, Galatoire’s and K-Paul’s, which are three of my very favorite restaurants.
My first meal was a buffalo chicken sandwich at Saint Lawrence, which someone had suggested to me. The price was right and the chicken was really good; also, big enough that I couldn’t quite finish it. Atmosphere-wise, it was rather quiet in there during late afternoon, but service was friendly. They also sold the cutest T-shirts, but didn’t have the one that I liked in my size, except in pink. Pink isn’t usually my color, so that was a pass.
My Friday lunch took me out to the much talked about Turkey and the Wolf. I follow them on Instagram and the owner cracks me up; he’s a character. I’d already made up my mind to have the Fried Bologna Sandwich and didn’t really look at anything else on the menu. You order at the counter, get your own water, napkins and utensils, then seat yourself with the number prominently displayed on your table. They’ll bring your order to you rather than calling out your number and you picking it up at the counter. The Fried Bologna Sandwich was massive – lots of fried bologna that was slightly charred with mayo, mustard, shredded lettuce and American cheese between two thick slices of white bread; it came with potato chips. That sandwich took me back to being a kid at my Grandma’s house in Kansas, where we’d eat bologna sandwiches, fried bologna and fried bologna sandwiches (always on white Wonder Bread) accompanied by Shasta cream sodas! The sandwich at Turkey and the Wolf was wonderful, especially that mayo. Once again, I couldn’t finish it. To my delight, the owner was there, but he was running in and out, obviously quite busy.
For Saturday lunch I went out to La Petite Grocery to give their Turtle Bolognese ($24.00) a try. The Bolognese sauce had sherry and parsley, was served over bucatini and was topped with a fried soft boiled egg. The egg was genius when cut open to ooze all over the pasta and sauce. I was oohing and aahing over every bite. Though full to the point of bursting, I was determined to finish the entire main, which I did. After being so impressed with that, I decided to order the Blue Crab Beignets ($17.00) to go. The waitress brought them to me, but urged me to eat at least one at the table, while they were still warm and fresh. I did and loved it.
Saturday dinner was at Palace Café. Not wanting to eat too much that evening, I simply had the seared scallops appetizer with pineapple gastrique and whatever their special cocktail of the evening was. Service was nice, but slow. Granted, the place was packed, but even just my cocktail took forever. The scallops were fine, maybe slightly overseared. I wasn’t truly a fan of the pineapple gastrique, either. Thus, Palace Café won’t be high on my list of restaurants to return to.
Café Sbisa was my choice for Sunday brunch. I’ve walked by the place many, many times, so decided to look up the reviews. They were good overall, so I gave it a go. The friendly staff seated me upstairs. I ordered the Crabcakes and Eggs ($18.00), plus a few cocktails. The Crabcakes and Eggs came with fried potatoes; they were good, though not mind blowing. They talked me into having dessert as well – a nice crème brulee. What I really liked, however, was the energetic band that played during brunch!
At some point during those 3 days, I’d met John while drinking at the Empire Bar. He works for Broussards and offered to make Bananas Foster for me. Having never had Bananas Foster before, I took him up on his offer the following evening. Although he normally makes it tableside for customers during dinner, he made it in the bar for me, explaining each of the steps. It was quite decadently sweet, but I’d eat it again.
My other new place of this trip was the Sazerac Bar at the Roosevelt Hotel. As to be expected, the place was teeming with people on a Saturday night. After standing awhile and patiently waiting for a bartender to take my order, I finally nabbed a seat at the bar. I only felt like drinking prosecco, but was fascinated while watching the bartenders make their namesake drink. Rather than an absinthe rinse, they sprayed the glass with absinthe, then seemed to toss it up in the air. I’m not sure if that was just for show or if it added some other dimension to the drink. Although I rather liked the art deco interior of the bar, the crowd got on my nerves. I would only return at a time when the bar is half empty.
Another first was the Burgundy Bar at The Saint Hotel. The bar is aptly named and had that old-timey bordello feel. I had a seat at the end of the bar and was promptly chatted up by the cute guy seated next to me. He had to leave and meet some friends for drinks and dinner, though assured me that he’d return. Once he left, a woman sat next to me who was waiting for her blind date. While waiting, a burlesque show took place. I didn’t have a clear view of most of it from my seat, but what I did see was a lot of fun. By the time the woman’s blind date showed up, we were practically BFF’s!
The three of us then moved on to The Bombay Club. The live band was kinda’ Dixieland and kind of jazzy/swing. While having drinks, a friend texted me to see what I was up to. He ended up joining us, too. That reminds me, The Bombay Club serves a special drink during Mardi Gras season called the Ojen. It basically tastes of anise, but comes with a little fevre. Mine was a little trumpet player.
Aside from all of the eating and drinking, I spent the rest of the trip taking photos, as usual. Several second line parades were going on; some due to the Saints doing so well that season.
Just an FYI, New Orleans will see me AGAIN in July. This time, however, I’ll be spending the first part of the trip in the Bywater, where I’ve never really been before (other than to Bacchanal, where my Airbnb owner took me for a birthday drink a few trips ago). I’m pretty excited to have time to check out that neighborhood.