Here is just a small sampling of the wonderful food we enjoyed during our recent vacation:
Crab cakes served on broiled orange slices, drizzled with a remoulade sauce
This is what I had at The Orleans Grapevine. It's actually an appetizer but I ordered it as my entree. One of the things I love about most New Orleans restaurants is that their appetizer menus often contain delicious choices such as BBQ shrimp or crab cakes instead of the usual cheese sticks or chicken wings (although you can often get those, too). I find that ordering a salad and an appetizer-as-entree is just the perfect quantity and even occasionally allows me to still have room for dessert. Like this:
Peach Cobbler with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
We got acquainted with Craig, one of cooks at the Grapevine, while hanging out at our usual haunt, The Tropical Isle. He told us that if we went there for dinner to be sure and tell our server to let him know we were there. We did and he came out of the kitchen to say hello. He also gave us each a free dessert. David had his favorite creme brulée while I enjoyed a luscious peach cobbler. It's good to make new friends. :)
As much as I love eating in restaurants, I think my favorite New Orleans food experiences are the ones we enjoy at the home of friends. Our very dear friends, Bryan and Debi, invited us to share in their traditional Good Friday crawfish boil at Debi's dad's house. Trust me, they didn't have to ask twice!
We don't normally eat dessert with our meals at home unless we have company. And most of the time when we eat out we are too full for dessert. However, on vacation we like to indulge a couple of times. In addition to the peach cobbler shown above, I enjoyed another fantastic dessert in New Orleans. We weren't terribly hungry so David and I each opted for small salads as our entrees at the Palace Cafe. I didn't get any pictures of those but mine had bleu cheese crumbles and deliciously sweet Ponchatoula strawberries sliced over mixed greens drizzled with a strawberry balsamic vinaigrette. David had a spinach salad with candied bacon pieces which looked delicious, too. The salads were fairly small and light which left plenty of room for this:
Dark Chocolate Crème Brûlée
Nothing I can say would do justice to this bowl of decadence. Rich, smooth, creamy dark chocolate topped with a crunchy layer of caramelized sugar - what's not to love?
Next up is probably the best sandwich I've ever eaten in my life. Stanley is new since Katrina and I have a hunch it will be here for the long haul. David had their Reuben sandwich which they bill as the best in the city - and they are correct. I don't even like sauerkraut but this sandwich is superb. I was just about to order that myself when I noticed the little menu card tucked between the salt shaker and the tiny vase of fresh flowers. It listed a couple of specials including a Thanksgiving Dinner Sandwich. Oh. My. Goodness. Served on a huge croissant, the sandwich featured layers of sliced turkey, crisp bacon, chunky cranberry sauce and a delicious turkey dressing/stuffing. It was dressed with a basil mayonnaise and topped with arugula. In a city which features some rather outstanding sandwiches, coming up with something new to write home about is no small feat. This sandwich will most definitely be on my list of must-eats on our next visit. That is, if they do the smart thing and make this a permanent menu item.
Most of the time I stick with vegetarian or seafood options but occasionally even I will indulge in beef. We stayed in the lovely Royal Orleans hotel for our final weekend in New Orleans and one evening decided to have dinner in the hotel restaurant, The Rib Room. It's an elegant, traditional sort of place which has a reputation for doing prime rib very well. David had the fillet but I opted for the prime rib. It was quite good and I'm hoping that indulgence (as well as the couple of burgers I ate on the trip) did good things for my low iron levels. One of my favorite things about The Rib Room is that their iced tea is made with Earl Grey. Very nice.
Prime Rib - medium rare
One necessity in this city which never sleeps and has a reputation for overindulgence is a good cup of coffee. Or even a mediocre cup under some circumstances. After a very late night and perhaps one too many drinks, I very nearly swiped a cup of coffee from a man who joined us on the elevator holding a steaming cup of the brew. It was nearly 3 p.m. and I was in desperate need of caffeine. The next day David made sure I wouldn't tackle strangers for coffee by making some before we left the room. While the Royal Orleans is a lovely, charming old hotel, the rooms are, like many in the French Quarter, quite small and not blessed with many electrical outlets. This was the best we could come up with:
Brewing coffee on the windowsill
Sometimes you just need something cold and sweet on a warm afternoon. Margaritaville is a good place to take a break while shopping and indulge in a little pick-me-up (they also have very clean bathrooms, a real plus in this city) while listening to some live music. This concoction contains Gold Rum, Irish cream, créme de banana and coconut mix.
"Havanas and Bananas"
Finally, no trip to New Orleans is complete without at least one visit to the famed Café Du Monde for beignets and café au lait.
The perfect late night snack
There were oh, so many more delicious food and drink experiences during our trip and perhaps I'll share more later. Stay tuned!