Morning N'Awlins!
When our friend moved to the Big Easy I knew it was only a matter of time til we visited and experienced a new (orleans) place from his perspective.
What I didn't know was that the rock 'n' roll marathon would fall over my birthday weekend and I'd end up running it!!! ... Yah no, that didn't happen. Not even close.
But Meg -my beast of a best friend (2x Boston marathon / 5x half runner beast)- decided to race. So Joey and I got to see a new place and visit with friends from San Diego and Boston. It was too good before it even began.
Typically for me, going to a new city means extensive research and detailed plans. However, traveling to see Brett, I wanted to experience N'Awlins through his viewpoint. Here's a quick look at what we did, where we ate, and some photos documenting our shenanigans.
eat creole cuisine
New Orleans is famous for its food and the city did not disappoint! Serious food lovers, this is your dream destination; this city lives and breathes food. It’s a well-seasoned gumbo of a city, with a long history of equal opportunity when it comes to good food. In four days we ate at 7 restaurants. Birthday girl ate 12 desserts.
Commanders Palace
Award-winning haute creole cuisine albeit a tourist trap. Nestled in the Garden District since 1880. Renowned chefs like Emeril Lagasse, Paul Prudhomme, Jamie Shannon, and now Tory McPhail have made it the world-class restaurant it is. I only wish our jazz brunch had much more jazz. That said, all of the food was incredible and we got to dress up in fancy attire:)
Top pick: Cochon De Lait Eggs Benedict 12-hour barbecue shoulder of pork over buttermilk biscuits with poached eggs, ripped herb salad, sauce forestière and housemade tasso hollandaise.
Just may be the best benedict I have ever had. (Random, but did you know Benoit is the old French word for the English name Benedict? Means blessed. I'm blessed my jeans still fit after this trip)
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| Cochon De Lait Eggs Benedict |
Clesi's
When in NOLA one must get a crawfish boil. Now I'll add, from Clesi's. Owner James Clesi created his dream job a fourteen months ago when he opened his restaurant / catering business with the mission to give his guests the level of cuisine and hospitality that is synonymous with New Orleans. Down-to-earth good eats here with a sweetheart owner.
Top pick: Obviously the 3 lbs of sweet crawfish with a perfect hint of spice are what you come for, but the jambalaya was a surprise favorite for me. Oh, and the delicately fried shrimp. The batter was light and didn't overpower the seafood. Compliments to Chef Clesi.
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Pêche
My girlfriend happened to be in New Orleans the week before us and highly recommended Pêche. For our last supper / my birthday dinner Brett gave a few recommendations. Pêche's simply prepared seafood menu with a modern flare won me over.
Top pick: I'm getting indecisive in my old age; not sure how to choose just one. :)
The hushpuppies were really good with the honey butter and bits of sprinkled salt --- yum! The grilled lamb skewer with cucumber salad was a teensy bit too salty, but I still licked the plate clean. The bite I had of Joey's smothered catfish was tasty. My jumbo shrimp entree was just what I was hoping for. The 3 desserts I ate to the face were spot on too. It's no wonder the restaurant has won two coveted James Beard Foundation Awards: Best New Restaurant & Chef Ryan Prewitt Best Chef, South.
listen to jazz
My soul was fed with jazz music too. For a girl who chronologically turned 31, my old soul was meant to grow up during this era. I just love jazz. I love how it makes people feel alive and how it makes people get up and dance!
It's no shock to me that a city already used to feeling jubilant, a city where you can dance down the middle of the street, in the middle of the daytime, in the middle of the week, and instead of people wondering why you aren't at work, they join you, birthed this new, wild music. Joyous anarchy. But enough chatting - take a listen!
Preservation Hall Band
Post race, this band headlined at the finish line festival, and we rocked out to their invigorating tunes.
We stopped at Bacchanal, a wine laboratory if you will, where food (read: dessert), music and culture colluded with a lot of Holy Vino to create my favorite evening. We wined & dined under the stars while listening to the Roamin' Jasmines, an eccentric six piece jazz ensemble led by bassist, vocalist, and bandleader Taylor Smith. They were PHENOMENAL!!!
Top picks: One cannot simply drink red wine without dark chocolate. Or atleast I can't. No surprise here, my fave dessert of the weekend came from mixing these two heavenly desserts from Bacchanal.
GOAT MILK PANNA COTTA honey, lavender, pine nuts
CHOCOLATE BARK extra virgin olive oil, marcona almonds, sel gris
experience Katrina
After Hurricane Katrina, over New Orleans, my helicopter crashed and the pilot and I were only saved because we fell on the roof of a flooded house that absorbed the shock. When the helicopter was spiraling downward out of control, I didn't expect to survive at all. - Yann Arthus-Bertrand, French photographer, journalist, reporter & environmentalist
Over the past 11 years I've learned a lot about the deadly hurricane that flooded New Orleans and left ~1800 dead and millions of others homeless, but it wasn't until we drove through the 9th Ward that I experienced it. Took a bit of persistence to get there though...
We found out in the middle of the bus tour that there is a city ordinance that prohibits tours to go through those areas most affected. The guide did give us a better understanding of events pre- and post-Katrina, but we were hoping for a first-hand look at the neighborhood that experienced the catastrophic damage. So in Amy fashion, I asked our uber driver who was bringing Joey and I back after the tour if it was possible to detour. (Not something to do if you're alone!) Tim Burnside was the unsung hero of our trip. He navigated us through the areas and shared personal stories that truly exposed us to the heartaching devastation that was caused by the unexpected storm surge.
80% of New Orleans was under water, up to 20 ft deep in places! Arthus-Bertrand's quote seems far-fetched until you drive through and see the watermarks at the top of buildings. The reality is that this neighborhood is still neglected. Unoccupied, blighted houses are the only structures remaining on some blocks, over a decade after the flooding engulfed the region.
All that being said, it was an amazing trip, and thanks to our gracious host, I can now surely say that I do
"know what it means"!
