Our New Orleans Trip Review, July 2011...Part 4...The End :o)

This is Part 4 of 4 of my series of reviews on our trip to New Orleans and the south.
Links to previous posts about New Orleans Trip Review:

Part 1 & 2
http://myhomecookedmeals.blogspot.com/2011/08/our-fl-panhandle-new-orleans-trip-july.html
http://myhomecookedmeals.blogspot.com/2011/08/our-new-orleans-trip-july-2011part-2.html
Part 3
http://myhomecookedmeals.blogspot.com/2011/08/our-new-orleans-trip-review-july.html

**Again I apologize for the quality of some of the photos.  They were taken with either an iPhone or  my Leica Point & Shoot w/out flash.**

Barbequed Shrimp

This really was a fun getaway and I enjoyed most all of the food.  You can never love everything that you eat. For our last dinner we went to Mr. B's.  It was convenient since it's located in the French Quarter and was walking distance from our hotel.  

Mr. B's is part of the Brennan Family restaurants and one of their most popular dish is the BBQ'd Shrimp.  I still can't figure out why they call it bbq because it has nothing to do with traditional bbq or sauce and it's not even grilled shrimp.  No matter what they call it, it's soooo good!  It's served with the heads on, so you can suck on them and get all the yummy flavor out of it. They also have the peels on them, so it does get a little messy eating them, but that's part of the fun! The sauce is basically a ton of butter w/W Sauce, Garlic & Seasonings.  They have the recipe on their website and I keep thinking I want to make it, but still haven't.  Maybe soon ;o)  One of the problems is it's hard to get live-head-on-shrimp around here.  At Mr. B's it comes with bread, but I also like to order grits to go with it.  I also had the gumbo, but it was just ok...

http://www.mrbsbistro.com/

Shrimp & Grits

This was D's dish, I didn't get to try it, but it sure looked good with bacon wrapped shrimp!

Hot Buttered Pecan Pie

This was the best Pecan Pie ever!  It was the crust that made it so good.  It was so flaky!  I asked the waiter if it was made with shortening or butter and he had a big grin on his face and said it had a ton of butter in it...lol  If I could bake, I would definitely learn how to make this!

Soft Shell Crab Po-Boy

For our last breakfast/lunch we went to Johnny's Po-boy also located in the French Quarter.  Some people don't like the FQ saying it's too touristy, but it's such a convenient location because you can walk to so many places.  You just have to make sure to find a hotel that's not right smack on Bourbon St.

Half of this Po-Boy was good.  The crab on the other half didn't taste so fresh ;o(  Last time I had it I loved it, so ordered it again, but I probably should have gotten it with either shrimp or roast beef.  It was a little dry too.  I think it should have had mayo in it, after I finished it I spied another table with packets of mayo.

http://www.johnnyspoboy.com/

Shrimp Po-Boy

This was D & K's sandwich.  They said it was good, but a little dry like mine.

Last Gumbo of the Trip...

Luckily my last gumbo was really good!  I really do love gumbo :o)

Biscuit & Egg Sandwich

Hubby's Breakfast Sandwich.  He really liked it, look at that biscuit...how could he have not!

Muffuletta on the Plane...

Central Grocery is famous for their Muffuletta sandwich and their Olive Salad that's in it.  If they are open the day that we leave for home I like to pick it up and then eat the sandwich on the plane.  I can only wonder what the other passengers are thinking when they smell it...lol  Last time I bought 1 whole sandwich and hardly had any leftovers for the next day, so this time I bought 2! I put one in the suitcase ;o) I decided next time 1 1/2 sandwich would be the perfect portion.  I do share it with Hubby :o) The Muffuletta has Salami, Ham, Provolone, Mortadella & the Olive Salad. They are pre-made at the store, so the oil from the olive salad soaks the bread nicely.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/central-grocery-co-new-orleans

w/Potato Chips...

Eating this on the plane beats any Fast Food you can pick up at the airport!  Sometimes I like to put potato chips in my sandwich.  I think Bobby Flay copied me with his Crunchburgers...lol

My Loot...

I got most of the stuff from Central Grocery.  You can pick up the Olive Salad to go. I know I've seen the Creole Mustard sold around here, but it's so hard to find.  I really loved the Creole Mustard Dressing at Galatoire's, but I tried to make it at home and it just didn't turn out the same :o(

Info about Olive Salad Delivery :o)

It's a little pricey AND you have to buy 4 at once, but at least you can get it shipped to you!

My Favorite...Cajun Dill Chips...

Everybody loves Zapp's in NOLA, my fav is the Cajun Dill flavor :o)

Better than Cafe du Monde ;o)

This coffee is really strong, but it's so good if you add 1/2 Whole Milk and make it an Au Lait...

Pralines

I don't think I've really had Pralines before.  I loved this!  It was like eating pure sugar, but I just can't resist pecans.  I only bought 2 pieces...wish I got more!

Laura's Candies

This place was right across the street from our hotel, but we'd never gone in it before.  I will definitely be back to get more when I'm in New Orleans again.  They also will ship to you...

http://www.laurascandies.com/joomla/

Thanks for reading my posts about our trip to New Orleans & the Florida Panhandle.  New Orleans is one of my favorite cities and I can talk about it forever, hope you all get a chance to go if you haven't already.

Our New Orleans Trip Review, July 2011...Part 3

This is Part 3 of 4 of my series of reviews on our trip to New Orleans and the south.

Following is link to Part 1 & 2 of my Trip Review...

http://myhomecookedmeals.blogspot.com/2011/08/our-fl-panhandle-new-orleans-trip-july.html

http://myhomecookedmeals.blogspot.com/2011/08/our-new-orleans-trip-july-2011part-2.html

Part 4

http://myhomecookedmeals.blogspot.com/2011/08/our-new-orleans-trip-review-july_23.html

Ham Hock

http://www.cochonrestaurant.com/

Cochon is rated as one of the best restaurants in New Orleans and I  have heard so many rave reviews about it, so was very excited to finally try it because I love pork!  Ughhh, I was so disappointed!  Sometimes when you have too high of expectations it just doesn't pan out.

The Ham Hock was just too salty and just not that exciting.  I know pork is supposed to be salty, but still...

**Sorry about low quality of photos, restaurant was really dark and I used my point & shoot Leica w/out flash, therefore most of my photos were blurry and didn't even make the cut.**

Soft Shell Crab

I really love Soft Shell Crab, but this one was just not that appealing to me.  The main problem was that the breading was too thick.

Cochon w/turnips, cabbage & cracklins

This was also very salty.  I always want to love cracklins and these looked like they would be light and crunchy, but they were just hard & chewy :o(

Abita Root Beer Sorbet & Cochon Cookie

This was the favorite part of the meal.  Abita beer is a local beer brewed near New Orleans.  This sorbet was made with Abita Root Beer!  Loved it...especially the piggy cookie :o)

Commander's Palace

http://www.commanderspalace.com/

Commander's Palace is another quintessential New Orleans restaurant.  They don't have the best food, but I love the atmosphere.  We went to brunch on Saturday and were seated in the Patio Room.  It's a cute little room that is in a separate building from the main building and has a view of the outside patio/garden.  To get to it we walked through the kitchen and saw Chef McPhail & co-owner Ti Adelaide Martin having a powwow!

Me & My Handsome Hubby :o)

Another thing I like about Commander's is that they also have a dress code...no shorts, jackets optional...

Cheapest Martini I've Ever Had...

For lunch they have a "special" 25 cent martini...  You can either get gin, vodka or a mixed one w/Blue Caracao.  Of course I got the straight gin ;o)  We'd been having so many cocktails the night before, so I didn't finish it...I just wanted to order a 25 cent martini...lol

Most Expensive Martini I've Ever Had...

One of our favorite bars is the Hemingway Bar at the Ritz Hotel in Paris.  We can't afford to stay in the hotel, but at least we can go to the bar :o)  I think the bartenders were a little disappointed that we ordered a plain martini instead of one of their fancy concoctions.  Cost...$40 per cocktail!!  They do garnish the ladies' ones with beautiful orchids or roses :o)

http://www.ritzparis.com/jump_to.asp?id_lang=2&id_target=1340

Garlic Bread...

Love the garlic bread at Commanders...it oozes with butter! I just love the bread in NOLA, they came up with a special way of making it because of the humidity, so it can't be duplicated elsewhere.

Gumbo!

Like so many dishes in NOLA, this gumbo was on the salty side.  Luckily I had a pot of hot water for my tea, so I added it to thin it down.  Maybe bad manners, but oh well...

Creole Gazapacho

Hubby's soup was delicious!  It was refreshing with a little bit of a kick!

Cochon de Lait w/Grilled Corn

My dish...again, salty.  I always wondered why they called it "Pig of Milk", it has nothing to do with milk.  They traditionally made it with suckling pig that still drank milk.  I did like the corn ;o)

Grilled Sheep's Head Fish w/Crab Boil Veggies

Mrs. Pregger's dish.  She said this was really good, I only tried the Crab Boil Veggies which I really liked and would love to duplicate it.  They basically boil the veggies in the stock from a Crab Boil.  It was really spicy, crunchy & delicious!

Seafood Cakes

D's dish.  I didn't get a chance to try it, but he ate it all up ;o)

Bread Pudding Souffle

Their famous Bread Pudding.  I liked it better this time, I think I had too high expectations the first time I had it.  It's like a bread pudding with meringue on top and then it's served with a whiskey sauce...yum!

Angelo Brocato's

http://www.angelobrocatoicecream.com/

One of my favorite desserts is Spumoni Ice Cream.  I actually looked up on the internet where they had the best in the country and I came up with Angelo Brocato's about a year ago.  They will Fedex it to you, but the minimum order is 24 pieces.  I was very tempted to order it, but I'm glad I didn't because this is another dish that I had high expectations and was disappointed :o(

Old Fashioned Ice Cream Parlor...

Love the old fashioned feel to the place!

Spumoni

There are really only a few desserts that I like and I don't like things too sweet.  This spumoni was too sweet for me, but so pretty!  Everybody else liked their gelato though...

Krystal Burgers...

http://krystal.com/

LOL....I had to have a Krystal Burger! It was in the French Quarter, so walking distance from our hotel. We don't have Krystal or White Castle near us.  The first time I had heard of White Castle was when I was in Jr High and saw them eating it in the movie "Saturday Night Fever". I was so intrigued by the mini, square burgers that they were wolfing down like dogs...do you remember that scene? I was finally able to try it for the first time a few years ago in St. Louis. The first time I tried it I thought it wasn't that bad..pretty good for what it was...second time I tried it I thought it was a little disgusting;o)

Cheese Krystal

We actually went twice to Krystal within an hour!  The first time I was so excited to try it, so I forgot to take pictures and I thought it was pretty good.  I made everybody go back a second time, so I could take photos...it wasn't as good the second time around...lol  This was also right before going to our dinner for the night!

Our New Orleans Trip Review, July 2011...Part 2

This is Part 2 of 4 of my series of reviews on our trip to New Orleans and the south.

Link to Part 1 & 3...

http://myhomecookedmeals.blogspot.com/2011/08/our-fl-panhandle-new-orleans-trip-july.html

http://myhomecookedmeals.blogspot.com/2011/08/our-new-orleans-trip-review-july.html

Part 4 

http://myhomecookedmeals.blogspot.com/2011/08/our-new-orleans-trip-review-july_23.html

Calas from The Old Coffee Pot

http://www.theoldcoffeepot.com/

Before our trip, I read on a website that a woman made homemade Calas.  I had never heard of Calas and found out that it is basically a rice fritter that is from the New Orleans area.  Her grandfather was from the area and taught his wife how to make them and then the recipe was passed down to her.  As soon as I found out that it was fried rice, I was intrigued and was on a mission to find them in NOLA.  The Old Coffee Pot was the closest place to our hotel to get them, it's always convenient when it's a short walk! Unfortunatly, I did not like their Calas, they were rock hard!  It just tasted like a hard, fried ball of dough and I couldn't even tell that there was rice in them.  They were served with grits, which I love, but these were a little too bland.  They tasted great when I mixed D's corned beef hash with them;o)  I learned later that these Calas were an anomaly, they are supposed to be nice and fluffy, exactly what I had pictured.  I also was told of another place that serves great Calas & Praline Bacon...a place called Elizabeth's Restaurant and hope to try it next time I'm over there :o)

http://www.elizabeths-restaurant.com/home.html

Banana Pancakes

Hubby had the banana pancakes.  I also did not like these, but Hubby enjoyed them!  They actually add the bananas into the batter instead of just placing them on top.  The bananas were huge slices and overwhelmed the pancakes.

Pain Perdu (Lost Bread)

Mrs. Preggers had the Pain Perdu.  These were delicious and the favorite of our whole group.  It's basically a French Toast, but they call it lost bread because it is traditionally made with leftover French Roll and you are saving the bread that is called lost since it's stale;o)

One note about the Old Coffee Pot, they automatically add 18 % tip to the check, so be careful not to double tip!  The waitresses seem to have been working there forever, one of them even broke out in song.  She was pretty amazing, her voice filled up the whole room, she's not a professional singer, just sings at her church...

Fury's Restaurant for Lunch

http://furysrestaurant.com/

One of the highlights of the trip was Fried Chicken at a small place called Fury's. I heard about this place from a website I've been subscribing to for several years called New Orleans Menu Pages it is filled with info about restaurants in NOLA.  Right before our trip, they posted their Best Fried Chicken List...what perfect timing! 

http://www.nomenu.com/joomla1/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2506:12-best-fried-chicken-restaurants&catid=222:top-ten&Itemid=293

Simple Thousand Island Dressing Salad...

I love Thousand Island Dressing, it's so retro!  Whenever I find it on a menu, I get it.  This one was actually pretty good although the ice berg lettuce seemed a little wilted...

Gumbo!

As I said in the past, I love Gumbo!!  This was one of the best I had this trip.  Some have been too salty or too watery, this one was just right!  Hubby always calls me Baby Bear because I always have to find "the just right" stuff...lol

Fried Chicken!!

I also love fried chicken, but it's so hard to find a good one!  OMG, this one was amazing!!  It's one of the best that I've had!!  They make it to order, so it takes at least 20 mins.  It was perfectly crisp and so flavorful from the skin to the inside meat.  Usually the problem is that the skin is too salty if the meat has flavor or if the skin is perfectly seasoned then the meat is bland.  I loved this chicken!!  I also like to eat my chicken with the vinegary type of hot sauce like Crystal or Trappey's and they have plenty of that in NOLA.  This was the 1/2 chicken served with French Fries & White Bread.

Red Beans & Rice w/Spicy Sausage

This was D's dish.  The beans were so good, one of the best I've had! I didn't care for the sausage, it had a weird herb in it. Red Beans is their Mon special like so many other places in the area.  The story goes that Ham is cooked for Sunday Supper and then the ham bone is cooked for Red Beans & Rice on Mon while the laundry is being done ;o)

They also have an extensive Italian menu...

Napolean House Bar & Cafe

http://www.napoleonhouse.com/

This is another of our favorite bars in New Orleans, they have been around for over 200 years! The only problem is that they have weird hours, so you need to check on it before you go.  Legend has it that the owner, back in the day, was the mayor and he invited Napoleon to live there during his exile, but he did not except the offer.  

We've only had cocktails here, but hear that they have pretty good food.  They even have an outdoor patio to eat in. They are known for their Muffulettas, but the controversy is that they serve their's warm;o)

The Bar...

We love sitting at the bar, but it's a little hard to talk when you have 4 people in your party, so we mostly sat at a table at the bars we went to this time.  One of their popular cocktail is the Pimm's Cup.  It has Pimm's #1 (An English liquor that has gin it it), lemonade, & 7-up then garnished w/a cucumber.  It's a little sweet for me, so I prefer the Sazerac.  I love the peeling walls that is left as is...

The Facade...

Love the look of the place inside and out.  Wish we had places like this in LA!

Tujague's

Another old bar & restaurant...

Again, we've only have had drinks here, not dinner.  Both times we've been here has been a Monday and their Red Beans & Rice looks and smells delicious!

http://www.tujaguesrestaurant.com/

On Decatur Street...

The Bar...

I love how this bar is "standing room only".  They don't have any seats at the bar.  It's more fun to stand at the bar and talk to the waiters and other customers, but this time we sat at a table...

Most of the bars were empty when we went this time because we hit them late afternoon...lol

Cafe du Monde

http://www.cafedumonde.com/

Cafe du Monde is a place that you have to go to if you go to New Orleans.  You also have to go to the original location in the French Quarter, it's just not the same if you go to one inside of a mall ;o)  I really wanted to hate it the first time I went, but it really grew on me.  

Beignet's

Don't wear dark clothe or laugh when you are eating these...

Cafe au Lait

They also have a an iced version too...