Food tripping in New Orleans – part 2

Really and truly (as they say over here in the islands), the best way to experience a city is through it’s food. More pictures from the recent 5 day food trip in New Orleans

Appetizer Trio @ Oak Alley Plantation Restaurant – Almond-crusted duck, Cajun fried catfish and alligator (yes, alligator, and it was delicious! tastes like chicken…), lemon, aioli, Cajun remoulade. I would call this dish “Treasures of the Swamp” but it may not sell so well. This dish captures the bounty and flavors of coastal Louisiana, and true to its Southern roots, everything is fried. Another hit from the restaurant at Oak Alley Plantation – everything on the plate was crisp, hot, not greasy and it came out fast. Far cry from the food and service we had at the Old Coffee Pot restaurant in the French Quarter the night before, but more on that later.

Po boy @ Pecks – the awesome tour guide at the swamp tour was probably tired of hearing us complain about our bad meal experience the night before at the Old Coffee Pot that he recommended this “chain” restaurant for our post-tour meal. The place was bright, clean and served a variety of fried seafood dishes including this New Orleans favorite, the “po boy”. The term supposedly came from free sandwiches served to poor, striking street car workers back in the day, but there is nothing in this sandwich that would suggest plebeian. Stuffed full of fried oysters inside the traditional, crusty-on-the-outside-soft-on-the-inside French baguette typical of New Orleans , don’t be confused (as I was) when the server asks you if you want it “dressed”. This just means your sandwich will come with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, mayonnaise and mustard. God, this was a good sandwich!

Hurricanes (from the Turtle Bay bar) @ Bourbon Street – It is without a doubt that the city that invented the Mardi Gras and that has a street named after whiskey is one of the best places to drink in America. Sipping the city’s signature “Hurricane” (made from rum, rum and more rum + fruit juice and grenadine syrup) while walking along the famous (or infamous) Bourbon Street on a Friday night is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I can only imagine what this place is like during Mardi Gras. (Although at the end of the night, having gotten tired of other people’s drunken antics, I supposedly said, “I’m getting too old for this shit!”)

Charbroiled Oysters @ Drago’s Seafood Restaurant – How can I forget these charbroiled oysters we had as a “snack” after a day packed with activities? Someone insisted that we try these oysters (they were grilled with garlic butter and topped with parmesan cheese) and I’m glad that we did. Best in the city!

Abita Amber and the original Hurricane cocktail @ Pat O’Brien’s – Another good bottle of Abita beer and a cocktail at the bar where it was invented. The Hurricane was named after the glass it’s served in (which looks like a hurricane lamp). I must admit though that the version we had at Turtle Bay (made from fresh pineapple and orange juice) was much better, even though  it was served in what looks like a hand grenade turned into a tacky plastic glass. You can buy powdered mixes of Pat O’Brien’s brand hurricane mix in tourist shops all over New Orleans. This version, although heavy on the rum, tasted like it was made from a powdered mix and had too much grenadine (personally, I’m not a big fan of that cough syrup). Go to Pat O’Brien’s for the music by dueling pianists and the lively atmosphere … not the overrated cocktail.

Tabasco Spicy Chocolate @ the Southern Food and Beverage Museum – Weird combination? Not really since the original chocolate that the Aztecs drank was mixed with chili, Mexican mole has chili and chocolate, and both are New World ingredients. Food nerd analogies aside, these candies were great! Not-so-sweet dark chocolate with a spicy finish. Tabasco sauce is made in Louisiana so you can find every version of it in New Orleans.

Crawfish Etoufee @ the Old Coffee Pot – When visiting New Orleans, one must have crayfish (done however) and the classic Cajun-Creole dish etouffee (made with whatever). I recall making shrimp etouffee in culinary school and it was a delicious spicy stew, the sauce made from the classic dark roux, tomato puree and the “Cajun trinity” of onion, green bell pepper and celery, cooked/”smothered” in a pot (hence the name), and served over rice. Why the hell then does this version, from the highly regarded and often recommended Old Coffee Pot in the French Quarter, look like crayfish tempura over rice? A major disappointment early in our eating tour that was redeemed by all the other good meals in the days that followed.

Blackened catfish + cold slop @ the Old Coffee Pot – We had to try something blackened so the catfish on this combo plate caught our attention when we read it off the menu. Too bad it came an hour and a half after we had ordered it and the green beans were ice-cold (no wonder they were still so green). Needless to say, it went back to the kitchen and we cancelled the order. We could see through the open kitchen that there was only one cook that night (poor guy, someone must’ve called in sick that day). However, people’s expectations are high in a “food city”, and the Old Coffee Pot has a good reputation, and “the show must go on” regardless of whether there was only one cook in that night, so the plate above was unacceptable. 😦

But to end this post on a sweet note:

Bananas Foster @ Crescent City Cooks – Bananas foster, first served at Brennan’s Restaurant in the French Quarter, and voodoo are two things (among others) that people think about when visiting New Orleans. Here, the demo chef at Crescent City Cooks attempts to make us think of both as he sprinkles cinnamon over the flaming rum, bananas and caramel in the pan. He said the sparks makes one think of a voodoo ritual. Okaaaaaay……. This excellent version was served straight from the pan over vanilla ice cream.

Food tripping in New Orleans – part 1

A recent trip to the Crescent City proved that its culinary offerings do not disappoint. With the exception of 1 overrated restaurant, all the places I’ve had a meal were a hit and the city truly deserves its spot among the top 5 eating destinations in the United States. I don’t know how New Orleans was before Hurricane Katrina, but from the looks of it today, the city seemed to have recovered at least from a foodies’ point of view.

Here are some shots of New Orleans’ culinary delights:

Jambalaya @ Crescent City Cooks – Who goes to New Orleans without trying this dish? A classic of Cajun country cooking, this is New Orleans’ version of the Spanish paella, the Cuban arroz con pollo, the many versions of chicken and rice found around the world. This particular one was made by the cooking demo instructor at the food store Crescent City Cooks.

Muffaletta @ Lagniappe, Hyatt Regency New Orleans – Sicilian immigrants brought this sandwich to New Orleans. It consists of a muffaletta loaf split horizontally and covered with layers of marinated olive salad, capicola, salami, ham, pepperoni, Swiss cheese and provolone. You can find this everywhere at the city, but I had it as a way past midnight snack at the hotel. The Hyatt Regency New Orleans, close to the Superdome, was one of the hotels battered by hurricane Katrina (pics on Google abound) now renovated and bursting with life.

Fried Green Tomatoes @ Daisy Duke’s Express – fried this and fried that all over the place! New Orleans is definitely a city in “the South” of the United States. This excellent version of fried green tomatoes was served with the New Orleans version of “remoulade” – sweet and spicy.

Fried Oysters @ C’s Seafood (hole-in-the-wall) – What makes New Orleans such a nice food city is the abundance of small, cheap places to eat that serve good food. This hole-in-the-wall in a shopping center specializes in po boys and fried chicken. A quick snack before going on the river cruise…

Fried  Shrimp with Fries @ Peck’s – And even more fried seafood! New Orleans sits on the coast by the Gulf of Mexico so the seafood is abundant and cheap.  Tar balls on the side, please? Ask a local how the BP oil spill has affected New Orleans and you will be drawn into a long conversation. Just eat the seafood! It’s safe … or so everyone says.

Beignets and Cafe au Lait @ Cafe du Monde – Fried strips of dough generously (an understatement) dusted with powdered sugar and coffee (made from roasted coffee beans and chicory) at the classic, iconic, Cafe du Monde in the French Quarter – a New Orleans institution that lives up to all the hype. What’s the big fuss about fried dough and coffee? Go there and you will see… (it’s more about the ambiance really…)

Abita Strawberry Lager @ The Oak Alley Plantation Restaurant – No self-respecting food city in America would be without its own home brew. The Abita Brewing Company makes beers in Abita Springs 30 miles north of New Orleans and their brews can be found all over the city and beyond. I had this strawberry flavored one with our excellent meal at the Oak Alley Plantation’s Restaurant on the banks of the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Red Beans and Rice @ The Old Coffee Pot – According to the instructor at Crescent City Cooks, “Creole” (city) cuisine is different from “Cajun” (country) cuisine by the use of tomato sauce. Red kidney beans cooked in tomato sauce is a typical Creole dish made, typically on a Monday, from Sunday’s pork leftovers. All over New Orleans this hefty “side” dish is served with rice and a piece of smoked meat such as tasso ham or andouille sausage. This version, served with andouille sausage, was the best dish of the worst meal I’ve had in New Orleans. By the way, it was a Friday when we had dinner at the Old Coffee Pot in the French Quarter.

Chicken, Smoked Sausage and Andouille Gumbo @ Oak Alley Plantation Restaurant – miles outside of the city, we had this excellent version of gumbo in the most unlikely place – a restored plantation house called Oak Alley. In my opinion, restaurants in tourist attractions often disappoint. Not at this place. It was a cozy café serving good local food and drinks with service to match. 4 stars!