Finishing Up a Weekend in NOLA

Part 2 (Saturday night - Sunday) of my NOLA post.

St. Louis Cathedral by night

After Cafe du Monde, we did a little more walking around and then headed back to freshen up for, you guessed it, more eating. Earlier in the week, I snagged the last Saturday night reservation for K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen, one of NOLA's most famous restaurants. I found out about K-Paul's from one of my coworkers, who insisted I must go. When he said he looked at the dessert he ordered there like a (I quote) "heroin-addicted puppy," I was sold. Later talking with my dad, it was cool to learn that he had previously dined at K-Paul's as well.

K-Paul's was opened in 1979 by the famous Chef Paul Prudhomme. Chef Paul invented the blackening process. Tyler and I ordered their two most popular dishes. I had the blackened twin Filet Mignon served with Debris Sauce, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Amazing!  Tyler's dish once again (this has been happening too often!) outdid mine. He opted for the surf and turf special, which included one blackened beef tender along with a blackened Louisiana Drum.  

Although we were stuffed beyond belief, I wasn't leaving without trying the "heroin puppy" dessert, which was called the Chocolate Hill. This bad boy was a homemade, rich chocolate bundt cake with a chocolate ganache underneath and white and dark chocolate drizzled on top. OMG! One of the best desserts I've ever had.

While K-Paul's is up there on my list of great restaurants, I must say the filet from the Back Creek Bistro (my dad's restaurant) takes the cake for best steak in my book (and Tyler agrees). He doesn't pay me for advertising, either! Now, the Chocolate Hill is a different story. :)

We got changed after dinner (K-Paul's is definitely business casual attire), swung by Pat O'Briens on Bourbon Street for a famous Hurricane, and then walked to Frenchman Street. Frenchman Street is a two-block-long area packed with about a dozen music clubs and some of the best live music we heard all weekend. We found out about the hidden gem of Frenchman Street from some locals that Tyler knew from work. It doesn't have all of the neon lights and madness that you'll see on Bourbon Street, and that was A-ok with me.

Tyler's coworkers recommended that we go see Little Freddie King at d.b.a., a live music club that features nightly local acts. Little Freddie King is a blues guitarist who based his style off of the original Freddie King. The show was fantastic. I kept wishing my dad was with us because he would've loved the show. And a special bonus - d.b.a. had my new favorite Abita Grapefruit IPA on tap!

Sunday

Brunch is a popular Sunday activity in New Orleans, and since I missed it yesterday (whoops), we had to go today. After doing a little research, we settled on Stanley, a restaurant right by St. Louis Cathedral that was inspired by Tennesse Williams's "A Streetcar Named Desire." There was about a 20-30 minute wait, but Stanley is one of those restaurants that texts you when your table is ready, so I used that time to pick up some of the famous NOLA pralines for my coworkers.



Tyler and I both ordered Stanley's Omelet sandwich, complete with eggs, cheese, bacon, ham, grilled sweet onions, and spicy chipotle mayo. We shared an order of Creole breakfast potatoes. Another great meal.

    After brunch, we spent 2-3 hours roaming the city. We walked Frenchman and Bourbon Street (both look much different during the day, haha), explored art galleries, and enjoyed the great weather. After seeing many people with their to-go cups, we stopped and shared a Bloody Mary with okra.

Loved the streetcars

Frenchmen Street

Before taking me to the airport, we stopped in St. James Cheese Company for a snack. Such a cool place. We had a cheese and meat board served with bread and accompaniments. I couldn't tell you what everything was called, but I do know that it was all very tasty, with the aged Gouda and prosciutto being our favorites.



I had a wonderful time during my first trip to New Orleans...I just wish it had been longer! This city is bursting with culture-from the eclectic people, to the authentic music, and I can't forget the delicious food. I'm hoping for another go-around with Bourbon Street someday, hopefully with my college friends, who would without-a-doubt love it.

Impromptu Trip to New Orleans

I was suffering from cabin fever due to the winter storm that hit the Southeastern United States last week and kept me working from home for four days. Thankfully, I booked a last-minute, weekend trip to New Orleans to hang out with Tyler, who is at a job site in Mississippi. I'll give you guys a brief breakdown of the weekend, and also share some of the pictures I took.

It was a short Friday-Sunday weekend trip, but I was definitely going to make the most of it. I solicited friends and family for recommendations of how to spend my weekend...everyone's consensus was that NOLA revolves around eating and drinking. So that's what most of this post is about. And it started all on the flight. I sat next to an older man who travels the world as a consultant. We chatted all things NOLA and Taiwan, and he even gave me some free Delta drink tickets.

Friday

Arrived at a quaint, rustic hotel in the French Quarter area. While waiting to meet up with Tyler, I enjoyed a few drinks at the hotel bar, where there was a great bartender and even better company. I chatted with cruise-goers, marathon runners (the Rock 'N Roll marathon was going on), and a bartender who loved IPAs. He introduced me to Abita's Grapefruit IPA - definitely a new favorite of mine!

After Tyler arrived, we headed straight to Coop's Place, a dive bar with authentic, local food. Come as you are - this place is laid back and fun. Example: the bartenders stopped what they were doing to belt out Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody (the whole song). I had their signature Taste Plate, which included a cup of seafood gumbo, shrimp creole, cajun friend chicken, red beans & rice, and jambalaya with sausage and rabbit. Everything was spicy and flavorful. The jambalaya was my favorite. Who knew rabbit was so good?

We ended the night on Bourbon St. While Mardi Gras season technically doesn't start until 2/15, this place was still rockin'. The streets were packed and everyone had a to-go cup in hand (no open container laws - woo!). What a party! So many bars, eclectic (and some strange) people, and sights to see. A legendary hand grenade from Tropical Isle sent me over the edge. We turned in much earlier than those who partied til 5-6 am.

Saturday

I spent the first half of the day hugging the porcelain throne. Bourbon St. got the best of me.

Whoops...


Later in the afternoon we got lunch in the Warehouse District at Cochon Butcher. This place was super hip, with a NYC vibe. The food was fantastic (I really needed something in my stomach at this point...). Tyler and I shared a sandwich with house meats and herb vinaigrette, and a side of spicy pancetta mac n' cheese. Just what I needed! They also had a surprisingly good Sweet Potato Habanero Sauce at each table. I'll be back at Cochon next time I'm in town for sure.

Quirky Prince-themed table number

After lunch, we tool a stroll through the Garden District to 'ooh' and 'aah' at all of the elegant, intricate homes. This area was designated a National Historic Landmark - it's worth taking a walk or drive through the neighborhoods.




We ran right into Layfayette Cemetery #1, a cemetery from the 1800s, which was on my list of must-sees. Seems weird, but it was cool. Due to NOLA's high water table, people are buried in above-ground vaults. If you buried them in the ground, coffins would begin to float. I guess you can't keep some people down! ;) Anyway, these vaults looked like small houses, some with fences, lined up like streets. Hence why NOLA cemeteries are often called 'cities of the dead.'



So, my first question was, isn't it expensive to bury someone in a huge vault? Nope. That's because a whole family can be buried in one. How can that be? This is creepy, but here goes...

-Someone dies. You put them in a coffin inside the vault.
-When the next person dies, as long as the previous person has been dead for ~1 year, their remains are moved to the back of the vault, and the new person is loaded in.
-As the body in the back decomposes, it falls off a ledge into a pile of family bones.
-If a family has to bury more than one person in a year's time, they must rent a temporary vault to let one of the bodies decompose.
Weird, right?


We then headed to the French Market, where we enjoyed views of the Mississippi River while browsing local artists and merchants. After, we took a walk to Historic Jackson Square, named in honor of Andrew Jackson. Jackson Square was a beautiful park in the heart of the French Quarter, surrounded by the St. Louis Cathedral and other historic buildings.

St. Louis Cathedral - Jackson Square

Then it was time for the world famous cafe' au lait and beignets from Cafe du Monde. A beignet is a French donut and is similar to a funnel cake (but better!). We waited in line for bit, while listening to street musicians playing "When the Saints Go Marching In" - how appropriate! The coffee and beignets were perfect. You must visit Cafe du Monde if you haven't already!

I think I'm still recovering from Friday night, so I'll finish up with a Part 2 post soon.