New Orleans and Atkins

[Malawry]

I just returned from a brief visit to New Orleans with my esteemed spouse. We're on Spring Break (he from his studies, me from my job cooking for a sorority at the same school). We are both on the Atkins diet. We bent a little while we were there, but even the carb-free meals we consumed were truly special thanks to some excellent recommendations from Mayhaw Man. I'd never been to NO before, and my partner hadn't been since he was a small child, so it was a real special occasion for both of us. We were on a strict budget but managed to mostly stick to it thanks to the help Brooks provided. Here's a little summary of what and where we ate...

Sunday night:

Dickie Brennan's Palace Cafe seemed like a good choice; it was only two blocks from our hotel, and it wasn't terribly expensive. We were tired and hungry after 12 hours in the car and didn't feel up for exploring, and I think we made the right choice. The interior of the restaurant is beautiful, punctuated by a dramatic curving staircase in the center of the restaurant. Arched columns and classic paintings make for a nice backdrop, with a glass-walled kitchen allowing us a peek en route to our table. I had my first-ever turtle soup, with a swirl of sherry added at the table, and a sausage-stuffed pork chop with cider-braised winter greens for dinner. Fresh berries and pineapple for dessert, per a special request we'd made.

Monday:

We split a beignet from Cafe du Monde this morning. We shook off most of the powdered sugar to avoid sugar-shock. It was very sweet and very very good anyway though. Not as sweet as a cake or cookie fortunately! We both wanted more but we virtuously threw out the other 2 (you have to buy three). The beignets are warm and smell of all those wonderful donut smells. The Krispy Kreme around the corner didn't appear to be doing so well, in comparison...the line for takeout snaked quite a distance from the "to go" window at Cafe du Monde.

Later we split a muffaletta from Central Grocery. We each ate one piece of the bread...the first bread either of us has eaten since starting Atkins. (E's had a tortilla wrap, and I've had small tastes of things like pasta to ensure they are cooked properly, but still.) It was awesome...the olive salad soaked into the bread and it smelled great with aromatic sesame seeds and those sharp salty Italian meats. Ooh. It was hard to eat only one piece of the bread because all those soaked-in flavors were amazing and I wanted to get at more of them. But I resisted. Felt a little sugar-weird afterwards but not terrible. The Italian meats are nice, as is the bread, but the olive salad is what really makes this sandwich special.

While poking about the French Quarter I picked up Cafe du Monde decaf coffee and chicory, tasso ham and gumbo file. I've seen far less boudin than I expected to around town! Maybe it's more a rural Louisiana thing than a New Orleans thing...?

On Monday night, we visited Frankie and Johnnie's on Tchopitoulas. It looked like a total dump ("Miller: The Champagne of Beers" sign outside). But it was cheap and cheerful and it had a parking lot...good thing since it was way too far from our hotel to walk. We shared 2lbs of crawfish and after a short lesson from our server we got pretty good at pinching the tails and sucking the heads. (</sexual joke-tacky t-shirt sloganese>) We split a bowl of spicy alligator soup...the meat is a little chewy and a little goes a long way. And we shared a stuffed crab (not very good) and a tomato stuffed with shrimp salad (all right, a little too mayonnaise-y). I think flip-flops and Daisy Dukes would constitute "formally dressed" in this kind of place.

We drove back through Uptown and the Garden District. We were in awe with the homes and architecture along St Charles street, and at one point we doubled back to look at a house I'd exclaimed over more closely. (It had a steeple-like roof with a round protruding double-level front door...the second level above the door was a beautiful balcony. Hard to describe.) We liked this area so much we vowed to explore more closely the next morning.

Tuesday:

After yesterday's drive we knew we'd have to come back when we could actually see these homes in the daylight. We stopped along St Charles at Please-U Restuarant, where I consumed an underseasoned oyster omelet, and then we walked around the Audubon park and the gorgeous Loyola College campus. (They, unlike us, are not on Spring Break.)

While doing more architecture touring, I noticed a sign saying there was a farmer's market "TODAY!" We absolutely had to go. After asking directions we found the usual temporary tent community and we spent a half hour walking around tasting and talking to vendors. We ate the most amazing fresh raw oysters, with lemon juice and Crystal hot sauce. I talked to the lady who made Creole cream cheese and was all set to buy some until my spouse pointed out that we couldn't keep it cold. The lady who made pickled eggs was shy but came out of her shell when I asked her about them, and I bought a jar of her sweetly flower-decorated delicacies to take home. And we tasted this fresh green onion-pork sausage that made me long for my grill. We picked up local strawberries for my partner to eat (I'm allergic). There were also eggs, including duck and goose eggs, fresh greens, and several fish vendors. Jumbo shell-on shrimp for only $6/lb!! It made me wish I lived nearby.

Then we schmoozed over to Lafayette Cemetery where we communed with the crypts before our noon lunch reservations at Commander's Palace. Mayhaw Man called CP lunch "the deal of the century" and I could totally see why. This is a Ye Olde New Orleans type of restaurant with dinner entrees in the $25-30 range. At lunch there are three selections that come with either a salad or a soup for $12-15. AAAAAND they have 25 cent martinis at lunchtime! I had to knock back a Commander's martini (vodka, white vermouth, blue curacao, lime twist)...it matched the bright blue exterior of the restaurant and slid down easily with my turtle soup. (I can't get enough of turtle soup, with a swirl of sherry added.) My entree was remoulade-encrusted rare tuna on a bed of greens accented with Creole mustard, artichoke hearts and a couple of robust anchovies. Mmm mmm. Strong flavors, but I love strong flavors. One of the servers came and asked me for a rundown of the dish after I finished it; she explained that it was new to the menu that day and they wondered how it was going over. I told her I thoroughly enjoyed it, but if I'd been wanting to drink wine I wouldn't have ordered it (artichokes), and I think I have a higher tolerance for strong flavors than some diners.

The rest of the day was somewhat quiet. I napped for a couple of hours in the afternoon, and we ate an inexpensive dinner at Remoulade in the French Quarter consisting of salad and crawfish etouffee. Remoulade is right next to Armand's on Bourbon. It's casual and a little too cutesy for my tastes, but Acme Seafood was too crowded by the time we were ready for dinner...and I was satisfied with my simple dinner.

And then we drove back to visit my parents in North Carolina on Wednesday. I wish we could have stayed longer...I really loved the Garden districts of New Orleans and felt the city (especially the market) was friendly, easy to drive and accessible.

[Mayhaw Man]

Thanks for the report and I am glad that you enjoyed your visit.

I suppose that my reccomendation of blowing out the Atkin's Diet with a big Frnch Fry Po Boy smothered in brown gravy from Johnny's was something Malawry decided against. I guess I understand-but they really are good .

The Crescent City Farmers Market has a great website. The Covington Farmer's Market on the Northshore does not have a website, but they are out on Saturday and Wed from 7-3. It is a very good market and in fact, they share many of the same vendors-like Mauthe's Dairy from Folsom, LA, an artisianal dairy on the Northshore that is making real Creole Cream Cheese, and sells really delicious unhomogenized milk and other milk products. I love those guys.

Incidentally, Frankie and Johnnies is the kind of place where you load up on what everybody else is eating. Look around, see "wat dey got" and order up. It is, in fact, a family run neighborhood bar and restaurant that has been there for 50 years or better. It is kind of a dump, but in a nice way. I like to tell tourists about it because most of the time they will be the only tourist in the place and they can see how the locals live (much like Las Vegas, many people have a hard time grappling with the fact that we do actually LIVE here ).

And once again-weekday lunch at Commander's Palace is the Dining Deal of the Century. Especially if you want to make a short afternoon of it and go load up on blue martinis. The service is fantastic, you can sit in the garden if you like, and the specials (as pointed out by Malawry) are usually pretty interesting. Usually lunch specials are stuff that they are trying out for evening entrees. And I know she didn't get it, but the Bread Pudding Soufflee is avalable at lunch and this coupled with a couple of Blue Martinis is better than any sedative ever invented. You will be back in you hotel napping shortly .

[Malawry]

The market was really fabulous...a definite highlight for me, and whetted my appetite for farm market season back home in DC.

I didn't need the souffle to want the nap, obviously. Our hotel had an amazingly comfortable bed and a view of the French Quarter...plus Aveda amenities in the big bathroom. International House hotel...I highly recommend it, and we found a great deal via Quikbook which made this luxury boutique hotel affordable. Excellent hotel for napping.

We walked by and contemplated Johnny's, but ended up taking a pass. A french fry po-boy sounds remarkably like a chip butty from the UK though.

[Gifted Gourmet]

New Orleans is such a difficult town to enjoy and savor unless one is eating carbs ... etouffee sans rice? and jambalaya without rice? how much pure protein boudin can one stomach? Long live the carbs of NOLA!!

and thanks for mentioning the Commander's Palace bread pudding souffle, Mayhaw Man! Brings back sweet memories!! Laissez les bontemps roulez!!

[joiei]

My favorite French Fry po'boy was from Mimi's out by the lake at Canal Avenue. Now I am craving one. Can i get extra pickles with it?

[Malawry]

Gifted Gourmet, it's probably best that we were only there for a few days precisely because New Orleans cuisine is so carb-heavy. Still, I felt satisfied that I got to try some new stuff while I was there without totally breaking my diet.