Places to eat with children

[skchai]

You're definitely welcome, and thanks, Mindy, for the very kind comments. The trip is (regrettably) over, and we have just arrived home. Here is somewhat belated update for the past couple days - I'll try to sum up sometime soon. . .

Sunday: Was almost a washout food-wise. Morning we were busy with work, so lunch was a piece of leftover duck from NOLA - kids ate leftover pizza.

In the afternoon, I had a little time to take them over to the Louisiana Children's Museum after a regrettably lightning-quick walk-through of the Ogden Museum's amazing collection of Southern Art. After running around and around for a couple of hours, the kids were knocked out and wanted to go straight back to the hotel room. All along, part of the problem of this trip was explaining to the kids why we went to the trouble of staying in this place full of secret compartments and escalators, then spent so little time in it. Also, believe me, you don't want to force kids to sit in a restaurant against their will - they'll make you pay for it.

Luckily, we didn't have to resort to room service for dinner, since Mother's was nearly directly on the way back from the Children's Museum to the hotel. Second visit gave me a chance to try the Ferdi's Special (roast beef, ham, and debris) , as well as the Oyster Po-Boy. Anyway, there was a LOT of meat in these guys.

I'd read in a couple old books that the oyster po-boy was referred to as the "mediatrice" or "peacemaker", but from reading a lot of menus on this trip it doesn't seem to be a term that's used anymore. The oysters stayed crisp amidst all the mayonnaise, though my daughter refused to eat them because of the "green stuff".

The Ferdi's special, as expected, had just the right amount of debris. Was surprised, however, that the baked ham in the Special didn't have any ham "burnt ends" that were noted on the menu.

Monday: Morning was filled up again. However, in the afternoon, the conference wound down and the wife and kids went off with one of her UH friends, leaving me free, free, free to my own devices. Was determined to make it to Uglesich's after reading Pableaux Johnson's warning that the place might not be around much longer. Of course, given how often I'm likely to have an chance to visit New Orlean's, there are likely a lot of places that won't be around if and when I return. But still. . .

Took the St. Charles Streetcar just past Lee Circle, then walked up a couple slightly ramshackle blocks to the restaurant at about 3 in the afternnon. This turned out to be a good time, as there were empty chairs instead of the line out the door that you apparently face every lunchtime.

As promised, Anthony Uglesich was manning the counter and walking amongst us mortals.

Ordered one of the trademark dishes, the "Paul's Fantasy", made from pan-fried trout or catfish, topped with grilled shrimp and new potatoes. Chose the trout despite the waiter's warning that "the trout is more popular but the catfish is better" because I hadn't tried trout this whole trip. This is truly The Dish that Butter Made - butter permeates everything, yet the dish itself is not greasy. The fish crust and potatoes are crisp, but the butter isn't burnt. The whole thing is topped with chopped green onions and parsley. Squeeze a little lemon on top; the tartar sauce is gratuitious. Hard to see how the catfish could be any better.

Still had some room and ordered the Stuffed Fried Mirlitons, but the waiter insisted on me having the Fried Green Tomatoes in Remoulade sauce instead. O.K., being the hick from out of town, I wasn't going to overrule him again. Know that the Fried Green Tomatoes with Remoulade and Shrimp is an Upperline creation, and unfortunately I didn't have a chance to go there and try the original (though I managed to walk past Upperline when it was closed - see below). The Uglesich version was extremely crisp like the "fantasy". The Remoulade sauce was not as mayonaissey as the other versions I'd had, nor was it bright orange like the Arnaud version. Instead, the dominant note was creole mustard, and a lot of it. . .

I had a chance to talk to Mr. Uglesich, and asked him to confirm the story that he might close soon. Suprised at how unequivocal he was - fact is, he plans to close right away - "it's over", he said. The only possible exception would be if "someone who knows what their doing" comes around soon. He seemed rather dubious that such a person existed, though he did ask if I or anyone else knew of anybody, even from out of town, that fit the bill. Have any ideas, gentle readers? As of now, it seems you'll have a chance to eat at Uglesich's only until the start of his annual summer sabbatical, which this time will turn into a full-fledged retirement. . . Part of the reason he's releasing a cookbook now, he said, is to preserve the old recipes now that they won't be preparing them any longer at the restaurant.

In a wistful mood, I decided to spend the remaining hour or two of the afternoon walking around a bit. Took the St. Charles streetcar to its terminus at stop 51. Realized at I had visited New Orleans too late to sample food at long-closed St. Charles' standards such as Corrine Dunbar's and the Carribbean Room at the Pontchartrain Hotel. Doubled back and got off at stop 27, then walked down Upperline (past the Upperline restaurant, which unfortunately wasn't open yet) to Magazine St. Walked east to Washington Ave. in the Garden District, had a coffee at Cafe Rani, then took the No. 11 Magazine RTA back to Canal St. BTW, it's an itinerary I highly recommend.

Turned out that that wife and kids were eating dinner at the mall, so I went off and had dinner that night at Bennachin, a West African place on Royal St. just east of the Quarter. Given that it was our last night there, might seem strange that I didn't choose to have Cajun / Creole food. But in a way it was appropriate since West African cuisine is one of the important ancestors, perhaps the most important, of Cajun and Creole foods. I'd been meaning to try this place out (needless to say it's not possible to get decent West African food in Hawai`i!) and was headed back to the French Market area anyway to pick up some pralines, Zapp's Sweet Potato chips (my wife's food obsession the past week), seasonings, and such for the trip home.

Had Akara (white bean fritters) as my appetizer. Akara are usually made from beans that have already been boiled and mashed, so they end up being really stodgy - I can tell you this from sad trial and error. The Bennachin version was very fluffy, however. Could it be that they are mashing beans that are not fully cooked before frying? Or some bean flour added to it, plus a pinch of baking soda? Don't know, and was too bashful to ask. Anyway, enjoyed it a lot, though I was still stuffed my late lunch. . .

As my main, I had Egusi Soup - greens in a spicy meat broth, thickened with crushed seeds from the Egusi melon. This is probably the true precursor of gumbo, callaloo, and other Creole and Carribbean soups; it's been around from hundreds of years and always featured that characteristic "draw", the somewhat slimy viscosity that makes it easy to pick up with your fingers or a ball of fufu - mashed starchy vegetable, fruit, or grain. This version was particularly hot and also featured a lot of tomato, as well as strongly pronounced garlic / ginger flavors. Big chunks of stew beef, and not as much greens as some other versions.

The huge loaf of yam fufu that came with the soup was particularly intimidating, and I didn't have room in my stomach for more than a fraction of it. This is not the Southern yam / sweet potato, but rather the true yam, the huge rough-skinned root with white flesh that is a close relative to taro ("cocoyam"). Made a lame attempt to eat the soup the "proper" way, which is to roll the steaming hot fufu into a ball with your forefingers, then dip in the boiling hot stew, then eat it. Ended up eating most of it with a fork, and saving most of the fufu for later (which later, I wasn't sure).

As mentioned, I'll try to sum up soon. . .

[patti]

I'm very new to eGullet and have spent time reading through some of the Louisiana threads (haven't branched out much, yet). This particular thread, though, has been my favorite, so far. The pictures and commentary are wonderful. But damn hard on a Cajun who is trying to low carb it. The picture of the oyster poboy almost made me cry. <sniff> Thanks for the exquisite food/travelogue.

[Mayhaw Man]

Thanks for the great reports and I am so sorry that I was out of town and could not meet you this weekend, but a family emergency (a big one) has kept me in North Louisiana since Sunday Morning.

Man, Bennachin is directly under my wife's apt. I mean directly under.

You have done everyone a great service with these detailed threads and I am sure that future readers (not to mention me) will greatly appreciate it.

Glad you had a great trip and arrived home safely.

Brooks

[skchai]

Thanks for the compliment, SmrtAss (if I may call you that), and welcome to eGullet. I'm actually been trying to reduce my carb and fat intake as well, but (very easily) decided that it was worthwhile to just let it go while I was in New Orleans. Now if I can only get back to it. . .

Mayhaw, don't worry at all about being out of town. I truly hope that things have worked out O.K. regarding the family emergency. Maybe we'll have other chances to meet when you're here or I'm there again. Thanks so much to you and to Saturnbar and Rachel for giving us such valuable advice and making our trip more memorable than it would have been otherwise!

[Mayhaw Man]

I'm actually been trying to reduce my carb and fat intake as well,

New Orleans is a bad, bad, place for dieters following the Atkins Regimen

We'll see you next time or maybe in Hawaii this Winter. That is on our short list of places to take the boys this year.

[rlivings]

You have done everyone a great service with these detailed threads and I am sure that future readers (not to mention me) will greatly appreciate it.

Glad you had a great trip and arrived home safely.

Brooks

There is alot of great writeups in the Hawaii forums by skchai also, everyone should visit.

great photos btw!

[Varmint]

Hmmm, perhaps an Easter week spring trip is now in order for the L'il Varmints. I took them to Florida last year and gave Mrs. Varmint the week off. Perhaps I shall try such a venture again this year!

[Mayhaw Man]

For those of you that don't know, Dean has 4 children under the age of 11 (he never mentions this, so I thought that you should know ). Dean is a very brave man. Very brave.

You would have a great time.

[Varmint]

Oh, and I am driving the 3 younger L'il Varmints down to New Orleans in a couple of weeks. The oldest child will be in Colorado snow boarding with his godmother and will fly in on Good Friday. Mrs. Varmint will fly down on Wednesday, so I'll have a 3, 6 and 9 year old to myself for several days. Brooks has offered to join me.

[Varmint]

I drove down to New Orleans with my 3 younger children (4, 6, and 9 years old) for their Spring Break. We arrived on Saturday, Mrs. Varmint flew in on Wednesday, my 11-year old flew in from Denver (where he was snow boarding) on Friday, and we headed out on Easter morning. When I ask each of the children what their favorite thing to do in the city, I get 4 different answers, which demonstrates that New Orleans is indeed a fun town for kids. Of course, when I ask them what their favorite food was, I get a unified response of "BEIGNETS!!!!"

I'm going to start by saying something that has the potential to get me flamed in a big-time manner. I completely understand why New Orleans is such a great food town. It has great ingredients, an original cuisine, and some dishes that you just can't get anywhere else. On the other hand, and this is where I might get myself in trouble, I think that the historical excellence of creole/cajun/bayou/New Orleans cuisine has caused many places to become overly reliant on this. It seems that to some extent, creativity has been stifled, because people don't come to this city for something new. They come for the traditional dishes. They come for what this city's cuisine has been for years, and some offshoots of that. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, but to me, New Orleans' culinary brilliance is also its limitation.

Now I have to throw in a major caveat, one that should have prevented me from making these comments in the first place: I went to many a mid-level restaurant. I went to only one upscale place, Upperline, and that is a restaurant that prides itself on its traditional cuisine. Thus, had I gone to 10 more top restaurants, I might not have made these comments. Anyhow, this is something that should probably be part of another thread.

I'll provide a lot of pictures and very brief commentary of what we ate. I'll likely do this over the course of several posts.

The day we arrived, I asked the concierge at our hotel for a local place that is kid-friendly. I told them I didn't want a chain, the children were tired, and they weren't ready for anything overly new. She told me "Bubba Gump's." I groaned and decided to find something on my own. We ended up at the Crescent City Brewhouse on Decatur, and it wasn't half bad. My 6 year old ordered a burger, and you can see below that this was a nice specimen, wich a brioche-like bun. Good fries, too. Seeing this came from the dreaded kids menu, it sort of surprised Benjamin by its size. My 9 year old daughter, on the other hand, dismissed the kids menu and ordered the 10 ounce filet mignon. Sheesh. She ate almost all of it, too!

The desserts didn't look all that hot, so we walked over to Cafe du Monde for our first taste of beignets. They didn't disappoint (which became very evident as we ended up there 4 times in 9 days!).

Only a couple left! I noticed that when serving children, they put lots of extra sugar on them.

Clara showing proper beignet eating form. Well, proper powdered sugar eating form.

The next morning we took in the Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues. This is a great way to spend a Sunday with kids. The food is average at best, but the performance was excellent. And right across the street is the best record store you'll ever find.

Because it was brunch, we skipped lunch and then walked a couple of blocks to the Praline Connection for dinner. This was where my kids began their introduction to the local cuisine, and it went very well. We had limas and rice, macaroni and cheese, red beans and rice, corn bread, gumbo, jambalaya, collards, fried catfish, fried chicken, meatloaf, and bread pudding with praline sauce. I'd say this was more of a soul food type of restaurant, but the waiters were great. And the limas (of which I failed to take a picture), were the best.

The next morning we walked around the corner to have breakfast at Croissant d'Or. The kids liked the idea of having cake for breakfast, and I had a good ham & cheese croissant. The highlight for the kids, of course, was the fountain in the courtyard of the little boy peeing. Someone added a nice touch of putting pants (properly dropped, of course) on the statue.

We caught the free ferry to cross the Mississippi, landing in Algiers. We took a tour of Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World, which is a treat for young and old alike. My kids particularly liked putting on costumes.

I called Mayhaw Man, asked him where to go for seafood, and we headed to his former place of employment, Mike Andersons. Very solid crawfish bisque and a fine shrimp po boy. The kids had good catfish, red beans and rice, and fried shrimp.

This was our sole trip onto Bourbon Street, by the way. We quickly returned back to the land of the elite on Royal Street!

Dinner that night was take-out from the convenience store across the street, the Verti Marte. Folks, this is one run-down place. I normally wouldn't set foot in it, BUT, it has some of the best take-out food you could find. We feasted on macaroni and cheese, spinach and artichokes, green beans, salisbury steak, au gratin potatoes, broccoli with hollandaise, and other stuff I can't recall. Later that week, I had chicken breasts stuffed with smoked sausage. I love the Verti Marte. I wish I had one near me. Here's their menu, which you really can't see well. Sorry about that!

For breakfast the next morning, we went to Elizabeths in the Bywater district. This place is a "CAN'T MISS" in the New Orleans breakfast scene. My daughter ordered cheese grits, 2 scrambled eggs and a biscuit. What came out was nothing less than 4 eggs. My son's french toast stuffed with local strawberries and cream cheese was huge. And what did I eat? Heh heh heh. Praline bacon. Calas. Grillades and grits. You can get fried catfish for breakfast. The table next to me ordered dessert, simply because they're so good. They had a chocolate and fig pound cake on their menu, which I now want to figure out how to make. Here's some pictures.

I'll add more later.

[maggiethecat]

Varmint: Great post, great pictures. It's only been six weeks, but I want to go back. Now.

Why Dean, you 'dentical gentleman, you! Verti Marte is exactly the kind of place that I'd set foot into immedietely---and did. I agree: everyone needs a Verti Marte! (I am so attached to VM that I still carry around their take-out menu in my purse, for old times sake!)

From the street it looks like an old-time Chicago liqour store, and smells like one too -- musty and dusty. It's tiny. but few institutions in this country do so much for so few as the Verti Marte. It's open 24/7. It delivers. As Dean said, this is superior take-out food; a container of their red beans and rice with andouille is the best Monday morning breakfast anywhere. And I'm sure that eventually, God Willing, I'll get around to trying the French Fry Poor Boy.

You can buy a stamp. A newpaper. Cigarettes. Wine, booze, milk, juice. Aspirins at three am. (Go figure!) It's the place I pick up my Community chicory coffee ($4.95 a pound) before I head north.

And Grandma's Boarding House Meatloaf special on Wednesday: two sides, five bucks.

We all need a Verti Marte.

[Mayhaw Man]

Varmint: Great post, great pictures. It's only been six weeks, but I want to go back. Now.

Why Dean, you 'dentical gentleman, you! Verti Marte is exactly the kind of place that I'd set foot into immedietely---and did.    I agree: everyone needs a Verti Marte!  (I am so attached to VM that I still carry around their take-out menu in my purse, for old times sake!)

From the street it looks like an old-time Chicago liqour store, and smells like one too -- musty and dusty.  It's tiny. but few institutions in this country do so much for so few as the Verti Marte.  It's open 24/7. It delivers.  As Dean said, this is superior take-out food; a container of their red beans and rice with andouille is the best Monday morning breakfast anywhere.  And I'm sure that eventually, God Willing, I'll get around  to trying the French Fry Poor Boy.

You can buy a stamp. A newpaper.  Cigarettes. Wine, booze, milk, juice.  Aspirins at three am. (Go figure!) It's the place I pick up my Community chicory coffee ($4.95 a pound) before I head north.

And Grandma's Boarding House Meatloaf special on Wednesday: two sides, five bucks.

We all need a Verti Marte.

←

Not only that, but they get the NY Times in the middle of the night. They have fresh cut fruit salad year round, and if you ask nice they will hack off a hunk of pound cake, put it in a go container, and put fruit on top of that. A nice way to start the day.

For you Bourdain freaks out there:If you saw the New Orleans show, this is where he ordered the smokes, the whiskey, and all of the food from when he was too exhausted to go out. THey deliver to hotel rooms all over the quarter and the CBD.

[maggiethecat]

Not only all that, but it's a community kind of place. While I was buying a stamp to affix to a postcard to an ailing great-aunt (who had NO cousins named things like Rip) and asking directions to the nearest postbox---three blocks down Royal-- I felt a tap on my shoulder. The couple behind me in line, late sixties, chic and suave--said "Darlin', as long as you're mailing that postcard, would you mind taking ours too?" Of course I said yes, and had the pleasure of reading theirs. (Hello--wouldn't you?) They were all to buddies in Norwich, UK. Apparently the dapper silver-haired gent was staying in a friend's flat in the quarter and doing some serious painting.

Sigh. Verti Marte.

[Varmint]

After our breakfast at Elizabeths, I didn't think I'd be able to eat the rest of the day. How wrong I was, as after a morning at the Children's Museum (a block away from Emeril's, if you're interested), we walked over to Mother's, home of the famous debris po' boy. "Debris" is theoretically all the outside brown stuff that falls off beef roasts, along with lots of thin gravy. My 9 year old daughter surprised me by ordering half a debris po' boy, and since I was there, I ordered a full one. Ouch. Good sandwich -- damn good sandwich. Mother's always has a line out the door. You order at the counter, pay, get your drinks, and hope to find a table (one always appears just in time). Ten minutes later, your food is delivered to your table. The joint is a bit expensive, but they don't take tips, so it all works out in the end.

And so, I've eaten half the breakfast menu at Elizabeths and a 2 pound po' boy for lunch, so there's no way I could eat dinner, right? Wrong again. We headed two doors down from the apartment to Mona Lisa, a local pizza and pasta restaurant. Their specialty is a white garlic bread pizza -- essentially crust, fresh crushed garlic, olive oil, and cheese. Quite simple, and quite yummy. I ordered a pasta with shrimp and andouille -- gotta keep eating that Lousiana cuisine. I also ordered a bottle of red wine for myself, seeing I had all of 25 feet to walk home. I only drank half, as they let me take the rest home with me!

The next day's meals included beignets (again). We then went to lovely City Park, which is an awesome place to take the kids. They have a fantastic sculpture garden, art museum, playgrounds, and huge old live oaks that might be the best climbing trees ever. We walked over to a nearby restaurant, Fellini's, that's not worth discussing as you can find lots of restaurants like it in any town. Across the street, however, is a snowball emporium, Pandora's. Pick a flavor, or 5. For a buck, you'll get a finely shaved snowball with your choice from nearly 90 flavors. Mix and match flavors for a near infinite variety. I had honeydew, which wasn't even on the menu. The kids got sickenly sweet combinations (bubblegum and mint, anyone?). However, this place rocked. Oh, and although I didn't try any, they also sell homemade hot tamales, at 50 cents each.

For dinner that night, we went with friends to Upperline. I did not take my camera, so I apologize for the lack of photos. But let me cut to the chase. The food at Upperline is very good classic New Orleans cuisine. However, the reason this restaurant is one I'd want to go to on a regular basis is not for the food, it's because of the owner, JoAnn Clevenger. This woman treats all her guests like royalty. You've been invited into her home, where she will take all steps necessary to ensure you receive the top dining experience you can. She visited our table three times, not just to see if all was OK, but to show that she really cared if we were enjoying ourselves. She talked with us, not at us. When we were nearly the last table to leave, and then hung outside for more talk, she came out and talked some more. What a lady! The day that JoAnn is no longer part of this restaurant is the day that this restaurant's significance disappears. She's that important. She is grace personified.

More to follow.

[skchai]

Dean - thanks so much for your reports and pictures from your recent voyage across restaurants. Makes me feel like picking the whole family up and going to New Orleans again!

[SusanGiff]

I just wanted to say that this phenomenal and gorgeous thread is a VERY VERY BAD place to be at lunchtime when you're three weeks away from a trip to NOLA and are trying to be somewhat restrained in the meantime so you don't have to be at all restrained when you get there. I definitely plan to go through more thoroughly, and on a full stomach, as the trip draws closer.

That said, I gotta add that last year we brought our children, then 8 and 11, to Jazz Fest. I was nervous--I was afraid they would turn my favorite place in the world into a big fat drag by whining about the heat or how bored they were or how there was nothing for them to eat. Well, I underestimated both them and the Fest. JF is terrific for children with even a remote interest in music. (Words to make a mother's heart grow warm, uttered by my daughter a few weeks ago: "Can we go to the gospel tent again?") And the kids' area serves the culinary needs of children with extremely limited palates. Like mine. They have PB&J (your choice of jelly and bread), rice krispie treats, lemonade, etc.

Mayhaw Man, whenever I'm trying to talk my friends into joining us, I quote your line from last year: "The Best Restaurant in the World." That said, any jazz fest feasts we shouldn't miss when we come back this year? Last year's discoveries (for us) were the Cochon de Lait po boys and the crabmeat purses and the frozen cafe au lait, which to my mind is about the best way to start a day at jazz fest that I can think of. I definitely want to hit the boudin this year. What else do you recommend?

Susan