Gullible's Travels
Thursday, May 14, 2009
NOLA '09 - Restaurants
Re-reading these before I hit "post" makes it seem that I am focussing on the negatives so I should say that in all cases the food was fine and in some cases superb. Go to New Orleans and dine out - you will not be disappointed.
Thursday 16: Crescent city brewhouse http://www.crescentcitybrewhouse.com/
We have been here many times over our three trips. They brew a range of beers on the premises and do a taster menu of 4 or 5 beers. They have live music and the balcony has a view towards the river.
Friday 17: Montrel's Bistro. [Review on Trip Advisor]
Ate there late and it was basic. Plus no website, maybe I got the name wrong.
Saturday 18: Stella! http://www.restaurantstella.com/
Excellent taster menu in atmospheric surroundings. Pity the bar is next to the kitchen door for the pre-dinner cocktail. And the restaurant was bloody freezing. As it was 28°C all day I did not expect to have to wear my thermal long johns to go out for a meal.
Sunday 19: Feelings cafe (fauberg maurigny) http://www.feelingscafe.com/
We walked 10 blocks there and back which would be a recipe for muggings if you listen to the locals but we survived unscathed. Very interesting building. Only downside was sitting next to a table featuring a loud talking American very full of himself. So bad that as soon as we had finished our meal I moved our wine glasses to the courtyard to un-tense my shoulders.
Monday 20: Dante's kitchen http://www.danteskitchen.com/
It was meant to be a street car ride up Charles Avenue but we just missed one and had to get a cab. Very enjoyable one of our better meals out. But I do not know what they would make of southern Italian eating habits. They were putting chairs on tables at 10 o'clock when our local Locorotondo restaurant would just be filling up.
Tuesday 21: Gumbo shop http://www.gumboshop.com/
Does what it says on the tin. You know what you are getting. Busy, popular, full of tourists, good New Orleans cuisine, nice old building and courtyard. I realised that I had last been there over 20 years ago; I had not been there with Mary on either of our previous visits but with a previous companion way back when.
Wednesday 22: Orleans Grapevine http://www.orleansgrapevine.com/
We started off with a glass of wine on a pavement table and then, as we had no other plans, moved inside. Another icily air-conditioned venue; when quizzed on why the waitress hinted that it was much as for the benefit of the staff because it stopped the customers getting too hot and smelly. We both had the same dish, tuna, one rare, one medium-rare and they got it spot on for both plates - impressive.
Thursday 23: NOLA http://www.emerils.com/
One of New Orleans's (Louisiana's) top restaurants but I would not go back there again. Food was excellent but the room was icy cold, the other customers incredibly noisy all shouting their conversation and the waiters rushed not glided. Go for the buzz but not for a relaxed intimate, hand-holding dinner.
Friday 24: Eat http://www.eatnola.com/
A local BYO only one block from our apartment and in the French Quarter one block only means a couple of hundred yards. Short, simple, fresh menu and much frequented by the locals. We went in to book and "No booking" so I was glad we walked 30 min from the festival rather than queue for the shuttle bus. We rushed back to the apartment, showered and back to the restaurant in double quick time then had a very pleasant meal.
Saturday 25: G W Fins http://www.gwfins.com/
A complete contrast to NOLA. An excellent corner table (all of which were were well spaced out), a friendly maitre d', plenty of staff so they could glide in an unhurried manner. Quality food of course.
Sunday 26: K.Paul's http://www.kpauls.com/
Class act, attentive waiter, good food but I have trouble remembering more than that which maybe says something.
Monday 27: The Alpine Bistro http://www.thealpinebistro.com/
A very late lunch as we were going to the Rock'n'Bowl in the evening for a Snooks Eaglin tribute concert. I think the chef was on his lunch break as well but the food was OK when it eventually arrived.
No wonder I came back from New Orleans weighing an all time personal best(?). Diet starts Monday :-(
Re-reading these before I hit "post" makes it seem that I am focussing on the negatives so I should say that in all cases the food was fine and in some cases superb. Go to New Orleans and dine out - you will not be disappointed.
Thursday 16: Crescent city brewhouse http://www.crescentcitybrewhouse.com/
We have been here many times over our three trips. They brew a range of beers on the premises and do a taster menu of 4 or 5 beers. They have live music and the balcony has a view towards the river.
Friday 17: Montrel's Bistro. [Review on Trip Advisor]
Ate there late and it was basic. Plus no website, maybe I got the name wrong.
Saturday 18: Stella! http://www.restaurantstella.com/
Excellent taster menu in atmospheric surroundings. Pity the bar is next to the kitchen door for the pre-dinner cocktail. And the restaurant was bloody freezing. As it was 28°C all day I did not expect to have to wear my thermal long johns to go out for a meal.
Sunday 19: Feelings cafe (fauberg maurigny) http://www.feelingscafe.com/
We walked 10 blocks there and back which would be a recipe for muggings if you listen to the locals but we survived unscathed. Very interesting building. Only downside was sitting next to a table featuring a loud talking American very full of himself. So bad that as soon as we had finished our meal I moved our wine glasses to the courtyard to un-tense my shoulders.
Monday 20: Dante's kitchen http://www.danteskitchen.com/
It was meant to be a street car ride up Charles Avenue but we just missed one and had to get a cab. Very enjoyable one of our better meals out. But I do not know what they would make of southern Italian eating habits. They were putting chairs on tables at 10 o'clock when our local Locorotondo restaurant would just be filling up.
Tuesday 21: Gumbo shop http://www.gumboshop.com/
Does what it says on the tin. You know what you are getting. Busy, popular, full of tourists, good New Orleans cuisine, nice old building and courtyard. I realised that I had last been there over 20 years ago; I had not been there with Mary on either of our previous visits but with a previous companion way back when.
Wednesday 22: Orleans Grapevine http://www.orleansgrapevine.com/
We started off with a glass of wine on a pavement table and then, as we had no other plans, moved inside. Another icily air-conditioned venue; when quizzed on why the waitress hinted that it was much as for the benefit of the staff because it stopped the customers getting too hot and smelly. We both had the same dish, tuna, one rare, one medium-rare and they got it spot on for both plates - impressive.
Thursday 23: NOLA http://www.emerils.com/
One of New Orleans's (Louisiana's) top restaurants but I would not go back there again. Food was excellent but the room was icy cold, the other customers incredibly noisy all shouting their conversation and the waiters rushed not glided. Go for the buzz but not for a relaxed intimate, hand-holding dinner.
Friday 24: Eat http://www.eatnola.com/
A local BYO only one block from our apartment and in the French Quarter one block only means a couple of hundred yards. Short, simple, fresh menu and much frequented by the locals. We went in to book and "No booking" so I was glad we walked 30 min from the festival rather than queue for the shuttle bus. We rushed back to the apartment, showered and back to the restaurant in double quick time then had a very pleasant meal.
Saturday 25: G W Fins http://www.gwfins.com/
A complete contrast to NOLA. An excellent corner table (all of which were were well spaced out), a friendly maitre d', plenty of staff so they could glide in an unhurried manner. Quality food of course.
Sunday 26: K.Paul's http://www.kpauls.com/
Class act, attentive waiter, good food but I have trouble remembering more than that which maybe says something.
Monday 27: The Alpine Bistro http://www.thealpinebistro.com/
A very late lunch as we were going to the Rock'n'Bowl in the evening for a Snooks Eaglin tribute concert. I think the chef was on his lunch break as well but the food was OK when it eventually arrived.
No wonder I came back from New Orleans weighing an all time personal best(?). Diet starts Monday :-(
Labels: nola, restaurants
¶ Permanent link: 9:22 PM 1 comments
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
NOLA '09 - Jazz and Heritage Festival
New Orleans is a fantastic city and we had a wonderful time at the Jazz Fest - or the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival to give its full title. There was some concern that it might not live up to my rose-tinted memories but in the event it matched or even exceeded them. The weather was a ruler straight 28°C and sunshine the entire time, the music was great, the food was delicious and the people were friendly.
So many times as soon as I opened my English mouth the person next to me would say "You're not from here. Where are you from?". "London, England" I would reply. "Welcome" was the invariable response often followed up by a friendly conversation.
Mardi Gras Indians at The Jazz Fest
We saw many great acts. The Jazz Fest is held at the race track. Once inside you can wander all day from stage to stage with a huge array of food (and drink) stalls for grazing on some of the best cajun and creole food. Just a fantastic time.
Crowd Scene at the Acura Stage
We bought a couple of folding picnic chairs, as did many, many others, and would carry them until a particular stage caught our eye where we would set our pitch and watch several acts, with occasional forays elsewhere - there were just so many acts to see.
The whole atmosphere is so relaxed it was a joy to be there. NOLA is my favourite American city by a long way.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8179454@N02/sets/72157618006007772/detail/ ¶ Permanent link: 10:28 PM 1 comments
New Orleans is a fantastic city and we had a wonderful time at the Jazz Fest - or the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival to give its full title. There was some concern that it might not live up to my rose-tinted memories but in the event it matched or even exceeded them. The weather was a ruler straight 28°C and sunshine the entire time, the music was great, the food was delicious and the people were friendly.
So many times as soon as I opened my English mouth the person next to me would say "You're not from here. Where are you from?". "London, England" I would reply. "Welcome" was the invariable response often followed up by a friendly conversation.
Mardi Gras Indians at The Jazz Fest
We saw many great acts. The Jazz Fest is held at the race track. Once inside you can wander all day from stage to stage with a huge array of food (and drink) stalls for grazing on some of the best cajun and creole food. Just a fantastic time.
Crowd Scene at the Acura Stage
We bought a couple of folding picnic chairs, as did many, many others, and would carry them until a particular stage caught our eye where we would set our pitch and watch several acts, with occasional forays elsewhere - there were just so many acts to see.
The whole atmosphere is so relaxed it was a joy to be there. NOLA is my favourite American city by a long way.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8179454@N02/sets/72157618006007772/detail/ ¶ Permanent link: 10:28 PM 1 comments
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
NOLA '09 - Hurricane Katrina
Between the FQF and the Jazz Fest we moved from Le Richelieu to an apartment, also in the French Quarter, and had a few days to relax.
Our Apartment in the French Quarter
http://www.historicrentals.com/
This, of course, does not involve sitting with a glass of wine and reading a book. Instead it went like this:
M & M relax outside the Orleans Grapevine
http://www.orleansgrapevine.com/
We were a bit in two minds about the Katrina tour, a bit ghoulish perhaps, but were glad we did. Our guide Jenny is a native of NOLA and tour guide for many years, She gave us a first hand account of the devastation, the incompetence of FEMA, the venality of the insurance companies and the traumas of living through it all. And people are still living through it. It will take decades to repair the damage and some things will never be fixed.
Books have been written so I will focus on my main impressions:
Much of the devastation was man-made: design flaws in the levees (built on sand) and the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet Canal (aka "Mr GO") which caused erosion of protective wetlands and increased storm surge. The Corps of Engineers are not popular with many of the people of New Orleans. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_River_Gulf_Outlet
Many people died because they would not leave their pets behind. The authorities refused to take animals. Many pets became homeless, ownerless and in need of rescue. Jenny was actively involved in Animal Rescue New Orleans which has rescued and re-homed thousands of animals. Emergency plans now include contingency plans for evacuation of companion animals. http://www.animalrescueneworleans.org/
The inaccuracies and bias in the media. The exaggeration of the situation in the Superdome, the focus on the Lower Ninth Ward when other blue collar areas were more devastated. And white collar, professional areas were hit too. It doesn't matter if you had a well paid job and a nice home it is still devastating to lose everything, and I do mean everything. To be left with nothing but the clothes you stand up in.
We still had opportunity to continue the corporate mission of "Eat, Drink and Have a Good Time" with many fine restaurants and coffee at the Cafe du Monde. One of my favourite tweets was that Beignets are not iPhone-friendly. All that icing sugar makes the touch screen very tacky.
Coffee and Beignets at Cafe du Monde
http://cafedumonde.com/
Full set of photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8179454@N02/sets/72157617916909257/detail/
Between the FQF and the Jazz Fest we moved from Le Richelieu to an apartment, also in the French Quarter, and had a few days to relax.
Our Apartment in the French Quarter
http://www.historicrentals.com/
This, of course, does not involve sitting with a glass of wine and reading a book. Instead it went like this:
- Monday: did a Katrina tour with Tours by Isabella http://www.toursbyisabelle.com/ to visit the devastated areas
- Tuesday: hired bikes and cycled for 4 hours along the levee
- Wednesday: cycled up to Lake Pontratrain and back and forth along its shore - another 4 hours. Then Wednesday at the Square - another free concert in the Central business district http://www.wednesdayatthesquare.com/index.html
- Thursday: helping out at the Community centre St Bernard Parish http://www.ccstb.org/ hearing more first-hand tales of trauma and survival and rebuilding
M & M relax outside the Orleans Grapevine
http://www.orleansgrapevine.com/
We were a bit in two minds about the Katrina tour, a bit ghoulish perhaps, but were glad we did. Our guide Jenny is a native of NOLA and tour guide for many years, She gave us a first hand account of the devastation, the incompetence of FEMA, the venality of the insurance companies and the traumas of living through it all. And people are still living through it. It will take decades to repair the damage and some things will never be fixed.
Books have been written so I will focus on my main impressions:
Much of the devastation was man-made: design flaws in the levees (built on sand) and the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet Canal (aka "Mr GO") which caused erosion of protective wetlands and increased storm surge. The Corps of Engineers are not popular with many of the people of New Orleans. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_River_Gulf_Outlet
Many people died because they would not leave their pets behind. The authorities refused to take animals. Many pets became homeless, ownerless and in need of rescue. Jenny was actively involved in Animal Rescue New Orleans which has rescued and re-homed thousands of animals. Emergency plans now include contingency plans for evacuation of companion animals. http://www.animalrescueneworleans.org/
The inaccuracies and bias in the media. The exaggeration of the situation in the Superdome, the focus on the Lower Ninth Ward when other blue collar areas were more devastated. And white collar, professional areas were hit too. It doesn't matter if you had a well paid job and a nice home it is still devastating to lose everything, and I do mean everything. To be left with nothing but the clothes you stand up in.
We still had opportunity to continue the corporate mission of "Eat, Drink and Have a Good Time" with many fine restaurants and coffee at the Cafe du Monde. One of my favourite tweets was that Beignets are not iPhone-friendly. All that icing sugar makes the touch screen very tacky.
Coffee and Beignets at Cafe du Monde
http://cafedumonde.com/
Full set of photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8179454@N02/sets/72157617916909257/detail/
Labels: nola
¶ Permanent link: 5:20 PM 1 comments
Monday, May 11, 2009
NOLA '09 - French Quarter Festival
This year was our third visit to New Orleans for the French Quarter Festival (http://www.fqfi.org/) and the first weekend of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival (http://www.nojazzfest.com/). The Jazz Fest has fixed dates and the FQF moves about. Every now and then they are contiguous and we go visit. This happened in 1998, 2001 and now 2009.
Dancing to Tom McDermott and the Jazz Hellions on Royal Street
The FQF is a much smaller, more intimate festival attracting a local crowd. It is held on the streets of the FQ and along the waterfront. And it is free! It is paid for by sponsors and the proceeds from the food and drink stalls. So to help keep it free all we have to to is drink Abita beer and eat gumbo and crawfish :-)
Lunch at the Old Mint - Crawfish and Stuffed Artichoke
For more photos see http://www.flickr.com/photos/8179454@N02/sets/72157617976619024/detail/ ¶ Permanent link: 8:57 PM 1 comments
This year was our third visit to New Orleans for the French Quarter Festival (http://www.fqfi.org/) and the first weekend of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival (http://www.nojazzfest.com/). The Jazz Fest has fixed dates and the FQF moves about. Every now and then they are contiguous and we go visit. This happened in 1998, 2001 and now 2009.
Dancing to Tom McDermott and the Jazz Hellions on Royal Street
The FQF is a much smaller, more intimate festival attracting a local crowd. It is held on the streets of the FQ and along the waterfront. And it is free! It is paid for by sponsors and the proceeds from the food and drink stalls. So to help keep it free all we have to to is drink Abita beer and eat gumbo and crawfish :-)
Lunch at the Old Mint - Crawfish and Stuffed Artichoke
For more photos see http://www.flickr.com/photos/8179454@N02/sets/72157617976619024/detail/ ¶ Permanent link: 8:57 PM 1 comments
