New Orleans Post 1: The Food

New Orleans:  Now this is one of the most talked about cities in North America especially when it comes to food.  Now as I am sure you all know I am a vegetarian who still eats eggs and dairy.  In New Orleans the food here will mainly consists of seafood.  Though I do not eat that, I still pay attention to what people like.  So yes in terms of food this is probably more of a Siren Clan place but the Undead Clan (See previous post) will argue that this city is their domain. 

Despite the love of fish that this place has it is not impossible for a vegetarian to eat here.  The problem is that this city is busy this time of year so good luck finding a place that's available.  But here is a guide that I hope you will all try when you go on your culinary adventure in New Orleans.

Breakfast

The Most important meal of the day starts at the restaurant in my hotel, the Astor Crown Plaza.  This restaurant is called : The Bourbon House.  The menu is small but varied.  I decided to order the two egg breakfast.

Now this is a seemingly typical breakfast with the eggs and fruit cup but it is fresh, delicious and unforgettable.  What is unique is you get a really good taste of Cajun and Creole cooking starting with those potatoes as you see in the picture to the left.  These potatoes are my dream potatoes with those awesome spices.  I have to admit that I kept asking for these every breakfast that I had here. And of course, breakfast just isn't breakfast without a cup of (green) tea and an orange juice (not pictured here).  

Highly recommend this place for breakfast and yes my meat eaters and fish lovers.  You can get meat with these.  For us Veggie people we just ask for no meat.  (It's just that easy  :P)  This meal will keep you from being hungry for a long time.  It's not too large of a meal as you can see but it's a perfect size.  There is a niceness in knowing that you can finish your meal instead of having to box it up every single time.

The staff is very good here too.  Very friendly and ready to give you any suggestions or answer your questions.  If they don't have something they will find it for you.  When it comes to breakfast, go to the Bourbon House.

Lunch

Do you want the best burger of your whole exsistance?  The Bayou Burger is the place to go for a burger like you have never had in your life.  At this place you can choose all of your ingredients you want on your special burger (my favorites included the beer mustard, avocados and sautéed mushrooms) and even get to choose which patty would like.  It can be a veggie patty, chicken, beef or even fish.  Oh how wonderful is it to have these kinds of choices?  Even just writing about it now makes my mouth water like crazy.  Have a burger here and you will not be sorry.


Desserts and Treats

 
 


 No matter where you go, some day you will just want something sweet and tasty.  Go to the Café Beignet because this sweet French inspired coffee shop has a selection of lovely little desserts, pastries and fruit to satisfy a persons need for sugar.  As you can see I ordered the key line tart and was not sorry at all.  It was a combination of sweet and sour that satisfied every crazing craving that a lady can get.












Next in our culinary adventure is a pastry that New Orleans is really famous for which is sold at the incredibly famous Café Du Monde.  Now this is where these deep fried pastries called Beignets are. It is a very popular spot and always very busy no matter what time you go.  I myself have spent a few hours there waiting for these pastries.  So to say its busy is an understatement but worth it to try something new.  These pastries are just covered in a small mountain of icing sugar so they can be very sweet.  I myself am not a fan of deep fried stuff but this was worth trying.  So if you like these kinds of foods try them out.  What have you got to lose?

 

 
Supper

 

Now for dinner you are always wanting something that is perhaps not too heavy but satisfying.  My suggestion is going one of these places on Jackson Square like the Chartres House.  This is an outdoor meets indoor kind of restaurant.  The food is good, flavorful and fast while the staff is friendly, helpful and informative.  They are very good with directions and places to see. 

 I decided to have an appetizer since I wasn't that hungry.  This is the Spinach and Artichoke dip with fried bow tie pasta.  This was a dish that is a bit on the salty side but the dip is to die for.  now you may find this dip in many places but a true foodie will tell you that no recipe is exactly the same.  It is yummy and if you eat here, you are dining in a piece of history.

 

The Chartres House had everything.  It is a grocery store in 1873 that later becomes a favorite café for bohemian artists and writers (Tennessee Williams is a prime example).  It is a good place to enjoy some local flavor.  So check it out.

 

  

 Now if you really want to go to a fancy place where they make their staple; the Banana Foster then you want to go to Brennan's .  This isn't one of those hoity-toity places.  The people here are wonderful and really take care of you.  Myself and my companions have a very strict diets and nothing on the menu really appealed to us.  So we asked our waiter what he recommended and he helped us out big time and made sure that our food was exceptional.  You can't get treatment like that anywhere.  And the way they make your dessert right in front of you.  It was like you had a pyro-themed show in front of you. There we felt like queens so go there to feel like royalty yourselves.

Fast Food

Tracey's in the Garden District is said to have the best poi-boys that could be enjoyed.  After a long albeit good tour (See later post), a friend and I stopped at this place and got a look at where many locals like to hang out and have a beer.

  This place has the answer.  It is like one of those old fashioned hotdog stands.  A fun place to be with a really lax atmosphere.



 Now I have to admit I wasn't very adventurous today (at least I thought)  I just ordered some fried mushrooms and a salad.  It was very satisfying and it certainly does the job of filling you up.  A companion of mine had one of those famous poi-boys.  This is like a sub sandwich with lots of meat and flavorings.  So as he is a total guy, it is a safe bet that he enjoyed his meal too.

Conclusion

New Orleans is a place of culinary delights.  Their unique culture is certainly shown in this food.  There really isn't one meal I can say anything bad about.  You get introduced to new yet homey flavors, everything is cooked well and there is a lot of attention to detail in everything you get.  However, as I have said previously that it is a busy time when I went so you have to expect that is going to be hard to get into certain restaurants.  It is also hard to find vegetarian dishes so you do have to look but luckily the people are good and will help you find a place or make a dish in which your needs are met.  So I have to say that just eating here is an adventure all in itself.  Definitely come for the food.