New Orleans and Food

I went to New Orleans in 1995 with my buddies Rob and Dell. I wrote about that adventure here, http://10withamop.blogspot.com/2010/04/new-orleans-home-of-pirates-drunks-and.html I just got back and had a much different experience with my wife. Joyce and I had a blast in the Big Easy despite Southwest losing our luggage and our room not being ready when we first arrived. Other then my own home town, New Orleans has the best food in the country in my humble opinion. And this is coming from someone who is not the biggest seafood guy. Anyway, we did do a lot of sightseeing and hit some drinking establishments while we were there, but for the purposes of this post I will give a short synopsis of each meal we had in the order we ate them.

Mena’s Palace – We landed and were hungry. Our room wasn’t ready so, we just ventured into the Quarter looking for a quick bite. We were going to go to one place and instead Joyce saw a line for Mena’s. She assumed that since the place has a line to get in it has to be good. So, we called an audible and went there. That would be a good decision. The restaurant is small and that is why we waited. We got a table and I decided I am no vacation so, I am going to enjoy myself and I ordered the country fried steak. Holy balls was this thing good. The gravy was so rich and creamy that after the first bite I think I creamed my jeans. Joyce got the roast beef and that was also excellent. All that and it was under $20 for the both of us. I cannot recommend this place enough.

The Acme Oyster House – As I mentioned I am not the biggest seafood guy but, F*** it I am in New Orleans so, I am going to have some oysters. Man vs. Food was here and this is where Adam did his challenge. We knew there would be a line and even though we got there early sure enough there was a crowd waiting to get in. There was a family behind us and we started talking and the husband gave us the rundown of the place. We actually got in pretty quickly as we told the hostess that we didn’t mind sitting at the bar. Joyce and I decided to split an order of grilled oysters to start things off. I had always had oysters raw and never really got the appeal. However, grilled and fresh they were damn tasty. For our main course we decided to share. We went with an order of what they called Boo Fries which were fries with beef gravy and cheese draped over them, and a New Orleans medley which consisted of gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice, and grilled sausage. To cut to the chase everything we had here was outstanding. Fries were killer and it was the best bowl of gumbo I had. Joyce loved the red beans and rice. Really, if you hit this city I think you have to have at least one meal here.

Krystal’s – After spending some time in the Quarter enjoying a couple of adult beverages Joyce and I were heading back to our hotel room and walked by a Krystal’s. I have read that Krystal’s is the South’s version of White Castle so we decided to see if this was true. We got 2 each and they are almost identical to the original sliders. The only difference is that they put a smudge of mustard on theirs. So, ya it is a good midnight snack to soak up some of the booze we enjoyed.

Surrey’s Café – The next morning we were in the mood for some breakfast. Joyce did a little digging and found that this place wasn’t too far of a walk from our hotel. So, we decided to hoof it over there. It would be 3 for 3 as this place though a tad out of the way is well worth the trip. It is a small quaint little breakfast nook. Again we had to put our name in and it was about a 20-25 minute wait. But it was a wait that would be well worth it. Once we got a table we surveyed the menu. Everything I read online about the place basically said you have to get the bananas foster French Toast, so I did. Joyce went with some eggs and grits. We also each got a juice, me orange, Joyce carrot as again it was recommended. It was the freshest OJ I have ever had. The French Toast lived up to the billing and I inhaled it. I also had a spoonful of Joyce’s grits and I must say, I am not normally a grits guy but these were excellent. Another place I highly recommend.

Central Grocery – I am a fan of lunchmeat. So by extension of course I am a fan of mufalatta’s. You cannot go to the Big Easy without getting at least one. It is an absolute must. So, again we went online and did some digging and it was pretty much unanimous that the Central Grocery has the best in town. Joyce and I headed over there for a late lunch and yet again we were met with a rather large line of people waiting to get in. But, I was not to be deterred. The line took about a half hour to get to put in your order at the deli counter. All the while we are smelling some of the greatest smells on earth. It was a mix of olive oil, salami, and cheese. It is what I imagine heaven must smell like. By the time we got to the counter I was ready to eat. We decided to split a whole one and cut it in quarters. The place was mobbed so, we took it to go and found a bench in the Quarter and ate it outside. I went down on this thing like it was 1986 and I was Nina Hartley. I ate my half in record time. The olive salad on it was simply crack like. Joyce only ate a quarter and we took the other quarter back to the hotel as we had a fridge in the room. I hate to keep saying it, but again if you visit the Crescent City you are doing yourself a disservice if you don’t hit the Central Grocery.

Café Du Monde - I am not a coffee guy but Joyce is so, after our mufalatta we decided to get some coffee and beignets. The line to get a table stretched back to Chicago so, we opted to wait in the much shorter to go line. Joyce got a coffee and since I was there, I tried a hot chocolate. We also got a four pack of the beignets. The beignets are as good as advertised. Sweet, sugary and deep fried, what is not to like? I can’t speak to the coffee but Joyce said it was very good.

Doson Noodle House – After spending all day in the Quarter on Wednesday, Joyce and I decided to get adventurous for dinner. We hoped on a street car and headed off the beaten path to Doson Noodle House. That would be a mistake. We looked on yelp and the place was for the most part positively reviewed. We figured out the primitive map we had for the street car and headed out on it. The ride itself hit some rather interesting neighborhoods but the restaurant itself is located in a very nice area of town. We wanted to try some noodles as we are both fans of the genre. Let me say right off the bat that, I pride myself on tipping well. I know that it is not an easy job waiting tables and if I leave 20% that is low for me. You have to go out of your way for me to not leave a nice gratuity. Sadly, the waiter we had could not have been more unpleasant or unhelpful. The guy was just simply an asshole and treated us like warm dog shit. He was so bad it is hard to be impartial to the food. He turned me off so much, I put a big zero in the tip line, something I never do. We shared an order of steamed pot stickers that were ok. Not bad but not great. I got a beef noodle soup. Maybe I am spoiled by our Chinatown, but it was brutal. I can eat that soup seven days a week, but this version was just bland. Joyce got a lemongrass chicken thing and it was a little better then my soup. At some point we just decided to cut our losses and I vowed to nuke that asshead of a waiter on every website imaginable.

The Market Café – We took a bus tour on Thursday morning that lasted a bit longer than we expected. Not that, that is a bad thing as the tour itself was really fun. But we had not eaten all day and once we got dropped off we just wanted to grab something to eat were we would not have to wait in a line. That led us to choose the first place we laid our eyes on in the Market Café. They had a band playing and they were fun. Joyce and I each got a bowl of gumbo and decided to split a Po’ Boy. The gumbo was average at best. I added some hot sauce into it to make it a tad better. The Po’ Boy itself was nothing to write home about. It wasn’t bad but, not worth seeking out in anyway. Sadly, again our service was not very good. I am not sure it was entirely the waitresses fault as it was busy and it looked as if they didn’t have enough staff. With that said, I could have watched the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy in the time it took to get our check.

Mother’s – This was another Man vs. Food selection. As it turns out Mother’s was only about two blocks from our hotel room, so we just took a quick walk there. I wanted to redeem the bad Po’ Boy we had earlier and this looked like the place. So Joyce and I decided to again split a ham and roast beef version and an order of jambalaya and red beans and rice. Everything we had was very good. This is what a Po Boy should taste like. The ham alone is worth the trip. The jambalaya was very spicy and the beans and rice also had some kick. It does not look like much from the outside, but it is rather large as they have a ton of seating in the back. I was told this is a place locals hit so, that alone should be an endorsement.

Deanie’s Seafood Restaurant – We were on the fence about going here. Three different people recommended it yet when we went online the reviews were only average. So, we decided to give it a shot for lunch on Friday. We again each got a bowl of gumbo to start. Joyce claimed she could tell the seafood was not fresh so that is a negative. I just found it rather spicy so, I dug it. Joyce got a fried oyster Po’ Boy and I went with a grilled chicken sandwich. While you wait they also bring out some red potatoes that they are supposedly known for. I must say the potatoes alone are worth the trip. Loaded with some kind of peppery spice I could have eaten 50 of them and I am only slightly kidding. Joyce’s Po’ Boy (which I had a bite of) was really good. The chicken sandwich which was a gamble as this is a place known for seafood was actually a pleasant surprise. All in all I was skeptical but wound up really liking Deanie’s. Joyce liked it but was not as enthusiastic as me about the place.

Hoshun – On New Year’s Eve night we kind of wanted to get out of the Quarter as we knew it was going to be packed and most places were already booked. In our travels on the guided bus tour we had driven past a place called Voodoo Lounge which we were told by the bus driver has the best BBQ in N’awlins. So, our goal was to get in a street car and go there. However, the place has no air conditioning and it was hot as hell. So, before we sat down we called an audible and decided to try Hoshun a Chinese restaurant down the block. It would be a good call. We came to find out that Hoshun was voted one of the top 100 Chinese restaurants in America. It was perfect for New Years Eve. It was quiet, not terribly crowded and the food was good. They had sushi on the menu so Joyce went with their sushi sampler. I went with a General Tso Chicken combo that came with an egg drop soup and an egg roll. The soup was really good and I have eaten a lot of the General’s chicken over the years and this was one of the top 2 or 3 I have ever had. Joyce is very particular with sushi and she raved about it. My only complaint was the egg roll was more of a spring roll of which I am not a fan. But the chicken more than made up for it. We really went out on a high note for our last meal in town.