I just came back from a 4-day trip to New Orleans, LA with my loved one and I have a lot of things to share. As we were strolling through the streets of the French Quarter, our belly full of good food and our ears full of good music, I thought I would share some of my first time experiences with the Big Easy.

The plan was obviously to relax. With a room booked in one of the nicest hotel in NOLA - the Windsor Court Hotel - we knew we were in for a treat. We spent our time either eating (like a friend of mine said, “it’s hard to get a bad meal in New Orleans”), listening to local Jazz bands or relaxing while sipping a bottle of red wine...

Food

Here’s a quick account of the places where we ate and a quick review. Note that they are all located in the French Quarter. I put a link to the places I would recommend, you can use Google for the other ones.

The Pearl Restaurant Oyster Bar (St Charles Ave.)
The restaurant looks fancy from the outside but looks more like a NY diner on the inside. The food was ok but nothing compared to what we experienced during the rest of the trip. I was told to try anything Po-Boy so this was the perfect time: it was still raining outside and the hotel wasn’t ready for us. We had Cat Fish Nuggets for appetizer and Shrimp Po-Boys. If you’ve never been to New Orleans, give it a shot, it’s an interesting experience.


The Gumbo Shop (St Peter St.)
We wanted to treat ourselves to a good restaurant on the first evening so we decided to go to the Gumbo Shop. The dinning area was rather small but pretty rustic with what appeared to be very tall old painted tapestries on the walls. We had the Gumbo as an appetizer followed by the Filet Mignon with garlic mashed potatoes and Jambalaya with creamed spinach and Bread Pudding with Whiskey for dessert. I can’t recommend the spinach, my mom’s better :) but I can definitely say that the filet mignon was one of the most tender and flavor-full piece of meat I’ve ever tasted! Definitely will go back to the Gumbo Shop!


Somethin’ Else Cafe (Conti St)
If you want good food at a reasonable price, this is the place to go! Whenever we go back to NOLA, this is where we are eating every breakfast and lunch until we get tired of it! The place looks like a small french bakery with very high ceilings and a door that’s hard to open. The service was not the fastest the first time we went but the food was definitely outstanding. We had the Crab Cake NOLA for breakfast and the Bananas Foster Pain Perdue. With OJ and Coffee, the check was about $20 and we left with a smile on our faces and a full stomach.

By the way, if you wonder what Pain Perdu is (or Perdue as they spelt it on the menu), it is what most people call French Toasts. Poor families in France would never let an old baguette go to waste (Lost = Perdu in French) so they would mix the old hard bread with a little bit of milk, an egg, and add a little bit of sugar. It was a usual Sunday night dish when I grew up.

We decided to go back to the little cafe for lunch a few days later and I discovered the Shrimp Burger. A patty of shredded shrimps, mixed with various spices and topped with some spicy mustardy sauce. The patty was very moist and each bite wouldn’t come fast enough! I loved it so much that I decided to make my own shrimp burger when we came back to Florida and I have to admit it was a success! We also had the Boudin Balls for an appetizer, I had never had boudin in the US until that day. It was a bit different (boudin is a blood sausage in France) but definitely worth the try. The Popeye Salad was also great, covered with shrimp and crab meat. The best part with this restaurant is that the portions are right. You are not hungry nor full when you leave and you don’t feel like you have to force yourself to clean your plate.

Definitely going back, great place!


Royal Street Deli (Royal St)
The Royal Street Deli was everything but a deli and yet it was a good place to eat. The windows were tattooed with peace signs and it probably would be more appropriate to call it the Royal Street Hippie Cafe. Nonetheless, the place was welcoming, quiet, yet within a few blocks of the loud Bourbon Street. We had the Gator Po-Boy (with Gator sausage!) and the Dill Salmon Salad (guess who got what...). We tried the Apple and Brie toast for appetizer and we are definitely making them at home for our next dinner party. The prices were reasonable but beware that the minimum charge for credit cards is $10. We went back on a rainy afternoon and had some home-made brownies. Good Stuff.


Cafe du Monde (Decatur St)
I grew up on beignet during cold Fall afternoons (called Beignet de Carnaval) so we had to try Cafe du Monde and their famous beignets. In order to stay away from the day crowds, we decided to go at 10pm after a few beers at Fritzels. The place was quiet, the hot chocolate a little watery and far from home made but the beignets were decent. I guess it’s part of the New Orleans experience so if you’re a first timer, you just gotta do it...


Court of Two Sisters (Royal St)
The Court of Two Sisters is one of the restaurants I will not go back to in New Orleans. Nothing terrible but nothing great either. If you like buffet food and want some background music while you eat in a quiet environment, this is the place for you. If you want some real live NOLA Jazz and local creole food, you will more than likely be disappointed. The food was very similar to what you would find at a buffet on a cruise. So do yourself a favor, save the $26 per person and cook yourself a good meal at home, set the table in your back yard, put on a good Jazz CD and even invite your neighbors to sit at the table next to you.
One positive note about the Court: the Turtle soup au Sherry is outstanding!


Desire Oyster Bar (Bourbon St)
While we tried to stay away from the noisy and crowded Bourbon St, we had to try a real Oyster bar. This one was recommended by a friend (thank you Sherry) and was up to our expectations. We tried the Oysters Desire for an appetizer and licked the garlicky sauce off the half shelves! We also tried the traditional Dozen Oyters on the half shelves and the Muffaletta, two New Orleans classics. While the prices were a little high and the waiter was in a hurry, it was a good experience.


Crescent City Brewhouse (Decatur St)
We went to this place primarily for Jazz. The band was mediocre (background Jazz) so we tried the food :)
Along with our 5 beer samplers, we tried the Baked Brie... A full brie baked until soft, covered with warm apples and served with warm bread. Appetizer heaven!


Community Coffee House (Royal St)
Wannabe Starbucks but without the overly sweet and overly priced drinks, this was a good find for a simple breakfast. Get a few croissants and a coffee and start your day on the right foot!


Jazz
New Orleans: city of Jazz. Being both Jazz enthusiasts, it was our intent to find some good ol’ New Orleans Jazz places. Here are a few places we found Jazz at:

Fritzel’s European Bar (Bourbon St)
While it appears that all the good Jazz places moved away from the noisy, crowded and overly commercialized Bourbon Street, Fritzel’s is one of the last places where you can listen to good Jazz in a friendly and warm atmosphere. You wouldn’t even know the place was there if you walked too fast in front of it. With about 20 seats in the back, the band stands on a small podium for everyone to enjoy.
The first band we had the pleasure to listen to was the Jumbo Shrimp Jazz Band. Four goofy players who lit up the room with some happy, leg shaking Jazz. A trumpet, a trombone, a bass and a drum, that’s all you need! We even bought their $10 CD at the end and listen to it almost every day!
The second band (2 days later), was Tom Fischer and Friends. I have to admit that we had a blast with the first band but these guys were even more amazing. The clarinet player was very technical and fast and the guy on the piano was the fastest I have ever seen in my life. I wish we had stayed an extra week so we could hear them again...
We decided that Fritzel’s was the place to be for Jazz in New Orleans. We will definitely go back again.

The Preservation Hall
We knew the Preservation Hall before heading to NOLA because of the Preservation Hall Band that we both enjoyed. During our last evening, we decided to wait in line with 30 other people to visit the famous place. And what a disappointment it was...

First of, we were welcome by the flash and camera nazi police. A poor guy was taking pictures with his video camera and was almost escorted out because it looked like he was filming! Come on people, it is the 21st century, I could have recorded the whole gig with my iPhone and no one would have never known anything....

Second of, the $12 charge is a rip off. The band (not even the Preservation Hall Band) played less than 50 minutes, most people were standing up, even though I almost think I would have preferred standing... The place was crammed with way too many people and it was hot and humid...
The band was boring, I could hardly get in the mood to shake my leg to the tempo. It seemed like every song was a solo of each of the five players. I like solos and think that everyone in the band should get to play one throughout the concert but when the entire (short) concert is a series of solos, I don’t really enjoy it. We almost left in the middle of it and were floored to see that people (tourists I guess) were all excited about the music!

We decided to go back to Fritzel’s right after and finished our trip with a good note!

Oh and don’t forget to bring cash there because the ATM right next door will charge you $3.99 fee for a withdraw (on top of the $2 my bank charged me)... I wish we would have kept our $24 and spent them on tipping the band at Fritzel’s!

Background Jazz
We experienced some background Jazz at the Crescent City Brewery and the Court of Two Sisters. Nothing very exciting. In the future, I think we will spend more time on French Street which is apparently the place to be nowadays to catch some good Jazz.

That’s it for now, I wonder how many people will make it all the way to the end of this boring review.

We had a blast, now we’re getting ready for Peru! Yay!