The French Quarter at Royal Street

The French Quarter at Royal Street

I’m home from New Orleans, and that pretty little city definitely lives up to everything it promises – even if you don’t go for Mardi Gras. The party never stops. Every night Bourbon Street is blocked off to make way for the fun-loving partiers who are drinking in the street (and a street-cleaner comes through every morning). Live music spills out of almost every doorway and it’s great to bounce from one bar to the next when you’re ready to hear another band. I was also excited to find out that people throwing beads are lined up along the balconies all year round. (And no, you do NOT have to lift up your shirt to get beads. Just put your hands in the air and awesome people will be happy to share their fun with you.)

Besides the parties and the beads, New Orleans is also known for great food, and you might remember from my last blog post that I was mostly excited about everything I was going to eat. Well, with so many dishes drowning in butter and cream, I was not disappointed. Actually, that’s not true. I was disappointed that I couldn’t eat at every restaurant I passed on the street! I was there for a week and I still couldn’t fit in all of the good eats I wanted. I definitely need to plan another trip.

In case you’re wondering, my three favorite meals were (in no particular order) shrimp and grits at NOLA Restaurant, linguine with white clam sauce at Mona Lisa and eggs marigny at The Marigny Brasserie. That last one turned out to be my most controversial meal of all times. I checked out their brunch menu online and salivated over one special dish for a month. Try to imagine it – a version of eggs benedict but made with a crab cake and a fried green tomato and topped with a Cajun hollandaise – YUM! I got to the restaurant to learn that they had changed the menu; OH NO! But after seeing how sad I was the wonderful people there were awesome enough to make it for me anyway – and it was excellent. If you go, call ahead and see if they can accommodate; it’s incredible!

Probably my favorite thing about the city is that I can indulge myself on all of the fatty foods I want because it’s almost impossible not to burn off the calories. The best way to explore French Quarter is on foot. And there’s so much to see and do that your feet never seem to get tired. We only rented a car for one day when we decided to get out of the city and visit the famous Oak Alley Plantation, where they filmed “Interview with a Vampire” and a slew of other movies and TV shows. It’s a cool place to enjoy a mint julep, and not too far from the swamp tours on the bayou.

Now it’s time to start thinking about where I want to go for my next trip. Any suggestions?