Living a tasteful life

Monday, April 10, 2017

New Orleans Travel Recap | Part 3 + Top Places to Dine

I'm sharing part three of my New Orleans trip a bit later than planned, but better late than never I suppose. If you're just tuning in, you can find part one here and part two here. I didn't intend for this recap to be this long, but there were so many good things to share, I didn't want to leave anything out. 

We spent our last full day exploring the city by foot, starting with breakfast in the neighborhood we were staying in. I loved all of the cute colorful houses that lined the streets.
We had a quick breakfast at Elizabeth's Restaurant, a small dining spot with quirky local art covered walls, serving country classics with a little something extra.
This French Toast burrito is the perfect example. Scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage stuffed in a french toast battered tortilla, topped with powdered sugar and syrup  — a winning combination!
After breakfast we headed to the Garden District to explore more of the historic area. And to be quite honest, we also heard there were some celebrity homes in the area as well. Like this charming Victorian house below that belongs to Sandra Bullock. Too bad she wasn't home.
 We added a quick pit stop at Cochon to our itinerary as we made our way back. 
The appetizers were amazing! I can only imagine what an entire meal would have tasted like. We ordered the fried alligator and the wood-fired oysters. There was so much flavor in both of these dishes.
I'm almost embarrassed to admit that after we left there and got back to Bourbon Street, we went back for another round of charbroiled oysters at the Bourbon House. It's all the guys wanted to do, and that was fine by us.
 Best. Charbroiled Oysters. Ever!
We did a little afternoon shopping for souvenirs which was successful until we later realized that evening we had left all of our things in the cab we took to dinner. We were so bummed. The entire trip we had beein taking uber everywhere, which would have given us a record of the driver. Of course, the one time we decided to take a cab and pay cash this happens. #fail
The wine before dinner may have contributed to our forgetfulness. 
We enjoyed our last meal at one of my favorite places in New Orleans, Pêche. I had the pleasure of meeting the chef a few years ago at a guest chef event at my office. I was completely blown away by the food he prepared for us and was thrilled when I got the chance to eat at his restaurant last year. I just knew that we had to have our final meal here so that our friends could get a taste of all the hype. We went a little overboard with ordering, but it was worth it. 
Pictured above, delicious bite size shrimp toast and a warm bowl of classic gumbo.  Below, a plate of hushpuppies, because we were told we needed to order these. 
This steak tartare was the dish I fell in love with when Chef Prewitt came to Charleston. This is seriously the best I've ever had. An enormous amount of flavor packed into the heaping piles of steak, drizzled with oyster aioli on top of crispy, toasted bread. That's the stuff dreams are made of.
These crawfish rice croquettes were also really good. I definitely began to change my view on crawfish after this trip. You can't go wrong when you add cheese and rice to the mix.
By the time our main entree made it's way to the table, the food coma was starting to set in. I'm glad we didn't throw in the towel because the baked drum with mushroom broth and cala was incredible. 
An awesome dinner and a great way to end a wonderful trip! 
I can't say enough about how much fun we had. Most of the trip was spent eating our way through the city and that's why New Orleans was the perfect place to visit. Good food is always better when shared with great friends. I'm looking forward to planning our next adventure!

If you're looking for a new dining destination, the Big Easy has it all. Here's a list of my favorites from my past two visits. I  promise they're worth the trip.

Breakfast/Brunch:
Ruby Slipper Cafe- This fried chicken eggs benedict is amazing. 
Café Du Monde- You can't visit New Orleans without having a few beignets!
Bywater Bakery- Grab a breakfast "go" cup, coffee and something sweet.

Lunch:
Willa Jean: This place should be on the brunch and lunch list. Beautiful space and delicious food. Don't leave without having a milk money latte.
Acme Oyster House- Sit at the oyster bar and watch them shuck away. 
The Carousel Bar & Lounge-  Liquid lunch...I can't speak for the food, but go for a cocktail.
The Bourbon House- This place will fulfill all of your charbroiled oyster dreams. Plus plenty of po boy amazingness. 

Dinner:
Pêche Seafood Grill- The steak tartare is a must.
Luke - amazing shrimp and grits
MOPHO- a little further out, but definitely worth the drive! Brussel sprouts, Mopho Tom Sam Salad and the slow roast lamb in green curry, so good!
Brennan's- A great place for happy hour outside in the courtyard followed by dinner in the restaurant. 
La Petite Grocery- romantic setting and great food. 





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