New Orleans, the Crescent City, has always been a vacation destination on the top of my list. This year was my four-year anniversary with my man so we decided we must celebrate our commitment to one another by eating and drinking in NOLA for a long weekend getaway. Not only did we pig out for 84 hours straight, but we also learned about New Orleans’ fascinating history and that it may be one of the only cities in the country that offers drive-through daiquiris. How do they get around the open container law you might ask? Obviously they leave the little piece of paper on the top of the straw! New Orleans has an energy like no other place in the United States. The residents of the city believe there is magic there, and I have to say after my long weekend that I am a believer.
When buzzing around the world, I really like to try and find unique places to stay. We hit the jackpot in New Orleans. We ended up staying right outside of the French Quarter in a beautifully restored Bed & Breakfast named Monrose Row. Monrose Row is situated in the heart of historical Faubourg Treme just two blocks from the French Quarter. A melting pot of cultures, the Treme was home to infamous Storyville and Basin Street. We got the entire top floor to ourselves and the house was intricately decorated with voodoo inspired art. Our lovely host Cindy not only made us a delicious breakfast every morning like French toast with caramelized almonds, but she was the best guide. Residents of New Orleans love their city and are quick to offer up the top places to catch a bite or watch a jazz show. Cindy was no exception and was so proud to share all of her favorite spots and some unique history that makes New Orleans so damn cool!
We landed on a Saturday night right around dinner time and were lucky enough to be able to walk into Emeril Lagasse’s casual and funky restaurant NOLA. NOLA is located in the French Quarter and is a rustic-chic renovated warehouse with a beautiful glass elevator that serves Creole and Arcadian (Cajun) food. We kicked off our New Orleans experience with one of the first cocktails ever invented called the Sazerac. The Sazerac cocktail is said to have originated pre-Civil War. The defining feature of the Sazerac is its method of preparation, which commonly involves two chilled old-fashioned glasses. The first glass is swirled with the licorice flavored absinthe or other various anisettes such as Herbsaint. The second glass is used to combine the remaining ingredients (rye or cognac, Peychaud’s Bitters, and sugar) which are stirred with ice, and then strained into the first glass. Trust me, they go down so easy that you’ll be ready for a second one by the time your appetizer comes.
Pork Cheek Boudin Balls
We went to New Orleans to eat and we didn’t waste any time. We began with an appetizer and decided to order the Pork Cheek Boudin Balls with a creole mustard aioli. Let me just say this was the first of many fried balls we ate in New Orleans. You can laugh...I just said fried balls.
Just as our second Sazerac arrived, we dived into our main entrees which were Duck Gumbo with Andouille Sausage and the Shrimp and Cheddar Grits. I think biting into the cheesy, creamy grits was when I officially fell in love with this city and I had only been there for less than two hours.
Duck Gumbo with Andouille Sausage and Shrimp and Cheddar Grits
We obviously finished our meal off like two “fatties” should with the Warm Ooey Gooey Cake smothered in coconut and coffee ice-cream combined with two espresso shots so that these thirty-year-olds could make it through the rest of the night!
After our delicious meal we headed over to the famous Frenchmen Street. Frenchmen Street is just walking distance from the French Quarter and is known for its wide variety of music any night of the week. It’s basically a two-block stretch where you are likely to hear anything from Jazz to Latin to Blues to Reggae and everything in between. The covers and drinks are cheap, the bands are amazing, and some of the best music can be found right on the street! Your main requirement is to tip the bands generously and you inevitably drink heavily because you’re having such a damn good time! Not to mention, New Orleans lets you take your drinks out into the street just as long as they are in a plastic cup. The rest of the United States should definitely take some pointers from this port town.
I was so happy we had those two espresso shots because I was in the mood to party. We bought our first Hurricane, another New Orleans staple, around 12 AM. A Hurricane is a sweet alcoholic drink made with rum, fruit juice, and syrup or grenadine that will get you F&*#$% because it tastes like Kool-Aid. As we were sipping…chugging away, we started talking to a local who said if we wanted to really experience the infamous Bourbon Street, that Saturday night would be best! We always listen to locals so off we went with our plastic cups.
It turns out we weren’t the only ones drinking Hurricane’s that night. Bourbon street was riddled with the young and old seemingly “letting their hair down!” It was another world and it was definitely in full swing at midnight on a Saturday. It was fun to see the oldest street in New Orleans but it was overflowing with garbage and beads. It was literally like the Disneyland Pirates ride and Vegas had some weird, freaky child and named it Bourbon Street. Though a bit rough around the edges, it was a carnival of sights and sounds. Bourbon becomes a pedestrian walkway during the evening hours when no vehicles are let through, which allows for all walks of life to enjoy the many bars and gentleman’s clubs. It was definitely fun to see but after too many drunken men asked me to show my boobs for $ .25 beads, I decided that was the end of night one. I did go home with one pair of beads though, but I will never tell if I flashed my boobs or gave a homeless man five dollars.