The last hurrah in nola

February 9-12, 2019

By Heather Horgen

welcome to new orleans!

I didn't know what to expect from New Orleans since this was a last minute trip (our most last minute trip yet!). New Orleans really is a unique city, with all the different cultural influences throughout its history, and we found it be a vibrant and friendly place with amazing food everywhere.

The w hotel and nola

We stayed at the W Hotel in the French Quarter, which was a great location and we walked everywhere. Right around the corner is Emeril's restaurant Nola, the first place we went after checking in. Unfortunately I was too hungry and tired from traveling to take a pic of anything, but the food was amazing! Cornbread with collard greens, BBQ shrimp, shrimp and grits, gumbo, and creme brulee.

southern charm

We took the trolley to the Garden District, and even though we didn't eat anything we enjoyed seeing the neighborhood. We walked right by Commander's Palace, the landmark New Orleans restaurant, and heard the hosts say to prospective diners "you need a collared shirt, no shorts allowed."

So pretty.

We did stop for some cold drinks, as it turned out to be the hottest day of our trip. We came across French Truck Coffee, a modern and inviting shop with reasonable coffee and tea.

So many gorgeous houses. We also came across an agency called Deep Fried, appropriately named in this city of food! And an old cemetery.

Back to the food

After exploring the Garden District we were getting hungry, so we stopped at Cafe du Monde for beignets and coffee. The takeout line gets really long, but we got tipped off that if you sit inside it's a shorter wait - and we actually sat down right away and got our order in about 10 minutes. These little fried pieces of dough covered in powdered sugar were heavenly. It's cash only, but it's cheap!

We took a guided tour of the French Quarter, eating at five different places and learning a lot of history about New Orleans. It was super interesting and made our stay even more enjoyable, having that context around the city and the food - it's a complicated history of Spanish, Native American, French, African and British politics and culture. On the tour we tried jambalaya, brisket with remoulade, boudin sausage and pralines.

You can't go to New Orleans without going to Bourbon Street! It was a completely different experience walking down Bourbon; turn down the street and bam! one big party.

We had lunch at SoBou, the restaurant in our hotel, and when I saw the waitress come out carefully balancing the shrimp skewers standing on end I had to laugh a little at the thought that this must be the dish all the servers hate because of the precarious plating. They also have 25-cent martinis during lunch, but limit 3 "'cause that's enough."

coop's

We had to check out the infamous Coop's, and the bartender was really friendly and nice! We did go in the late afternoon, and not during the busiest times when everyone is drunk, so that might have had something to do with it. And it's true, the food was great!

thanks for a great time, nola

What a city! So much seafood. So many sazeracs. (And a hurricane, or two). Friendly people. Interesting architecture. There's an energy, a vibrance - colorful houses, businesses, lights, flowers... Music everywhere, friendly people, the food... bold flavors, fresh seafood, nothing is subtle, nothing held back.