New Orleans

Cafe DuMonde. Beignets. Cafe Au Lait. I told Colin that the moment we tucked away our luggage we were to make our way to Cafe DuMonde. Yes, the home of powder sugar laden beignets. I am a pro at eating these little pillows of carbohydrates. Take a deep breath, bite and never exhale when the beignets are nearby otherwise you incur the avalanche of white powder all over the place. Sip the chickory cafe au lait and you are in heaven.

Colin and I spent three and half days exploring French Quarter. We were in New Orleans about 14 years ago (honeymooned there). Apart from new restaurants and some spruced up buildings, time stood still in New Orleans. The Quarter was preparing for Mardi Gras and most of the buildings were festooned in beads and ribbons. The people were friendly and happy to see us. We met a couple who were renovating some of their properties (one of which Tennessee Williams lived in) and gave us great suggestions on what and where to eat.

My best memory of our trip is of Colin eating crawfish on our wrought iron balcony at sunset watching the Superbowl.

Here's our suggestions for eats in the Quarter:
Cafe DuMonde- beignets
Cafe Croissant- great brioche
Yo Mamas- The cook there made Colin try crawfish on the sidewalk (yummy). He makes gumbo on Friday night (50 gallons) and by Saturday night its gone. We were too late but if the gumbo is anything like the crawfish, we are definitely going to try it next time.
Acme Oyster House- Oysters and the best Bloody Mary in the Quarter. Sit by the oyster bar to get the full experience.
Bourbon House Seafood- Oyster Rockerfeller!! Raw oysters with caviar!! Bit more $ but soooo worth it. Sit by the oyster bar and chat with oyster guys.
Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse- Creole Cream Cheesecake and Banana Foster Bread Pudding are heavenly.

New Orleans is still rebuilding and French Quarter is up and running. We will come back again, hopefully, next year. I miss the beignets already.