The food (and drink) of New Orleans

 I don't remember the first time I had beans and rice but I can't get enough.  I can't seem to recreate it though!  it's somehow creamy with no dairy.  the spice level of the sausage is just right.  It turns out it mixes well with grits!  

So food.  I love trying local food everywhere I go.  Now usually it's just fine, but New Orleans is the exception.  The Streetcar diner had the best biscuits I've ever had, ever.  They're soft, buttery and doughy yet firm.  This place also had the best beans and rice and good gumbo and jambalaya.  BA says their bloody marys are top notch as well.  I went with the espresso martini, not a southern thing, but still perfection.  

Beignets.  There's a place called Cafe Beignet.  It's a chain.  It still beats the pants off any fried dough i've had anywhere.  Their beignets are big and fluffy.  They are fresh, made to order, so wait.  I'd wait hours for one of those beauties.  Now I'm not a purist.  I want caramel all over that fucking fat bomb.  Do Not! Do not get beignets anywhere else.  "Oh what about Cafe du Monde?"  shut your dirty little mouth.  anything less, sucks.  

Tacos.  Ok, tacos aren't really New Orleans but the Cartel is the coolest restaurant I've ever been in.  Good decor with lots of flowers and skulls pump up the vibe.  But who cares!  Let's talk about the cocktail presentations!  Smoke shows!  tiny rose cups filled with berry flavored heaven topped with a delicately spiced foam creating a taste combination that made me CRY!  ok maybe not cry, but I did think maybe God was the bartender.  then a boat of dry ice and coconuts chilling a glass of exotic liquors fit for a high priestess about to tear your heart out.  Margaritas!  DC said they were as good as our favorite Ohio place, which is still damn amazing!  The tacos were good too, I think.  I had a few cocktails in me.  

Let's talk more about booze.  Yes, there were a lot of those places with frozen drink machines filled with high test, but you could still find real craft cocktails.  The Will and the Way had the best cocktails and punk rock bathrooms.  I could have sat in their courtyard all day.  The Vampire speakeasy was lame but at least we got to sit on one of those balconies and look down on the little folk.  We didn't throw beads.  The next speakeasy was spot on.  heavy pours and mug shots.  The Carosel bar in Monteleone was fun.  The bar and stools rotate a full circle in about 15 minutes.  the rest of the room and the bartenders in the center do not.  Hurricanes!  y'all know about hurricanes, right?   Well then, that's all I have to say.  


 


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