Flying down south to be a bridesmaid in one of my closest friend’s wedding gave us a good reason to stop over in New Orleans (on our way to Biloxi, Mississippi) for some downright delicious Cajun cuisine as well as several hours of binge drinking in the Quarter. With less than 15 hours in the Big Easy, we decided to make the most of it gastronomically. Three restaurants for dinner and one for lunch the next day, along with countless (honestly, I couldn’t tell you how many) bars in between.
We stayed at the Westin on Canal Place, which was a few short (albeit smelly) blocks to Bourbon Street and the French Quarter, a proverbial epicurean oasis! It was already 5:30pm by the time we made our way out in the 90 degree heat (add 80 percent humidity, and it feels like a 100 degree sauna), and we let our inner tourists and demanding tummies get the best of us by being lured to a place called The Bayou, right on Bourbon Street. Its fancy veranda and southern charm were a total façade, but it ended up serving us well. While the menu may be pretty boring, with southern standards that probably don’t measure up, we did get a little something in our stomachs (we had the Fried Alligator: plenty tender, if not a little heavy on the breading, and it came with some rockin’ house made sauces, specifically their Cajun stone ground honey mustard and their tartar sauce). We also had a drink (I had a blueberry mojito that was delicious, and Aaron aptly had a bourbon and coke), but the real find was “Doc”, a waiter who gave us the skinny on how to best do New Orleans in one night. He included a hand-drawn map, complete with corresponding numbers of all the places we should hit in and out of the Quarter, as well as who we should ask for at each place.
It served us well, and led us to our next destination: the Sugar Shack, right off Bourbon Street.
We were ready for our second meal, and I am so glad we came here. The Sugar Shack is a wonderfully casual bar with We had a fantastic meat pie with a homemade red pepper mayo for only $3.50 and eight HUGE peel-n-eat bay shrimp that were crab-boiled and perfectly spicy for about $8. Another bourbon and coke for Aaron, and I tried a local beer called Dixie Jazz, which was a fairly hoppy amber that totally hit the spot!
From there, we did some more bar hopping, following Doc’s map and suggestions, and made a lot of friends along the way. I have to say New Orleans is the most hospitable and approachable city in the South…about 3 bars down, and we decided to hit up our third dinner: Dante’s.
I have to say this is one of the best southern meals I’ve had in my life, and coming from southern roots and two years living in the deepest deep of the south, that’s a tall order. Tucked away in a residential street, and blending in with the decadent, stylish homes, Dante’s is technically in the Garden District. That made for a beautiful (if not a little bit pricy) cab ride, complete with good ol’ southern cab drivers who’d grown up in the city stealing cars and seeing the crazier days of Marti Gras. We had originally debated going to Jacques Imo’s, but it was closed and we’d read that Dante’s was its superior substitution. It must have been fate, because I couldn’t have asked for a better one-night-only-dinner in NOLA. First of all, their bar boasts some beautifully house-infused cocktails, a twist on some of the southern traditional drinks such as the Julep and Rum Punch. Their wine list is pretty basic, but they were offering select glasses for only 5 bucks! Sold!
Now for the really good stuff: we began with the Escargot with house made bacon, basil, and goat cheese. Honestly, I could have eaten just five servings of this, and nothing else! This is the best escargot I have ever had the pleasure to eat, it was browned in savory bacon fat and unlike it’s usual fancy presentation in individual niches, it was tossed all together with the other incredibly fresh ingredients and thrown in a bowl just begging to be dredged with the garlic bread it was served with. Honest to god, HEAVEN in snail form! We also split the Grilled Gulf Shrimp with homemade Stone Ground Grits. Smothered with silky andouille red eye gravy, there was plenty of cheesy creaminess in the grits, my favorite way to eat them. The Gulf shrimp were enormous and flavorful, crusted in their shells with feet, eyes, and all, but oh-so juicy. For an entrée we split Chicken Roasted Under a Brick, which was maple glazed and served with a potato and bacon hash cake and a friend egg (that was perfectly fried, by the way). The chicken was moist, packed with flavor and juices, and absolutely divine, as were its accoutrements. Stuffed to the brim, and knowing we still had a night of Bourbon Street ahead of us, we managed to find room for the Crème Brulee. As picky as I am, this dessert impressed me, and had wonderful bits Tahitian vanilla bean sprinkled all throughout.
Honestly, the rest of the night was a bit of a blur after we hit up Pat O’Brien’s, but the food will always stand out as my favorite part about New Orleans, I can’t wait to go back and see what treasures we can dig up when we have more than one evening.
Please visit Dante’s! You’ll thank me (even if your cholesterol levels won’t)!
