I have eaten my way from one end of the United States to the other.
From Boston Baked Beans to Gulf Coast Shrimp, from Kansas City Barbecue to San Francisco Clam Chowder - I know a thing or two about food. Or I thought I did.
But New Orleans cuisine? It is beyond anything I have ever
experienced. New Orleans takes food to a whole new level of reality.
When Emeril says, “Kick it up a notch!” he’s not just being
pithy. Obviously, chefs in New Orleans are mystical alchemists.
My dream is to win the lottery, move to New Orleans, and
spend the rest of my days eating its food and listening to its music.
My first acquaintance with New Orleans began with a visit to
my friend Danny, who lives in Metairie.
Metairie (French for a small tenant farm) is a suburb of the
New Orleans metropolitan area. (I think it’s accurate to say the small tenant
farm has grown.)
Located in Jefferson Parish, on the south shore of Lake
Pontchartrain, Metairie has a reputation for amazing dining, shopping, and
entertainment venues.
Metairie is also the location for the training facilities and headquarters of the New Orleans Saints and the New Orleans Pelicans.
The café was easy to find. Parking was a breeze. (I visited
on a weekday. Weekend parking may be a bit trickier.)
The beignets and chicory coffee lived up to my expectations.
The beignets were a pleasure to behold and an even greater pleasure to devour.
When I left Café du Monde, I was covered from head to toe in
powdered sugar (alerting the locals as to how I had spent my morning).
I wasn’t due to meet Danny until lunchtime. I worked up the courage to take a quick drive through downtown New Orleans.
The cloudy morning gave the Big Easy an ethereal hue. (Oh,
for a paintbrush and the artistic skill to capture the other worldliness of
those mist-touched buildings.)
After my drive, I ended up back in Metairie. I was a little too early for my lunch appointment. What’s a tourist to do but settle for Second Breakfast at la Madeleine?
Located at 3300 Severn Avenue, Suite 201 (Metairie), this café
offered a cozy atmosphere in which to get my bearings.
I chose to indulge in la Madeleine’s Chocolate Almond Croissant. I chose wisely.
You would think Second Breakfast might put a crimp in one's lunch plans. Think Again!
Walk into New Orleans Food and Spirits and tell me you have no room left in your tummy for Voodoo Crawfish Rolls.
And just try to say no to the Grilled Catfish, stuffed with crabmeat, and smothered in Shrimp Lafayette Sauce.
The Metairie Bucktown location (210 Old Hammond Highway) made me wonder, “Where has this apex of culinary delight been all my life?”
The restaurant’s ambiance is casual and whimsical – but there’s nothing casual about the quality of the food.
It’s not just that the food is amazing (it is!). It transcends a level above mere mortality. A level where New Orleans cuisine takes on a melt-in-your-mouth-and-say-goodbye-to-reality-as-you-know-it quality.
Don’t believe in magic? You will after your first New
Orleans feast.
How can I be so sure? After all, I only spent one day in the
area.
After my visit, I spoke with friends and relatives who had
discovered New Orleans cuisine for themselves.
The stories they told! The wonders they shared. The sighs
they sighed. They, too, dream of returning to New Orleans and spending the rest
of their days eating the good eats.
At New Orleans Food and Spirits, time lost all meaning for
me during my repast. Afterwards, I sat in a trance – lost in quiet
contemplation of the experience I had just been gifted with.
That, and I was too full to move.
Danny stirred me back into awareness with an offer to drive
me around town and show me the sights.
We spent a wonderful afternoon taking in the beauty of this
incredible city.
We saw impressive architecture and cozy boutiques. We caught sight of lovely hotels and B&Bs.
It doesn’t matter how old you are – the thrill of seeing a trolley still resonates.
And, of course, New Orleans wouldn’t be New Orleans without its historic cemeteries.
The time came to part ways with Danny (with many thanks to my excellent host and tour guide).
But my adventure was not yet over. I worked up the hutzpah
to drive across the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway (voted the longest bridge over continuous
water).
The bridge spans 24 miles, which equals a 30-minute or so drive across the lake. I have a love/terror relationship with bridges, so this was quite an endeavor for me.
Fortunately, the drive turned out to be a pleasure that
added to the enchantment of New Orleans.
When I made it to the other side of the bridge, I rewarded myself with a Pelican’s Snoball (1890 Florida Street, Mandeville, LA).
You
didn’t really think I’d leave New Orleans without trying a SnoBall!
After eating, drinking, and being merry in New Orleans, it was at least a week (or maybe a day) before I was able to partake of food again.
Ever since my New Orleans experience, I have been left with
a deep yearning for something beyond the ordinary.
As with the seafarers of old (who caught unearthly glimpses of mythical mermaids), New Orleans beckons to me with its saucy French, Cajun, and Creole ways.
Wait for me, New Orleans. Someday, I will return and give myself over to your siren call.
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