PRINTA day of big eats on the bayou
New Orleans' havens for the hungry
March 13, 2008 | 12:00 a.m. CST
Foodies travel miles to sample a bite of New Orleans’ legendary cuisine. European, Spanish and African flavors influence the eclectic cuisine that ranges from spicy Creole jambalaya, Cajun gumbo mixed with fresh, local seafood and sugary European pastries. Choosing just one is never an option in the Big Easy.
For $4, grab a steaming cup of café au lait and a tantalizing plate of beignets from Café du Monde in the French Market. During its 146-year life, Café du Monde has established itself as the best coffee stand in town, mostly due to the popularity of its deep-fried French pastries dusted in powdered sugar.
Related Articles- Packing to please
- Cross-continental cuisine
- Off the map
- Rounding the bases
- Lights, camera, travel
- Building the skyline of a city
- Far-out festivals
- Race to the coast
- White-water rush
- Rocking across North America
- Around the world in 80 minutes
- Walkin' the line in Tennesse
- Art Mecca of the West
- Stephens College Faculty Show
- Brooklyn, where New York starts
- Colombia’s walled city
- Literary Travel Writing
- Montreal rendez-vous
- Movie Travel Guide
- Social Networking
- Art break: Get out and walk around
- Couchsurfing
- Streetside Chatter
After taking a mid-morning shopping trip and a tour of the historic French Market, go to Central Grocery, also in the French Quarter, and get a bite of lunch to go. Take a seat outside, and enjoy warm weather while eating a muffuletta. This sandwich was created by Sicilian immigrants who set up shop in the French Quarter in 1906. The sandwich is loaded with Genoa salami, provolone, ham and a spicy homemade olive salad on two rounds of Italian bread. The Tusa family continues their grandfather’s tradition by churning out hundreds of sandwich orders every day. A whole sandwich from this original New Orleans lunch is big enough for two to share.
Wander the city throughout the rest of the day and take advantage of the New Orleans attractions. Visit the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, and take a walk along the Mississippi River to work up an appetite.
There is an unending selection of restaurants to choose from to end the food tour. A favorite of Brett Anderson, food critic for the New Orleans Times-Picayune, is Drago’s Seafood Restaurant. Oysters were reinvented in the family-owned and -operated establishment. Tommy Cvitanovich, owner of Drago’s came up with a new twist on the delicate shellfish 15 years ago. Cvitanovich poured butter, garlic and Parmesan into the oyster shell and then charbroiled the marinated oysters on a grill. The oysters skyrocketed Drago’s to the top of the critics’ lists, and today they serve as many as 10,800 oysters in a single day.
Food writer and editor of the Gambit Weekly Ian McNulty recommends the Gumbo Shop in the French Quarter for a true N’awlins classic. Gumbos ranging from chicken andouille to seafood okra are served up at this restaurant in an 18th-century colonial town house. One of the restaurant’s staples, the Gumbo Z’herbes, loads collards, turnips and mustard greens into a seasoned vegetable soup served on top of rice.
Upscale selections of Creole flavors can be found at Palace Café on Canal Street. A heftier price equals an award-winning three-course meal by Chef Darin Nesbit. Start the meal with a cheesecake of crabmeat, cream cheese, onions and eggs inside a crunchy pecan crust. Next, an entree of authentic Creole cuisine comes to the table. Feast on local gulf fish encrusted with ground andouille sausage and topped with Crystal’s hot sauce.
The last bite of the day has a sprinkling of Southern influences on a sweet favorite. White chocolate coats a bread pudding inside and out.
After a day of fun and good eats, enjoy the sights and sounds of the revitalized Crescent City as it comes to life at night. Get swept into the famous Hurricane cocktail on an open-air porch of the city while listening to the soothing sounds of local jazz musicians. So, laissez le bon temps rouler, or let the good times roll.
If you go
Sleep
Chimes Bed & Breakfast
Rates from $130
(504) 899-2621
chimesneworleans.com
Hotel Maison de Ville
Rates from $179
(504) 561-5858
maisondeville.com
Soniat House
Rates from $245
(504) 522-0570
soniathouse.com
For more information,
go to VoxMagazine.com/getout.
