New Orleans
A Guilty Pleasure, 3 Times Over
On his show “Bizarre Food” Andrew Zimmern said, “You can’t go to New Orleans without getting a beignet from Café du Monde.” Or in my case, three and a half beignets. Two of my friends from school were the perfect partners in crime for this food adventure during our spring break. Beignets, a type of French doughnut, are a New Orleans staple, and it is only fitting to enjoy them at an establishment like Café du Monde.
With the amount of powdered sugar on the tables and floors of this outdoor café in Jackson Square, you would expect it to be surrounded by a cloud of puffy white smoke. The wait for our late afternoon snack was about fifteen minutes, which seemed to drag on as we watched everyone lick their sugary fingers and enjoy their iced coffee. Each order comes with three huge beignets—a tall order for some, but not for us. The doughnuts were crispy but not too greasy, and were still warm from the fryer. The mess was certainly part of the fun, as you can see in the picture below.
We left feeling immensely satisfied. Any visitor to New Orleans must eat at Café du Monde—even if it’s under the guise of a cultural adventure!
Café du Monde
Locations, Hours, and Phone Numbers: http://www.cafedumonde.com/locations.html
Futbol Fever! and Finn McCool’s
We’re having a party and the whole world is invited!
Well… World Cup mania has arrived in the Big Easy with a hurricane force!
Where might we go to down a cup while watching the cup? Although many bars around town are playing USA v England such as the (aforementioned) Crown and Anchor, the American Sector (soon to be mentioned), Finnegan’s Easy, Storyville, The Three Legged Dog and many many more from what I understand the biggest party atmosphere surrounding Futbol Fever is smack dab in the center of it all: Mid-city’s Finn McCool’s!!!
Now there are many reasons to go to Finn’s. Not only to enjoy the traditional Irish heritage of this wonderful city but because there is always something happening at Finn’s. The bar not only serves up beer and liquor in the traditional pub fashion but entertainment as well. In previous a blog I spoke of their St. Patrick’s Day blow out but on a regular day you can find something going on: sports, trivia, writing contest, head-shaving you name it! Where else can you be served the holy trinity of beers (Guinness, Bass, Harp) by a luscious roller-girl bar maid? If they’re not cooking up a special feast they have amazing toasted sandwiches (ham, turkey, roast beast) and Taytos: Irish potato chips that come in such flavours as pickled-onion and roasted chicken (it really tastes like chicken…freaky!).
Now to get there takes work but is relatively easy: grab the Canal Street Streetcar, pay your $1.25, go to Jefferson Davis, jump off (tuck and roll) and head to the left of the direction you were just going until you reach Banks Street, take a right an in a few blocks BAM! you’re at 3701: Finn McCool’s.
Definitely a neighborhood bar, but their neighborhood spans the city, the parish (we have parishes not counties), hell…whole parts of the world. And if there is an event within the purview of the current zeitgeist you can bet they’ll be doing something about it.
From what I”ve heard they’re playing all world cup games and every day has turned into a version of St. Patricks Day. For the cup they start early, we’re talking groundhog-day-early and go late. There is really so much going on I just can’t post it here. Check out their amazing website for what’s up next: www.finnmccols.com
Sláinte mhaith!
The Best Kept Jazz Brunch secret
On the border of the Quarter— Residing at the corner of Esplanade and Burgundy (that’s: buhr-GUN-dee) Buffa’s Lounge has served the hungry and thirsty alike since the 1930′s. Technically in the Marigny, Buffa’s has seen ‘em come and seen ‘em go: tourists, locals, musicians, artists, the world famous and the barely known. It has been a personal favourite of mine for more than ten years and it seems to just keep getting better and better.
I could speak of their famously delicious Buffa burger. I could speak of the fun characters in front of and behind the bar. But what I really want to emphasize is their amazing Jazz Brunch! Buffa’s back room comes alive 11am-2pm Sunday’s with a Jazz brunch that will have you licking your lips and swinging to the beat without putting a dent in your budget (most items are priced around $10 or less). Each week the menu changes slightly but will always features the classics: omelettes, eggs Benedict, mimosas and bloody Marys. The band is so close you could reach out and touch them. All those classic jazz greats you remember will come alive again as enjoy the good food, great drink and fun atmosphere.
And if you miss it? Don’t worry. Buffa’s is now open 24 hours a day. So remember Esplanade is a street in the Quarter not a drunken list of reasons you missed work. Head on down and check it out as soon as you get a chance and you’ll easily have a new favourite as well.
Check them out at www.buffaslounge.com
Duck you, you duckin’ duck!
The Avenue Pub and J’anita’s Sammiches should probably be placed into two blogs but since they both reside in the same building I’m doing the old two-birds-one-stone thing. Pay your $1.25 and catch the streetcar Uptown to the corner of St. Charles and Polymnia and there you will find The Avenue, a local Uptown bar with one of the most amazing and mercurial selections of import and craft beers in the city. You won’t know what to choose when you see stouts, lagers, weiss, IPA’s and bocks all either domestic craft beers or imported from countries few Americans can locate on a map. But don’t worry, if something
sounds good but you’re not convinced you want the full pint they do offer 4oz. samples (if they’re not too busy). Thursdays through Sundays the upstairs balcony bar is open so you can kick back and watch the world go by from a birds eye view. For those who suffer from acrophobia they also offer a quaint courtyard! Always make sure to check their beer menu as they seem to get a new beer in every week.
And then there’s the food: J’anita’s Sammiches. Now, unfortunately I am going to have to place them in the high-middle range of prices for food considering that their sammiches range from $8-$11.25. But believe me when I tell you you that the food is so delicious expense is entirely justified. Ringing in at $11.25 I ordered the St. Chuck Duck. I had never heard of a duck sandwich and I believe it is unique to this place. I thought, “An eleven dollar sandwich? It had better be damned good.” And was I wrong! It was better than damned good! It was the best thing I’ve put in my mouth second only to something I am not legally allowed to mention. It consists of Cabernet sautéed duck and Granny Smith apples smothered in Cheddar and Bleu cheeses with a currant tapenade served on Sourdough bread. It was heaven. I had mine with a side of curly fries. I cannot recommend this sandwich enough. I am drooling just writing about it. Other items like The Best Fish Sammich Ever, The Sweet Spot, The “not quite” Cuban all sound so tasty you’ll have trouble making up your mind. And all come garnished with an Animal Cracker. 
They have plenty of appetizers and salads as well. I have to mention the Buddha’s Temptation: Bleu cheese stuffed, bacon wrapped, deep fried apricots. You just won’t find food like this anywhere else in the Big Easy…even in restaurants!
Look for them on Facebook and at www.avenuepub.com
Anchors away!
What’s all this then?? An authentically styled British pub, British owned on the West Bank of New Orleans. This is a little place on Algiers point which is full of good neighborhood feelings and fun themed events. I was in attendence for their Dr. Who and curry night. Every Thursday at 8pm is trivia night. And coming up soon (June 12th) will be the England vs. USA World Cup event also with a potluck.
Go to the end of Canal street in the Quarter, take the ferry (free if you’re on foot or bike) to Algiers point and walk about a block to your right, step through the door and you’ll be transported to merry old England. They offer up one of the more eclectic selections of beer in the city with the likes of Tetley’s and Fuller’s London Pride, which is actually a hand-pump poured bitter!
Find out more about their events at their website: http://www.crownanchorpub.com/
For beer, snacks (scampi fries!), and that neighborly feeling far away the hub-bub and craziness of the French Quarter this is the place to go.
Where the River Meets the Road
Stop in and Phil-up. At the end of St. Phillip Street almost to Decatur resides another one of those great local favourites that tourists might not find left to their own druthers. MRB: Mississipi River Bottom. This is truly a place not to be missed for a variety of reasons: great drinks, good food, pool table, barroom shuffleboard, a courtyard, sports always on one of the nine TV screens ( they even have ESPN 8, the Ocho) and a stripper pole! This is truly a locals’ 
hangout except for those couple nightly hours around nine when Haunted History Tours stop in for their mid-tour break. Why do they choose to stop here? Well this building was once New Orleans’ second most popular business: a brothel! It is currently haunted by the broken-hearted spirit of a young lady who ended her own life in the courtyard.
Why would anyone else want to stop here? They have a myriad of beers foreign and domestic 
(many local Louisiana brews), frozen drinks, and it’s the only place in town where a pretty little barmaid named Katrina will make you a Hurricane. And they’re tasty (both of them 
)! Their menu has local dishes, standard favourites (I had a delicious Reuben) plus German fare like Bratwurst and Knackwurst. Few people realize that after the French settled, the Germans were the next ethnic group to emigrate here in any number.
This place is just hands down fun. They’re open early ’til late and reasonably priced. Find the owner of the bar, Charleston, tell him you read this blog, and he’ll purr with enthusiasm!
For more on the famous Haunted History tours go to www.hauntedhistorytours.com or just stop into MRB and pick up a brochure.
Chill out in New Orleans
Pop that in your mouth and suck it! It’s getting to be that time of year again…summer! Temperatures are rising. In New Orleans the temperatures can reach 100 degrees for prolonged periods of time…such as…August. At night we might have a low of 86°! And don’t get me started on the humidity 
So how can you keep your cool when things get hot under the collar? How about a gourmet Popsicle? Yes, I know what you’re thinking and I thought it too, “Gourmet Popsicle? Now I’ve heard it all.”
But stop in to Meltdown at 508 Dumaine St. (near Decatur) and you will be amazed. First, their popsicles are not only tasty and refreshing but good for you! They use organic products
with no chemicals or hormones or any of that other nasty stuff. And their flavours! I first had the Mango Pomegranate. It was like there was a party in my mouth and everyone was invited. Fruity, Frozen and yummy! Most recently I tried a creamy popsicle and opted for the Saffron Rosewater. It was like a frosty chilled perfume on a stick! And here are some of their others: Strawberry Basil, Chocolate Wasabi, Canteloupe Lavender…you just can’t believe what they come up with and how good they taste! As well as popsicles they also offer fresh squeezed lemonade and wheat grass shots. Keep your eyes open and your wits about you because their store front is tiny but something you definitely don’t want to miss in the dog days of a New Orleans summer. Open every day from 12-6 (except when they’re not) it’s a perfect place to stop before you go to the French Market!
The King of Cups
The cupcake has left the building. The first time I had seen this concept expressed was on a trip to Austin. Inside gleaming air-streams parked on the side of the road, cheery people served the finest of confections: the cupcake. I remember making cupcakes from scratch when I was a kid. At every party in school someone would bring cupcakes! Why, oh why, do we not have something like this in New Orleans? The answer is simple: it takes New Orleans approximately ten years to catch up with what the rest of the world is doing. Which will come in handy during the apocalypse.
But for now we have achieved cupcake awareness with the presence (in the Quarter) of the store The Kupcake Factory. On my first trip I stepped into this quiet little shop off Decatur on St. Louis (next to the world famous Johnny’s) and found it quaint if not spartan. Sort of like a cave of cupcakes. But of course this simply led me to focus solely on the magnificent confections proffered in a large gleaming case. 
I didn’t look far because right on top of the case they had proudly displayed the cupcake-o-th’day, the Fat Elvis. I didn’t question; I didn’t care. I ordered my cupcake and coffee and went on my way. Hell, it had the two essential words guar-an-teed to make any food experience pleasurable: fat and Elvis. Turns out it was a rich banana cupcake topped with a mound of thick, creamy peanut butter frosting
sprinkled with M&M’s. In short, heaven. One must be careful though, as I have found there is usually enough frosting on these cupcakes to endanger clogging one’s nasal passages.
The next day I went back ( I had to) to try another I saw and had to have: the Wedding Cake cupcake! Which really needs no explanation except for the fact that after eating it I had the strange desire to sleep with a bridesmaid.
They also serve gelato but I admit I have been too distracted by the cupcakes to comment.
They have multiple locations besides the one in the Quarter. For more info go to their site: www.thekupcakefactory.com where you’ll find their other locations and how to do custom orders.
While beignets are great and truly the heart of New Orleans, nothing salves the soul like a sublime gourmet cupcake. Just try to have a bad day after having one. You can’t!
We think fast food is equivalent to pornography, nutritionally speaking. ~Steve Elbert
Fast food in New Orleans? Why, oh why, in this bastion of savory spices and succulent seafood would one ever want to fall back on fast food or chain restaurants? You wouldn’t. You shouldn’t. But for some Krystal burger will be a unique experience and therefore deserves mention. Not to mention when every restaurant and convenience store has shut down and you just want a quick cheap bite Krystal is usually your only option.
Krystal’s northern equivalent is White Castle, the eatery Hollywood made famous with Harold and Kumar. Not everyone has been to one of these “burger” establishments and are in for a rare “treat at the end of Bourbon Street.” As a matter of fact Krystal burger is the only notable fast food chain present in the French Quarter. They call their burgers “sliders.” I prefer “gut-bombs.” The idea is that instead of one big honking burger, you feast on any number of smaller burgers and enjoy the clogging of your lower GI, your arteries and the arteries of your yet as unborn progeny. But at 3:21AM with your mind riding the alcoholic tilt-a-whirl, these things are damn tasty!
Their fare is traditional fast food: burgers, fries, soda but they are one of the rare fast food joints that also offer hot dogs called Krystal pups also miniature (Chihuahuas maybe). Krystal also offers breakfast and internet access. There is a machine you slide money into and buy minutes for access to the net should you be sans computer. Good to know in case of emergencies.
Of course nothing exists in New Orleans with having a little bit of the Big Easy style and influence. Inside Krystal above the entry is a wall of fame. Signed photographs of some New Orleans legends who have “dined” within these hallowed walls. You’ll see such notables as Al Hirt, Marva Wright and Irma Thomas.
And above all it’s just kind of kitschy fun. It’s definitely not a must-do but it’s good to know it’s there if you want it to be.
The time has come, to speak of many things, of beads and floats and Leprechauns, of cabbages and kings. Well some people blog about events after they happened. What good is that? You’ll have to wait a whole year to attend in many cases. So being a goof Irishman here I am giving you the heads up on New Orleans third largest celebration: St. Patrick’s Day!
Most people do not realize New Orleans is the second largest point of Irish immigration in the United States! We have a whole section of town known as The Irish Channel. St. Patrick’s church still gives the Latin mass. And there are a variety of Irish pubs all throughout the city.
Each year the festivities begin two weekends before the actual day itself with what else, a parade! But this is just a warm up, a “practice parade.” So they claim. At these parades your typical throw deviates quite from the norm in it’s form and the fact that they are often not thrown. In the Downtown marching parades expect men in suits to hand out cloth roses, garters, and kisses: real and stick-on. Also look for the rolling Irish Pub on wheels! In the Uptown parades with floats expect everything you would from a regular parade, the stuff from the Downtown parade, and cabbages. Yes cabbages and a variety of other vegetables that can be used for a stew. Bring those cabbages to a local pub and redeem them for prizes! Until recently the cabbages were thrown but now they are handed to parade goers (something to do with insurance. Imagine that!).
To get the whole list of parades and events go here:
http://www.nola.com/festivals/index.ssf/2010/02/metro_new_orleans_area_saint_p.html
Three great places you will want to be on these glorious days: The Kerry Irish Pub, Finn McCool’s, and Parasol’s. Theses three reside in the Quarter, Mid-City, and the Irish Channel (Uptown) respectively.
The Kerry (331 Decatur St.) has been voted time and time again the best pour of Guinness in the city. With the true feel of a traditional Irish pub you can come in and rub elbows with visitors and locals alike. They don’t serve food regularly but put out special nosh for special events and what event is more special than this? Every night live music plays and you can bet this weekend it will all be of an Irish theme.
Finn McCool’s (3701 Bank St.) Named for the son of the ancient Celtic warrior Cumhail (coo-el) this is where you bring your cabbages for prizes! This famous pub has it all and I will be reviewing it in depth in another blog. Again this year they had a short story writing contest to win a keg of Guinness. On the day of days they’ll have pipers, free food, and the worlds shortest St. Patrick’s day parade. Check it all out at www.finmccools.com.
Parasol’s(2533 Constance St.) A block away from Magazine St. and the Garden District lies Parasol’s home of the biggest block party in the city! This tiny neighborhood bar will host a party that shuts down streets, diverts traffic and creates a fog of green mayhem that can be seen from space! Even
when it’s not a holiday Parasol’s is known for it’s big tasty po’ boy sandwiches. My brother and I ate there for my birthday and I can tell you their catfish po’ boy is amazing! And filling. Stop in and chow on seafood and sandwiches and snacks while slaking your thirst with a Guinness or a myriad of other beers foreign and domestic.
Joke of the day: Two Irish men walk out of a pub…it could happen.
