Today was about a lot of missed connections. We headed towards the garden district to take a closer look at the antique homes and mansions along Saint Charles on the way visit the famous Lafayette Cemetery. I took what I thought was a whole slew of pictures, as I’m want to do, before I realized that the my iPhone camera wasn’t working. Boo! I figured out the problem and got some good shots at the cemetery, which was fascinating.
Greenery finding it’s way.
Some plots were centuries old, as expected.
Others had DOD dates from this year. That surprised me.
The perimeter of the cemetery held these small boxes. The poorest of citizens were interned here.
Members of police and fire are guaranteed a proper burial.
Next, we headed over to the Commander’s Palace. This brightly hued restaurant is nestled right in the historic neighborhood. I had wanted to at least have a drink there, but as we approached the door, we noticed a plaque listing the dress code, with which we were not in line.
No shorts allowed.
Oh well, we decided to switch gears and get a Lyft over to the Audubon Zoo. This is reputed to be one of the best in the country! As we waited for our ride, we noticed a shorts clad couple waltzing right into Commander’s. We suddenly realized the the sign was also an antique and didn’t apply anymore. D’oh!
CLOSED!
No worries, we had other plans now. Oh, but guess what? The zoo is closed on Mondays. Oof Magoof. Okay, we still had our ride so we asked him to take us to Magazine street. A friend’s daughter has a French restaurant there we wanted to try anyway…
…that’s also closed on Mondays.
My word, I’m usually good at this planning thing, guys. I believe we walked a bit then took the trolley to the French Quarter. Now we really needed lunch and a drink. I made double sure this place was open.
An oasis.
This place was came highly recommended. It’s a dive bar to beat all dive bars. It was dark, dirty with a no-nonsense bartender at the helm.
Straight talking bartender.
No drafts, just bottles.
No worries.
The barkeep gave us the run down on specials. We pretty much just ordered what she told us to.
Jambalaya. Always on the menu. It was gorgeous.
I got the Barbecue Shrimp and an enormous loaf of French Bread.
Jeff got the Soft Shell Crab over Angel Hair.
All the food here was beyond amazing. Some of the best we had all trip. The place itself was held together with dirt and love. The kitchen was a lean-to against the building. Goes to show that passion for feeding people fresh, well crafted food is all you need.
We set about looking for more music and a souvenir to mark the trip.
Interesting.
Woo hoo!
I like it, but a bit too much.
Getting closer.
We ducked into a bar for a beer and some Americana music.
Some patrons. They have no idea how famous they’re going to be.
A very young street performer.
During the run up to this trip someone told me (I don’t recall who. Maybe a bartender?) that we must go to Preservation Hall for Jazz. I remember him saying, quite deadpan, that it was life changing. Can’t argue with that. The shows here run about every hour or so. We queued up.
Innocuous facade.
Looks like the room may have been some sort of stables or workshop?
The space is teeny tiny with only bench seating and a few cushions on the floor. There is no food or drink served and no photography allowed.
They let us snap a few before the band came in.
This was indeed life changing. Hearing jazz performed by life-long New Orleans musicians was just we reason made this trek. Thank you, anonymous person whom I don’t recall!
Plus, I found my souvenir. It came right off the wall. I bought it, not stole it BTW.
Many hours had passed, so we started back towards our B&B. On the way we passed such a beautiful spot, we couldn’t help but stop in.
This courtyard! So pretty, but too hot to stay out there.
We bellied up. The Brennan name is all over NOLA.
Cheers to the Luxardo cherry. Jeers to the skimpy pour.
We got a couple appetizers. This gumbo was presented table side.
Look at the color of this sauce. So much depth of flavor!
Lightly fried sweet breads. Yummy!
This was a nice stop. Pricey but really elegant. Now, back to walking towards the B&B. Earlier, one of our drivers recommended the Avenue Pub, which was also quite near our room.
I <3 twenty-four hour bars.
Emulate myself? I’m not sure how to do this. And who are you calling muffin?
They were having a buy one get one deal on beer at this time as well as food. We grabbed a a couple local beers upstairs. We would have stayed for an extra round and a bite, but there was a woman at the bar that was so loud and obnoxious, she made made my ears buzz. We couldn’t take it, even at these bargain prices.
Lady with the ponytail, you’re TOO LOUD!!!
We choose leave.
We still hadn’t really eaten in a while. I mean really eaten. Where else to go than the pizza joint right under our room?
One pizza with all the meat!
So this was a day that was rife with unexpected turns. Heck, as I typed up this blog, I lost half of the content that didn’t save properly. I guess it really was cursed. Let’s count our blessings though. There was plenty of food and music which was the whole goal of the trip, right?
Just a post script…
We had just enough time the next day for a nice lunch before our flight back home. We made it back to La Petit Grocery after all. Our friend is so proud of his daughter’s place and right he should be. It was exquisite!
Gas lighting outside.
Rosemary conifer.
Some sweet artwork in the powder room.
Velvet curtains separating the dining area from the bar.
We were treated with an amuse bouche. A boudin ball if I recall.
This was billed as a must get. Blue Crab Beignets with Malt Vinegar Aioli.
I expected a doughnut with crab throughout, but it was more like crab rangoon in a beignet. So creamy and delicious.
Another gift from the chef. Burrata cheese with tomato and greens.
We shared the Gulf Shrimp & Grits roasted shiitake mushrooms, smoked bacon & thyme. Sublime!
I ordered the Butterscotch Pudding for dessert. I have fond memories of this as a kid. It was delightful!
Then the chef sent out two more desserts… I wish he knew that I’d rather have more crab beignets!
LEMON CREAM TART
Toffee, Orange Blossom Almonds & Vanilla Ice Cream
CHOCOLATE PEANUT BAR Caramel & Smoked Mascarpone Ice Cream
A bit of cappuccino to get through the air travel.