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02 October, 2010

More New Orleans Favorites...or...Laissez les Bons Temps Rouler!

IMG_3377Need a little virtual vacation in the French Quarter of New Orleans? I’m back to tell you more about my recent visit to the Big Easy! I was there for a special occasion…my 60th birthday! Once again, I must tell you that I am no expert, but this is my third visit, so I’d like to share my favorites with you! (If you missed the first post and would like to read it, click here.)


page3 You cannot come to New Orleans without having breakfast at Brennan’s! Be prepared to eat until you nearly pop and skip lunch and maybe dinner that day! I ordered my favorites, which also happen to be the traditional breakfast/brunch favorites on the menu! Why? Most of these dishes were invented by their chef who has been there more than 40 years! Start with milk punch, followed by their thick and creamy Creole onion soup, and then as a main dish, Eggs Hussarde, a Brennan's original…eggs Benedict with marchand de vin sauce added. Yummy!


page4 And you absolutely must order dessert…yes, dessert with breakfast! It’s a Brennan’s tradition. And a must-have…a dish that was invented here…is Bananas Foster! It’s breakfast with a show...your waiter will make it for you at the table! The bananas are sautéed in butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and banana liqueur and then flamed in rum! Dish it over vanilla ice cream and you have a heavenly treat! Yummy! (Find a link to Bananas Foster, Eggs Hussarde and many of their famous recipes here.)


IMG_3457 After breakfast, walk down Royal Street and pop into some of the wonderful antique shops! But be prepared…the prices are on the high side! All I was able to bring home was this photo of my favorite style of frenchy lamp…a bouillotte lamp! lol It was about $800…actually not too bad! That’s me reflected in the shade! (Cick here to see my post about the history of bouillotte lamps.)


page3 If you are still digesting and want a little tour without the walk, try a buggy ride through the French Quarter with narration by your driver. If you don’t mind riding with other folks, it’s only $15 and lasts 30 minutes. Not only will you see the fabulous wrought iron balconies, but interesting spots such as Jean Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop, which served as a cover for the pirate’s illegal activities and is now a piano bar, and the Cornstalk Hotel with a fabulous wrought iron fence shaped like…yes…cornstalks to pacify a homesick wife from Iowa!


IMG_3353 Head on back to Jackson Square, the heart of the French Quarter, and check out the famous wrought iron balconies of the Pontalba Buildings dating from the late 1840s. They are publicly owned and the upper floors are actually apartments that may be rented. In the middle of the Lower Pontalba Building is the 1850 House…part of the Louisiana State Museum.


page4 Here you will find a townhouse filled with period furnishings, including a fabulous half tester bed and a sweet baby’s room with an adorable tea set and a little half tester crib! And what a fabulous set of china!


IMG_3311 But perhaps the most interesting room was the bath…complete with this innovative tub that warms its own water and then empties easily! And check out those fabulous legs on the drop leaf table...I want it!


page3Also on Jackson Square is Saint Louis Cathedral…whose silhouette has come to represent New Orleans! However, it has not always looked like this. In the inset is the cathedral in 1838, prior to a major makeover in 1850. Is that an amazing metamorphosis? How different Jackson Square would look if the changes had not been made!


IMG_3375 Next door to the cathedral is The Cabildo, another part of the Louisiana State Museum. Inside, you will find three floors of exhibits retelling the history of Louisiana. My favorite displays were the death mask of Napoleon Bonaparte, pictured above…a real look at his face!…and the room where the Louisiana Purchase was signed! (You can take the virtual tour by clicking here. Click at the bottom of each page to continue.)


page Have you walked off that big breakfast? Then let’s go down Decatur Street to the Central Grocery, a real Italian-American grocery store, for their world famous muffuletta! It’s a huge sandwich filled with piles of Italian cold cuts and cheeses and topped off with their signature marinated olive salad. You can easily split one with a friend! Are you getting the picture that food plays a big part in a visit to this wonderful city? lol We sat at the counter and enjoyed a conversation with some charming locals.  Don't expect a Southern drawl here! The New Orleans accent is a port city accent..almost like New York!


page5 Music is also an important part of the atmosphere in the French Quarter! Street musicians set up everywhere  to entertain you, hoping for a nice tip, of course. We found a terrific jazz band performing outside the Café du Monde! A grandmother and her little granddaughter began to dance and the customers clapped along with the music. What fun! And of course, they played When the Saints Go Marching In!


734 Or you can walk along the Moon Walk……the wooden promenade in front of Jackson Square...named after New Orleans mayor Moon Landrieu. The riverboat Natchez is anchored here and you can hear the jazz band playing in the evenings before they depart on their dinner cruise! Have a seat on a bench overlooking the mighty Mississippi River and drink in the atmosphere! It's free!


IMG_3524 The crying shame is that there is only so much room in your tummy! lol You cannot leave New Orleans without a trip to the Gumbo Shop to have their famous gumbo…what else? I had the chicken and andouille sausage gumbo. I might also add that the French bread in the French Quarter is almost as fantastic as in France! Can you say that three times fast? lol


731I followed the gumbo with the Creole sampler, which included (left to right) shrimp Creole, jambalaya and red beans and rice! We actually had this meal on the last night of our trip…an appropriate and delicious ending!  (You will find a link to their recipes here.)


IMG_3303 I have to add here that one of the most important aspects of my trip was the people of New Orleans! They were so welcoming and friendly! They are so proud of their city and were always eager to help us find our way or suggest places to eat or great jazz clubs where we could enjoy their music! They have had a rough time in the last few years, between Katrina and the Gulf oil spill, but that didn’t stop them from opening their arms to us and making us feel at home. The food was fabulous and the accommodations were amazing. If you are planning a vacation in the near future, you may want to give New Orleans a try. The people will appreciate your being there and you will not be sorry that you went! As the Cajuns say...Laissez les bons temps rouler! Let the good times roll! (Click here if you missed part one of the tour!)

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed my little tour!  Please visit these wonderful bloggers and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants!
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday
Susan at A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday
Michael Lee at Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday
See you next time! A la prochaine!

40 comments:

  1. Good Morning sweet lady!

    Loved the early morning tour you have for us, it's wonderful and your photographs are awesome!

    Nothing better than having breakfast at Brennan’s!

    Need to scoot, yikes, I should not be reading blogs, my list is way too long!

    Nancy

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  2. Wonderful post! I heart New Orleans and you show it off so well. Yes, my stomach never has enough room, best way to eat in NOLA is to share your way through. The wrought iron is amazing and just makes my heart leap. Thanks for sharing!

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  3. I almost wish we had gone to New Orleans after your post instead of before...this is a great guide and reference!! We didn't eat at Brennan's but we were served Banana's Foster for breakfast at our B&B. We also enjoyed the antique shops and the street musicians.

    Love all of your mosaics, and your shots of the food could be in a gourmet magazine.

    Fabulous post, Debbie!

    XO,
    Janie

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  4. Debbie, I'm so happy you had a fabulous birthday trip. You are a fantastic tour guide. We haven't been to New Orleans in many, many years. Seeing all these photos make me want to plan a trip of our own. After all these delicious looking food photos I need to go downstairs and make me something to eat. LOL
    Have a terrific weekend! ~ Sarah

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  5. Oh my Debbie!! I love these New Orleans posts..just simply gorgeous.....and delicious too.

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  6. Thanks for sharing all the great photos of my favorite city, Debbie. I really need to get back down there.

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  7. This is making me homesick for New Orleans. I lived there for several years in the 70's and it remains one of my favorite places of all time!!

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  8. Oh Debbie, what a fun trip. Your pictures are all wonderful. I feel like I was there. The food looks and sounds incredible. I have never been to New Orleans, but you sure have made me want to go. Thanks for the fabulous tour. Have a super weekend. Hugs, Marty

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  9. It feels like I am there. Thank you such a wonderful visit to New Orleans. The photos are amazing and I am now hungry after looking at your fabulous food photos. Thank you for sharing and having a truly wonderful week-end. Linda

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  10. Such wonderful food, beautiful scenery, fabulous photographs and a creepy Napolean! I've never been to New Orleans but my niece has been quite a few times and loves it!

    Do you think you can top this trip next year???

    ~Bonnie

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  11. It is a wonderful place! I've been twice. You've highlighted all of my favorite foods..oh my...suddenly I'm starving! ha.

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  12. Just found your blog and am now following! I have been DYING to travel lately with no such luck. New Orleans is lovely!

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  13. You've covered everything! What a fantastic trip! People, the sights, THE FOOD! Just a super post, I really enjoyed your trip, too :)

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  14. Thanks for more memories of New Orleans. My 60th birthday is coming up in January and maybe I need a girls' trip to the Big Easy!

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  15. Salut Debbie....gorgeous pics! Love the tour and the beauty you captured. It's hard to imagine Katrina in that city (at least not in that part of the city). Oh, I saw the chairs that you mentioned were similar to my MIL's chairs. They are really pretty! Linda

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  16. Thank you so much for sharing your trip to the charming city of New Orleans. I really enjoyed reading about it. Although I have never been there, you have made it so irresistible that I must go too!!!

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  17. It's been YEARS since I've been able to take a vacation...Thank you SO MUCH for this wonderful post! You've made me KNOW that I'm definitely visiting that fantastic place and I'm going to be taking in all your suggestions. Oh the food is incredible and after I type this I'm on my way to the kitchen to make a "Mock Banana Foster"(No RUM so I'll improvise)!!! AGAIN, this was an incredibly fun post, Thank you SO MUCH for sharing...
    Hugs, Donna

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  18. Oh I've been looking forward to more of your fabulous trip! This looks like an amazing trip -- happy happy 60th to you!

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  19. The food, the sights, everything about New Orleans looks scrumptious! Thanks for sharing. blessings on your day!

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  20. Debbie, I gained 10 pounds just looking at the photos of food! New Orleans does have some of the most delicious food found anywhere. I won't even tell you how many of those muffulettas I consumed during the months I worked In New Orleans. Central Grocery has the absolute best.

    I hope you can visit and enter my giveaway.
    Hugs, Sherry

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  21. My goodness it looks like a lot of good food was enjoyed. Gain weight? I would have just looking at all that food. We have been a couple of times and those antique shops are high! The last time we went was last Summer and we will never go when it is that hot and sticky again. We could not even walk outside long without just giving out. Have fun at Burt's. I would love to go find some cool pumpkins.

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  22. It looks like you had the time of your life on this special birthday trip to the Big Easy. La

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  23. Lovely to catch a glimpse of you. ;D A breakfast like that would kill me, but what a way to go!

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  24. Great mosaics of New Orleans ... food, antiques. Terrific!

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  25. Sightseeing, shopping, riding in horse drawn carriages and eating! Sounds good to me. Your photographs are beautiful and look so lovely inside of your mosaic creations.
    Karen

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  26. You are making me wanna drive back to New Orleans, Debbie. It is so funny cause all we ever do is eat when we are there too. One of my favorite restaurants is Acme Seafood. I am dreaming of their grilled oysters right now. Yum! And I want some bananas foster!....Christine

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  27. Let the good times roll indeed!

    I hope you have stopped by and entered my Fab Fall French Giveaway.

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  28. So very true. I remember the friendliness of the people in New Orleans when I was there...You pictures bring back such wonderful memories! Thank you! Cathy

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  29. Thanks for the lovely virtual tour...I really enjoyed your photos of New Orleans...such pretty architecture!!!

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  30. Debbie,
    Happy Belated Birthday!!! Looks like you had a wonderful time in NOLA...they have the best food ever! My MIL was from NOLA and my hubby has family still there.

    Blessings,
    Linda

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  31. What fantastic photo's. I have not been there in many years...and will probably never get there again in this lifetime...but you have no idea how I enjoyed seeing it through your eyes. Thank you so much for sharing...I loved it!
    Mona

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  32. Let the good times roll! :)

    Thanks for sharing your wonderful trip with us at MM. :)

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  33. Thanks for taking us along on your trip to New Orleans. It is a beautiufl city. The food all looks so yummy and the banana dessert is a must have.

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  34. Your NOLA posts are tugging at my heartstrings. It's been a while since I have been - since before Katrina. I might have to plan a trip. Your food pix are killing me!

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  35. What a wonderful trip back to the time we visited there. Loved Brennan's. Thank you for sharing.

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  36. Blog hopping from Outdoor Wednesday and what a treat to be taken on a virtual tour of New Orleans. It looks like somewhere I would enjoy.
    By the way with so many participants I select about 20 or so to hop round and plates was what attracted me to your blog as I used to collect them when I lived in the UK.

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  37. Thanks so much for taking me along on the tour! Great photos and info on all things from such an interesting city.

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  38. Yumo for Gumbo!!!! Love the bathtub so interesting!! Kathysue

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  39. Just checking out your blog. I love New Orleans. I love a muffuletta and always have at least one meal at the Gumbo Shop. Hummmm. I'm hungry.

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  40. I am so glad you re-posted this. We are going to New Orleans the middle of March. We have never been before , but I have always wanted to. It's great to get tips on where to go and what to see. Not to mention eat ! Although I have lists for all of those ! LOL

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Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to comment! I appreciate my wonderful readers!... Debbie