B & I returned last night from a few days of R&R in New Orleans. We'd both been before, but never together, so it was a fantastic trip--although not as restful and relaxing as we'd hoped. There is so much to see and do...it's really hard to slow down!
We had some incredible food, of course. We started on Friday night with dinner at the much-heralded Restaurant August. The service and atmosphere were impeccable, but the food just didn't live up to expectations. It was a GOOD meal, not a GREAT meal.
We had some incredible food, of course. We started on Friday night with dinner at the much-heralded Restaurant August. The service and atmosphere were impeccable, but the food just didn't live up to expectations. It was a GOOD meal, not a GREAT meal.
The best dinner we had was at Herbsaint--fantastic, innovative, unpretentious food; a fun atmosphere; great service. It's the whole package. Definitely worth checking out if you head to NOLA. Dress is pretty casual, reservations essential.
Other highlights included the fried oysters with Hollandaise sauce at Mr. B's Bistro, the Eggs Hussarde at Brennan's and the cheese board w/boudin sausage at Napolean House (which is a fantastic place to hang out for a few hours). And, of course, Cafe du Monde is a given--there are few things in this world better than a breakfast of beignets and cafe au lait, and there is simply no better place to have them than CDM.
We stayed at the Hotel Monteleone and really enjoyed it. A wonderful, hospitable staff and nicely furnished rooms. It has a fantastic rooftop pool with great views and a poolside bar, which we took full advantage of--we spent quite a few more hours than we'd planned just lying by the pool.
We didn't spend very much time on planned activities, but we did check out the Aquarium of the Americas (it was fun, although the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga is better) and the Audubon Zoo, which was FANTASTIC. I highly recommend. After our visit to the zoo we walked through Audubon Park to St. Charles Avenue where we caught a streetcar back to the hotel. It was a long, hot, exhausting day, but totally worth it.
It was an amazing, memorable trip...exactly what we needed at the moment. New Orleans is such a magical place--a world apart, just a short plane ride away. I can't wait to go back!
