USA Trip 2017 - New Orleans

Next up was the great city of New Orleans! A city known for jazz music, boozy Bourbon Street and of course, great food!

Landing in the afternoon, we had to go see Bourbon street to see what all the fuss was about. The beginning of it was full of construction work as they were re-doing the road but further in you get a view of classic New Orleans with the French style balconies and bar after bar serving anything from cheap shots to frozen daiquiris.

I’ll go ahead and do a quick review of the famous hand grenade from Tropical Isle. A drink which is synonymous with Bourbon Street, I just had to give it a go. The waitress asked if I wanted normal or frozen and it being such a hot day I opted for the frozen. At first taste it was like a pineapple slushie. Quite sour with a bit of sweetness and extremely cold. However this taste only lasts a few seconds as the alcohol hits you like a pile of bricks. I later read that there is grain alcohol mixed into the drink which is similar to moonshine. This probably explains why halfway through it I was already feeling quite tipsy and joyous. The hand grenade is a drink you would have if you were looking to start your night off with a bang! Be warned, it may lead to stupid decisions and a night of regret (but what alcohol fuelled night doesn’t?).

Extremely lethal hand grenade

Now onto the food of New Orleans! For dinner we hit up a Cajun/southern joint called Cochon (which derives from a French word for pig). I first saw this restaurant on “Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern” and absolutely loved it.

For starters we ordered the duck and andouille gumbo which was highly recommended and toast with field mushrooms and peas.

The gumbo was packed with flavour! A bit of spice from the andouille sausage and the duck was so tender it could easily be torn apart. Gumbo is a typical stew found in a lot of restaurants in New Orleans and served with a portion of rice to eat with it. The consistency of the gumbo could be compared to a normal chicken soup but the flavours are just unbelievable. The right amount of spice and saltiness and the addition of the duck and andouille was just amazing.

Duck and andouille gumbo

The toast dish was a little underwhelming. It did have a nice earthy flavour from the mushrooms which were cooked well but it soaked into the toast a bit too much making it soggy overall. By itself it would have been a good dish, but when comparing it to the gumbo it just lacked that flavour intensity.

For mains we ordered the catfish courtbouillon and Louisiana cochon with cabbage, cracklins and pickled peaches.

Toast with field mushrooms and peas

Firstly, both dishes were absolutely amazing! I’ll start with the catfish. It tasted like what seemed to be lightly fried pieces of white fish which were seasoned well and to my delight, were boneless! It was smothered in a tomato sauce which was stewed with onions and green vegetables, similar to leek. A cup of rice was placed on top which went so well with it all. Mixing together the tomato sauce with the fish and a spoonful of rice just worked really well. It reminded me of the gumbo but with a sweeter taste due to the use of tomatoes. Did not know what to expect with this dish but it was an absolute winner.

Catfish courtbouillon

Next was the cochon with cabbage, cracklins and pickled peaches. The cochon reminded me of a smaller pork knuckle where the meat could easily be torn apart. Lovely flavours in the meat and not overly salty. The cracklins were very crunchy and similar to crackling you would find on a pork belly but a bit more puffy. Like a crunchy cloud. The meat sat on a bed of wilted cabbage and peaches which added a sourness to the dish that worked well with the saltiness of the meat. There was also what I figured was the jus from the pork which was light and tasty.

Cochon with cracklins and pickled peaches

Overall Cochon was an amazing dinner in a fun and casual restaurant. They also make great cocktails with a comprehensive drinks list.

New Orleans is known for gumbo and jamabalaya, but they also provide some of the best oysters around. You can get them fresh or grilled with butter and garlic and I opted for the butter and garlic.

I got my fix at Acme Oyster House in the French Quarter. There was a line at around 5:30pm which meant it must be good! After waiting around 45 minutes, we were able to get a seat at the bar. It had the feel of a sports bar with television sets showing baseball but also a family friendly ambience.

It was hard to narrow down the options to just a few items but in the end we ordered a dozen char grilled oysters, Acme special po boy and the fried fish and shrimp platter.

I’ll start with the po boy, another famous must eat when you’re in New Orleans type of food. The special came with roast beef, ham, turkey, American and Swiss cheeses and topped off with tomatoes, lettuce and mayo.

Acme special po boy

Probably not the highlight of the meal as it was a bit too salty with all the meats mixed together but what I did enjoy was the roast beef. It was so soft and tender and served “debris style” which meant it was soaked in a gravy and served on the bread. The bread soaked up all of the gravy and the meat itself was very juicy and delicious. However the addition of the ham and turkey confused the senses as I wasn’t sure if I was biting into a piece of ham, turkey or beef! If I ever do get to try this again, I would probably just choose the beef on its own.

Next up the fried fish and shrimp platter. Two filets of white fish lightly battered and deep fried along with a generous handful of fried shrimp, served with chips and coleslaw. The fish was so flaky and delicious. Not overly salty as some fried fish can be but seasoned very well with just a bit of salt and pepper. Even though they were quite thin pieces, they were nice and moist with every bite. The shrimp were also very tasty with a nice crunch to them from the batter. They were easy to eat as they were bite sized and before I knew it they were sadly all gone.

Fried fish and shrimp plate

Onto the highlight of the meal, and the reason why people line up for over an hour for this restaurant – the char grilled oysters!

Coming out on a massive plate, there were pieces of plain bread in the middle surrounded by a dozen beautifully grilled oysters. The oysters are topped with butter, herbs and a little bit of cheese which melts nicely over the top as they are grilled.

Char grilled oysters

The oyster itself was delicious. Not too big and not too small, and the melted butter and herbs added so much flavour to it. The edge of the shell were quite burnt but the oysters themselves were cooked to perfection. I loved how bread is also offered with the oysters because you can soak of the remaining butter and herbs and it becomes a make your own garlic bread. This was definitely the star of all 3 dishes and so glad I got to try it out.

When searching for top foods in New Orleans a handful of results are often repeated throughout food research websites. One that is in almost all searches is the beignet. A beignet to me is like the Chinese doughnut they serve with congee but much more fluffier on the inside and crispier on the outside. Oh and I forgot to mention that it is covered in a pile of powdered sugar!

I had my first taste of a beignet at the most famous establishment Café Du Monde. A very casual café setting with plenty of seating outside but just a small amount in the indoor area.

A very limited menu, they only serve beignets, coffee and café au lait (half coffee half hot milk). They do also serve a frozen café au lait which was much sought after being the summer season and all.

We ordered 3 beignets and a frozen café au lait. There were so many workers they beignets came out almost instantly followed by a cup of frozen café au lait.

The beignets looked like a snow covered mountain top as they were heavily covered in powdered sugar. As soon as I took my first bite I knew I was in heaven. The fresh beignet was crunchy, crispy and a little bit salty and the sweetness from that sugar worked really well with the overall flavour. The inside of it was quite airy and fluffy so it wasn’t a heavy treat. You could probably eat half a dozen of these and not be sick of them they were just that light.

Beignets with a frozen cafe au lait

The frozen café au lait was also delicious! It was like a frozen coffee but had just the right amount of sweetness to it. There is chicory mixed into their coffee beans which gives it a slightly sweeter coffee flavour yet not so that it overpowered the beignets. The drink was quite refreshing after eating the beignets.

This place was so good that we came here again the next day and ordered the exact same thing! It was just that good.

Up close with the beignets

The last place I want to write about is a small hole in the wall shop located in the back room of a bar called Killer Po Boys. They actually have two locations, one being a proper shop front which is open is Monday to Wednesday from 10am to 8pm and another at the back of Erin Rose bar which is open Monday to Wednesday 10am to 12am.

A much smaller menu at the one I went to however it was after dinner and I wasn’t after something big just something tasty.

I ordered the seared gulf shrimp po boy and boy was it tasty! Generous amount of seared shrimp sitting on a bed of pickled vegetables such as shredded carrot, pickles and what I believe was radish. This is all topped off with a special sauce which was similar to a sriracha mayo. Unbelievably tasty and packed full of flavour. It was like a Vietnamese banh mi because of the pickled vegetables but the shrimp were seared to perfection.

Seared gulf shrimp po boy

Definitely glad I got to try this and would highly recommend either location for anyone in the area.

That’s all for the great food of New Orleans. I did miss out on some local favourites such as alligator meat and some of the best fried chicken in town but that just means I’ll have to come back another time!

Next up will be the great city of Miami!

What Would Lobi Eat? Char grilled oysters, a cup of gumbo and a plate of beignets for dessert!