Food

WARNING: The following blog post will make you hungry. Other side effects include mouth watering, wishing food could be grabbed through a screen, and the desire to immediately book a plane ticket down to New Orleans. Continue at your own risk.

Anyone that knows me can tell you that I love trying new restaurants and new food. Living in New Orleans has been the perfect place to not only eat food that I've had before but also try new food that I wouldn't otherwise have had. I noticed going through my pictures on my phone today that I have documented most of the delicious cuisine that I have eaten here (probably so I refer back to it and enjoy the meal all over again). I am hoping you can tell from these pictures just how right they do food down here in the Big Easy.

Jambalaya is a classic Louisiana Creole dish that gave me my first true experience with andouille sausage - spicy, flavorful and absolutely delicious. I've had jambalaya a bunch more times since being here and it's honestly become one of my favorite dishes. To top it all off it's also extremely easy to make and filling in the most satisfying of ways. Pictured above is the jambalaya from River's Edge in the French Quarter from my first day in New Orleans.

This picture definitely gets a low rating for quality but the food pictured in it is delicious! It's a Pop Eye's three piece chicken meal with french fries and a biscuit. I don't know how they make the fried chicken down here so good but we are doing it wrong up in the northeast! The chicken is so moist inside with the skin crunchy and delicious on the outside. It's also mind blowing to believe that Pop Eye's isn't even the elite chicken in the city and I still have so much more delicious friend goodness to experience. 

A surf and turf shrimp and pulled pork Po-Boy from Parkway Bakery that I had during my first week in New Orleans. It was absolutely delicious, although I must admit that I haven't had another Po-Boy since I have been here. Apparently they are a little different wherever you go and a catfish Po-Boy is definitely on my list of foods to get soon. Po-Boy's are another classic New Orleans food item and although there are many theories as to how they got their name no one can argue their deliciousness.

I don't even know where to begin on how to describe the glorious combination of ingredients that make up this gourmet hot dog. Bacon, relish, onions, tomatoes and chili on a delicious bun. I don't think I said a single word until my food was completely gone. For the record, I have always been more of burger gal but this hot dog is an exception. Dat Dog, where this hot dog is from, also hosts trivia every week and we got 5th place when me and some of my housemates went - what, what! Just a fun place and great food - what could go wrong?

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you Disco Fries! French fries smothered in cheese and debris gravy (basically shredded beef in delicious gravy). They can be found at the Bayou Beer Garden in Mid-City where I've spent four hot afternoons cheering on the Saints. As you can see from the number of forks, these fries are awesome from sharing and go great with a cold beer. Needless to say, they are absolutely divine and I am glad I discovered them.  

I am a huge Thai food fan so I couldn't resist trying the Basil Leaf just a few blocks from where I live. This is the red curry Massaman dish and was very good. I've been spoiled with awesome Thai food back in New Jersey and this definitely competed. It's also a lot of food so I had leftovers which rocked. 

The infamous Cafe du Monde beignets. There isn't much else to say about them except that they are possibly one of the most satisfying and delicious things ever. The best way I hear them described are like a funnel cake - fried dough covered in powdered sugar. But you have to be careful because if beignets are the major leagues, funnel cakes haven't even made the team. They are just that good. 

I cheated with this picture and pulled it off the internet because I totally forgot to take a picture of it last night when I enjoyed it. It is a spinach salad from Lebanon's Cafe, a Mediterranean restaurant, located just a few blocks from my house. It's spinach, feta cheese, olives, raisins, tomatoes, cucumbers, walnuts and a balsamic dressing. It was light, fresh and mouth watering. I actually ate most of the salad by scooping it onto freshly baked pita bread and then folding the bread in half. Yum.

My most recent New Orleans cuisine experience. Eggs Benedict from Madeline's Cafe located on the corner of Carrollton and St. Charles. Hands down the best eggs Benedict I have ever had (and I have eaten LOTS of eggs Benedict). Instead of English muffins, both ham AND bacon are piled onto a fresh croissant and then topped with a poached egg and hollandaise sauce. I ate the entire thing no problem. Let's just say that will not be the last eggs Benedict I will have there. 

Don't let Anna Leigh's large mouth distract you from the delicious snoball she is eating. At the pumpkin patch this past weekend, I tried my first snoball - mango and passionfruit. I was a little skeptical if I was going to like a snoball but I actually thoroughly enjoyed it. Not too sweet, refreshing and the ice is really finely crushed so it's just delicious. 

Pictured above is the brisket platter from The Joint, a restaurant in the Bywater, and is the best food I have eaten here and possibly ever. I knew going into The Joint that I was going to be eating some delicious BBQ - it is consistently praised for being the best BBQ in New Orleans. But even going in with that mentality I was not prepared for how amazing the food was. The brisket was flavorful, smokey, tender and juicy, the mac and cheese was TO DIE FOR and I barely made it to the beans because I was so full. Absolutely divine!

Lesson from the Journey: Eating new foods truly connects you to a place in the most delicious and satisfying of ways.