On my Mardi Gras trip, I decided to look for something a little different to try in NOLA. There are of course many places I haven’t visited, but Juan’s Flying Burrito was an intriguing (and cheap) option. We stopped by the “Creole Taqueria’s” location on Magazine St. in the Garden District for lunch.

Juan's Flying Burrito: Creole Taqueria

We were seated promptly and had a while (too long, unfortunately) to look around before our server stopped by. The interior is “interesting” (Vortex-like, for ATLiens) with a ton of eclectic art-for-sale lining the walls, much of it featuring skulls or bleeding hearts. Food and drink specials are written on chalkboards around the room, and like any legit New Orleans eatery, they sport a full bar.

Spencer and I deliberated over the menu for about 5 minutes, and then waited another 15 before our waitress came to take our orders. When she returned 10 minutes later asking Spencer, “Oh, your drink hasn’t come out?” we gave each other blank stares because…isn’t that HER job (especially because she had brought my drink 5 minutes earlier)? Sketchy service aside, our food [me: Flying Enchiladas (steak, chicken, and shrimp grilled together, then stuffed inside our cheese enchiladas served with all three sauces, topped with sour cream and guacamole) Spencer: Super Nachos Grande (ground beef and chicken, with black and pinto beans, melted cheese, guacamole, sour cream, salsa and jalapenos)] was good:
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On my recent visit home for Mardi Gras, my brother Spencer and I went cruising around New Orleans the Sunday before Fat Tuesday and ended up on Magazine St. in the Garden District. This is the neighborhood you see in romanticized versions of New Orleans: tree-lined streets, mini-mansions, and old-school architecture. Luckily, because of its location on high ground, most of the post-HK damage here was caused by wind and not water, and the vast majority of the residents have returned to the area. Anyway, on our slow stroll up and down Magazine, I happened to notice a sweets shop and of course had no choice but to stop in.

Sucré touts itself as an emporium of artisan sweets. According to their website, “unlike a traditional bakery, Sucré serves plated desserts with custom garnishes in addition to boxed treats.” As soon as I walked in the door, my eyes became the size of dinner plates. It took me a full 10 minutes to decide what I was going to order, and during that time I snapped a ton of pictures of Sucré’s offerings (not including the storefront below; it is from Sucré’s website):

Sucre

My selections

I finally decided to go with a gelato and 2 macaron flavors suggested by a staff member: lemon and the “Valentine’s special” raspberry & white chocolate.
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I’m ashamed to admit that I have spent almost zero time in the Inman Park area since I’ve been in Atlanta. Equally as surprising is that before last week, I had never visited Parish Foods & Goods, a New South eatery with a New Orleans flair (hence “Parish”…we don’t do counties in Louisiana). I stopped by the market side for lunch (Parish consists of the restaurant upstairs and the market downstairs) and was looking forward to trying a po’boy. They offer shrimp, oyster, and for those of us who can’t make up their minds, combo po’boys. I went for the combo:

Shrimp & Oyster Po'boy

For Friday’s lunch in New Orleans, dad, brother, and I visited famed eatery Port of Call.  This certified dive is known for having “New Orleans’ best burgers”, so we had to go see what all the hype was about.  I hear that the line for a table often spills out onto the sidewalk, but we were there shortly after their lunchtime open and were seated promptly.  The only things on the menu are drinks, half-pound burgers (served with baked potato, not fries), and steaks.  My dad and I had mushroom cheeseburgers, and Spencer went for the regular cheeseburger:

Mushroom Cheeseburger

I’ve gotta say, if this is New Orleans’ best burger, they’ve got a problem.

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I spent two days in New Orleans this week accompanying my brother to his freshman orientation.  My dad and I went out to eat at The Red Maple in Gretna (on the West Bank) Thursday night.

The Red Maple

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I have been a very bad blogger.  I try to update the blog every other day, but I am discovering how difficult it is to be a foodie on minimum wage.  Without further excuse, here’s a great food option when traveling through Louis Armstrong International Airport’s Concourse C.

Overcast morning over Lake Pontchartrain

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I made it back home in time for Mother’s Day, and I thought that our Mom’s Day meal was definitely a fitting “Back in Baton Rouge” post: CRAWFISH!

Jessica and Crawfish

Cooler of Crawfish

It has been such a long time since I’ve had boiled crawfish, so I was really excited when my mom said that was what she wanted to eat on her day. We bought these freshly boiled from Baton Rouge seafood staple, Tony’s Seafood. I was a little disappointed that my dad didn’t make them himself like usual, but Tony’s did an excellent job.
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Friday night we visited Utopia [insert various food types here] Lounge for a friend’s birthday.  Although Utopia is located less than half a mile from my current residence and I’ve heard good things about its bar scene, I have never taken the opportunity to visit.  Utopia is currently touted as a Cajun and tapas lounge, but has previously been a tapas, sushi, and martini bar, among other things.  Despite all this, Utopia is, at it’s heart, a nightclub. The kitchen is open until 1am and there are three different rooms with separate DJ’s and ambiances. The Lounge’s confusion about its cuisine led to a little confusion over its menu offerings, but we soon settled on two items from the Cajun side of the menu, the Southern Fried Chicken and the Seafood Crepes, both with a side of Cajun fries.

Southern Fried Chicken

Seafood Crepes

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Drago’s is a New Orleans staple known for their charbroiled oysters.  I shared a dozen  for lunch at the Metairie location after a morning flight into New Orleans:

Charbroiled Oysters

The photo’s a little blurry, but you can’t deny the flavor!  Big, juicy oysters charbroiled with butter, herbs, and parmesean cheese.  Simple, but delicious.  No first bite photo here, by the time I remembered to take one, the plate was empty!

www.dragosrestaurant.com

We visited “New Orleans style” restaurant Front Page News this weekend at its Moreland Ave location. As a native Louisianian, I’m always a little wary of cajun-, creole-, or Louisiana-themed restaurants outside of the state, but I’d been passing this particular place for a while and finally decided to check it out. We had the Shrimp & Grits

Shrimp & Grits

and the Pasta Carbonara

Pasta Carbonara

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