“So, how was that first bite for you guys?” That line from our waitress at Restaurant August in New Orleans sealed my love letter with the restaurant. I made our reservation two weeks in advance, knowing that we had a one night stopover in NOLA before flying out to our Carribbean paradise of a honeymoon. One night in New Orleans. One single meal. After some nerve-wracking research (which included wiping drool from my keyboard while comparing a number of menus), the near-impossible decision was made. We found Restaurant August to be a stellar choice.

Restaurant August

I was also excited to finally dine at one of NOLA darling Chef John Besh‘s restaurants, as August is one of the 8 he owns in and around New Orleans (and 1 in San Antonio). Coincidentally, my dad had reservations for 2 weeks later with some lawyer buddies. When I mentioned where we’d be dining, he said the phrases “absolutely sublime” and “the best restaurant in New Orleans right now” were used to describe it to him. Cue intense anticipation.

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If you are a reader of any other ATL food blogs, undoubtedly you’ve seen posts recently about Chay J’s New Orleans Candies. This leads me to believe one thing: this woman (owner/confectioner Channon Powell) knows her marketing. And if a few food blogs aren’t enough for you, her treats have also been featured on BET’s The Mo’Nique Show. I had the chance to try some of Ms. Powell’s creations when she hand-delivered them to campus for me to try (where she was subsequently fawned over by a strange foreign student who was–to say the least–impressed by her 6′ height…but that’s another story ) Ms. Powell dropped off some “Creole Crunch” popcorn and “Creole Pretzels.” I was too busy munching to get any pictures of my treats, but these photos from chayjs.com should give you the basic idea:

Creole Crunch

Creole Pretzels

Mmm. My hands-down favorite was the popcorn, the sweet coating on which somehow made it feel like it was melting in my mouth. For those who love a good sweet/salty combo, the creole pretzels are the way to go. Since these were mounded together by their caramel-y coating, they took a little more mandibular force to crunch into, which was a bit of a turn-off after my meltaway popcorn. But don’t get me wrong–I still finished the bag! You can order Chay J’s treats for delivery all over the country, and can even get personal delivery in Metro Atlanta with a minimum purchase.

Because I enjoyed Chay J’s New Orleans Candies so much, and in celebration of my new-ish Facebook page, I’ll be having….a GIVEAWAY!!!
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I was back in Charlotte last weekend and Mario and I got a chance to meet up with some of my high school buddies that are new to the area. I’ve been debating on whether or not to do some name-dropping in this post, but I think I’m gonna go ahead and drop away One of my besties just moved to Charlotte to be with her longtime boyfriend and my old friend, recently acquired Bobcats player Tyrus Thomas. They requested a soul/Southern food spot, and after some debate, Mario and I decided to meet them at Boudreaux’s Louisiana Kitchen in NoDa. Obviously Boudreaux’s is not the name of this post, and that’s because I didn’t feel motivated to write a full post after our disappointing meal. The crawfish and spinach dip appetizer was the highlight. I had an oyster po’boy that was unseasoned and borderline gross. There was one interesting point on the menu–their selection of hurricanes. We couldn’t decide whether it was in poor taste or kind of funny/clever that they named their different hurricane concoctions after actual hurricanes. The Hurricane Katrina was made up of spirits from locations that followed the course of the hurricane. Hmm…

Anyway, toward the end of the meal, my friends asked if we had heard of Amelie’s French Bakery, also in the NoDa area. When we said no, they both insited we go right away. Tyrus, usually a pretty goofy guy, got extremely serious when he started to describe a fruit tart they serve. “Jessica. Ok they have this graham cracker crust. And then this custard that is really, really good. Then on top are these perfectly sliced strawberries and berries and stuff, gracefully arranged and topped with this apple jam….ok we have to go right now.” And so we did:

Amelie's French Bakery

This is a belated note on a food find from my Mardi Gras trip. I wasn’t going to post on these at all, but after prodding from my brother and another blogger, I’ve decided to grace you all with these meat pies from Brother’s Food Mart:

Brothers' Meat Pies

These were bought from a gas station (though Brother’s has a French Quarter location that is just a food mart) and consumed at 2am, so I think I was justifiably hesitant to try these. But my brother insisted I couldn’t NOT eat one, and so there I was, holding a grease-stained bag and warm dough pocket filled with mystery meat.

They. Were. DELICIOUS. The meat pies consisted of a spicy (almost nose-running spicy) filling encased in a flaky but still substantial crust. I’ve since done some research on just what, exactly, is in a meat pie, and where they come from in the first place:
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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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