Monday, January 6, 2014

New Orleans Round Up

It seems that most of us in Missouri, well the Midwest, are currently living in a snowy fairy tale. The tale of Christmas break just won't end because of the most recent snow fall and frosty temperatures. I walked out to check my mail and I wanted to cry because the wind and temperatures hurt my face, that and I have an extremely low tolerance for pain. 

Today's post is all about our recent trip to NEW ORLEANS! Neither my boyfriend or I had ever been before and we thought it sounded like the perfect way to start 2014. We hopped on a plane at 6:00AM (with a dream and a cardigan.. oops, sorry, got distracted!) on New Year's Day and headed south! Last year (whoa!), I blogged about our trip to Disneyland and a few of my favorites from the vacation. Here's my rundown of NOLA and some highlights I think you should include in your itinerary of The Big Easy.

We stayed in a quaint little hotel right in the heart of the French Quarter. Walking right out of the Place d'Armes would put you on Royal Street or a left turn out of the front doors would put you in Jackson Square. It was a great location with an equally great price. Side note: someone should be paying me to write this!

Place d'Armes on St. Ann Street

We arrived just in time to take part in the Jazz Brunch at the Court of Two Sisters. The courtyard and atmosphere of Two Sisters is pretty spectacular. It was raining when we dined there so we couldn't take advantage of the courtyard, but we got to enjoy the Jazz and buffet!  
Yummy dish(es): Creole Jambalaya and King's Cake 



When we got off the plane, we got wind of a little excitement happening down in the Quarter. Since the Sugar Bowl was happening the following day, we (luckily) stumbled up on the AllState Sugar Bowl Fan Fest featuring a FREE concert with Imagine Dragons. Score! 

We were most likely the only Mizzou fans in a sea of crimson because the town was flooded with OU and Alabama fans. Nevertheless, we wore our goal with pride. My tweet even made it up on the jumbo board prior to the concert!


Imagine Dragons - FREE!
After the concert, we hopped in a cab and headed down to St. Charles Street and dined at Emeril's restaurant. If you're feeling fancy, it's the perfect place to go. Our meal and experience was incredible. I highly recommend! 

Yummy dish: Dry Aged Moulard Duck Breast

The next morning we set our alarms to be one of the first to arrive at Cafe du Monde. A friend of mine had advised us to get there early otherwise we would be standing in line. We arrived around 8:30 and walked right in and had a seat in the patio area. If someone could make me beignets and coffee every morning for the rest of my life, I would be perfectly content. 
Yummy dish: Beignets :)

The Original French Market Coffee Stand

For lunch, we braved the line of the legendary Acme Oyster House. Now, you must know... I do not eat oysters. Deep fry those little puppies and I'll consider it, but I'm not about to slurp anything down. My boyfriend on the other hand is a fan, so I'll be a team player! At the conclusion of our trip, we decided that this was probably our least favorite spot and we'll probably skip this place the next time we visit. 
Standing in Line
After a little touring of the city, we hopped in a cab and headed to Magazine Street in Uptown. Our first stop was the Bouligny Tavern where we had an array of small plates. Each one was equally delicious and it was a nice little spin on dinner to eat several options versus just one main dish. 
Yummy dish(es): Marrow & Garlic Bruschetta & Fries with Aioli  

Before arriving in New Orleans, I had a laundry list of things we had to eat. It's one of the few places, in my opinion, that has so many unique dishes that must be consumed. Oh, and trust me, consume we did! Thanks to a recommendation by a friend, we had lunch at the historical Napoleon House and had our first Muffuletta Sandwich. We found out later the Napoleon House is one of the few places to sample this sandwich warm - which we both enjoyed!

Great Spot
During the afternoon, we spent some time sightseeing through the city and checking our the museums of Louisiana's history, Hurricane Katrina, and Mardi Gras. These museums are located right next to the St. Louis Cathedral which is also a sight you must make a point to see. 

Jackson Square & St. Louis Cathedral

With Mr. Jackson
Friday night, we wanted to find a fun place to watch our Missouri Tigers BEAT Okie State in the Cotton Bowl. Right before the game, we had an amazing dinner at St. Lawrence. I would consider this place a diamond in the rough. When we checked it out online, it had little reviews and didn't speak too loudly to us. Once we got into the restaurant and started our meal - we were impressed. This was probably one of my favorite restaurants we went to. Definitely worth checking out!


Oh, speaking of the Cotton Bowl... did you see where we won? GO TIGERS!

Source: USA Today
On the last morning of our trip, we popped in EAT for brunch and weren't disappointed. The atmosphere, staff, and food was delightful. This was recommended by my sister and she made a great choice - I now, recommend it to you!
Yummy dish: Fried Green Tomatoes


We had a little bit of time to burn before we needed to scoot to the airport, so we did some exploring through the French Market. In hindsight, I wish we would have kept a lunch open and dined at the market because the array of food choices were incredible. Plus, I was very temped to try some gator on a stick - but I was stuffed from brunch! 


Gator Gumbo, please!
I do believe we checked off everything on the "eat this in New Orleans list", but I could be mistaken. Here's what we had: beignets, muffulettas, oysters, po' boys, gumbo, jambalaya, King's Cake, and pralines. Did we miss something? If so, I guess we'll just have to go back again!

Of course, I didn't list everywhere we visited and popped in but these listed were my favorites. If you're looking for other great spots, I would add the following to your list of things to do/see:

Pat O'Briens

Have you been to New Orleans my faithful readers? Share with me your favorite spots to dine, tour, and visit. 

Happy New Year!

5 comments:

  1. Benitez expresses Champions League doubts

    Agen Bola terpercaya indo11.com reported,Rafael Benitez has expressed doubts over Napoli’s chances of qualifying for the UEFA Champions Leaguefollowing their 1-1 draw with Chievo.
    Only a late goal from defender Raul Albiol prevented Napoli from suffering a home defeat to the relegation-threatened side, who took the lead after 18 minutes through Gennaro Sardo.
    The setback leaves third-placed Napoli 12 points adrift of leaders Juventus and just four ahead of Fiorentina, who can move to within a point of the final Champions League spot with a win over Genoa on Sunday.
    And Benitez believes Napoli will not qualify for Europe’s premier club competition on current form.
    "It is a difficult moment," the Spaniard told Mediaset. "I do not think we are on course to qualify for the next edition of the Champions League.as reported by Indo Eleven.
    "We still have to play in the Europa League and the Coppa Italia. We could have done better, but the situation could be worse."
    Sourcehttp:// indo11.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Blaszczykowski confirms ACL tear

    Agen Bola terpercaya indo11.com reported,Borussia Dortmund winger Jakub Blaszczykowski has confirmed that he is to undergo surgery after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament.
    The Poland international was substituted just six minutes into Dortmund’s 2-2 draw with Augsburg on Saturday.
    And the 28-year-old is set for a lengthy stint on the sidelines after the severity of his injury was confirmed.
    "Unfortunately it is confirmed: The front knee ligaments are torn. On Thursday I have surgery," Blaszczykowski wrote on his Facebook page.
    Blaszczykowski’s injury is the latest in a line of setbacks in what has been a challenging campaign for Jurgen Klopp’s Dortmund.as reported by Indo Eleven.
    Defenders Neven Subotic and Mats Hummels have both suffered knee ligament injuries this season, while midfielder Ilkay Gundogan is close to a return to fitness following a long lay-off with a back problem.
    Sourcehttp:// indo11.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Di Natale mungkin bisa menunda pensiun

    Berita terbaru dan terkini Bola Soccer dari Agen Bola Indo11 - Antonio Di Natale hanya ingin menikmati sisa musim ini dan tidak memikirkan soal rencana pensiunnya akhir musim ini. Terbuka kemungkinan pula Toto akan mengubah rencananya untuk gantung sepatu.

    Agen Bola Indo11 Terpercaya - Hal ini dikatakan Di Natale usai membawa Udinese menang tiga gol tanpa balas atas Chievo Verona, di mana pemain 35 tahun itu mencetak satu gol. Itu adalah gol keenamnya musim ini dari 20 penampilan.

    Di Natale memang beberapa waktu lalu mengutarakan bahwa musim 2013/2014 adalah kali terakhirnya ia mengenakan seragam hitam-putih Udinese, dan ia pun akan menutup 18 tahun kariernya sebagai pesepakbola di akhir musim.

    Harapan pelatih Guidolin serta Presiden Gampaolo Pozzo melihat Di Natale bermain lagi musim depan nyatanya masih terbuka, karena ada kans pemain kelahiran Naples itu menunda rencana gantung sepatunya.

    "Saya hanya bersenang-senang saja selama tiga bulan dan lalu kita lihat setelahnya," ujar Di Natale.
    Sumber http://indo11.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Atletico Madrid berusaha fokus dalam sisa laga

    Berita terbaru dan terkini bola Soccer dari Agen bola Indo11 - La Liga sudah memasuki pekan-pekan penentuan. Demi mengamankan titel juara, Atletico Madrid pun bertekad menjaga level konsentrasi untuk memenangi dua pertandingan sisa.

    Agen bola Indo11 Terpercaya - Atletico masih berada di garis terdepan dalam persaingan menuju gelar juara La Liga. Los Rojiblancos memimpin klasemen dengan 88 poin dan dua laga tersisa. Namun, setelah pertandingan jornada 36 lalu, persaingan perebutan gelar juara kembali terbuka. Itu terjadi setelah Atletico, Barcelona, dan Real Madrid sama-sama gagal memetik poin penuh.

    "Bagi kami tidak ada kejutan. Satu-satunya kenyataan adalah jika kami memenangi dua laga terakhir, kami juara. Saya membayangkan Barcelona juga memikirkan hal yang sama. Di antara tiga tim, kami yang punya posisi terbaik karena takdir kami ada di tangan kami sendiri," jelas striker Atletico David Villa.

    "Kami tahu memenangi liga itu sangat sulit. Kami tahu ini akan sulit hingga menit akhir, jadi ide kami soal bekerja dan memenangi laga selanjutnya belum berubah. Tidak ada hal lain yang penting," tutupnya.

    Sumber http://indo11.com

    ReplyDelete

  5. Marquez tidak ingin terlena


    Berita terbaru dan terkini bola Soccer dari Agen bola Indo11 – Marc Marquez tak ingin terlena dengan prestasi yang sudah ditorehkannya di ajang balap motor musim ini. Karenanya, ia meminta kepada Repsol Honda untuk terus bekerja keras membangun motor sebaik mungkin di setiap balapannya.

    Sikap yang ditunjukkan pemilik nomor 93 itu sangatlah beralasan. Pasalnya, Marquez melihat kompetitornya (Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa, dan Valentino Rossi) mulai memperlihatkan ketajamannya di setiap sesi latihan dan balapan.

    "Pokoknya, saya dalam bentuk yang baik pada saat ini. Tapi saya bisa melihat bahwa Dani Pedrosa, Valentino Rossi dan Jorge Lorenzo, tetap memperlihatkan performanya sampai 100 persen di setiap latihan dan balapan," terang Marquez.

    "Saya yakin bahwa cepat atau lambat akan datang balapan di mana saya tidak menang. Namun, kami harus belajar dari setiap kemenangan dan mencoba untuk mengambil poin penting," tutupnya.

    Agen bola Indo11 Terpercaya - Dengan kemenangan ini, Marquez tetap memperkokoh posisinya di klasemen pembalap MotoGP sementara dengan raihan 100 poin. Sedangkan, di peringkat kedua diduduki rekan setimnya Pedrosa dengan selisih 28 poin.

    Sumber http://indo11.com

    ReplyDelete

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