Well, on second thought, maybe this guide won't touch so much on how to make friends since if you have praline bacon, bouchin balls, grits, and Abita Amber, you really have all the friends you will ever need while in New Orleans. (Just to be clear Abita Amber is a local brew, but one could easily believe there are a few dames in the South named Abita Amber given the affinity for this brew). Kyle Wedberg '97, President of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and New Orleans resident, says that one of the most important acts of public service a visitor can do is share their experience about New Orleans with others. And food is a big part of the New Orleans experience. What follows is a Q2Q style list of good eats the alumni team investigated during our 3rd Annual Alumni Service Weekend:9:02 AM / Tuesday, Jan 13 - Starbucks/Dunkin Donuts at Terminal D / Logan Airport: Okay, not traditional Nawlins fare I realize (I actually didn't even get there yet), but the trip started out with me buying a starbucks coffee and then stumbling upon a Dunkin Donuts where I stopped off for a breakfast sandwich. The DD cashier called me out on my hybrid breakfast. She's right, it was wrong. I made no friends here.
10:47 PM / Wednesday, Jan 14 - Left-overs from Jacques-Imo's at alum's house (Gentilly): I did eat between Tuesday morning and Wednesday evening but this is where I'm picking back up; remember this is a partially complete eating guide. I ate the guiltiest meal of my trip - not because of calorie intake; because my host had brought back a $25 meal from a great restaurant (country fried venison) and told me if I hadn't eaten yet, I'm welcome to it. So I welcomed myself to it. But not before feeling immense guilt during the walk of shame in that 3.5 feet from the refrigerator to the microwave. Good thing he's already a good friend and I'm sending him a gift certificate as restitution.
11:30 PM / Thursday, Jan. 15 - Drink at the LaFitte's Blacksmith (French Quarter): Oldest bar in America, need more be said? A litte more, yes. Order the local brew Abita Amber and then find a stool on the piano and listen to Mike Hood play songs that sound familiar but you never heard before.
9:32 AM / Friday, Jan 16 - Pancake Puppies at Denny's (Kenner, near the MSY Airport): I never gave much thought to the concept of the breakfast appetizer, but leave it to the entrepreneurial chefs at Denny's to come up with the Pancake Puppy. It's genius. Take pancake batter and deep fry it into a ball, serve 'em hot in a milkshake glass for presentation points. Here's something you never hear in a Denny's - "Waitress, please send out your chef so I may shake his hand." And if you were in the Denny's in Kenner, LA at half past 9 in the morning you still wouldn't have heard it, but I did think it.
8:05 PM / Friday, Jan 16 - Fried everything at Deanie's Seafood (French Quarter): Interesting first impression you notice about Deanie's, they give you vibrator gadgets that theoretically would be used when your party is ready to be seated but they shout your name when it actually is. Caught between the new technology and the old way of doing things. I can respect that. You have to love seafood to go here - they make that obvious by offering one steak and once chicken option (even their salad portions suggest meat in them). We started off with charbroiled oysters - which are a must for a true New Orleans experience. I treated my half dozen plate like I was the Karate Kid and they were the Kobra Kai - they are richer than me (loaded with parmesan), from a different part of town than me (they come from oceanfront property and I'm from NJ), and are usually seen with better looking women, but in the end, they are all gone down. Ultimately, I saved the Crane Kick for the Crab Quartet which suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of this 138 pound man. And, yes, that whole metaphor was a reason for me to include this video:
The final call on Deanie's - great choice for any group, especially if you are on vacation with your grandparents (you know, because grandparents love fried everything and are caught between the old and new ways of the world).
8:45 AM / Saturday, Jan 17 - Cafe Au Lait and Beignets at Cafe Du Monde (French Market): It's a big tourist trap, but sometimes it's worth to be caught in a trap and Cafe Du Monde is such a place. Word to the tourist - this place is cash only, good thing for you there are hundreds of ATMs all over willing to charge you $3 a transaction. Order a medium cafe au lait, a plate of beignets (come in three with three inches of powdered sugar), run up the steps of Washington Artillery Park, and shout "I'm King of the World" while looking at St. Louis Cathedral. I bet St. Louis King of France never thought to do this and he probably regrets it.
6:35 PM / Saturday, Jan 17 - Cajun Cookin at Praline Connection (Frenchman Street): Praline Connection is worthy of a "last meal" request. Not only because it's delicious, but also it's very moderately priced which is fiscally prudent given state budgets. You must order the fried pickles and the alligator sausage as appetizers. Don't argue, just do it. Then, consider everything you get with the taste of soul platter ($19.95) - a cup of gumbo (which will always remind me of the City Year video), bbq ribs, fried catfish, fried chicken, colored greens, rice and beans, and bread pudding for dessert. You know what else you can get for $19.95 in our economy? A flashlight that doesn't work. I would argue this is the best under $20 deal in the United States today.
10:30 AM / Sunday, Jan 18 - Brunch at Elizabeth's (Bywater): This spot was highly recommended to us by Michelle Regan and Kyle Wedberg '97 - considering they married each other, you know they must have impeccable taste. They joined us for brunch and one of their first suggestions was praline bacon. If you never thought it was possible for bacon to be more flavorful than it already is, you've never been to a New Orleans brunch. Praline bacon - think bacon with brown sugar melted on top of it. If you really want to unbotton your pants, wash that down with bouchin balls - the scrapple of the south. Waitstaff is really attentive and they fully believe in coffee refills on demand - they saw empty cups coming a hallway away. This place is a must for all breakfast lovers.
6:45 PM / Monday, Jan 19 - Pimm's Cups and Appetizers at Herbsaint (Lafayette Square): Damon called to try to reserve all their seats at the bar (poor form we admit but at least we gave a head's up). When we showed up and saw no one sitting at the bar, we pretty much implemented our vision from our call ahead. We needed the perfect drink to toast the successful day of service and found it in the Pimm's Cup - Pimm's gin, lemon lime soda, and a cucumber slice. This drink could turn an atheist into an agnostic, and by the second, a full believer. Pair the Pimm's Cup with some delectable small plates of olive oil seared gnocchis, fried frog legs and french fries with Pimenton Aioli and you won't be sorry.
9:15 PM / Monday, Jan 19 - The meal of the decade at Jacques-Imo's (Uptown): You know you've been to way too many Italian restaurants in your life when you try to google "Giacomos new orleans restaurant" and you are really searching for this uptown neighborhood gem. According to its web site, Jacques-Imo's "embraces and interprets the New Orleans funky psyche in a way that is fetching to both tourists and locals alike." It's known for it's alligator cheesecake which is served as an appetizer - it's good but the alligator sausage at Praline Connection is preferable choice. Their entree options are like the '86 Celtics - future Hall of Famer at pretty much every position no matter if you go seafood, chicken, game bird, venison, or beef. The bite of the night was venison layered delicately on top of the sweet potato mash. A few proclaimed this was "the best meal of their life." I'm not sure if that was the Pimm's gin talking or not, but the locals absolutely love this place and that's how you know it's good.
12:37 PM / Tuesday, Jan 20 - BBQ at The Joint (Bywater): There really couldn't be a better way to close out 43's term than by ordering the "W special" at the Joint. It's a hole-in-the-wall kind of place and that's a sure fire sign there's great bbq. They smoke everything in the backyard. The W comes with a near Mount Rushmore of meat - bbq ribs, pulled pork, and beef brisket. If you only had one hour in New Orleans, I would tell you to eat a beignet and then get yourself to the Joint - it's that good.
6:00 PM / Tuesday, Jan 20 - Pimm's Cup at Napolean House (French Quarter): Another great stop for a cocktail is Napolean House where the bartender is likely to have known Napolean. Each shift comes with a silver-streaked gent who will make you a drink and tell you a story.
8:00 PM / Tuesday, Jan 20 - Double Meat sandwich at Mother's (Poydras St.): It's not called the Double Meat, but that's how I will think of it. Ever have ham layered on top of roast beef? No, make that roast beef layered on top of ham. Ever had that? Go to Mother's just to say you did.
12:45 PM / Wednesday, Jan 21 - The one bar in the JetBlue terminal at MSY: I ate one of those chicken ceasar salads where I questioned the chickenness of each bite. Definitely not in New Orleans any more, but leaving with great memories and many new friends.
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