Mardi Gras 2013

New Orleans during Mardi Gras season (which is the four weeks before Lent) is an amazing experience. The entire city turns itself out with gusto, decorating every available surface in purple, green, and gold and embracing the traditions of the season.

These people were NOT fooling around.

Prior to Hurricane Katrina, I had visited New Orleans on a number of occassions - but never during Mardi Gras or Jazz Fest, due to my aversion to large, drunken crowds. My main interest in the city was the food, the shopping, and the spooky history.

My first couple of trips included graveyard tours, ghost tours, a drive by Anne Rice's house, eating in "famous" (read: touristy) restaurants, and wandering around the French Quarter. As I got to know the city better, I started to branch out - visiting farther-flung neighborhoods and seeking out favorite shops, bars, and restaurants. This trip, I traveled with two, dear friends who are at a similar place in their relationship with the city, so we had a great time sharing best-loved spots with each other. We, basically, ate, drank, and shopped our way around the city.

For today's post, I'd like to focus on the food and drink. We ate some EPIC meals at restaurants that were off the "tourist" path and we drank some amazing cocktails, both fancy and basic.

Our first night in the city, my friend John had made reservations at a gorgeous little bistro called Coquette, located in the center of the Garden District. We arrived for our 8p reservation and had to wait a bit for a table. It was immediately apparent why. The atmosphere, the service, and the food/drink were so wonderful that I can completely understand not wanting to leave.

I ordered a Sazarac, a rye and bitters cocktail that originated in New Orleans. I drank a few during this trip and I can honestly say that the one at Coquette was the best of the weekend. In the "craft" tradition, the bar makes its own syrups and specialty cocktails and only uses the best ingredients. Which leads me to my best find of the weekend - "shrubs".

On the cocktail menu, I noticed a number of ingredients referred to as "shrubs". Apple shrub, cucumber shrub, pear shrub, etc. The slightly-Cajun-accented (and very charming) bartender explained that shrubs are, basically, cocktail syrups that are made in-house. The difference between a shrub and a soda syrup, like the ones I made last summer, is that shrubs have the addition of vinegar. The basic recipe is this:

1. Cook down your fruit/vegetable/herb in water

2. Strain and discard the solids

3. Mix equal parts (1/3, 1/3, 1/3) of your fruit/vegetable/herb concentrate, simple syrup, and vinegar

4. Bottle in a tightly-capped glass bottle

Wikipedia has an interesting entry on shrubs - otherwise known as "drinking vinegars".

Once we were at our table, the first epic meal started. Cheese board, appetizers, entrees, and desserts. I had some of the most delicately fried sweatbreads I've ever tasted and a pork chop that was - no lie - the size of my dinner plate and an inch and a half thick. It was insane. Dessert was a butterscotch pudding with bourbon "bubbles", scotcheroo crumbles, and... wait for it... BACON ICE CREAM. Oh.My.God. It was one of the best things I've ever eaten.

The next day, we had lunch at Luke (there's supposed to be an umlaut over the "u" but I don't know how to make that happen...) which is a John Besh restaurant that focuses on updated versions of traditional Louisiana cuisine. I had a shrimp and grits that was absolutely divine. Turns out that they make their grits (slow cooked, not instant) with marscapone cheese. So, yeah. Pretty much the best grits ever. As an appetizer, we had an onion tart that I can't even begin to describe other than to say "amazing". And, I enjoyed one of their signature cocktails called Riverbend - vodka, lemon juice, basil syrup, blueberries (crushed), and ginger ale - which was very light and refreshing.

Saturday's epic meal was at Toups' Meatery in Mid-City, a neighborhood I'd never visted before. This unassuming little corner storefront has a great, informal atmosphere, fun service, and an outstanding menu of meat, meat, and more meat. We ate so much - cheese board, meat board, boudin balls, deviled eggs (with bacon, of course), cracklins, the best dirty rice I've ever tasted, and then our entrees - that I could write a post on this meal alone. My entree was a porchetta that was so large I could barely eat half. Then we topped it off by splitting a salted caramel, bacon, and peanut butter cake. The new-favorite  drink I was introduced to was a liquor called Liquer Strega.

This bold, yellow digestif is made with 70 herbs which include fennel, mint, and saffron (which gives it its color). It was a surprise after-dinner-drink gifted to us by our wonderful waiter. I can't thank him enough for introducing me to this interesting concoction and I can't wait to start experimenting with Strega cocktails.

Finally, we had to have one, semi-touristy meal so we had brunch on Monday at The Court of Two Sisters, a French Quarter institution with a lovely "80-item" buffet. While it wasn't the most amazing food of the weekend, it was a nice, solid way to finish up our stay. Of particular note was the blue cheese potato salad and the turtle soup with sherry. Oh... and the peel-and-eat boiled shrimp with the stone-ground mustard sauce. Yum.

On Sunday, we intentionally went to the Krewe of Barkus Mardi Gras parade which is the largest dog parade in the world. It was amazing fun and there are enough stories and photos for an entire separate blog post. Look for that one next week. :)

If you get a chance to go to NOLA, plan your food carefully and you too could end up with meal memories that will last a lifetime.

- Alex

My Brain is Mush

It's a rare occasion when I find myself totally overwhelmed. Most of the time, I can multitask like a pro and still feel in control. But this past week, I've been completely overloaded.

Every time the phone rings or the cell phone buzzes or another email pops up, I feel like I'm being pulled in a thousand directions.

What happened to my mad juggling skillz?

For some reason, my to-do list has gotten completely out of hand - between housework and regular work and my myriad projects, I suddenly have no damn time to just sit and recharge. Until Thursday.

On Thursday, March 1, I will be boarding a plane and going to Florida for six days. I plan to disconnect from social media and the internet in general. I plan to read a book. And I plan to drink fruity rum drinks by the pool every, single day.

I plan to rest my brain.

I do promise, dear readers, to write a travel-blog post next Wednesday, complete with the requisite beach photos - weather permitting.

In the meantime, please send positive thoughts my way that my head doesn't explode before I get on that plane. At this point, I'm still not sure I'm going to make it.

- "In Need Of Xanax" Alex

(Cassandra's Note: Please, please take me with you!!)

Jet-Setting

January 2012 marks a milestone birthday for me. I won't say which one because, frankly, I'm not looking forward to it. Previous milestone birthdays have sailed by, barely registering as a blip in my consciousness but this one... *sigh*... this one has pummeled me with feelings of dread and constant reminders of my fleeting youth.

I've got no real reason why this one should be so bad but it's bumming me out. However, one sure way to make myself feel better is to do something really indulgent and, for me, that means taking a trip somewhere where I don't speak the language.

My all-time favorite place is Baden-Baden in southern Germany. I blogged about it when Hosni Mubarak was rumored to be going there in exile. The thing is, I've been there, like, five times now so, as much as I love it, I feel like I need to go somewhere else - somewhere I've never been. A friend invited me to go to Bali with her over Thanksgiving but that's too soon, too far, and too expensive a trip.

So, I'm thinking about the following places:

Greece - it's got the appeal of being warm, coastal, and friendly. I love Greek food and there are lots of ancient things to explore. Historically, it's been pretty expensive to go there but, maybe with the collapse of their economy, I can get a deal.

Thailand - There are only a couple of Asian countries that I'm interested in visiting and Thailand is at the top of the list. I used to train in Muay Thai (Thai kickboxing) and have been fascinated by the culture there for years. The country offers a lot of variation too, from the forests and hills of the north (full of gorgeous temples), to the hustle and bustle of Bangkok, to the pristine beaches of the peninsula. The best part is, the airfare is the biggest expense. Once you're there, you can have an amazing time for just a few dollars a day.

Iceland - Okay...maybe January in Iceland doesn't sound too appealing but I've heard that the country is really beautiful, even in the dead of winter. And, right around the time I'd be going is when the residents have this big, midwinter party called Thorrablot. The food is...well...an acquired taste but the drink is good and the party is a blast with lots of singing and story-telling and friendship. Oh... and they have awesome hot springs.

Borrowed from the blog: Daniels Adventures In Adulthood

Nepal - I'd really like to go to Tibet but, with the Chinese occupation and the current political climate there, it's not really an option. However, there's a comparable Himalayan destination in Nepal. The mountains are amazing and there are temples to explore. I have a friend from Nepal and, after meeting her family and learning about her culture, I know it's a place I'd like to visit before I die. Travel to the Himalayan is long and a bit brutal - it's not unusual to find yourself sleeping on the floor in an Indian airport waiting for your next flight - but, I think its worth it.

So... what do you think? Do any of our readers have experience in traveling to any of these destinations? Or, do you have other places you'd like to recommend? I have a few months before I have to buy tickets so let me know!

- Alex, the world-traveler