August 29th, 2011 - Six Years and a Lifetime

Thanks for the W last night Saints - starting to look like the Saints two years ago that won us a certain....superbowl:)

But today - I'm going to talk about the strength of New Orleans as a city. The people who brought the city back to life. The tourists that came for the 2006 Mardi Gras that they weren't even sure was going to happen. And most of all, the spirit of the city that would not get wiped out or drowned or forgotten.

The people -
The person I remember the most who was a native of the city of New Orleans is some random guy in the middle of St. Charles avenue whose name I don't even know. But it was 2006 Mardi Gras, and he was there with his family and we were watching a parade float go by. My friends and I were all engaging in some type of baffoonery as was par for the course, but we stopped and talked to this man who was just in awe of the parade. He teared up as he was talking about it and all he could say was just how happy he was that there were so many people there. That so many people came back. Granted this was the most sparse Mardi Gras we had all been a part of, but we liked it that way kind of because there was more room for us to get ceramic krewe beads. The news would have had you believe we were a ghost town, a fraction of what we once were. But that day proved to that man, and to us silly college kids that we were a part of something much more than a city-wide drinking event with beads and costumes, but we were part of bringing people home, and that some of us, some of us actually were home. And that was something I will never forget.

The tourists -
Thank you. Whoever you are and whenever you've chosen to come see the city, thank you. New Orleans' economy depends on people like you. The bachelor/ette parties that occur, the conferences, all that jazz. The city would have never been able to come back fully without tourists. What a ballsy set of travellers you are, coming to a city thats been flooded and being talked about like its some sort of third world country. I'm glad you had a set of brass ones that enabled you to come to the city and see how great it was doing and going back home and telling all your friends. It worked, thank you. And to the people who came to rebuild the city while taking it all in - a special thanks to you. Except for Sean Penn, I will never thank that guy for parading around my city post-katrina with a row boat and a shot gun. (Plus everyone knows you never go full-retard. See: Tropic Thunder) Thank you to David Simon who created Treme, a show that illustrates the city not in some fantasy everythings-awesome kind of way, but thank you for accurately portraying New Orleans, all of its qualities and all of its flaws.

To the spirit of the city -
For those of you who have been to New Orleans, I don't need to explain this. But if you haven't been yet...there's a feeling you get when you go to New Orleans that you can't quite explain. Maybe its because New Orleans was never really an English colony and appreciated all sorts of cultural influences starting way back into the 1700's that have rendered into something you can't find anywhere else in the world. Maybe its because the people there know they live below sea level in a hurricane zone and choose to live there anyway because thats what their ancestors did and thats what they're going to do too. Who knows, but that spirit is there. Post Katrina it was almost tangible. I remember driving downtown post-katrina with my dad and saying to him that it wasn't money that brought this city back, it was much bigger than that. It wasnt the federal funding (if youre a New Orleans native that comment made you laugh), it wasnt FEMA, it wasn't anything you could immediately define. It was a combination of those smiles that happen when you ask someone about their trip to New Orleans, or memories being told of someone from New Orleans to someone who'd never been, it was a food critic talking about the best meal they had in New Orleans and telling people why they had to go. It was something alright...

August 29th, 2005 was only six years ago but it was also a lifetime ago. My friends and I graduated from college, some left New Orleans, some stayed. We've gotten graduate degrees and care about 401(k)'s now. But what hasnt changed is that its still pretty obvious how much I love New Orleans. You can't drown it, blow it away, forget about it, or otherwise destroy it. You can try. But we'll just come back and win the superbowl again. God bless New Orleans. That city is always in my heart and has secured its future there.

Nuts to published restaurant guides......We had Rob

In my many ventures to New Orleans, I was often fascinated by their culinary skills. Especially when Em's dad, Rob, a wine lover, would come down and take us out to amazing meals paired with some of his most beloved wines. This man would actually travel with his own wine thats what kind of meal we were in for.

Featured Restaurants in this post:
Gautreau's -
1728 Soniat Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70115
(504) 899-7397
www.gautreausrestaurant.com

and

Herbsaint
701 Saint Charles Ave
New Orleans, LA 70130-3713
(504) 524-4114
www.herbsaint.com

So Gautreaus - wow. If you aren't specifically looking for this place, youre going to miss it in the neighborhood its that tucked away. But oh what a hidden treasure it is... at least to the people who are just figuring it out, for the people who aleady know about its just a treasure. The appetizers are appropriately named as when you have them you just want more. Some can be found to be so overwhelmingly amazing that you want to just throw caution to the wind and put all of your trust in the chef and have them bring out whatever they are inspired to do because there's no way they could go wrong. My personal favorite entree was the Crispy Duck with Marcona Almonds. The citrus quinoa was amazing and adds a fresh element to what could potentially look like a heavy meal. Serving it with the duck jus is just icing on the proverbial cake and serves to further the duck flavor when paired with the quinoa and Belgian endive. Almonds serve for a light flavor and a nice texture. Of course we had Rob the entire time giving us a free wine lesson with each course but if I were you I would trust their sommolier to have just as excellent of a pairing to suggest should you be so inclined. The meals here aren't cheap. Reservations should be made at least two to four weeks in advance to make sure you get the time and day you want. Be careful for Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest, or graduation seasons though - reservations should probably be made as far in advance as possible. But I assure you, it is well worth it.


Now Herbsaint - I've eaten here more than I have Gautreau's and its definately a foodie spot. Their chef Donald Link has won a James Beard Award for best chef in the South. I mean, thats incredible considering the testimony I just gave to the Chef at Gautreau's. He's got something for everyone, small plates like beef short ribs (so yum), and entrees such as Sauteed Louisiana Jumbo Shrimp with Corn Arancini and Bacon. What I like about this chef and restaurant is that they use local foods whenever possible. Their desserts here....I can't even begin to talk about the creme brulee without talking about the Inniskillin ice wine that Rob suggested I try with it. It was such an experience it changed my perspective on life for a while there - if something could exist that tasted so good, how could I be pre-occupied with things such as cleaning or getting things done? Luckily the moment passed because I was still in college and things needed to get cleaned and assignments needed to get done. But I will never forget that pairing. Reservations here should be made at least a week in advance if not further. And very well worth it.

Now Im hungry.

Next time I'm going to post about one of my uptown favorites that I had at my friend Kara's suprise bachelorette/birthday party weekends, Matt and Naddies...

My love of New Orleans

....it started when I went to visit a friend who went to Tulane her freshman year of college. By Junior year, I was going to the University of New Orleans and living in an area of the city called uptown. We lived in a big pink building and life was awesome. We were in college, of course it was. And then about 6 years ago, Em (my roommate/one of my best friends) flies in to start our Senior year. It was going to be time to RAGE. Nature had other ideas filed under "Katrina" and we had to leave. Mostly because Em's boyfriend made us (we didnt want to leave, we thought it was just going to be a bunch of hullabaloo over nothing). But we left and we watched our city stand through the hurricane while in Gainsville Florida and we were ready to go home to New Orleans. Then the levee's broke then so did our hearts. We went to Boston for about 6 months (thanks Boston - that was a real solid you did for us) and we came home in January.

I tell that story because its the basis for my absolute love of New Orleans. Obviously I love the culture, the atmosphere, the laissez-faire attitude, the FOOD, definately the food, and the history of the city. But having been to the absolute brink of losing all of that, thats what cemented that love of New Orleans. And having to defend the city against ignorance and haters and people who are just in general regurgitators of what they hear on the News (can also be filed under ignorant and hater) just made me love New Orleans even more. Because it was mine, and it wasnt perfect, but it was mine and I loved it. So this whole thing is going to be about all things New Orleans, convince people why New Orleans is the place to go, visit, fall in love with. Hopefully it wont take much. I know it didnt for me:)