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| Not a food, yes. But it was definitely the drink of our trip. Hand Grenade. Arguably the strongest drink in the city. |
We ate some good food, though. Thanks, New Orleans (and Houston...briefly)!
Cafe Amelie is a beautiful restaurant that is settled in the Princess of Monaco Courtyard and Carriage House. Mind you, the courtyard is 150 years old. Yep. Cafe Amelie is on Royal Street located in the French Quarter neighborhood.
We so wanted to dine outside but the wait time was more than an hour. Yikes. So, inside we went. Since there are no photos of the food, I can't really recall what I got. However, I do remember my drink. Yes, that I do remember. It was the Orange Blossom - St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur, Mionetto Prosecco,
fee bros, orange bitters, and orange peel. Yummy. (For someone who doesn't eat fruits, I can stay drinking any flavored fruit drink all day all day. But no pulp, please. Yuck.)
We tried the very popular Cafe Du Monde, right in French Market. And get this, it's open 24/7. This cafe is known for their beignets. Beignets are basically puff puff dough that is cut into a square, fried, and covered with a hell of a lot of powdered sugar. Once again, no photo. My bad, yo. When you're standing in a long-ass line for well over 30 minutes trying to order, the last thing one thinks about is whipping out the camera (phone) and taking multiple photos. Nah. I had to eat. Now.
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| Crabmeat Maison |
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| Chicken Bonne-Femme |
My cousin's pre-birthday dinner took place at Galatoire's Restaurant, located on the famous Bourbon Street. This establishment (which opened in 1905) prides itself in serving authentic New Orleans cuisine. My appetizer: Crabmeat Maison, my entree: Chicken Bonne-Femme. The dessert was a shared complimentary chocolate cake with vanilla bean ice cream for my cousin. Once the dessert was placed on the table, our waiter made the whole restaurant (well, actually, just the dining area) to sing a hearty 'Happy Birthday' to the cousin. Such a cute moment.
Our Sunday brunch was also in the French Quarter. This time at Antoine's Restaurant. Now this place, which serves French-Creole cuisine, has been in business since 1840. And the walls, covered with photos of famous people throughout the years, are there to prove it. My appetizer was a mouthful, to eat...and to say. Here it goes: Champignons Fourves a la Chair de Crabes Sauce Hollandaise - mushrooms stuffed with lump crabmeat filling, sprinkled with light cheese and French bread crumbs, baked in a casserole, and topped with Antoine's rich Hollandaise sauce. (see middle photo) *whew* The entree was much easier: Omelette de Crevettes, basically shrimp omelette. Both were delicious.
Back in Houston was the real birthday dinner. Located in The Galleria vicinity, Oceanaire Seafood Room delivered in service and food. Yes, the food (appetizers and entrees) took a while to come out but our stomachs were compensated with baskets full of bread. Looking at the photos above one would think that both were entrees. But, oh no. The food in the first photo were both side dishes! I was floored when it came out because, um, I was semi-full from the bread already. Now this? And my entree hadn't come out yet? Uh oh. I just wasn't used to seeing such a large portion as a side dish. Well, the Spicy Applewood Smoked Bacon, Smoked Gouda
& Jalapeno Mac-n-Cheese and the Matchstick Fries, seasoned to perfection with Parmesan and Truffle Oil, scored very high marks in my book. Not Surprisingly, my stomach had a slight room for more goodness. So my entree was the Baked Stuffed Shrimp - Crabmeat Stuffing with Creamy Linguini Pasta. Seriously. Heaven.
Well, that about sums it up.
More to come from my trip.
More to come from my trip.
