Food in New Orleans is consistently some of the best I've enjoyed
anywhere. The mission for this visit was for oysters, and all four evenings hit
the mark.
We started with charbroiled oysters in a fair amount of (yay!) butter and Parmesan at Drago's with Jeff's
cousin Beth and Aunt Peggy Ann. It was the first night in town and everybody
was hungry and happy to dive in.
 |
| Round 1: charbroiled. Photo credit to Passionate Eater |
The next night was the fried
oyster appetizer at Mr. B's Bistro in the French Quarter, shared with my work-related
dining companions who made the recommendation. There was a light lemony sauce,
which we scooped up with pieces of pillowy French bread housed in white paper
sleeves.
 |
| Tender with a bit of crunch. Photo credit to Mr. B's |
The following night I
introduced Beth to Cochon's oysters in chili butter. Strangely, these were not
quite to the level that I have enjoyed them in the past - I think the oysters
were bigger this time, which usually isn't a problem, but in this case meant
there was less of the chili butter. The last one in the half dozen was smaller,
so the ratio was perfect and I had one bite of heavenly bliss. Still working on
my quest for dinner perfection there. I think I'd have to go with Beth's move,
which was to start with the lovely house salad, with the oysters as the star
dinner dish. I almost did the same, but chose gumbo as my starter, and
altogether it was a bit too rich of a dinner.
 |
| Amazing combo of flavors. Photo credit unknown |
However, I love it when you
stumble on the perfect food experience, which I've decided is where the food
itself, company (or sometimes enjoying the company of one’s self), ambiance +
hunger combine into a magical experience. For me that happened on our last
night at LUKE, which was the attached restaurant to my hotel and a popular one at that. I kept seeing, and reading, about the great deal on happy
hour oysters.
Although we weren't going to be
able to make the cutoff time for the special, we still decided to try and get
in at dinnertime and sample the local oysters. I got there first, and there
were no tables available, but the bar was first-come-first served. Overall, I
really don't enjoy being a bar stalker, and I noted that the stools had no
backs, also not my favorite.
 |
| See the stools? Allows for more room I know. |
Still, I took a more positive
approach and decided to wait and lurk until Beth got there, and if it was meant
to me, it was meant to be. I did one pass, then two, then on the third one, two
diners slipped off their stools, I took one, and saw Beth entering the
restaurant at the same time. Clearly, it was meant to be.
The plan was for oysters, and
for a change of pace, I decided to join Beth for a cocktail. I ended up going
with her choice, a not too sweet but delicious "French 75" cocktail
simply comprised of cognac, lemon and champagne. This was one cocktail that was
definitely more than the sum of its parts and I was thrilled with the new
discovery. Then, when our half dozen local oysters arrived, they had added on
an extra one because it 'took a while' (ten minutes, maybe), and we certainly
enjoyed the extra treat.
 |
| Cue heavenly music.... |
Over these few days, I was also
not very good about taking photos, so you'll see mostly stock or other's photos
on this post. It is a fine line between just enjoying the moment and not
documenting everything vs. a unique to me post visual experience.
p.s. I ended up going back to LUKE for breakfast and thoroughly
enjoyed their Crispy Chicken Biscuit, with Tabasco honey, bread & butter
pickles (obviously homemade), and some of the best grits I've had in a while -
they came fully seasoned and fluffy.
 |
| Amazing Southern-style breakfast |
Comments
Post a Comment