Dinner and Brunch in New Orleans

[canyonwalker]

New Orleans travelog #4
French Quarter - Saturday, 22 Apr 2023, 1pm

As I noted in my previous blog, I'm trying to stay up to date with blogging about this trip but also being cautious not to let picture processing hold things up. Thus I'm combining some photos from dinner last night with lunch/brunch today.



Last night we dined at Oceana. It's a restaurant all the staff at our hotel recommended. Right away that made me suspicious.... I've traveled in places where touts and shills are a problem. When everyone on staff is recommending the same place it sure sounds like they're being paid to endorse it. Buuut after we walked around the 'Quarter for a while we decided this restaurant looked at least as good as anything else in the price range. It was also one of few restaurants with a line for tables. That suggests t's good... or has paid for lots of shills.



The food at Oceana turned out pretty good. I had a blackened redfish with delicious crawfish etouffe on top and sides of jambalaya and New Orleans style corn. I washed it down with two New Orleans beers: Abita Amber Lager and Faubourg blonde ale. And a dish of bread pudding for dessert.

As I ate I was especially amused by the mural on one of the wall near us (above).

"In America there is New York, San Francisco & New Orleans.
Everywhere else is Cleveland."

Having visited most of the US I'd say that's close to true.

For lunch today we went back out into the 'Quarter with no specific plan in mind. Well, actually, we had a number of plans for things we'd like to visit, but a specific lunch/brunch spot was not one of them. After visiting a few antique and jewelry stores on Royal Street we found Court of the Two Sisters.



The Court is something I vaguely recall hearing good things about when I was in Nola years ago. I feel like I was here drinking one evening with friends in the courtyard and was told to come back for their awesome brunch. Well, more than 20 years later, here I am. It's good New Orleans doesn't change that fast.



The Court serves a buffet brunch. Buffets aren't generally our thing anymore but this one had items listed on the menu that appealed to each of us: omelets for Hawk, and prime rib for me. Plus plenty of other stuff to make it interesting. And the pricing was not outrageous.

Again the food was delicious. I filled myself on a few slice of prime rib with plentiful sides of steamed shrimp, jambalaya, grits and veal grillades, garlic mashed potatoes, and creamed spinach. Oh, and small slices of red velvet cake and pecan pie for desert. Yeah, that's probably going to be my main meal for today.

Comments

[sorcyress]

As a Bostonian, I resent that quote, but I'm also willing to accept its truth.

(actually, I might be more offended by the way it elides the rural parts of America --I just spent a few days in Vermont with my partner and her family, and their bitty one-stoplight town is definitely not Cleveland! More goats, for one thing.)

~Sor

[canyonwalker]

I read the quip as talking about cuisine, not culture, as it was in a restaurant. Culture-wise there is definitely a lot more than NY, SF, Nola, and Cleveland in the US. But food? Yeah, Vermont is Cleveland Light.

[canyonwalker]

Also, that reminds me of a writing prompt years ago. "A hostile foreign nation launches a limited nuclear strike on the US, completely obliterating several major cities. Which city is pissed that they weren't important enough to destroy?"

The consensus was Boston.

Yum New Orleans

[readingblogs]

I love the justifiably famous food in New Orleans. I'm glad you guys had some good restaurant meals. They all sound delish. I didn't know beer was such a thing in that region. I welcome the beer reviews.