New Orleans Food and Drink

about to get all Cosby on this meal.

FOOOOOOD!
I am an eater- I love food, I love all kinds of food. NOLA was a great choice for me and Angie. Angie is more health conscious then me but she loves seeing me happy and I am Happy when I'm eating new food. I am like Cosby when good food is front of me- I start dancing and wiggling in my seat and acting like my grandfather being all grandiose with my movements and over acting things out. Some of my favorites to eats in NOLA-

Unbelievable EVERY MEAL: fancy or hole in the wall

Oysters- My favorite, raw and spicy. toss some horse radish on there till it burns your forehead and you can feel the inside of your face melting and wash it down with ice cold beer.

Gumbo- Seafood, chicken, sausage, or okra – no matter what goes into your gumbo, you can’t go wrong. Toss some beans and rice in there along with that Louisiana hot sauces.. woooweee!
PoBoys- Overstuffed sandwiches served on French bread. A little better than Muffalattas in my opinion. Fried and fried again.

Bourbon or freanchman street you cant go wrong.

 The French-Creole colonists who came to inhabit the city in its earliest days originally introduced beignets to New Orleans in the 18th century. The concept of the dessert is simple – dough is fried then covered with mounds of powdered sugar – a fancy dougnut with a nice hot cup of coffee to melt the honey and powdered sugar.. Unbelievable.. Beignets come in orders of three.
Crawfish- The court of Two sisters.. Our waiter- wish I remembered his name shown me how to eat crawfish. The band (the jazz trio) came over not only sang us an anniversary song- they also sang about eating crawfish for the first time... ooooooohweee That was good.

FRENCHMAN STREET
Light years removed from the glitzy neon lights and blaring cover music of Bourbon Street but, in reality, only walking distance away, is a compact musical enclave where the “locals” hang out. Its like taking a Dolarien- I had no concept of time or year.
Frenchmen Street you are likely to hear anything from jazz to Latin to blues to reggae . . . and just about everything in between.
No neon lights; only plain wooden signs to designate a dozen music clubs in the greatest concentration of live music venues outside the French Quarter. Marc Stone told us this is the way to go if we wanted the "real New Orleans" we heard some of the best live music.

The food was perfect every meal. The drinks where often and always available. We did the regular drinks that are musts in NOLA.
America's first cocktail, the Sazerac, was created in New Orleans, the city that loves to party? Back in the early 1800's, Antoine Peychaud created the drink in a French Quarter bar and named it for his favorite French brandy, Sazerac-de-Forge et fils. In 1870, the drink was changed when American Rye whiskey was substituted for cognac, and a dash of absinthe was added by bartender Leon Lamothe.

GREAT DRINK:
Milk Punch is a drink I knew about but never knew where it was from. My Brother and cousin laughed when I ordered this in Ohio- I also get made fun of for wearing linin by choice. This drink serves up strong Milk Punches. Like most sugary drinks, the taste of alcohol is cleverly masked by the milky sweetness, so exercise caution and clear your calendar for the afternoon.

even if you have a car this awesome don't drive after a milk punch

Brandy Milk Punch Recipe

• 2 oz brandy (Bourbon is also commonly used)
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon powdered sugar
• 3 ice cubes
• cracked ice
• freshly grated nutmeg

In a cocktail shaker, combine the brandy, milk, and sugar with 3 ice cubes and shake until frothy, about one minutes. Strain into a double-old fashioned glass with cracked ice. Sprinkle with nutmeg and serve.

Tracing their roots back to a time when American Indians helped shield runaway slaves, the Mardi Gras Indians are among the most colorful and mysterious of New Orleans' cultural phenomena. Finding it difficult to participate in Mardi Gras “krewes,” early African Americans developed their own way of celebrating by organizing Mardi Gras Indian tribes as krewes. Today, Mardi Gras Indians shine at every opportunity by showcasing their spectacular hand-made costume, lovely song and contagious spirit. Watch them parade and perform at several events including Jazz Fest, “Super Sunday” the Sunday after St. Joseph’s Day or come during Mardi Gras season when their celebratory spirits shine most – you can’t leave New Orleans without having joined in this truly unique tradition!

No one in the city dons more elaborate attire or takes costuming more seriously than Mardi Gras Indians do. Their fantastic costumes are unforgettable hand-sewn creations of intricate beadwork and dramatic images which rank among the nation's best folk art. Worn just once, the costumes take an entire year to create, with hundreds of thousands of beads, brightly dyed ostrich plumes, sequins, velvet and rhinestones sewn on by hand – some weighing as much as 150 pounds!

Art work with PUGS

Garden District Hunting for John Goodmans.

Street band.. Dancing in the streets

Horses raid the strip club!

BOURBON STREET:

Although this historic French Quarter street has a bawdy reputation due to the burlesque clubs and all-night partying, come experience a whole other side of Bourbon Street steeped in history, folk lore and beauty that dates back to 1718 when New Orleans was founded by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. Also known as “Rue Bourbon,” this historic street sits at the heart of the French Quarter extending 13 blocks from Canal St. to Esplanade Avenue but even more important is the bawdy, burlesque clubs, all-night booze fest and buy 1 get 2 free huge ass beers.I felt its the equivalent of Times Square- not "real" more "show real".

Here is where we stayed- Quarter House

great name

Cajun or Zydeco?
One common point of confusion for visitors and new initiates to zydeco music is its relationship to Cajun music. Just as Cajun and Creole cooking are often equated, so too are Cajun music and zydeco often mistaken as two different names for the same thing. Like the cuisines, they do share much in common - but each developed under its own set of influences and have unique sounds and styles. Cajun music comes primarily from the traditions of the French-speaking Cajuns who came to Louisiana from modern-day Nova Scotia, while zydeco music reflects the African-Caribbean roots of its players, Tisserand explains.