Tidbits of Life in New Orleans

As our time in NOLA was nearing the end of our six week stay I wanted to bring you an assortment of tidbits of life in New Orleans.

Living in New Orleans was a dream come true for us. No matter how many times we have visited we never tire of this amazing city. And I have to tell you, that even after 6 weeks there I still can’t wait to return! There is something about NOLA that keeps drawing us back! Steve and I always have that warm and fuzzy feeling there that says HOME.

We arrived in New Orleans at the beginning of October and couldn’t help but notice that everywhere you looked people were ready to celebrate Halloween. Houses were decorated all over town.

For us, one of the most special tidbits of life in New Orleans is the celebration of life expressed through the food. Even humble sandwiches like Po’ Boys and Muffuletta are elevated to the most delicious heights possible. During our stay we took out lunch from Domilise’s, Central Grocery and Stein’s Deli. In fact we picked up Muffuletta from Central Grocery for dinner about once a week!

Another way New Orleanians celebrate life is through art. Something creative and artistic can surprise you every time you turn a corner. We stopped for gas in the Jeep and saw a dead tree that someone had carved into a beautiful work of art. We drove through the Central Business District and saw a man painting a colorful mural on a hotel. On Canal Street there is a mural of George Rodrigue’s Blue Dog. At Jackson Square in the French Quarter local artists work and display their art on the wrought iron fence that surrounds the park.

Not only is art everywhere you don’t expect, it’s in the obvious places too. There are wonderful galleries along Royal Street and Magazine Street. Plus museums and sculpture gardens in City Park.

Sadly at this time, it was the music that was missing from the streets in the Quarter. Each time we have visited New Orleans we looked forward to the joyful sounds of the street performers. Due to Covid the only sounds on the streets were the honks of car horns, the hum of car engines and the chatter of people wandering through town. We pray that things will be healthy and safe when we visit next time and that the music will have returned.

We made new friends at Three Oaks and a Pine RV Park. That’s part of the allure of living on the road. It’s easy to be socially distanced and yet still have fun around a roaring camp fire. One of our new friends turned us on to this really cool collapsable fire pit that he had bought at Walmart. So of course, we had to run right out and buy one! And late in October it finally got cool enough at night to enjoy sitting by the fire.

And speaking of friends, we had so much fun being able to spend time with the wonderful couple that we had met on our last visit to NOLA. Meeting them for an al fresco dinner at Lebanon Café and spending an entire evening at their home was such a treat. New friends have become old friends that we miss as soon as we say goodbye.

One of the best parts of living in New Orleans was cooking with local ingredients. Items like mirliton, tasso ham, hot smoked sausages and andouille inspire me to create new dishes. These dishes will make us feel like we are back in our adopted home whenever we feel homesick. Fortunately I have a good supply of those meats that we bought at Jacob’s in my freezer!

Which brings me to those restaurants that Steve and I have to dine at each time we come to NOLA. Our dinners at Bywater American Bistro and Zasu were so delicious and unforgettable. They are both amazing and relatively new establishments. But there is one oldie but goodie that we always save for last. Brigtsen’s is one of those place that is like an old friend. We were so lucky that they reopened for dining in just in time or we would have been very, very sad.

Chef Frank Brigtsen creates exquisite dishes that bring his loyal followers back again and again. Normally his menu is totally reflective of his locale. But this time there was a dish that just popped out and said “order me”. So Steve and I decided that for once we would order the same entrée. Panéed Veal Parmesan.

We started off our meal in true Traveling Locavores fashion with two different soups. I ordered the Oyster Chowder with Bacon and Fennel and Steve chose the Butternut Shrimp Bisque. Both soups were rich, creamy and loaded with flavor. We shared. Sort of.

The true star of the meal was that Veal Parm. Somehow Chef Frank had managed to have the coating on the veal remain impossibly crisp. The marinara did not soften the crunch at all. The portions were huge but we managed to finish off every bite of Veal Parm and Spaghetti Bordelaise. But after that there was no room for dessert.

Now, no room for dessert didn’t mean we wouldn’t have dessert. It just meant that we ordered them to go. There was no way I was not going to have a piece of Frank’s absolutely amazing Pecan Pie with Caramel Sauce and Whipped Cream. It’s the best I have ever tasted. But for Steve, the Lemon Ice Box Crème Brûlée was calling his name. So we took one of each home with us and ate them a couple of hours later when we could really enjoy them.

Even after six weeks in New Orleans we can’t wait to return. Hmmm…maybe on our way back to Florida.