Thursday, March 27, 2014

What to do in New Orleans

I thought I would wrap up my NOLA posts with a to do list for those who plan to visit this city in the future. I also included suggestions from my NOLA native/blogger friend Kim of A Very Sweet Blog here at the bottom of this post since her list is really wonderful. Food in New Orleans is generally good around French Quarter.


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{Breakfast at Café Fleur de Lis - my attempt to be somewhat healthy by ordering egg white, turkey bacon plus fruit. Dang I got hungry 5 mins later since we walked a lot. The next morning I gobbled up a giant breakfast at IHOP. .haha}


There were places we picked randomly and went without reading reviews, yet not disappointed one bit (except the price tag). You are looking at approximately $10 - 15 per person for breakfast. Then for dinner, generally about $15 - 30++ depending how fancy you want to dine (even not a fine dining, be prepare to spend at least $15). So for two people, you can estimate about $70++ per day unless you plan to eat at McDonald's or Subway.


During this trip we ate brunch and dinner plus snacks (Beignets) between meals. If you are like me. An Asian who can't live without Asian food. There are a few Asian restaurants. At every city we go, I MUST eat Thai food at least one time (fingers crossed they are authentic according to my standard). I craved for Thai food (what to expect right?). I could locate a good Thai restaurant in the French Quarter at Sukhothai restaurant (yellow curry was pretty good, Radna or stir fried flat rice noodle in thick gravy was a bit too sweet but not too bad). Then another meal I wanted noodle so I had Pho at a Vietnamese place called CreAsian. Got my Asian craving fixed!!


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{Alligator Sausage & Seafood Gumbo, RFG House Salad, Grilled Red Fish with Crab Meat at Red Fish Grill} 


When you think of New Orleans, think Jazz music..Ghost/Cemetery tour (didn't do any, no regret either...brrrr)..Gumbo..Crawfish but don't you forget the famous Beignets because you will miss out a very important thing (even though you may not like it, at least try so you can say you did). Cafe du Monde is "the place". We went two days in a row. First day we shared and got 1 and a half Beignets per person. On the second day, we each ordered two orders (3 each) and be a pig.


Do not fret by super duper long line. It appears like a mad house but is worth it. May i add they are open 24 hours a day. The line moves quickly. The first time we went we thought a sever would seat us like any restaurants. WRONG! You have to have a keen set of eyes to quickly glance an empty table that becomes available (among 100 tables). Once you locate one, walk there (a table will most likely be dirty and has powdered sugar all over the place). Wait a little while and a server will clean it for you. Be sure to bring CASH ONLY. Then dig in. I am amazed at the amount of powdered sugar they pile on the beignets. Want extra sugar, anyone?? People who eat there have evidence of powdered sugar on their clothes.  Messy good!


It may seem like we went there primarily to feed our bellies, we also went sightseeing at the Aquarium, the World War II museum (about $6 cab ride before tips from French Quarter) and did window shopping at The Shops at Canal Place.


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Below is a list from Kim as promised.

CASUAL DINING
1. Cafe du Monde - You want the FRENCH MARKET LOCATION!
2. Acme Oyster House - They have the best oysters and seafood! It's an extremely casual atmosphere and great seafood. !
3. Brennan's Restaurant - This is upscale casual! Excellent for Breakfast or Dinner
4. Manning's Restaurant inside Harrah's Casino - This is the new HOT spot for anyone who wants great food, drinks and sports. Owned by Peyton Manning (NFL) and his family.

JAZZ BRUNCH
1. Court of Two Sisters - Very Old. Very Historic. Very Beautiful. Great Food. Jazz Music.


COCKTAILS
1. Pat O'Briens - They're know for their Hurricane drinks and music. Very fun place.


FINE DINING
(Reservations Recommended)
1. Antoine's Restaurant - http://www.antoines.com/
2. Arnaud's Restaurant - http://www.arnaudsrestaurant.com/
3. Emeril's Delmonico - http://www.emerilsrestaurants.com/emerils-delmonico
4. Galatoires Restaurant - http://www.galatoires.com/
5. Muriel's Restaurant - http://www.muriels.com/


ATTRACTIONS
Audubon Aquarium of the Americas http://www.auduboninstitute.org/visit/aquarium
The Shops at Canal Place http://www.theshopsatcanalplace.com/
The Theatres at Canal Place http://www.thetheatres.com/
Hotel Monteleone Carousel Bar http://hotelmonteleone.com/dining-entertainment/

5 comments:

  1. Cool! Thanks for the tips, I'll definitely bookmark it for later.
    Lol about the Asian food. Im the same way, but my hubby is not as crazy about it as I am. I normally have to go at it alone and then feed him a burger afterwards. He grew up on burgers and I grew up on asian food, so i guess it's just par for the course :)

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  2. great tips and suggestions. and the food looks so amazing. and i would love to travel to different places and try asian food. i've been wanting to do that with korean food. travel the world and taste korean food from different korean restaurants. they all taste different depending on where they are! :)

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  3. Thanks for this awesome guide Nelah! I'll bet you got some fantastic suggestions from Kim! Wow breakfast is pricey there. My husband and I are the same way about Asian food when we travel. We were joking that we've become our parents haha :)

    Rowena @ rolala loves

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  4. Looks like you had a great time in New Orlean! Ooohh...and that last picture of the pastry covered with, I'm assuming it's sugar, makes my mouth water now! LOL!!

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  5. Glad you got to sample different things Nelah! Thanks so much for the shout out!
    http://www.averysweetblog.com/

    ReplyDelete

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