The second week of March, I took a trip down to NOLA for some important business regarding the future of my career. Since a portion of the expenses were paid, it made it very easy to agree to the trip. But being in New Orleans alone is pretty convincing and the food is always amazing…should you know where to. Here are a few food pictures from my trip and cool things I experienced!
Drago’s http://www.dragosrestaurant.com/
If you are a frequent readier, you already know that I fell in love with a hometown favorite Drago’s during my visit to Jackson, Mississippi last June. The charbroiled oysters are fantastic and some of the best I have ever eaten. I have a few and nothing else compares in my opinion. My friend and I went together my first night there. Like I literally got off the plane and wanted that immediately. She took feel in love with the oysters but the customer service is also spectacular. If I were to re-review the Metairie, LA, I would give it another 100 score. The waiter hooked us up with extra sauce on the oysters so that we could have more sauce for the bread! That buttery, salty, garlicky sauce with the French bread is the thing of dreams and foodgasms! As our entrees, she ordered the Shrimp and Grits ($22.95) with jumbo gulf shrimp and Tasso ham in a spicy butter cream sauce topped with fresh rosemary. This dish was amazing and better than my recipe by a long shot! The savory and richness of the cream sauce was out of this world. I would definitely order that. I tried to stay on my health kick and ordered the Seared Tuna and Avocado Salad ($19.95) served with sliced tuna (very rare) drizzled with Cajun aioli served in a soy vinaigrette. I should have stopped being so health conscious and poured the dressing over the salad but I still enjoyed the flavors regardless. It is also served with tomatoes but I ordered without them.
The food was so good that we visited the other Drago’s located in NOLA at the waterfront. We had to wait about 45 minutes for a table but my friend and I were able to get caught up so it worked out. This location was packed, due to proximity to tourist, but the food was still amazing. This time, we were not all that impressed with what we ordered other than our oysters. I ordered the lobster mac and cheese ($14.95) and was expecting this rich creamy dish filled with lobster and cheese but what came out looked more like a kid’s entrée. My friend ordered the Lobster Lollipop ($9.95) with lobster meat skewered and deep fried with a Louisiana Lightning sauce, which was basically a mix of powdered sugar and hot sauce. No joke. It was pretty good but again did not present all that great. For dessert, I ordered the Bread Pudding ($7.95) and it was everything you would want and more! YUM! My friend ordered the Spicy Praline Parfait ($9.95) and she was not all that impressed with her dessert.
I’ve officially been to all three of their locations and enjoyed the food and experience at everyone! Go Drago’s!!!
Mother’s Restaurant http://www.mothersrestaurant.net/
I had been given several recommendations for Mother’s but did not make it during my first visit. This time, my hotel was across the street so I decided to stop there for breakfast. The reason this place is not getting a full review is that it is not a traditional sit down restaurant. You walk in and order your food at a counter, then you find a seat. The people bring your food to you and my server was extremely friendly and welcoming. But it is more of a whole in the wall that a fine dining establishment.
Due to Lent, I could only eat fish and seafood on that Friday so I opted for the Shrimp Creole omelet and a biscuit. Let me just say that the biscuit was amazing and flakey and everything that you could want from a southern biscuit. The omelet itself was just ok. I’ve never had Shrimp Creole before and it looks pretty tasty but it is really shrimp in a tomato sauce. The crawfish Etouffee omelet actually looked better but after my prior experience with Etouffee lately, I decided to try something else instead. Would go back and try something else but when I can enjoy meat.
Lil Dizzy’s Café http://lildizzyscafe.net/
I had to go back to Lil Dizzy’s for the amazing fried chicken and authentic Creole soul food. It is hard to photograph a buffet and the place is another whole in the wall but it is amazing and I love it! I had fried chicken, seafood gumbo, white beans and pork, potatoes and eggs. My friend order the catfish and eggs and enjoyed her meal as well. Plus, they always have my Louisiana hot sauce on hand! Yum! Check out their website and online pictures. I also have pictures from my 2016 post in NOLA Experience Part Two. https://finediningdiva.com/2016/05/14/nola-experience-part-ii/
St. Roch Market http://www.strochmarket.com/
My friend is a coffee connoisseur and will find the hidden coffee gems anywhere she lives. After relocating to New Orleans a little over a year ago, she found this market. This market has been around since 1875 but has been renovated to a lovely, bright-lit market filled with awesome food venders of organic coffee, desserts, BBQ, exotic flavors, seafood, and cocktails. Apparently the happy hour scene is pretty live as well. They also have specialty food items such as organic honey products, hot sauces, oils, and fresh produce and cheeses. This is a cool place to stop by as a food. I cannot wait to come back with my appetite and enjoy.
Emeril’s NOLA Restaurant
I have written a full review of this restaurant that will post Wednesday, April 5, 2017. I was beyond excited to try the food of one of my favorite chefs in the city where he career took off. Scoring an 81 out of 100 on the Mac Seven scale, find out what went wrong and more regarding my dining experience.
Other stops
Because I came just a week after Mardi Gras concluded, I was not able to get a King Cake from a bakery so my friend had one custom made for me with fresh strawberries. It was my first time enjoying it and it was delicious. The icing was not overly sweet, the strawberry flavor worked well with the cake, and the flakiness of the cake was wonderful. I took some home for my roommate and she enjoyed it also. The sprinkles were even customized since my favorite color is green! While daiquiris and Café Du Monde is great in the French Quarter, if you ever want your fix without the long lines and inflated prices, the locations in Metairie, LA give you the same experience without the hassle. I was able to go through the drive through of both locations in less than 5 minutes. Love it! These are the stops you just have to make when you visit the city!
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