Over the Holiday Break, I was able to escape to New Orleans for a few days with Kevin. It was definitely an interesting city with plenty to do. It was a little cold and rainy, but that didn’t stop us from eating all the beignets and seeing all that New Orleans had to offer.
Where We Stayed
I booked the Astor Crowne Plaza – New Orleans French Quarter for our stay. The service was great and we had a perfect corner room with great views of the city. Our flight landed at 7:00 a.m. and the hotel was able to check us into our room, we were very lucky. We were able to grab breakfast around the corner and come back for a nap. We had a very early wake-up call (2:30 a.m.) that day.
Where We Ate
This was our first stop after checking into the hotel. The front desk clerk recommended it so we checked it out. Kevin had the Shrimp & Grits and I had some breakfast platter. The food and service were great and by the time we left, there was a line outside the door.
For our first dinner, we picked an Indian restaurant that was a quick Uber ride away from our hotel. It was small and cute and like most places, the service was fast.
If you are looking for an upscale dining experience while in New Orleans, check out Cafe Sbisa. It’s a bit pricey, but the service was up there and the food portions were very generous. Kevin had the BBQ Peel & Eat Shrimp and needed some help with the peeling. At one point Kevin had the manager and 3 waiters giving him tips on how to peel the shrimp.
It’s almost impossible to not spot Daisy Dukes, a chain located throughout New Orleans. We asked the bellmen at our hotel for a simple casual place to eat one night and they told us to go right across the street for the best Shrimp Po ‘Boy sandwich.
Everyone will tell you to go to Cafe Du Monde for beignets, however, we tried Cafe Beignets as were walking by it one morning and it looked promising. The beignets were amazing and honestly didn’t know how they could be better. No offense to Cafe Du Monde, but there are plenty of options in New Orleans for great beignets.
The food in New Orleans was the best part of our trip and The Ruby Slipper Cafe is hard to beat. If you’re there, you have to go for breakfast. There’s usually a wait for a table, but believe me, it’s worth it.
This was our last meal in New Orleans before heading to the airport. A friend had recommended it and since we were in the area around lunchtime we checked it out. It is a small hole in the wall that always had a line out the door. It’s also cash only and you might not find a table, but we did. We had the Roast Beef Po-Boy and it was drenched in some sort of gravy sauce. It was the best sandwich I’ve had in my life. If you go to New Orleans and only go to one place, go to Johnny’s Po-Boys.
What We Did
We can’t go to a new city without going on some sort of city tour. The bus takes you all over the city with a 20 minute stop in City Park, where you can find some great beignets.
Plantation Combo, Brunch, and Cajun Swamp Tour
This was an all-day tour so make sure you don’t have other plans. The plantations were beautiful and stunning. It felt distressing to see the slave quarters and the conditions they lived in.
The National World War II Museum
New Orleans Street Car & City Park
I’m still dreaming about those beignets . . . mmmm.