After Jazz Fest we spent the next week walking, eating and drinking our way through New Orleans with the help of our superbly amazing hosts, Mimi and Peter. Not only did they open their beautiful home thus making our trip possible, but they were troopers at helping us accomplish any whim/craving/adventure that struck our fancy. And if they weren’t available my friend Huster was happy to show us around. So here goes…

My Favs From Mission Explore New Orleans

-Oysters at Luke Restaurant. We almost by-passed it as we couldn’t get a table. I am so glad that we didn’t. We decided to hang in the bar for a round of oysters. Best. Decision. Ever. Chilled, crisp, fresh, salty, simple goodness.

-Drinks at the Carousel Bar at The Hotel Monteleone. Basically the bar is slowly spinning around the bartenders who are situated inside the carousel center. It’s a bit unnerving at first, but after a few drinks the bar usually starts spinning anyways. Where else can you play the game “how does the bartender get out when he/she has to pee?” After many absurd guesses, (I was just sure there was a trap door I was missing) the answer was simple. They hop over the bar. Oh duh. So the weak, claustrophobic and small bladdered need not apply.

-The St. Charles Street Car. So not only were we blessed with free accommodations, they also happened to be about two blocks from the St. Charles Street Car. It was a super cheap, easy to navigate, romantic way to get around.

-Discovering the HBO Show Treme. Our first day we saw filming right by our home base. We asked Mimi and Peter later and they told us it was Treme. Whenever we had any down time (we spent 10 days in New Orleans so yes we had moments where we just wanted to chill) we watched Treme. It was a cool experience watching the show while we were there.

-Fishing on the Gulf with fly-fishing buddy connection, Greg. I got to do my favorite boating activity; lounging in the sun, reading my Kindle and shooting the occasional video. I’m not sure if Greg had ever had a Kindle reading lady on his boat, but he took it all in stride. And just when we thought the day couldn’t get any better, Greg introduced us to….

-The Drive-Thru Daiquiri. A love affair was born and a daiquiri-sippin monster created. I don’t know how it’s possible, but it’s stupendous. One minute I’m riding in the back seat of a truck which is nothing spectacular, and the next minute I’m still riding in the back seat of a truck, but with an extremely tasty beverage in my hand. Much different experience. Did I mention the drink was about the size of my head? My particular favorite was the White Russian Frozen Daiquiri. Yes, I took the liberty of sampling a few.

-Strolling through the Garden District. Since every house was absolutely stunning our walk was more of a crawl as we didn’t want to miss anything. There were quite a few for sale. So here’s the plan. One of you can buy a vacation home and we’d be happy to come take care of it for you. Got it? And when we worked up an appetite from all that strolling we visited Stein’s Market and Deli for sandwiches. Definitely worth a stop for the tasty traditional deli fare as well as a wide selection of specialty meats, cheeses and drinks.

–YLC Wednesday at the Square free concert series. We were lucky enough to attend for the performance of Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe. It was jancing (jamming +dancing) mania. In between jancing I managed to devour an order of crawfish queso and chips. I love queso. I love crawfish. Together YUM. Definitely in the top three of free concerts I’ve attended. And while there Peter purchased Mimi and I both presents! I received the beauty to the left! Yes, it’s a gold octopus necklace made by local artist, Forrest Bacigalupi. Kudos to Peter for picking out a stellar piece of jewelry that is now in constant rotation.

–Mahony’s Po-Boy Shop. This shop has been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, a show that never fails to leave me drooling and hungry, so it seemed like a safe bet. While my oyster Po-Boy was delish, the real standout for me was the “dirty fries”. Fries dripping with cheese and gravy, but not just any gravy, pot roast gravy with chunks of tender roast. Wow. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Ok. That’s all the reminiscing I can take. I’ve worked-up quite an appetite. I need an episode of Treme, a frozen daiquiri, and some “dirty fries”. Oh how I miss you, NOLA.