Brennan’s New Orleans
Housed in a three-story carriage house, Sylvain is known for its stylish take on comfort food. Chef William Morris, formerly of Bourbon Steak, recommended the braised pork shoulder ($12) in crispy panko. It is surprising light, tender, pillowy soft. Fluffy, white stone-ground grits wear a jaunty hat of fried egg in a roasted tomato Hollandaise.
The charming and magical Carousel Bar in the Hotel Monteleone was once the hangout of William Faulkner, Tennessee Williams and Truman Capote. Liberace used to perform here. Take a seat at the slowly-rotating bar under the twinkle of night stars while enjoying a Vieux Carre with Benedictine, rye whiskey, cognac and dry vermouth and bitters with a twist of lemon. It’ll sprout hair on your chest.
No visit to New Orleans is complete without a visit to Mother’s. The creamy, seasoned crawfish étouffée ($8.50/cup) over fluffy white rice is a must. Jerry’s jambalaya ($6.25/cup) is also hearty and delicious, a rich, dark red mixture of rice and savory chicken, sausage and braised beef.
Red beans and rice at Mothers New Orleans
Stop by the Napoleon House where, according to mixologist JP Caceres at Bourbon Steak, has the best Ramos Gin Fizz ($5.50) in town. He’s absolutely right. Created in New Orleans by Henry C. Ramos in 1888, the legend goes that the drink is shaken for 12 minutes straight, passed down a row of thirty-five “shaker boys” in order to keep up with the prolonged, vigorous shaking. Perhaps this is inspiration for the Shake Weight.
I love the beignets at Café du Monde, but New Orleans native David Guas of Bayou Bakery will tell you that the ones at
Café Beignet are better. Either place you choose, these fluffy, fried squares of batter have enough powdery white sugar to kill a diabetic. I ate three.
Chargrilled oysters at Drago’s
There is an intense debate over chargrilled oysters, with Acme Oyster House pitted against Drago’s. At Acme Oyster, plump, meaty oysters lie under a web of firm, shredded Parmesan. It takes some effort to free these buttery morsels from their cup. At Drago’s the oysters are juicier, under a soft cloud of butter and grated Parmesan. While Dragos oysters are juicier and richer, Acme Oyster’s are equally flavorful and easier to digest. Don’t forget to soak up the garlic butter with some French bread.
Need more NoLA? Read Part II of Where to Eat in New Orleans.
Mary was born and raised in New York City where her family owned restaurants. Instead of eating dirt on the playground, she ate duck blood, beef tripe and pork belly. She cut her teeth at The Mandarin Oriental and The Ritz-Carlton hotels, working with Barbra Streisand, Vanessa Williams, Michael Stipe, LeVar Burton, Jane Krakowski and others. Mary founded Girl Meets Food in 2009 as a cover for her debilitating addiction to fried chicken and was named Washington Post’s “Favorite Local Foodie.” After 13 years in hospitality, she started freelance writing for USA Today, The Washington Post, Eater, Washington City Paper, and more. Today, she provides digital marketing for hospitality clients as a content creator who’s contently creating content.