I just came back from 5 days in the big easy.  New Orleans.  NOLA.  Nawlins.  No, I didn’t go for Mardi Gras.  I went for a dear friend’s 30th birthday.  I had never been there before.  New Orleans, that is, I’ve been to a bunch of birthdays.  My first visit couldn’t have gone better, really.  I discovered a city so unique, so beautiful and so full of art, music, fun and FOOD.  Lots and lots of food.  So much food.  I could spend hours and hours going on about the food I ate and detailed accounts of each delicious thing I consumed but instead, I decided to rank a top 5 most amazing things I’ve eaten in New Orleans.

This list might surprise some as it doesn’t read like a New Orleans cuisine 101 list with Gumbo, Jambalaya, etc.  I certainly did eat all of these things and LOVED them.  This is more a list of the real stand outs that I wasn’t expecting.  While I would ordinarily post pictures for each dish, what I found was whenever I or my friends took out our phones during dinner, we would often times be the only ones on our phones so we got super self conscious about it.  Besides, the focus here was living in the moment, right?

#5 Crawfish Etouffe at Olde N’awlins Cookery

My favorite New Orleans dish done just right.  You pretty much can’t swing a dead cat in NOLA without hitting a dozen places to get bomb ass Etouffe but this was particularly welcome.  Rich, creamy, hearty and full of chunks of juicy crawfish tails and love.  Even better once I added some of Aimee’s fried catfish.  It’s really difficult to get a bad plate of food in this town.

#4 Crawfish Omelette at River’s Edge Restuarant

While this dish might initially seem like overkill or some sort of “cashing in on Creole” dish, it was surprisingly good.  I didn’t think crawfish would lend itself well to breakfast food and boy am I ever happy to be wrong.  It was fluffy, rich, delicious and not-fishy, which means fresh as all get out.  A better way to start a day in New Orleans, I could not think of.  Not including the Hurricane for breakfast I had at Pat O’Brien’s the next day.

#3 Bananas Foster Cheesecake at Pere Antione’s Restaurant

Banana cheesecake with Banana cream and a rich rum sauce that was so good that it defies description.  Aimee and I were so enraptured with it that a woman came from across the restaurant to ask what we were enjoying so much.  When we told her the sauce, she said “Don’t waste a drop of it”.  Did I mention how much I love the locals?

#2 Praline Bacon at Elizabeth’s

We stopped at this hole in the wall place for brunch and what we found was a sign that did not lie

With my breakfast I ordered the decadent Praline Bacon, Which is exactly what it sounds like.  4 slabs of bacon trapped Han Solo Carbonite-style inside a wall of sweet praline sugar.  I swear it almost killed me but it would’ve been a treat worth dying for.  Plus they were blasting Disco in the restaurant.  Heaven exists, y’all.

#1 Blue Crab Beignets at La Petit Grocery

My favorite place to eat in NOLA was this restaurant from the mind of Top Chef contestant Justin Devillier, La Petite Grocerie.  The highlight of this incredible meal was our appetizer, Blue Crab Beignets.  Light-as-air dough puffs filled with tender, delicately sweet blue crab.  Served with an Aioli dipping sauce.  Absolutely amazing.  The kind of dining experience you don’t want to end and the FIRST place I am going back to upon my return.

It really was an amazing experience in every way but I enjoyed the food so much I felt it warranted it’s own entry.  We now return you to your regularly schedule blog.