Post Script - gumbo and tears

So home now, reviewing everything that happened over these past 11 days. All quite extraordinary and making memories to last a lifetime. Met some wonderful people on the cruise (one couple even called us last night to wish us Happy New Year!) And then - New Orleans. Leaving yesterday was bittersweet. A city I have never seen Jeff so happy in - his food, his music, his easy pace. A city full of character, history, great food, great music, and open genuine people. And I know we only scratched the surface! I sincerely hope we get to go back one day - I think New Orleans is going to become a good friend.
But you ask - you already wrote about the beignets, what about the gumbo? After all it's in the title!!!
Well..... been waiting on posting on that one. Jeff sampled a few at different establishments. Results VERY mixed. From the obviously pre-frozen bowls of slush, graduating to the nice, to finally finding the ONE!
So best Gumbo on this trip? At the Acme Oyster Bar with an Oyster shooter on the side! He cried. Need I say more!
Pictures on food tab including the last picture which I stole from the internet that sums up everything about everyone we met along the way!
And goodnight!

Revillon - I didn't know that was what my tastebuds are for!

Dec 30th part 3....... A food tradition in New Orleans for special occasions is to eat Revillon. Essentially a set course of 4 or more courses inspired by the season, the availability of fresh ingredients, and local traditional dishes. After getting all dress up for John Besh's "August" restaurant, it didn't take long to decide to go with his Revillon menu, as to try and guess just one or two dishes a-la-carte and get it wrong would have been disastrous! Three days in New Orleans is not enough to automatically know what you are eating and there were thing to try I hadn't ventured into yet. All I can say is...... I have eaten in many fine dining restaurants, some of which I loved, some which left me cold. The reason I like these restaurants once in a while, is to taste foods I would never have the opportunity to try or to experience and ingredient reinvented in a whole new application and then feel like Anthony Bourdain as I criticize and critique (like I know what I'm talking about! Ha!). 
I have to say Chef Besh was the first to illicit two extremes of critique in me and why he is my favorite to date - he didn't play it safe. His gambles elicited genius in two dishes, great food in three and one that left me stone cold. I like gamblers!
One of his dishes was the most spectacular I have EVER eaten - the Turtle Soup. I could live on that for the rest of my life. The demi glace ran a close second. Unbelievably good.
The entree however, left me hmmm-ish. I'm still not sure what was in that crabcake looking thing and neither of us could tell whether the green part was collards or spinach.
Overall though I have to say to date he is my favorite over the other celebrity chefs which include Tom Colicchio, Joel Robuchon, Gordon Ramsey, Emeril. Mostly for staying true to the food groups of Louisiana, presenting them impeccably, and yes I'm saying it again - the best thing I have EVER tasted - the turtle soup.
Pictures posted on food page, plus on on the New Orleans page of our high class ride home to the hotel - on a bicycle! LOL

Bravo HBO's Treme

Dec 30th part 2.... It's so easy to get wrapped up in everything that is exciting in New Orleans. The music, the food, the architecture in the French Quarter and the kindness and spirit of the people who live there. But we knew quite well there was another side of New Orleans, the side depicted so well on HBO's Treme. The reality of rebuilding after Katrina and how some areas had a much slower comeback as less money was poured into the non tourist areas. After 8 years since Katrina many wards are still derelict, condemned and one must ask will they ever be rebuilt? Closer to the heart of the city is Treme. A suburb full of culture who has seen a mix of rebuild in parts, neglect in others. After our sumptuous breakfast at the Camilia Grill we decided to walk to Treme to see some of the things referred to in the show. The Iberville project, evacuated after Katrina and never re-opened. It actually never incurred any storm damage, but remains closed to this day, a whole culture of people gone. Right next door to Iberville is cemetery No.1, a place were so many funeral parades are shown on the show. It is also the resting place of Marie Laveau. (now here's where we flip shows over the American Horror Story - Coven). As us Coven junkies know, Marie Laveau is a force to be reckoned with, so it was a goal to see her grave. All cemeteries in New Orleans are above ground (seeing that New Orleans itself is 18 below sea level - that makes sense!) It is quite fascinating to walk amid these huge tombstones and marvel at how they still stand. In the middle of cemetery number 1 stands Laveau's tomb.
Legend has it she was a voodoo queen who cast spells and caused havoc in New Orleans. In truth, she was a hairdresser, and like all hairdressers knew everyone's secrets. Hence when a screaming wife came at her husband because Marie "saw" indiscretions it was because she also did the hair of the loose-tongued mistress. The husbands would yell "the voodoo witch!!" And so legend stuck. In fact she was very a devout Catholic who donated heavily to the City!
Anyway, many people make pilgrimages to her tomb every year. We were lucky enough to have perfect timing as when we arrived a lady from Connecticut was also arriving with her annual offering that she made at home. We asked her what the offering symbolized? She told us, her offering was to ask to return to New Orleans again, and that she had done it 8 times already and it had never failed. Walking among all of those tombstones, stopping at Iberville to reflect on those not able to return home even still, it was a sobering moment to remember.  
New photos posted on Cemetery No.1 tab.
Yet all is not doom and gloom. The spirit of those who did return and the non-political private benefactors of the City have put millions into rebuilding and redeveloping. One such individual is one of New Orleans sons, Chef John Besh..... so it seemed fitting to be going there that night for supper......

Bugger the Cafe DuMonde

So we walked ALL the way to the Cafe Du Monde this morning for their famed beignets. First strike, huge-ass line. Second strike 4 times the price. Third strike they didn't look nice. So we left and wandered aimlessly looking for some breakfast. Came upon an unassuming corner where I spied what seemed quite a crowd sitting around a counter. We went in, sat down and all I can say is Waffle House on STEROIDS!!!!! OMG...... loved that grease at 7am.... By the time we finished the line was out the door. Apparently we had stumbled into the locals favorite diner and the usual wait time for a table is an hour. Luckily, we get up earlier than the locals apparently! It's also one of the highest rated eating places on urbanspoon! LOL.
Photo posted on food page!

What comes first? The chicken or the fried coating?

Sometimes GREAT food is comfort food. 9 hours after today's feast and headed home to watch the Eagles game on TV we had a snack attack TV food craving....... stopped in at a Chicken Shack. Now I had never eaten fried Chicken until KFC opened a shop in 1995 in my home town and must admit I loved it!. I came to Virginia  in 2001 where it seemed to be a staple on every dinner table for everyone I know and a whole 'nother level from KFC. So the smell of fried chicken to go with a game seemed the ticket. Now here is the shocker! My fried chicken cooking fiend of a husband took one bite, stopped, stared at me and said, "I will never cook fried chicken again until I can cook it this way." It was so good - he ran out with his cane from the hotel to hobble down to get more at half time! What's the difference you ask? We are still taste testing to evaluate.... the closest we are getting is they put red pepper in the usual coating to give it that kick but more importantly.... they are injecting the chicken itself with red pepper/coating ingredients and that's what the hook is. When all that great coating is gone, the chicken is filled with a deconstructed injection of the coating.
So it proves, great food can be all around! Pictures on food tab!

Who dat gon beat dem Saints?

Apparently no one today! PHEW!... When one is in New Orleans at the same time as a Saints home game all you can pray is they win.. these fans are serious hardcore.... thank goodness we leave the day before Sugar Bowl.... after 13 years I STILL don't understand American Football rules, but now I find out there are professional teams and college teams and they both have different names and events!!!! I am a dinosaur! But not that much of one apparently.. tonight a 20-something young man (obviously under the influence) came up to me in front of Jeff and twerked at me!!!! LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Note to any male readers out there......... this might work on some level for you if a woman does it to you... as a woman well old enough to be his mother all I wanted to do was clip his ear, and tell him he didn't have to flaunt his ass to prove he was one. But then I remembered.. be nice Elizabeth... you were 20 once too.
Man I love this town!

Sinful Food and American Horror Story

So today we went to Commander's Palace for brunch. In honor of how great the food is here in N.O. I have decided to abandon the ship tab on this blog and make it the food tab and when something comes out that both looks and taste wonderful I will post it for all the foodies out there. So a bunch of pictures from today's feast on the new tab because it was ALL delicious.

Oh.... and!!!!! turns out it was only 4 blocks from the main house where they film American Horror Story - Coven. So for all of my fellow Coven junkies... here it is..... :)

New Pictures

OK... have loaded some more pictures on to New Orleans!
(P.S. If you click on each picture it enlarges and your can scroll forward).

Internet Wilderness... it can be a blessing

So.... the cruise line charge turned out to be right..  $7.99 a minute and when I did try... it didn't work! That's when you come to realize a). Your thoughts of the day doesn't seem to matter after 7 days, b). You get to an age where cropping/editing photos of tourist traps that you don't actually care about aren't quite your thing and c). Life is not always about carrying a camera around with you. So..... I hate to be dismissive and succinct.... but.... the cruise was bloody brilliant!!! Met some GREAT people who have promised me pictures (if they send them I will post).... in short.. if you want to see a real cruse blog from me - check out last years cruise - http://hamlettliberty.blogspot.com/ - the ship shots would have been almost identical, Nassau would have been identical. As for Key West? We deliberately avoided museums and shore trips.. and headed for Ernest Hemingway's Bar - Sloppy Joe's - which turned out to be a tourist trap. So we left.. found a cute quiet bar for an hour and then re-boarded the ship. Nassau - brilliant! Revisited the old friends from aforementioned blog. Cococay - we never saw - the weather was too rough for the tender boats - so that port of call was cancelled. BUT it WAS as brilliant cruise! I got 7 days of no internet (aka - no work emails), Jeff became a legend holding court in the smoking deck, If those wonderful, funny, great get-along people send those pictures I promise post them!
But I have come to realize I actually named this blog right. This blog won't be about a cruise... it will be about New Orleans and food. This morning we got back to New Orleans (referred to here after as N.O)... and though the first five hours were spent miserably wondering what to do in all the rain..... the  next 7 hours were the best hours I can ever remember! Will document more about this tomorrow with photos, I promise.... but tonight I just have to savor the fact I got to see three amazing bands on Bourbon Street... ate Creole for the first time, had a washboard player play us home street by street for 5 blocks while we second-lined behind him AND THEN once at the hotel while smoking a fag on the balcony before going to bed heard music... looked down.... bugger me.... cop sirens and jazz music.... and a spectacle... a New Orleans wedding march.!!!! Stood there waving a white hankie from my balcony at a Bride and Groom walking the street being first lined by the New Orleans marching band, and a HUGE second line of over 200 people..... I promise to break all of this down in detail with pictures tomorrow... tonight... all I can say is.... I apologize for the lack of cruise stuff.... but......  not really... like I said before I think this blog is going to be a New Orleans/food blog after all!

Wheelchairs and wheelers

Yesterday’s trip to here started out in a panic. The flight to Nashville was delayed meaning the connecting flight there on to New Orleans would have departed. Luckily 21 people on the first plane were going to New Orleans, so they held the second plane for us all. This is the first time Jeff got to use his disability, and while quite shocking to see wheelchairs waiting for him in Raleigh and Nashville and New Orleans, we were both so glad they were! Nashville is a large airport and doing a mad dash from one side to the other to get to the connecting plane would have surely brought him to his knees. The guy wheeling him did a terrific job, and the girl who collected him in New Orleans walked so fast I was out of breath keeping up with her all the way to baggage claim. Because of the delays we didn’t actually get here until 9:30. Then the dilemma – go explore or chill? All I can say is deciding to book 3 nights here when we get back from the cruise was absolutely the right thing to do! This hotel is charmingly cute, with a traditional New Orleans balcony.  Last night, by the time we took a short stroll along our street we were both too knackered to go and explore anything. Just came back, sat on the balcony and pinched ourselves. This morning we took a slow stroll down deserted Bourbon St and stumbled across the Café Beignet. Ha! Needless to say we all know what Jeff had for breakfast! I’ve posted a couple of shots of our hotel and this morning on the New Orleans tab but really it will be next weekend for the main New Orleans photo opportunities... OK.... off to find a ship!

To permet mo entrodwir mo-mem

No I'm not drinking... I am practicing my New Orlean's vocabulary, or more specifically Cajun-speak! 
Yep - in 10 hours from now Christmas officially starts! Cannot believe as I sit here in my dressing gown, fluffy slippers and hair sticking out every which way I will be leaving the house in a few hours headed for the airport and then on to the ten day adventure!
Hope to post updates and photos as we go along, especially about the food in New Orleans but there may be intermittent silences. The cruise ship charges $7.99 a MINUTE for internet - so those six days may be patchy!
As they say down there "Laissez les bons temps rouler!!!