NOLA – Summer 2021

First and foremost, happiest of birthdays to Nadine!  I love you!!

I’ve mentioned before that B and I were lucky enough to go on a parents only trip to New Orleans this year, while Sheff was hanging out in PA.  It was definitely not a relaxing vacation – we packed as much as we possibly could into those 2 days.

We got down there around dinner time in NOLA, and we hit up Delachaise Wine Bar.  It is a place on St. Charles that I have been wanting to go to for forever!!  It’s such a cute little spot – and y’all, their food was incredible.  We got their pomme frites (which have been ranked as the best in New Orleans!), as well as the flank steak bruschetta (AMAZING!) and meatballs, which were also delicious.  It sits right on St. Charles, so we got a bottle of wine and ate and just watched the street cars go up and down.  It rained on us while we were there, but they have good coverage on their patio, and we got to make some friends with some really sweet puppies.

The next morning, we had reservations at Broussards in the Quarter for brunch.  Our reservation was for right as they opened, so it was pretty quiet when we got there.  They have a beautiful courtyard, and their dining rooms are also gorgeous.  B and I both got the bottomless mimosas to drink.  I got the cochon eggs benedict, and B and I split the almond bread pudding for dessert.  It was sooo good!

After brunch, we headed into Metairie for a couples massage.  We’ve done this twice now on parents only trips to New Orleans, and it’s just such a great idea.  My masseuse was amazing, and I ended up falling asleep.  It’s not something we get to do often, so it’s always a treat.

Then we headed over toward the area of JAM Nola, and Bennett had heard about a little taco place.  We weren’t terrible hungry, so we ordered some guac and margs and wasted some time before we had to head to the art exhibit for our appointment.  Rosalita’s  Backyard Tacos  was so cute, and apparently have one of the best patios down there.  However, it was raining when we got there, so we didn’t get to check it out.  I definitely want to go back for tacos!

After JAM Nola, we got a few beverages and went back to the hotel and ordered pizza for dinner.  It had been a super long day.

 

Our next day was just as packed.  We got to sleep in – hooray!  And when I say we slept in, it was until like 830 – which is like a dream when your kid is always up at 5am.  Anyway, we met Lindsay, her husband and her little boy for brunch at Ruby Sunshine.  I had the migas, and they were so good.  After that, we went to an enormous toy store to get Sheffield a surprise – I wish I remembered the name of it.  The people inside were so nice, and it was seriously huge.  I’m pretty sure B remembers where it is, so we’ll be taking Sheff there when we go back.

When we got back to the hotel it started pouring!!  We had our appointment for the Sazerac House tour, but had to push the time back to try to wait out the rain.  Unfortunately, we didn’t, and we got soaked!!  It was an adventure though, and didn’t take anything away from the experience.  Throughout the tour, they have different tasting stations – I think we tried four drinks in all.  Plus, it was incredibly interactive, and we left with a ton of new recipes for drinks.  And a super comfy sweatshirt and magnet.

After our tour, we took our souvenirs and drenched selves back to the hotel to dry off a bit.  Then we headed into the Quarter for some walking.  We went to Pat O’s for Hurricanes – it had a been awhile since we’ve gotten those!  They’re always a huge hit for me – it was the first legal drink I had after I turned 21 in New Orleans!  Then we took a drive down to Magazine Street, got some loaded tots from Dat Dog.  And since we were still hungry, we hit up Domilise’s Po’Boys, and got the roast beef and cheese.  We were the only people in there!  The last time we tried to go there, the line was out the door!  It was the most delicious roast beef po’boy we’ve had.

Later that night, we met up with Lindsay again for after-dinner cocktails at a speakeasy called Double Dealer.  I seriously did not feel cool enough to be there.  It was such a neat place!  After a couple of cocktails, we called it a night and ate leftover pizza in bed.

On the way home, we pit-stopped at Dong Phoung for bahn-mi’s.  Of course they were amazing.

It was a really nice treat to be able to get away for the weekend with just us two.  Although, I’ve had my fill of traveling for a bit, and they just canceled Jazz Fest again this year, so it doesn’t look like we’ll be back for awhile.  Am certainly looking forward to some weekends at home after this past summer!