NOLA.

Growing up I'd watch re-runs of No Reservations constantly and appreciated the fact Anthony Bourdain would go to the places a little less unsung than in the other networks shows. He'd meet his crew's Grandmother or Aunt and they would cook up their local cuisine and that's where the magic stood. I always knew that when I got the opportunity to travel, that I wanted to emulate that style or mentality about visiting new places. Of course, I may not have the luxury of having someone's Grandmother whip me up an amazing home cooked meal, but I privately vowed to take the time to research what makes the place special and really narrow in on that. 

This passed weekend, my girls and I went to New Orleans. Synonymous, with partying we took the a different approach. We ATE and we ate GOOD. Our first dinner was at a restaurant called, Antoine's. It has been around since the 1840's and still serves the original recipes. It was an experience from start to finish. 

We started with the Pommes de Terre Soufflées,that were airy fancy french fries, to put it simply. But they were heavenly. Paired with a light champagne and for my entree, I ordered, Poulet aux Champignons, (chicken breasts with a mushroom sauce served with onion rice). It was an explosion of flavor for my taste buds. Rich, salty decadence with a spike of spice. Nothing like I'd ever tasted before. I ended the meal with a local take on bread pudding with rum and pecans and some very luscious coffee. We all indulged and it was fantastic. The next morning we ate at Brennan's for Brunch. It was a humid rainy morning and we were all so excited for our meal. The decor inside was playful and colorful, reminiscent of Marie Antoinette meets The Beverly Hills hotel, and that is nothing less than a compliment. We started with our beverages of choice, juice, a rum cocktail and I had the New Orleans style coffee. I ordered the Eggs Benedict with coffee crusted bacon. And finally we all were way too full for dessert. The rest of the day was left for sightseeing. We walked the Garden District and saw all the historic homes. Some dating back to the 1830's, we even saw the very first home built in the city of Lafayette, now known as New Orleans. 

  

To Take the Tour We Took, Click the Link!

On our first night there, our Uber driver advised us to check out Frenchmen street, he said it's where the locals go to listen to live music. I'm so glad he mentioned it, because that became our favorite part of the trip. It wasn't as crazy as Bourbon but had a bouncy magnetic energy. We stumbled upon a street market selling art and jewelry, which personally reminded me of the little things I love about Austin. I bought a piece of art to remind me of my trip and the amazing company I had on my trip. My girls are the best travel companions, I have to say. Lastly, our Hotel was this amazing little 4-star  boutique hotel in the middle of everything. We never really spent more than $10 on an uber the entire time we were there. Le Pavillion. Our favorite detail, by far was, at 10 p.m., every night they would serve free PB&J sandwiches and hot chocolate. It was the cutest thing ever. I'm sure all of our family thought, we were intending to party it up in the (real) city of sin,but nope! These girls were in bed before midnight, with PB&J.  I wish we had more time to explore, even 1 more day to try new things. But I think for all of us, it was a little unexpected and a very fun trip. I hope you all enjoyed the little details, I loved about our trip. As Always, Thanks for reading!