Another fantastic review of New Orleans from a Trips with Angie client:
New Orleans
Accommodations:
InterContinental
Hotel New Orleans
444 St. Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA 70130
(800) 496-7621
(800) 496-7621
The hotel was well appointed with all of the usual amenities. The rooms were mildly dated yet well-kept and
most importantly clean (with the exception of a stray ant.) The balconies for the rooms were spacious and
nearly as large as the room itself.
There is minimal privacy on the balcony so do not expect seclusion. This hotel is in a business area slightly
removed from the French Quarter. It is
within walking distance of the quarter and all of New Orleans public
transportation including the street cars.
The location allows for a more subdued stay as you are not in the
craziness of the Quarter. The service
was excellent and there are several food options such as Luke steps from the
hotel.
Hyatt French Quarter
800 Iberville Street,
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA 70112
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA 70112
Were we to travel there again we would consider staying at
this hotel. Walking through the Quarter
I was in need of a restroom and stumbled upon this Hyatt. The staff was outside scrubbing the
sidewalks, and was very polite as we entered the building. The lobby was beautifully done, and the
restrooms were modern and clean. The
location puts you nearly on Bourbon St. and were you to not want to venture
far, this would be the place to stay.
In terms of a car, we didn’t rent one. There really was no need. We took a total of 3 cab rides. To and from the Airport for a total of $80
($33 fare, $7 tip) and one to St. Louis Cemetery No. 3 for about $25 round
trip. The hotels charge between $30-40
per day to park the car, so we made out by walking and cabbing it although we
did not have the time to explore much more than the French Quarter.
Food and Drink
Emeril’s
800 Tchoupitoulas St.
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 528 9383
Emerils.com/emerilsneworleans
The restaurant is in what seems to be like an old
warehouse district. A 15 minute walk
from the hotel, it was easy to find with several bar options on the way in case
of thirst. The restaurant is decorated
modernly with wall to wall wine cellars.
I really liked the restrooms which have ceramic tile walls containing
black and white photos of Emeril in culinary school, with celebrities, and
family. The service was very attentive
to the point of being intrusive, but I attribute this to our waitress having
been on the job for only one week. She
was as excited as we were but felt as if she was sitting at the table with
us. The rest of the service staff,
between eye rolls at our waitress, was excellent as you would expect. Since it was Easter brunch they had live
music in the bar area that the entire restaurant could hear with the doors to
the restaurant open out to the street as it was a beautiful day. We started with a Warm Mississippi Rabbit
Remoulade over Fried Green Tomatoes, and a citrus salad. This course was one of the highlights of the
trip. His preparation of Rabbit made us
long for more and would prefer it as an entrée choice to either pork or chicken
due to its texture and richness. The
green tomatoes, which were also in Jackie’s entrée, had wonderful cornmeal
batter. I followed that up with a bowl
of Chicken and Andouille gumbo, which had homemade Andouille sausage. For our entrees we had Sea Scallops Benedict
(Fried Green Tomatoes, Shaved Prosciutto, Poached Egg, Baby Spinach, Citrus
Hollandaise, Caviar) and Chicken and Waffles (Fried Organic Chicken, Sweet
Corn-Belgian Waffle, Watermelon Slaw and Crystal Hot Sauce Syrup.) The food did not disappoint and the cocktails
were successful with the meal as well. I
would definitely eat there again.
Café Du Monde
1039 Decatur Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70116
(800) 772-2927
cafedumonde.com
New Orleans, Louisiana 70116
(800) 772-2927
cafedumonde.com
The landmark beignet café lives up to its billing, providing
guests with a monstrous dose of powdered sugar on a light and airy French
donut. The lines during prime time in
the morning and on the weekends are substantial, but move very quickly. The place is very hectic with servers flying
around with cups of coffee and trays of beignets. The service was efficient and it is a New
Orleans institution but don’t expect a relaxing atmosphere in which to enjoy
your donuts. Reasonably priced and open
24 hours.
Central Grocery
923 Decatur Street
New Orleans, LA 70116
(504) 523-1620
centralgroceryneworleans.com
New Orleans, LA 70116
(504) 523-1620
centralgroceryneworleans.com
Another French Quarter institution serving arguably the best
Muffaletta sandwiches in all of New Orleans.
If you enjoy olives, a variety of cured meats on a monstrous loaf of
freshly baked bread, you will enjoy this stop.
They also ship their sandwiches
nationwide if you get a taste for them upon your return home.
Acme Oyster House
724 Iberville Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 522-5973
acmeoyster.com
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 522-5973
acmeoyster.com
Typically one would expect an oyster house in the touristy
part of any town to be overpriced and not necessarily serve the best cuisine. Acme breaks both of these conventions with
relative ease. The service in this
highly hectic restaurant/bar can be friendly but aloof. The grilled oysters were to die for, and the
Oyster-Po-Boy was the best representation in style and flavor I have ever
experienced. They had a decent tap
selection offering local beers and on any trip down to NO I would return.
Lafitte’s Blacksmith
Shop
941 Bourbon Street
New Orleans, LA 70116
(504) 593-9761
New Orleans, LA 70116
(504) 593-9761
lafittesblacksmithshop.com/
Renowned as the oldest structure used as a bar in the US
dating back to the early 1700s. Many
people like to stop in for a drink to enjoy the ambiance of a bar from days
gone by. Other than an interesting back
story there isn’t much separating this bar from any of the other 100s lining
the French Quarter. It was disappointing
overall and had cleanliness issues.
Crescent City
Brewhouse
527 Decatur Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 522-0571
crescentcitybrewhouse.com
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 522-0571
crescentcitybrewhouse.com
A typical brew-pub type with an adequate selection of their
own beers designed to please any palate.
The beers were traditionally to style and there was nothing unique or
outstanding about them. The greatest
benefit to visiting here is that the upstairs bar/patio has a great view of the
river for watching boat traffic. A beer
aficionado should stop in, but New Orleans really isn’t known for their beer
scene, its more about the mixed drinks.
Carousel Bar
214 Royal Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 523-3341
hotelmonteleone.com
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 523-3341
hotelmonteleone.com
The bar resides within the Hotel Monteleone. The bar revolves around the center of the
room constantly changing your view as you enjoy a cocktail or beer. It is a charming place to enjoy a few and
people watch. Just an aside, this is
where my grandparents got engaged over 60 years ago. It has a rich and storied history.
Coop’s Place
1109 Decatur Street
New Orleans, LA 70116
(504) 525-9053
coopsplace.net
New Orleans, LA 70116
(504) 525-9053
coopsplace.net
If you are one for dank, dusty, and dirty bars this one
would be right up your alley. It was
hot, dark, and crowded. It comes with a
rough feel as though you are somewhere you shouldn’t belong. Those descriptions aside the service was
attentive and relatively speedy. We
enjoyed a nice helping of Fried Oysters and some Abita beers. It was fairly priced and actually has a
reputation of serving some of the best food in the area. Get their early if this is a place where you
want to eat because lines form quickly.
Antoine’s Restaurant
713 Saint Louis Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 581-4422
Another New Orleans institution. There is a bar as well as a restaurant. We sat at the bar and had a few absinthe
drinks as the bartender informed us of the history and signifance of the
restaurant, none of which I remember. It
was charming enough for about one cocktail then we hit the road for more
adventures as it was pricey.
Lüke Restaurant
333 Saint Charles
Avenue
New Orleans, LA
70130
(504) 378-2840
|
This restaurant is right across the street from the InterContinental hotel. Stopped in for brunch and had a monstrous serving of eggs, bacon, biscuits, grits and fresh fruit. The coffee was delicious and I cannot remember ever having grits that surpassed the quality, texture, and flavor of Luke’s. This is a John Besh restaurant and his homage to a French brasserie.
Cochon Restaurant
930 Tchoupitoulas St
New Orleans, LA 70130
Phone:(504) 588-2123
www.cochonrestaurant.com
This is also a hotspot restaurant in the warehouse district
near Emeril’s. The restaurant prepares
interesting traditional Cajun Southern with a modern twist. Cochon prides itself on using locally sourced
pork, fresh produce and seafood, focusing on traditional methods, creating
authentic flavors of Cajun country. The
restaurant is set in a rustic, yet contemporary interior of a renovated New
Orleans warehouse. It is a bustling
restaurant and reservations are highly recommended. We started with pork spare ribs as an
appetizer and they were perfectly crafted and very delectable. The rabbit dish which tasted like a Cajun pot
pie was one of the highlights of all the meals we had in the city. The Louisiana Cochon was a disappointment
unfortunately tasting very plain and having a tacky dry texture. For foodies, this is a spot you must go once
to say you were there.
Other food and drink
options:
Stop at Pat O’Briens for the legendary Hurricane, and hit the Tropical
Isle for a Hand Grenade. Both delicious
drinks that will set the tone for a festive day in the French quarter. Don’t be afraid to stop in any of the
numerous pizza shops for an alcoholic slushy and a piece of pizza. It can be very affordable and the pizza is
actually decent.
Go to a cemetery. There are three cemeteries in or near the
quarter and are excellent tourist spots as these cemeteries have not only a
tremendous amount of history, but are far different than most cemeteries people
are familiar with. They bury the dead
above ground in open graves or closed crypts that are also above ground. St.Louis #3 is the safest but the furthest
from the quarter. A cab ride from the
hotel and back was about $25 with tip.
Feel free to dance
the night away.
The Quarter has a plethora of nightclubs and entertainment. Dancing is possible just about anywhere and
it is a comfortable place to do so, because just about everyone you encounter
is socially lubricated.
Check out Royal St. There are numerous eclectic shops and art
galleries along this street. An
excellent spot for people who enjoy shopping.
Two blocks south of Royal is a fine art photography shop on the corner
of Bienville and Chartres called A Fine Gallery. Their photography rivals that in any museum. Take a gander at pictures valued in excess of
$150000 by names such as Ansel Adams, Steichen, or Helmut Newton.
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