Showing posts with label uptown. Show all posts
Showing posts with label uptown. Show all posts

Thursday, June 3, 2010

serious sweets: sucre

Remember when I drifted off into a sugar trance a few weeks ago, all gaga over macarons?  I've been thinking about them ever since--looking up YouTube videos on how to make them (it's a little more complicated than I was wanting it to be), scouring the Web for recipes (like David Lebovitz's chocolate macarons or this extremely intriguing flavor from Tartelette), and just spending all my regularly allotted daydream minutes on them.  So when I just happened to find myself on Magazine Street last Monday, driving through a light summer shower with Paul, I couldn't think of a better place to stretch our legs and spend some money than at Sucre.




I've been seeing Sucre's macarons (and their awesome chocolates) praised in national and local food magazines and on Web sites for the past two years.  Like I've said before, I'm not really that big a fan of sweets, but I will spend money on them, and devour them, when they're particularly time-consuming and/or "uh-licious."  That's what my grandmother used to call something that tasted too wonderful to describe: uh-licious.



I love the emphasis they put on using high-quality ingredients:



The texture of Sucre's macarons is so interesting and delicate, from the glossy outer layer that crackles ever-so-slightly when you bite into it, to the slightly chewy inner cookie, to the very soft and light filling holding the two cookies together.  I've sampled nearly all the flavors now, and I still think that lemon is my favorite.  It's like the most elegant and elusive lemon bar possible.



And Sucre's chocolates are a thing of mystery and beauty...I've never tasted any chocolates as serious as these, and I've certainly never seen any decorated more artfully.  Some look like marbles, some like mandalas.  I doubt that any are less than fantastic--I mean less than uh-licious.



Kalamansi:  dark chocolate ganache with Indonesian lime coated in dark chocolate



Avery:  caramel milk chocolate ganache coated in dark chocolate and topped with sea salt

I can't imagine a more perfect shopping spot for birthdays, anniversaries, or mother's day.  It just doesn't get any specialer than this.
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Thursday, April 1, 2010

where y'everything: a list of places to eat and more in new orleans

We're offering this list of eateries--plus a few bars, attractions, and oddities--for our guests and guests unknown to get ideas about where to spend their time and money. Only places we have visited and actually recommend are on the list. If you'd like to suggest places that aren't here yet, feel free to leave a comment, and we'll add it to the list if we agree. Happy exploring...

French Quarter
Eats
  • Central Grocery (home of the muffaletta; mostly takeaway)
  • Coop's Place (best restaurant jambalaya, hands down)
  • Felix's (great oysters, turtle soup, sweet potato fries)
  • Antoine's (high-priced, long-established classic French; recommended if you can budget it)
  • Mother's (breakfast all day, plus outstanding ham po-boys; also all the New Orleans cuisine you want: red beans & rice, gumbo, spaghetti, fried chicken, etc.)
  • Port of Call (great big steak-like burgers, steaks, baked potatoes (no french fries here), big sweet drinks; there's usually a line out the door, but it's worth it; vegetarians beware)
Drinks
Lodging
  • We highly recommend the Hotel Villa Convento (rumored to be the original "House of the Rising Sun").
Around Bayou St. John
Eats
  • Liuzza's by the Track (po-boys, fried seafood, gumbo)
  • Parkway Bakery & Tavern (extensive po-boy menu, roast beef to die for)
  • Mandina's (traditional New Orleans offerings with an Italian-American attitude)
  • Angelo Brocato's Ice Cream (canolli, spumoni, gelato)
  • K-Jean's Seafood (seafood vendor; no tables, but you can get po-boys to go or shrimp boiled to order, or choose a whole fish & they'll fillet it for you and give you the bones for your stock)
  • Nonna Mia (pizza, sandwiches, some pastas; Sunday brunch; quality, tasty ingredients; delivery)
  • Cafe Degas (French bistro; brunch; beautiful, sunny but sheltered setting on the boulevard)
Other
  • New Orleans Museum of Art (sculpture garden too)
  • Fortier Park (a nice outdoor game of chess)
  • Fair Grounds race track (horseracing and some decent snacks; check out the gumbo with crab claws)
  • City Park (I recommend the train and the ladybug rollercoaster, but you could also rent a paddle boat or get some exercise or all sorts of other parkly activities)
  • Pal's Lounge (an apres-activity beer spot; you'll often find some gratis red beans and rice here on Mondays, plus "roll-a-day" for a $1-chance at the jackpot)
CBD (Central Business District)
  • St. Charles Bar (gumbo & red beans/rice next door)
  • Luke (business-suit spot; also serves breakfast)
  • August (fine dining; extremely delicious; prix-fixe lunch--3 courses for $20)

Warehouse District
  • Cochon (inspired Cajun cuisine; specializes in pork, of course)
  • Cochon Butcher (Cochon's neighbor--a true butcher shop, but one with a full bar and fantastic $6 tapas, along with a full sandwich menu)
  • Mulate's (family-oriented, fried seafood and cajun classics with a large, bright dance floor and experienced cajun band)

Marigny
Eats
  • Adolpho's (Italian; upstairs above the Apple Barrel bar; hidden & romantic)
  • Mimi's (bar with dancing upstairs, but the late-night tapas is the best part of the place)
  • 13 (hipster cafe/bar open early to late; breakfast, pizza, sandwiches, several tofu options)
  • Snug Harbor (classic jazz bistro; seats late on Fri/Sat)
Other
  • Spotted Cat (mostly jazz, but some other offerings)
  • DBA (mostly jazz; go watch the Sunday evening swing dancers)
  • Apple Barrel (blues, songwriter, jazz, etc.)

Riverbend (where the St. Charles streetcar turns onto Carrollton Ave.)
Eats
  • Camellia Grill (classic 24-seat marble-countered grill; no alcohol; weekend brunch line is out the door but worth it for the potato/onion omelet)
  • Mat & Naddie's (newly wrought Louisiana)
  • Dante's Kitchen (nice patio, brunch)
  • Babylon Cafe (go for the good selection of eggplant and bean dips and the award-winning homemade bread)
  • Jamila's (bellydancer on Saturday nights; great mussels)
  • Fresco Cafe (patio; pizzas, sandwiches, salads, drink specials; neighborhood delivery)
  • Cooter Brown's (sports bar; burgers, po-boys, fried seafood, raw oysters; get there early if it's football season)
  • Boucherie ("Contemporary Southern Cuisine"; try anything they do with grits)
  • Jacques-Imo's (try the alligator cheesecake appetizer)
  • College Inn (a nola institution, famous "peacemaker" oyster po-boy)
Other
  • Maple Leaf Bar (music; poetry reading on Sunday afternoons)
  • Maple Street Books (cozy, well-stocked spot; children's bookstore next door)
  • The Levy (walk or jog or take your dog)

Uptown
Eats
  • Patois (great menu; locals' secret)
  • Pascale's Manale (home of New Orleans-style BBQ shrimp)
  • Audubon Clubhouse (breakfast, brunch, or lunch spot in the middle of Audubon Park; the food is simple, but you can't beat the view)
  • Franky & Johnny's (boiled crawfish; boudin balls; fried seafood)
Other

Magazine Street
Eats
  • Casamento's (seafood, raw oysters; closed during August)
  • Lilette (trendy bistro; great appetizers)
  • Ignacious Eatery (brunch, eclectic spins on Nola standards; moderately priced)
  • La Petite Grocery (I recommend the handmade spaghetti and anything they serve with it, but the entire menu is well-made)
  • Vicky's Corner Grocery (this "Grocery" really is a corner store, unlike the above; order the freshly fried shrimp po-boy--12" for $5)
  • Byblos (local chain; Middle-Eastern favorites; great sandwiches)
  • The Bulldog (beer garden with burgers and other bar food; dogs welcome)
  • Whole Foods (yes, we do have one, and it's easy to stop by and take out some gumbo or local fish after a day of trolling the Magazine shops)
Other
  • Balcony Bar (they serve bar food here, but we haven't sampled it yet...upstairs has the coolest vibe)
  • The Rendezvous (not to be confused with other Rendezvouses in town, this one is bar-only)
  • Funky Monkey (clothes finds)





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Sunday, January 4, 2009

taking the long way


If you want to eat some good seafood, and you want to eat it at a NOLA institution, Casamento's on Magazine Street fits the bill. I fell in love with this place the minute I saw it, though we had to find something else to do with ourselves while we waited for it to open. It was so worth the wait.

The problem was that we arrived too early. Tip #1: they open for dinner at 5:30, Thursday through Saturday only.

So we headed toward the track, to visit Liuzza's, famed for its po' boys--a tip from Davey and Gracie. BBQ shrimp po' boy? Garlic oyster po' boy? Yes. But along the way, we got distracted by the idea of stopping on St. Charles for a drink somewhere, then got even more distracted by a new route which ended up taking us downtown. We decided to land in the Quarter. I found my first-ever parking place on Bourbon Street (a very big deal). Since we were there, we thought, "Frank's"--we'd heard great things about it. Alas, our stay was short. Under pressure from our waiter, we ordered crab-stuffed mushrooms, which were highly flavorful, but $10 for three? Ouch. Tip #2: Frank's is tasty but priced for tourists. Luckily, we mustered the courage to brave the rain and the traffic and head back to the car, by way of Molly's. Tip #3: Molly's is a cozy little place, but it gets real fratty on Saturday night. Back uptown, we returned to our starting point at 7:00 p.m., which was just in time to beat the crowd.

Casamento's was established in 1919 and still inhabits the same location. It's small, tiled, and bright, and you walk through the miniscule kitchen to get to the restrooms. I absolutely love walking through restaurant kitchens. More!











































































At Casamento's, the sandwiches are "loaves," which differs from a po' boy by bread. The bread for a loaf isn't the light, fluffy New Orleans French that you expect when you order a po' boy. It's thick-cut white toast, the type I normally call "Texas." Somehow that doesn't feel right anymore. I guess I'll start calling it "loaf." I think there's a little garlic butter spread on this bread. Your basic NOLA "dressing" of mayo, tomato, and lettuce, and then the lightest, freshest fried catfish you can imagine. Oh my.




























The menu is small but complete. Everything you could want in a New Orleans seafood joint is there: seafood gumbo (a tomatoey version), fresh, juicy raw oysters ($9 a dozen! $4.50 half dozen!), fried trout and catfish, softshell crabs. The star, to me, was the catfish loaf I ordered--the best-tasting sandwich I've had in this city, bar none. I'm a fan of Casamento's for several reasons, but their "small prices"--the choice you have of ordering a full-sized dinner for $12 or a half-sized dinner for $6.75--are the most important, for me. I'm a taster. I don't need a huge plate, and I usually don't even want it. I respect a restaurant that does something to keep me coming back: excellent food, fair price.


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