by Eric Martin
I'm off to begin celebrating my brother's wedding in New Orleans tomorrow in the AM (wedding ceremony tentatively set for Saturday, pending continued aliveness of said brother).
I've heard rumours about good food and music to be had, but I remain skeptical. See you all next week, I hope.
Wait, wait, wait. You're arriving on a Tuesday for a Saturday wedding in New Orle-- Ulp.
Posted by: Ugh | April 12, 2010 at 07:43 PM
Take lots of pictures, because there are no good memories from New Orleans...if it was a good time, you won't remember it.
Posted by: jrudkis | April 12, 2010 at 09:06 PM
Many happy returns!
Figuratively speaking, of course. Just remember to maintain a good balance between eating and drinking, and you'll be fine.
Posted by: Slartibartfast | April 13, 2010 at 07:54 AM
Speaking of 'Til Tuesday...
Posted by: Slartibartfast | April 13, 2010 at 08:23 AM
hush hush. keep it down now.
Posted by: cleek | April 13, 2010 at 08:38 AM
Wiggum: [hangs up] Sounds like there was some kind of party going on in the background. Are there any parties today, Skinner?
Skinner: Eh. Not really a party town. Though if I remember correctly they occasionally a function called Marty's ... something.
Posted by: Julian | April 13, 2010 at 09:47 AM
Occasionally hold.
Posted by: Julian | April 13, 2010 at 11:23 AM
Eric's offline?
von to the front desk please. von to the front desk.
Posted by: Hogan | April 13, 2010 at 01:59 PM
Eric:
Go get a Po Boy from Johnny's on St. Louis in the quarter. That's really all you need to know. I'm partial to the crawfish po-boy, but YMMV.
If you want a nice dinner with the wife (if she's with you), then I'd do Olivier's on Decatur. Great history to that place: fifth generation, with the recipes handed down from the family matriarch, who was a slave in Louisiana. From slavery to top-notch restaurant owners in a few generations is a testament to what's possible, even if we still have a long way to go.
Also, I'm told Dick & Jenny's in the garden district is aces, but I can't personally vouch for it.
Posted by: tgirsch | April 13, 2010 at 04:33 PM
Try Snug Harbor for music.
Posted by: Bernard Yomtov | April 13, 2010 at 09:49 PM
What Bernard said. All of Frenchman St for that matter.
Posted by: russell | April 13, 2010 at 10:47 PM
We ate at some Italian place on Frenchman's. Adolfo's; right across the street from Snug Harbor. Great food; slow service. Make sure you're suitably fortified. You can bring your own bottle of wine; dunno if there's any limit.
Adolfo's is hard to see, because it's upstairs of a dive bar called the Apple Barrel, which also serves as the bar/waiting area for Adolfo's. Given the wait times, you can (and will, if you're not careful; trust me on this) get mighty hammered in the Apple Barrel, before staggering upstairs to eat.
Kitty-corner to there is a place called Praline Connection, which has great, great soul food. Ask the waiters what they like best; they're not shy about telling you.
My favorite place to have breakfast is the Coffee Pot, which is...I can't remember. Look it up. Awesome breakfast; fantastic Bloody Marys. I don't normally drink those, but they're really good, there. As is nearly everything else.
Brennan's was a faint ghost of its former heyday a few years ago, but it's making a comeback I think. I've been meaning to eat at a few other places and see how they pan out, but I keep running out of time, and I somehow keep getting stuck in the Omni Hotel Bar, which is actually right next to the Omni.
Final bit of advice: when, in the wee hours of the morning, you decide to visit Cafe du Monde for some cafe au lait and beignets, make sure to find a bathroom before you make the walk. Because CdM has only two tiny bathrooms, and frequently one or both is/are out of service, and then things can turn not good.
Posted by: Slartibartfast | April 13, 2010 at 11:51 PM
Agreed about Frenchmen Street. The problem, however, is that people have figured it out, and the clubs there are often packed, packed, PACKED. I like to go see the New Orleans Cottonmouth Kings at the Spotted Cat, but it's a tiny venue, and they pile 'em in, so unless you get there early and stake out a spot close to the stage, you can't even see the band. dba is a much better venue, but I'm less enamored of the music there.
If you can catch John Boutte, by all means do so. Ditto for Bonerama.
Posted by: tgirsch | April 14, 2010 at 02:56 AM
Casamento's -- go, but don't get the crawfish po boy or the gumbo. Stick with simple.
Commander's Palace for brunch. Have the bloody mary, or four (as I did on my last trip).
I realize that others may differ, but I thought that Acme's (FQ, not airport) had some of the best oysters that I've had in NOLA.
Posted by: von | April 14, 2010 at 09:49 PM