A Slice of Kate

A few weeks ago, Husband and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary. Husband decided many months ago that he wanted to plan a trip for us to a surprise (to me) destination. He booked the plane tickets, hotel, and some activities before revealing our destination in a Google Slides presentation. Ladies, if he wants to, he will. Anyway, he chose New Orleans for several reasons. First, because it is one of the few places that he has been to that I haven’t. Second, because he knew that I would love the food, music, and vibrancy of the city. He was not wrong. Third, I think he was secretly craving beignets.

Hence, after an early morning flight, we started our trip off the only way you are allowed to: by eating beignets at Cafe du Monde. I’m not sure what I was expecting as far as the cafe itself, but it was much more casual and chaotic than I was expecting. We may or may not have cut a massive line based on some unclear signage, but that’s neither here nor there. What matters is that the beignets were worth the hype. After dusting a metric ton of powdered sugar off ourselves, we took a stroll down the river walk towards the aquarium, and then meandered back to the French Quarter via Bourbon Street. Even at 10am, Bourbon Street is full of all kinds of sights, sounds, and mystery liquids. When Husband visited NoLa before, he was a young man of around 22, so he spent a majority of his time on Bourbon Street. Being the old fogies that we are now, we took a more measured approach and got 10am frozen daiquiris instead.

We had our anniversary dinner at La Petite Grocery, a Garden District staple with plenty of James Beard Awards to its name. While everything we ordered was good, the blue crab beignets were phenomenal. Husband went with Confit Chicken, and I had the steak. We rounded out our meal with a chocolate hazelnut financier. I’d highly recommend making a stop here if you find yourself in town. The service, cocktails, and ambience all make for an excellent experience.

Our second day was dedicated to spooky things. In the morning, we went on a tour of St. Louis Cemetery 1, which is the only way you can actually get within the cemetery walls now. Home to the graves of famed Voodoo Queen Marie Leveau and a controversial pyramid built by Nicolas Cage for his future interment, the Cemetery houses around 32,000 souls. When you think about the fact that the cemetery takes up all of about one city block, that number is staggering. Apparently, if you are buried in St. Louis Cemetery 1, you spend a year and a day in a coffin before being extracted and put into a burlap sack, which then gets sent down some sort of ghostly laundry chute to the crypt below — perhaps this is where we got that saying, “You old bag of bones.”

To break up our ghoulish day, we hopped on the St. Charles Streetcar line, which originates a few blocks away from St. Louis 1. This historic tram car takes you through the central business district before heading into the Garden District. The street car was a great way to see more of the city cheaply ($1.25 per person, exact change), and to get ideas about where else we wanted to explore. I particularly enjoyed seeing all the beads hanging from the trees out front of all the mansions. I don’t think beads grow on trees anywhere other than New Orleans.

That evening, we met up with a group to take a ghost tour of the French Quarter. Our guide, Orion, intertwined history and legends in a masterful way. We visited numerous haunted locales, including the Ursuline Convent (allegedly home to a gaggle of 13 year old girl vampires), and the LaLaurie Mansion (home to a sadistic master and mistress that burnt to the ground and exposed true horrors on earth). New Orleans is a city with a long history of superstition, disease, and violence. Ghost hunters, occult fanatics, and voodoo practitioners continue to flock there to pay homage to those that have passed, and to celebrate their rituals and traditions. If you visit New Orleans, I think it’s imperative to educate yourself about the town’s history, and a ghost tour is an excellent way to do so. Our tour was not for suitable for children as it got into some pretty graphic details, so be discerning when researching the various tour options, but there seems to be something for everyone.

One thing I knew I wanted to do if I ever visited New Orleans was to get outside the city proper for a bayou excursion. Husband was one step ahead of me, and had already booked a Bayou Tour with Cajun Encounters. The company picks you up on a bus and drives you about 45 minutes outside the city to the Honey Island Swamp. There, you are put into groups of 20-25 and board a flat bottom boat to explore. Our captain, Captain Sunny, was entertaining and had a wealth of knowledge about the bayou and creatures that call it home. He got right up close to several alligators, snakes, and, my favorite, raccoons (did you know that racoons were swamp dwellers? Because I didn’t). The boat tour itself was about an hour and forty-five minutes, and then you board to bus again to return to your destination. It’s a great way to get a little bit more Louisiana culture and some fresh air. Just don’t volunteer when your Captain asks if you want to put your hand up inside a dead tree.

After a refreshing afternoon nap, we hopped in an Uber and headed to the Smoothie King Arena for a New Orleans Pelicans game. Although I am a noted Sports Girl, my knowledge and acumen does not extend to the NBA, so if you had told me New Orleans had an NBA basketball team prior to this trip, I wouldn’t have believed you. But Husband found some cheap tickets, and I’m always up for an adventure, so off we went. The arena is very nice (it’s essentially across the street from the Superdome), the seats are comfy, and the game was fun. My favorite part, though, was the halftime show (is it halftime in basketball?). They had these brothers with light-up giant yoyos. Ya girl loves a gimmick.

One of the highlights of our trip was the Destination Kitchen Food Tour. We met our guide Kristi at a shop in the French Quarter, and were immediately given cookies. I like any activity that begins with a cookie. This tour essentially allows you to eat your way through the French Quarter and sample some iconic New Orleans fare, such as shrimp po-boys, gumbo, jambalaya, and pralines. The tour took about 4 hours and most of the walking is on the front end. Once you start (which, for us, was at the French Market with alligator sausage) you may walk a block or two in between restaurants or bites, but there are plenty of opportunities to sit, use the restroom, and have a beverage. Your last stop (and provider of the pralines) is the New Orleans School of Cooking. We didn’t do it this time, but the School provides both hands on and observational cooking classes daily, and it seems like it would be a really awesome experience.

Probably my personal favorite evening of the trip was when we ventured to Frenchmen Street for some jazz music. We started at The Spotted Cat, an icon in the New Orleans jazz scene, and eventually moved down the street a bit to the Three Muses, both of which had incredible jazz bands playing. Their sounds and vibes were completely different, and I’m glad we experienced both of them. You can check online to see who is playing and when, so if you’re looking for a particular group or vibe, that’s the best way to plan it out. We also stopped in Frenchmen Street Books for a quick peruse, as well as the night art garden, which was situated alongside the Spotted Cat. The Frenchmen Art Market boasts various artists and artisans set up in a funky garden space. We ended up grabbing some art, but there is also jewelry, leatherwork, and even a tin-type photo-booth.

Before I end this post, I want to make sure to touch on all the fantastic restaurants we visited while in town. I already mentioned our dinner at La Petite Grocery, but we also had excellent meals at both Herbsaint and Mister Oso. Herbsaint, which is named for one of the liqueurs that goes into a Sazerac, sits right on the historic St. Charles Streetcar line, so in addition to delicious food and drinks, you get an entertaining view of the streetcars going by. This was probably the priciest dinner we had, but it was well worth it. Highlights for me were the lamp skewers, the baked asiago, and the dirty rice. Mister Oso is a much more casual Mexican restaurant, filled with bright colors and neon lights. If I could make one recommendation here, it’s to get the Quesabirria Short Rib Tacos. They were actually incredible — crunchy, cheesy, savory, and fresh out of the oven. The basket of churros for dessert is also delicious, and it’s just a really fun space to hang out in,

Most mornings we just grabbed a quick breakfast from the coffee shop down the street, but a couple mornings, we went the sit down route. As lovers of a classic greasy spoon diner, we stopped into the Clover Grill on Bourbon Street for breakfast before our cemetery tour. Open 24 hours, 7 days a week, this diner is vintage in all the best ways — think soda fountain counter, formica tables, and an open kitchen. We didn’t have to wait long, but if you’re going at a busy time, be prepared because there are only about 5 tables and 6-8 stools.

Named by Travel and Leisure Magazine as one of the best breakfast spots in the country in 2023, I made it my mission to get to Willa Jean’s for brunch one day. I was not disappointed. You’re greeted as you walk in with a large pastry counter filled with decadent treats. We had a short wait, but you can join an online waitlist ahead of time if you’re going at a more heavily trafficked hour. Once seated, I ordered a Milk Money Iced Latter (worth it) and we got the Home Fries to start (think potatoes loaded with cheese curds, onion, and bacon lardons). As my main course, I ordered a biscuit with Grandma’s Sausage Gravy and, y’all, it was *chef’s kiss*. We also couldn’t resist a piece of their coconut cake with vanilla pudding filling for dessert. When I tell you it might be the best piece of cake I ever had, I am not exaggerating.

One other spot that made my list was a brand new Greek/Jewish fusion restaurant called Smoke and Honey. It’s definitely a bit outside your typical tourist zone, but it’s about 2 blocks from the Lafitte Greenway, so it’s super easy to get to via rental bike. I will never turn down a good gyro, and Smoke and Honey does it right — french fries on the sandwich and all. Check their website for their hours, though, since they are still in the process of fully opening.

Y’all, I loved our trip to New Orleans. I feel like NoLa gets a bad rap as being dirty or dangerous, but, quite honestly, you need to keep your common sense about you in any major city. Yes, there are a lot of dark alleys and unhomed people and alcohol in New Orleans, but I never once felt unsafe. The culture is so vibrant and bright, and the people are so resilient. The memory and recovery from Hurricane Katrina is still very much active (and if you want to go to a nice exhibit about the impact of the storm and the rebuilding process, there is one right on Jackson Square at The Presbytere). I already have a list of things I’d like to do for when we go back, because I’m sure we will. Have you been to New Orleans? What was your favorite thing?