NOLA DISPATCH: Work Travel Dining and More

Stranded at the airport after some airflow mechanical error has grounded my plane and any chance I had of making it back to St. Paul tonight, I thought a review of my work travel dining experience in the French Quarter of New Orleans might provide a frustration-reducing distraction. I've spent three nights eating dinners in French Quarter restaurants able to cater to a group of 50, and here's how they stacked up:


Gumbo: I had gumbo twice in three nights, and in general it was all good. Remoulade was a more traditional gumbo containing chicken, andouille sausage, and shrimp thickened with roux. Chartres House offered a slightly thicker (again by roux) chicken and sausage gumbo. By far, I would recommend Remoulade's over Chartres House Cafe for the amount of sausage and overall smoky flavor. I can't tell you if one was creole (lighter color and can contain tomatoes) or not. I was looking forward to comparing three gumbos, but a last minute change in menu at the Bombay Club had a less than great chicken and corn chowder fill in for the gumbo option.


Jambalaya: Again, Remoulade and Chartres House square off, and I think again I'd give it to Remoulade. This could simply be because Remoulade offered spicier seasoning, but they also had more noticeable shrimp in the rice. I did like the pepperoncino added at Chartres, but doubt that is a traditional addition to jambalaya.

Redfish with Crawfish Remoulade: The closest to classic cajun/creole on the Bombay Club prix fixe offering I found this dish to be pleasant, but not a home run by any means. Redfish is basically a type of bass and was served blackened with cajun spices and a sweet, chilled crawfish remoulade. I found the remoulade very reminiscent of thousand island dressing and had to douse it in tabasco to make the flavor work with the fish for me. The crawfish were very small and lost in the remoulade. I'm remiss I didn't get crawfish elsewhere since it's in season now in Louisiana. If you get crawfish, locals encourage you to "Just Ask" the server if the crawfish is local, Louisiana wild-caught crawfish.

Check the places I had dinner at out for yourself:

Bombay Club: http://www.thebombayclub.com/

Chartres House Cafe: http://www.chartreshousecafe.com/

Remoulade: http://www.remoulade.com/

Of course, I took advantage of my free time to try some of the other samplings offered in the French Quarter:

Muffaletta: Two trips to Central Grocery, the home of the original muffaletta, in three days pays homage to the sandwich. In those two trips, I didn't consume a whole muffaletta (they're huge), but loved the ambiance of Central Grocery and the olive salad made the sandwich for me. The sandwich is rich with mortadella, salami, provolone, mozzarella, olive oil, and the ever important olive salad served to you on a 10-inch diameter sesame seed seasoned round loaf. The olive salad at Central Grocery has capers, celery, pimento olives, pickled cauliflower, garlic, kalmata olives, and carrots along with great seasoning. It hurts a little that I just offered a hungry stranded fellow passenger the half a muffaletta I was bringing home after being assured at the counter the sandwich would be fine for 2-3 days in the "cool" New Orleans weather.


Coffee and Chicory: Seemingly all the rage from Cafe Du Monde's popularity, I was curious as to why chicory was added to some coffee in New Orleans. The history seems to point to coffee shortages and a creative filler that ended up having perks beyond extending the beans. Chicory is the root of the endive plant, and grows like a weed in some places. When ground, roasted, and added to coffee the chicory's slightly sweet, chocolatey flavor cuts the bitterness of coffee. I liked this about Cafe Du Monde's cafe au lait and did not find the usual queasiness that follows drinking straight coffee (even when I mix it with milk.) Hardcore coffee fans will likely find the chicory dilutes the depth of coffee's flavor.

Beignets: Again, a staple of Cafe Du Monde which became my morning ritual when my decision to bypass the neon drinks at night had me waking up at 7:30am and eager to get out and walk in the agreeable Louisiana clime. Beignets are a yeasted dough pastry fried in vegetable oil and topped with confectioner sugar (loads of it at this cafe.) The pastries were mostly rectangular in shape and came in orders of three. I personally dusted most of the sugar back on the plate or into my cafe au lait and enjoyed the slightly crisp outside and fluffy interior. For you fair enthusiasts, think funnel cake.

Po' Boy: I don't think you're allowed to leave New Orleans without eating a po'boy. I had wanted to find the recommendation of a colleague where the shrimp po'boy is a garlicky, non-fried shrimp haven tucked inside a french roll; alas, I couldn't remember the name and took the hotel staff's recommendation to check out Johnny's. I got the fried shrimp po'boy dressed which means with mayo, lettuce, tomato, and pickle. I doused it again in tobasco and found it pretty tasty. The place had some 50 different po'boys to offer. My sense is you can do better, but the place was packed so what do I know?

Raw and Smoked Oysters on the half shell: Oysters are growing on me (not literally.) After the delicious Meritage experience, I gained courage to join a small group of colleagues in an oyster outing to Acme Oysters on my last legitimate night in New Orleans (not counting this layover at the airport.) I am so glad I went! The raw oysters were tasty and I dressed them less than usual because I had to share with so many people and enjoyed the oyster itself. However, the big winner...the one I might occassionally dream about is that smoked oyster. Cooked over a grill fire on the half shell the oyster is encrusted in a garlic, parmesan, butter topping cooked to perfection. After you eat these wonderful little treasures, the plate has the leftover buttery, garlicky, oyster juice for you to sop up with bread. So good even if the raw oyster scares you, give this a try!

Check out these places for yourself as well:

Acme Oyster House: http://www.acmeoyster.com/
Cafe Du Monde: http://www.cafedumonde.com/
Central Grocery: not online
Johnny's: http://www.johnnyspoboys.com/

Well, I'll be boarding that flight to Atlanta soon. Who knows, maybe I'll write next about what a $10 meal voucher from Air Tran can get you at midnight at the ATL airport or airport hotels.