A Week of Eating in New Orleans
If you have ever been to New Orleans, you know that it has a culture and feel that is separate from anything else you will experience in the United States. Though I did pass through in 2017, it was only for about 1.5 days during Mardi Gras, so I wasn’t able to see and experience New Orleans for all of its glory. Luckily, I got a job offer right before my second trip down, which meant I could really live it up this time. I also had a local foodie friend (shoutout to @cici__eats) to hang with and make sure I did New Orleans the right way. When I returned home, I was asked if I’d tried all of New Orleans’ foodie delicacies. It wasn’t until I started to name a few that I realized that I pretty much did (and BOY did it wreck my ten-week challenge progress).
HERE’S HOW EVERYTHING RANKED!
10. Snow Balls
At the bottom of my list is something that I had never heard of prior to this trip: Snow Balls. They are, essentially, a more-finely-ground snow cone, to the point that it is like eating flavored powdery snow. I had the wedding cake flavor side-by-side with my Cafe du Monde beignets, which is probably why I was underwhelmed.
9. French Quarter Cocktails
Take a smelly stroll down Bourbon Street to try Pat O’Brien’s Hurricanes, Tropical Isle’s Hand Grenades, and test tube shots from a girl’s mouth! Created during World War II when whisky was hard to come by, Hurricanes include a variety of fruit juices, paired with rum. Self-proclaimed New Orleans’ “most powerful drink,” Hand Grenades are toxic-sludge green and taste, to me, like a Sweet Tart (something that I’d prefer not to drink 20 oz. of.) Test tube shots from a girl’s mouth are exactly what they sound like. My friend, Riley, kindly volunteered me to take what I thought was a free shot from a random girl. When I agreed, she shoved three test tubes into her mouth and motioned for me to take them with mine. When we were done, she asked for $25. Would not recommend.
For a more casual and classy drink, you can head elsewhere in the French Quarter to try a French 75: a mixture of champagne, lemon juice, gin, and sugar. To me, this one was similar to a mint-less mojito.
8. Jambalaya
If you know me, you know that I love spicy food, which is why I hold New Orleans’ fiery cajun flavors close to my heart. Jambalaya is something I was familiar with before, but the snack-sized bowl that I had at Wednesday at the Square (paired with live jazz) was just as divine as you’d assume. The star of this dish? Andouille sausage.
7. Bottomless Mimosas
Nothing said “Happy Easter” like the bottomless mimosas and a swimming pool at the Country Club! Though this one is not strictly from New Orleans, it certainly captures its spirit. “All you can drink” sounds a whole lot like something you would see/have seen/have done on Bourbon Street. Case closed.
6. Crawfish Boil
Priced at $14 for three pounds, the Bayou Beer Garden’s crawfish boils are proclaimed the city’s best, so be prepared to stand in line. While you’re at it, grab yourself a frozé (or whatever tickles your fancy) and enjoy the warm, spring sun. Just remember to get there fast, because they always sell out.
5. Beignets
Cafe du Monde’s beignets are one of the few things I was able to try on my first trip down, which prepared me to be all-the-more-excited to have them this time. Picture a freshly fried French doughnut, topped with an entire centimeter of powdered sugar. I shamelessly grabbed a table-for-one so that I could inhale (and choke on powdered sugar) three of these babies!
4. Fried Chicken
Fried Chicken is everywhere, but they say it’s done best in the South. If you think about chains that everyone is familiar with, like KFC, Church’s, Zaxby’s, and Popeye’s, what you may or may not know is that they’re all from the South! The king of all southern chicken joints, though, is Raising Cane’s. With a menu built of only chicken fingers and chicken finger sandwiches, it goes without saying, they didn’t get the recipe wrong.
3. Alligator
Something that you will seldom find outside of the coastal south, alligator a serious treat. The only ‘gator that I had during my time in New Orleans was an alligator sausage with build-your-own toppings from Dat Dog. It was delicious, but basically tasted just like a pork sausage. Luckily, I still get to say “I ate ‘gator in New Orleans!”
2. Drive-Thru Daiquiris
Did you read that correctly? Yeah, you did. But don’t worry! They put tape over the straw hole… so that you can’t drink it… while you’re driving…… The business model might be flawed, but the daqs aren’t. OBVIOUS BONUS: You don’t have to leave your car.
1. Shrimp Po’Boy
I discovered Po’Boys at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company back in high school and fell in love, but the real deal at Guy’s Po’Boys rocked my world. Why places haven’t thought to put fried shrimp in other types of sandwiches, I don’t know. (Side note: the sandwich pictured is their small size. THERE WERE LARGER ONES.)