A Foodie's Guide to New Orleans

The most exciting time of the year in New Orleans also happens to coincide this year with the Super Bowl.  Follow this guide to get a full tour of town while eating the best treats.

Day 1: 

The French Quarter: 

800 Decatur Street

Starting out in the French Quarter admire the wrought-iron balconies, tall shutters, courtyards and horse carriages. Start your walking excursion at the French Market located alongside the Mississippi river (the first outdoor produce market in the US). Make sure to pick up some hot sauce or my personal favorite Tabasco Sauce. You will soon smell the scent of beignets from Cafe du Monde.  Stop over for some of their famous sugar coated beignets and chicory laced cafe au lait. I guess it is worth mentioning that while in New Orleans, you should completely put aside any diet or idea of healthy eating and indulge in Southern Cajun food.

Next, listen to some local street musicians on Royal street. The street is closed off on weekends allowing local artists to set up at every street corner. Next, visit the St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square with its manicured lawns and if you are in the mood to learn what the future holds in store, sit down with one of the fortune tellers and let your fortunes be told.  Back on Royal street you can try a little antique shopping and visit some of the amazing art galleries.  Wonder around the different streets  and make your way over to Bourbon street to see one of the most happening streets in America (see post on Bourbon Street). 

Drago's Chargriled Oysters- 2 Poydras St

You might be hungry at this point. For one of the best meals of your life stop over at Mr. B's ($$$) on Royal Street for their world famous barbecued shrimp. Not feeling like having shrimp but want some of those oysters which make this town so fabulous? Then head over to Drago's ($$) for some of their world renown chargrilled oysters. If you want to eat somewhere where the ambiance screams New Orleans then make your way over to Acme's Oyster House ($$) to experience some live oyster shucking and eat it fresh or chargrilled to perfection. Their bloody mary's aren't so bad either.

The CBD and Warehouse District:

While the French Quarter is ever consuming with so much to see, do and eat make sure you venture out of the Quarter and see the other beautiful parts of New Orleans for I can assure you there is so much more to New Orleans than the Quarter. Walking out west from the French Quarter you will pass Canal Street which was once the glorious commercial hub of town but has unfortunately failed to keep its glory. Beautiful hotels are intertwined with cheap shops and run down storefronts. In this area you will find some of my favorite places to eat. If you are looking for a true Italian meal head over to Domenica's ($$) at the Roosevelt Hotel (http://www.domenicarestaurant.com).  Here renowned local chef John Besh and Alon Shaya (my former landlord) cook up some of the best Italian dishes in town. For Franco-German cuisine, head to Luke ($$) another of John Besh's delicious restaurants where you can have fresh oysters or my favorite the burger and fries (http://www.lukeneworleans.com).

Herbsaint- 701 St. Charles Ave

Walking further you will cross over into the Central Business District where restaurants such as the Herbsaint will deliver some of the best French food offered in the south. Sitting outside you can drink your wine and watch the Saint Charles trolley go on by (http://www.herbsaint.com). Next, keep walking until you enter the Warehouse District. The new yet old trendy part of town where loft style living and restaurants and bars line the streets. Here you will find some of my favorite restaurants including Cochon, La Boca and Root. If you love pork you will love Cochon (http://www.cochonrestaurant.com). The ambiance isn't so bad either...and with that comes a full house. I highly recommend making reservations for this one. If you're wanting the experience but don't have time, walk over just next door to Cochon to its sister shop, Cochon Butcher (http://www.cochonbutcher.com) for some amazing sandwiches and beer. If pork is not so much your thing but you love a good steak then La Boca will satisfy your beef cravings (http://www.labocasteaks.com/). A small Argentinian steak house offering tender beef, chimichuri and fries. Reservations are a must. Root is another popular restaurant which offers some of that hearty southern flavors with a modern twist.

Day 2: 

The Garden District:

Commander's Palace Martinis- 1403 Washington Ave.

The next day, take the trolley to the Garden District and explore the old mansions, graveyards and restaurants. For a truly exceptional meal and experience try Commander's Palace ($$$) for their fancy Sunday brunch where a jazz band will serenade you with each bite (http://www.commanderspalace.com). During the week you can also take advantage of their 25 cent martinis at lunch. After your meal and many martinis walk across the street to Lafayette cemetery and explore one of the oldest cemeteries in the US (also a scene of many Hollywood movies).  If a meal at Commander's Palace is not in your budget then don't miss the best sandwich in town at either Milk Bar ($) or Stein's Deli ($) (http://steinsdeli.net) where you can try unique sandwiches such as my favorites the Jeff Berger (prosciutto and honey) or the Robert (prosciutto, mozzarella and balsamic vinaigrette) at Steins or the Psycho Chicken at the Milk Bar. Either continue your journey on Saint Charles street or walk down to Magazine street stopping at Prytania street to take in the architectural beauty of all the homes. Once you pass Louisiana street you are technically in an area of town called Uptown.

Uptown: 

3025 Magazine Street

Once on Magazine, explore the many shops, galleries, antique stores and more. When you are done with all your shopping take a coffee break at one of the many shops on the street. If you fancy sweets along with your coffee then make sure you don't miss Sucre ($). One of my favorite places to go to fulfill my chocolate cravings. Their macarons are deadly but so are their french pastries and gelatoes. You just can't go wrong with this one (http://www.shopsucre.com).   Next, rent a bike at Mike the Bike Guy and make your way uptown. For the best french bread and pastries stop at La Boulangerie, a local favorite.   If you are looking for good restaurants you are in for a treat. Along Magazine street line some of the best in town including la Petite Grocery
(http://www.lapetitegrocery.com/) 
and Lilettes 

(http://www.liletterestaurant.com)($$$)which offers delicious french food. Make reservations in advance . Right next door to Lilettes is Bouligny Tavern (http://www.boulignytavern.com/) a small and trendy wine and tapas bar. They also happen to make some of the best cocktails I've yet to taste. If wine and tapas are your thing you may also enjoy the Belgian restaurant just north of Magazine at Delachaise ($$) (http://www.thedelachaise.com/). For a more traditional New Orleans drinking scene head over to the Columns Hotel on St. Charles street (http://www.thecolumns.com/). For those wanting a break from southern food try vietnamese food at Magasin Cafe ($) (http://www.magasincafe.com). 

A little further up on Prytania is my favorite local ice-cream shop at the Creole Creamery (http://www.creolecreamery.com). 

Carrolton/Oak Street:

At the end of Saint Charles, passed the beautiful Tulane and Loyola campus, passed the famous oak tree filled Audubon Park is where Saint Charles ends and Carrolton street begins. There are many great restaurants in this tiny area of town.  For burgers and some delicious comfort food head over to  Oak street to Cowbell (http://www.cowbell-nola.com), while on Oak Street check out the quaint shops and bars. If you want a once in a lifetime dining experience go to Jacquies-Imo's Cafe (http://jacques-imos.com). It's definitely one of the most unique places I've ever dined at in the world. You won't really understand until you experience it yourself. For Spanish tapas and sangria go to Cafe Granada (http://www.cafegranadanola.com), Lebanese food at Lebanon Cafe (http://www.lebanonscafe.com/), and my favorite tapas at la Boucherie. From here its a short taxi ride all the way to the north to my favorite spot to relax and take in the natural beauty of the south: City Park. 

Day 3: 

City Park: 

City Park is one of the most underrated natural beauties in New Orleans often overshadowed by by it's smaller sister Audubon Park. If you have enough time on your trip make sure not to miss this one. A trip to the park can include renting bikes, boating on the lake, visiting the New Orleans Museum of Art and much more. Spend the day with activities in the park. Then walk down to Esplanade  where you can enjoy lunch or dinner. Many great restaurants and local favorites are located on Esplanade street including the famous paellas at Lola's (http://www.lolasneworleans.com/) , the steak-frites at Cafe Degas (http://www.cafedegas.com/) or Mexican food at Santa Fe (http://www.santafenola.com). It is then a short bike or cab ride back down Esplanade to the French Quarter.  And you are done! You have completed a full tour of New Orleans. There is still so much I have left out including Po-Boys at Parkway Bakery and Tavern, fried chicken at Willie Mae's Scotch house, gumbo at Mothers and sno-cones at Hansen's. 

More time? 

For those with more time, you may find the new and upcoming neighbourhood around Freret street worth a visit. There are some great bars and restaurants lining the street including hot dogs at Dat Dog Nola ($), burgers at Company Burger ($), southern  food at High Hat Cafe and brick oven pizza at Ancora Pizzeria ($$). 

Organic Farmer's Market at the Noordermarkt (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

Farmer's markets are one of my favorite places to visit when traveling, oohing and aahing over all the delicious produce. Actually, I love them even when I'm not on the move. They're like window shopping on the high street, but then for food lovers. 

Every Saturday at the Noordermarkt in Amsterdam you can find a lovely organic farmer's market, with your pick of organic fruits, veggies, cheese and bread. And now that the season of mushrooms and pumpkins is upon us, seas of deep browns and oranges are overflowing the stalls. A definite feast for the eyes. Really, the only downside to this market is that it's packed with people and that the prices surely are above your usual 'high street' level..

You can also find some nice stalls with non-food items, such as second-hand books and Dutch antiques. When I was still living in the Netherlands, I used to visit the Noordermarkt early on Monday mornings when all the stalls are filled with vintage clothing, bric-a-brac, fabrics & notions. It's a great time spent rummaging about and a definite plus is that the city is still so quiet and asleep, something which doesn't happen very often in Amsterdam. 

Restaurant Freud (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

A little confession: I've never really warmed much to the capital of my home country. It seems almost blasphemous to mention it around my Dutch friends, but here it is. Oof, and boy, does it feel good to get it out in the open. Amsterdam always just seemed too pretentious to me. I simply felt it lacked the energy of truly big cities in Europe and also lacked the charm of many smaller towns in our country. Go, go visit Delft, Maastricht, Utrecht, Groningen! 

If my week in one of the nicest neighborhoods of the city wouldn't change my feelings, I decided that was that. It simply would never work between me and this city. But, and I'm sure you see where this is going, one week is all it took to win me over. If I were feeling a bit petty, I'd use the 'but I just spent months on a different continent & I was feeling nostalgic' excuse, but that would not be fair to this lovely diverse town.

So still in Amsterdam, we headed out west. We took advantage of the lovely weather (always playing such a big role in such a little rainy country) and got seated outside at Restaurant Freud. 

Freud's goal is not only to serve tasty local, seasonal (and mainly organic) food, but mostly to motivate their employees and help them out of their isolation. Everybody, from those doing groceries and the cooks to the waiters, has a psychiatric background and at Freud they all do their best to give us eaters a great evening. 

"Restaurant Freud is different from ordinary"

A great initiative that has been around since 2007, but what about the food I hear you say? You have a choice between their three-course menu or pick and choose your dish from their regular menu. I picked the charcuterie, duck breast and we all shared their chocolate cake for dessert. The food was good, the accompanying wine very decent and the chocolate cake heavenly. So heavenly, we gobbled it down before I could even get my camera out. Oops!  

If you're around this part of town, looking for honest food and a slightly different evening out than usual, do visit Freud. And in case you're hungry earlier on the day, across the street Freud also runs a breakfast/lunch room. 

La Trattoria Di Donna Sofia & IJsfabriek Monte Pelmo (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

I'm pretty sure the weather in the Netherlands was so delightfully good just for our visit back home, or at least that's what I'd like to tell myself after months of rainy season in the Congo... I felt so lucky to have caught just that last bit of summer, and very lucky to have been staying at our friends who live in one of the Negen Straatjes, or Nine Streets, an adorable neighborhood in the centre of Amsterdam, dotted with lovely coffee places, restaurants and little boutiques. 

moving house in the Negen Straatjes, Amsterdam-style

With this post we're moving on though, to an old neighborhood of Amsterdam: de Jordaan. Perhaps I was hit by a stroke of home sickness or by the sun, but I simply adored it here and immediately imagined myself living in one of these cute small houses... 

Can you already imagine yourself living here? And do you adore these windows as much as I do? But let's not get carried away. Let's talk about food. And then get carried away. 

Below the menu of La Trattoria Di Donna Sofia, located in the middle of this great neighborhood, and I can tell you all we ate tasted as good as it looks written down. The wine came from Sicily which we chose just for nostalgic reasons (and the waiter from Italy judging by his lively Italian accent). 

It's a small, cozy restaurant with a small menu. Moreover, Donna Sofia serves great authentic food. Eating together with my vegetarian hubby, we ordered a vegetarian antipasti and one with king prawns. The grilled and fried vegetables with ricotta and mozzarella cheese were perfectly prepared with all flavors deliciously coming to their full advantage. My favorite by far though was the antipasti with mozzarella, fresh basil, spinach, pesto and king prawns. All favorite and comfortable flavors, but still refreshing and new in this mix. So good! 

For my primi I chose mafaldine pasta out of the oven with egg plants, which was again a simple, honest dish and very well executed. We also had the spaghetti with tiny octopuses, which was perhaps a bit too simple to my taste (not photographed). After all this we were so stuffed we didn't get to try their secondi, although what I saw around me looked equally comforting and delicious as what we had just devoured. 

And who's that dining here as well??

Sadly, Donna Sofia was out of our dessert of choice and so we decided to get ice cream across the street. Our waiter even told us it was a better choice (!?). It definitely was in fact, people were even lining up to get their dairy fix (which I've hardly ever seen here in the Netherlands by the way, it seems lining up for good food is much more a Northern American thing). It turns out IJsfabriek Monte Pelmo is quite famous for its ice cream. Rightly so, I thoroughly enjoyed their rich chocolate & coffee flavors. All meal is well that ends well, I'd say!

Recipe: Poulet Congolais from the Congo

local market

Finally I'm back home (& back online!) after months of living and working in Congo. So many stories to tell, so many experiences to share. For this blog the main question to answer is of course: what does a hungry nomad eat when this far away from home?

Well, she tries all that she can: from foufou (cassave paste resembling mashed potatoes, low on flavor, heavy on the stomach), pili pili peppers (hot!!) and fried fish from Lake Kivu, to loads of peanuts and cheese from Goma (small yellow cheese a bit like an aged Gouda... great for this cheese addict). But what I'd like to share with you today is a local recipe for a dish with ingredients you can source easily wherever you may be. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to comment!

Ingredients: 

1) A chicken

2) Tomatoes

3) Onions

4a.) Peanuts

4b.) ...  or peanut butter

Instructions:

1) peel and puree your tomatoes, add tomato paste and dice the onions

2) grind peanuts

3) in a big pot add (olive) oil and onions. When the onions are glazed, add tomatoes, paste, peanuts and chicken. Cook until chicken is tender. Add water if necessary.

4) Serve with spinach and rice. Yum!

Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love

Goodbye New Orleans. Hello Philadelphia. The city of brotherly love, cheesesteaks, rocky bilboa and all the other good stuff that Philly is known for. What's most exciting for me was to learn that Philadelphia is another foodie haven. Although I am having New Orleans withdrawals I am adapting to my new home town and starting to venture out to local restaurants. And boy- are there a lot of good ones. The large mix of immigrant groups has led to culinary heaven: Italian, Vietnamese, Chinese, French and even Portuguese. I have never had Portuguese food outside of Portugal!  I'll be reporting back on my findings and will also venture out to surrounding cities to explore. So don't be surprised to see a mix of reviews from Philadelphia, New York and D.C.

Hansen's Sno-Bliz Shop- Uptown (New Orleans, USA)

A sno cone is one of the top highlights of summers in New Orleans. In the midst of a hot, muggy and sweaty day you can look forward to cooling off with a sno cone from one of many great sno cone shops around town. Hansen's Sno Bliz shop is a New Orleans tradition and I was told by many that I must try it out before leaving town. And so I found myself waiting in that long dreadful line on one of the hotter New Orleans days to get my hands on one of these famous sno cones.

An hour later... after getting to know my neighbors in line I finally made it to the the inside of the shop. Another fifteen minutes and I was at the front counter. The inside of the shop is...old. I am guessing that they are trying to maintain that old feel to the place so that it resembles what it looked like when it first opened up many years ago. You can look forward to taking a step back in time where life was simple and there was no AC. Yes you heard correctly- there is no proper AC in this small shop.

Once you get to the counter you are greeted by the owner and her helpers. The owner is the granddaughter of the founders of Hansens. She is warm, friendly and dripping with perspiration from a hard days work. You order your size, flavor and add any extras. I went with the cream of nectar stuffed with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of condensed milk. The Count ordered the limonade- he likes his sno cone tart and fresh.

And finally after an hour and twenty minutes (we timed it)- we got our hands on our very first Hansen's Sno Bliz. The texture of the 'sno' was definitely superior to many I have had in the city. As someone put it- it is like biting on to pieces of a cloud. That's how it feels. It is smooth and creamy, light and fluffy.

One thing I would like to share is the poor hygiene and sanitation of the place. The Count pointed out the fact that the ice was handled by a young man wearing no gloves and pushing the ice into the 'sno' machine. He was sweaty and itchy which resulted in him scratching himself all over and wiping off his sweat with his bare hands followed by handling the ice and pushing it in the machine. The counter was a mess and seemed like there was no real order. The staff had to run back and forth between the rooms to grab different flavors. I guess they are trying to change little but it seems that things would run more efficiently if small changes were made. I have been to other sno cone shops in the area which are cleaner and more sanitary. I guess people down here are so fond of their childhood memories of this place that they fail to notice these small details. If you don't care about hygiene then you will love Hansens.