Sno-LA

We had a little time to kill before heading to the airport and decided to try a snoball.

Yelp led us to Sno-La, located at 2311 N. Causeway Blvd in Metairie. Turns out it's next to Gumbo Ron's!

Their specialty is cheesecake snoballs but we just got the traditional. These are smalls and they really pack the ice tight. $2.10 each.

Rootbeer, Bananas Foster & Pineapple. The rootbeer was the best. The other flavors were so-so.

2019 10 22

Crabby Jack's

We had our last meal at Crabby Jack's. It's owned by the same guy who owns Jacque Imo's.

Crabby Jack's is located at 428 Jefferson Highway. They open at 10:30 am every day but Sunday and close between 3-5 pm.

There's a beat-up truck outside. This one had no table unlike the one at Jacque Imo's, where you can dine in the back of the truck.

The interior has several long tables. No table service here.

Order at the counter and they will bring the food to you.

We ordered quite a bit to try. Cracklins--$2.50 were homemade. Crispy and not greasy. Mac & Cheese, Red Beans & Rice and Dirty Rice Sides--$3.25 each. We were disappointed by the sides. They were just okay. Homemade Boudin Balls with Creole Mustard Cream Sauce--$5, also just okay.

Slow Roasted Duck Po'Boy--$13.50 for the 12 inch. I was going to order it with coleslaw but was advised to just get it dressed. I think it would have been better with the coleslaw.

3 piece Dark Fried Chicken--$10. Crispy skin and moist inside. I liked it but some in my group liked Gumbo Ron's better.

2019 10 22

Cajun Seafood

We remembered how good Cajun Seafood was last time and went there again. The location at 1479 N. Claiborne has tables. The one at 2730 South Broad is takeout only. Order at the counter then sit at one of the communal tables.

In October, boiled crabs were available.

Boiled Blue Crab--medium, 1/2 dozen for $10.99. These are labor-intensive to pick so probably just get one per person.

Boiled Crawfish--$5.99/lb. Crawfish season is mid January to early July so these were frozen. Still pretty good, just pricier than when they're in season.

Seafood Gumbo--$8.99. This is the star of the show. Their Seafood Gumbo is thick, full of seafood and delicious! My favorite gumbo in New Orleans!

2019 10 22

National WW II Museum

There were thundershowers one day--the perfect time to visit a museum. We chose the National World War II museum. It started as the D-Day Museum but has morphed into a very comprehensive museum about WWII. It's spread over multiple buildings and 6 acres. You might wonder why New Orleans was chosen as the site of a museum about WW II. I was tole the reason is that the Higgins Boat, vital to amphibious operations in the war, was designed, built and tested in New Orleans. 

Tickets are expensive at $28.50 each but it's well worth it. We spent 4 hours in the museum and saw just a fraction of it. If you want to return on a 2nd day, it's only $7 more. Pay for 2 days when you buy your ticket or return with your receipt and pay the additional fee.

The National World War II museum is listed as the 8th best museum in the world. 

You start by getting a dog tag of a soldier in the war. If there's a line, skip the train and register your dog tag at the kiosk to the right of the train.

The Road to Berlin and Road to Tokyo exhibits recreate the battle locations, complete with temperature and scent.

There are exhibits of the homefront and efforts at home to support the war.

The US Freedom Pavilion houses 7 original warplanes.

See the planes from the ground level then climb the stairs to see them up close.

In one of the buildings, there is a Higgins boat on display.

I recommend skipping the 4D movie "Beyond all Boundaries" and save $7. It wasn't that interesting and your time is better spent in the exhibits.

Outside, there's a statue of FDR.

"Lest We Forget: the Mission," honoring the 88,000 airmen killed in WW II.

2019 10 22

Restaurant August

Restaurant August is a "contemporary creole" restaurant located at 301 Tchoupitoulas Street. There's a fabulous prix fixe for lunch. You can find paid street parking nearby for lunch.

It was started by John Besh but is now helmed by Ross Dover. I've been coming for years and couldn't tell there was a change of chef.

The interior is beautiful and upscale. You will find men in jackets but they won't turn you away if you are in jeans.

Same bread as at La Petite Grocery.

We started with an Amuse Bouche--Garlic Parmesan Cream, Leek & Potato Mousse, Potato Chip Topping. This was creamy (but didn't leave a film of cream in your mouth), full of flavor and delicious.

They have a 3-course prix fixe lunch for $29. Two choices for starter, main course and dessert.

One of the starter options was Covey Rise Butternut Squash Soup, Blue Crab & Black Truffle. There was quite a bit of blue crab in the bottom.

Then, they pour the bisque over it. This was delicious but I didn't like the crunch of the butternut chunks, even if they were brunoise cut.

One of the options for the main was Louisiana Shrimp & Grits, Andouille, Trinity. This was also delicious but I couldn't find any andouille pieces. Probably ground up and in the sauce. The grits had some graininess, which I liked with this dish.

The other option for the main course was Braised Oxtail Tortellini, Cipollini, Tomato & Basil. This was very good and the tortellini was perfectly al dente. It was a small portion--only 4 tortellini.

For dessert, one of the options was Cocoa Nib Sundae, Luxardo Cherry, Buckwheat, Charred Vanilla. The bowl was painted with chocolate on the inside--what a great idea. The chocolate bark had a layer of gold--didn't taste any better.

The other option for dessert was Hummingbird Cake, Cream Cheese, Pecan, Pineapple Sherbet. Loved this dessert. The banana/pineapple/spice cake was not too sweet and I liked the pineapple flavor. 

We also got mignardise--little pralines and little lemon ginger cakes. The pralines were a little grainy but the ginger cakes were good.

This is probably the best deal in town. It's served Monday-Friday.

2019 10 21

La Petite Grocery

La Petite Grocery is located at 4238 Magazine Street. When they call you to confirm your reservation, they will give you the code to a parking lot across the street (next to Model Cleaners).

The interior is dark and old school. Fortunately, their dress code is not too strict--no tank tops for men. Jeans were okay.

Maine Root Ginger Brew--$4. This had a little burn but I prefer Blenheim's Ginger Ale.

Complimentary bread

The soup of the day was Cauliflower, Brown Butter, Hazelnut & Chives--$12. It was rich and creamy but not worth $12.

Blue Crab Beignets with Malt Vinegar Aioli--$17 (5 beignets). I was looking forward to these. They were loaded with crab but I wasn't that impressed with it. It just didn't have enough flavor and the inside was a little mushy.

LPG Cheeseburger--$18. This was a very good burger. It had a lot of flavor and was cooked perfectly medium rare. The fries were crispy.

Roasted Broccoli with Bagna Cauda & Chili Flake--$12. It was overloaded with anchovy and too salty.

Turtle Bolognese--$24. Bucatini, sherry, parsley & fried soft boiled egg. I liked the flavor but there was too much sauce. It needed more noodles. If I lived in New Orleans, I would get this dish and add more bucatini and it would be perfect.

We were celebrating a birthday. They gave us a complimentary dessert. We chose the special dessert of the day--Sweet Corn & Blueberry Ice Cream Cake. Not a fan. The blueberry cake was bitter.

Overall, it was worth a try but I probably won't be going back.

2019 10 20

Superior Seafood

Superior Seafood also had oysters.

It's located at 4338 St. Charles Ave. Take the St. Charles Streetcar and get off at Napoleon. If you drive, you can usually find street parking.

Oysters are 50 cents each during Happy Hour from 4-6:30pm. They were plump and crisp. Not as briny as in years' past, probably because of the recent floods.

Glass of house wine and draft beer is $3. The Pinot Grigio was pretty good with the oysters.

2019 02 20

Abita Beer

We decided to visit the Abita Brewing Company in Covington.

Covington is north of Lake Pontchatrain and there is a causeway that bisects the lake. It's 23.8 miles long. Toll is collected southbound--$5.

The Abita Brewing Company, where all Abita beer is brewed, processed and bottled.

You can sign up for tours--the tours last 1 hour long and cost $8.

The tour includes four 4-oz tastings. You can also choose non-alcoholic drinks--root beer and vanilla cream. During school holidays, the brewery offers a craft soda tour. I think it would be a lot of fun to tour the soda tour.

It's the water from Abita Springs that makes good beer.

2019 10 20