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Who Dat Say Dey Gonna Eat Light in N'Awlins?* (Part 2)Category: Food and Drink | Permalink Published: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 Part 2 The next morning, after waking up and being unsure if I was still in a food coma or if the early morning hours at Bourbon Street's Old Absinthe House were still in effect, FOB (friends of blogger) HOB and I ate at a New Orleans restaurant, or rather institution, Mother's. Nearly every table was filled and a line of hungry waiters were nearly going out the door, so I knew we were in for a treat. My Mae's Omelet was stuffed with smoky, sweet shreds of black ham, plump mushrooms and scallions and served alongside creamy grits, ginormous homemade biscuits and chicory coffee. All I can say is thank goodness our main method of transportation that weekend was by foot. It was the kind of breakfast where one literally doesn't think they can take another bite, but the food is so good, they keep on eating, calorie-counting having blown straight out the window as soon as they glanced at the menu. To top it off, our waiter generously gave us a hunk of fruit cocktail bread pudding drowned in bourbon sauce.
After an entire day at the World War II Museum, HOB, FOB and I ventured back to the French Quarter for a rehearsal dinner. The theme? New Orleans, of course. To start, we sampled the raw oyster bar. Fresh, cold, creamy oysters were served with vodka-tomato shooters, or simply with hot sauce and a squeeze of lemon. The purists that we are, HOB and I indulged in mostly plain oysters with the occasional dash of hot sauce. Though champagne is a classic accompaniment to oysters, I found my glass of Ponte's fruity Chardonnay was a winning match. Dinner was a smorgasbord of New Orleans classics: Shrimp Etouffee, Pulled Pork, Jambalaya and gumbo over rice. The Jambalaya was one of the best things I've ever tasted in my life and it was delicious with my Cabernet Sauvignon, which was not too oakey and full of red fruit flavors. Dinner was followed by dancing to a live band while wearing Mardi Gras masks, feather boas and beads which in turn was followed by a visit to the famous Cafe du Monde after midnight for beignets and chicory coffee. Beignets are basically a fried donut with no whole covered in powdered sugar and, here, served with hot chicory coffee. Chicory coffee was invented as a means of stretching out coffee beans. The root of the endive plant is ground with coffee beans to make a thick, rich cup of coffee that has a slightly tangy flavor. Now, perhaps it was because we were at the Cafe late, but the beignets and coffee were a disappointment. Both were lukewarm and just so-so. Aside from HOB and I, everyone in our party of 9+ people loved them, so maybe it was just us. Our disappointment was short-lived, though as we discussed our next and last day in New Orleans...and all the things we still wanted to eat. By Erica Martinez
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Post a CommentOther Recent ArticlesNot For the Faint of Heart or the Weak of StomachsCategory: Food and Drink Published: Wednesday, September 01, 2010 I consider myself an adventurous eater. I suppose it started when I was very young and I would look forward to the rare times when GOB (grandma of blogger) would make menudo, a Mexican soup traditionally served on special occasions... When I first moved away from Southern California and to the east coast, I didn't realize what a challenge it would be to find great tasting fruits and vegetables. After all, in the land of year-round sunshine, it's easy to find corn in November... I could hardly wait to get out of work on Monday. HOB (husband of blogger) was coming home after his job took him far away for far too long. A nice dinner out would have been appropriate but HOB had been dining out daily on mediocre restaurants for nearly 3 weeks; needless to say, a home cooked meal was in order... HOB's (husband of blogger) job sometimes takes him to far-away places for long periods of time. Time for take out and restaurants, right? Wrong. To me, there is something fundamentally satisfying about cooking a nice meal for myself, and eating off of real plates versus out of takeout containers... There's Always Room For Meat and PotatoesCategory: Food and Drink Published: Thursday, August 05, 2010 It's a no-brainer for many people that daily dinner MUST include some form of meat and potato. However, during this time of year, these two supper staples nearly disappear from my table, not because I don't enjoy them, but because the summer bounty simply begs to be the star of the show: colorful heirloom tomatoes, tender zucchini, sweet corn, luscious eggplants, and a plethora of fruit are all so plentiful and delicious... |
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About this Page: Nestled away in the heart of Temecula Wine Country, you will find the Ponte Family Estate Winery, Southern California’s premier winery destination. Through an exclusive winery market atmosphere, Ponte Winery offers its visitors wine tasting, fine wine country cuisine dining at the Smokehouse Restaurant, weddings set with a serene view of the Temecula, California Wine Country mountains, as well as an all inclusive Ponte Wine Club.