I had a quick trip through New Orleans to see Shooter Hunt Рreport to be posted on ESPN.com at some point this week Рand hit two of my favorite spots in one of my favorite eating cities in America, the Acme Oyster House and CDM (Caf̩ du Monde).
Acme Oyster House is a pseudo-dive – looks like a dive, but really isn’t one, and it pulls in its fair share of tourists because it’s in the French Quarter just off Bourbon Street. Their Cajun fare is excellent and fairly predictable, although I was a little disappointed in their chicken and andouille gumbo on this visit because the roux was slightly overcooked, giving the gumbo a very slightly burned taste underneath all of the other flavors. I’ve had the same thing happen to me when making gumbo at home, so I know it’s an easy thing to mess up, but I go to New Orleans to get perfect gumbo. The shrimp po’ boy, on the other hand, was perfect. A po’ boy is a sandwich served on French bread that’s been hollowed out to hold the fried shellfish products with which it’s stuffed. I ordered mine “dressed,” meaning it has lettuce, tomatoes, and mayonnaise on it, with pickle slices on the side. It’s hard to mess it up as long as the shrimp are fried properly, and these were.
After the game, I went to the 24-hour landmark CDM for beignets and coffee. I intended to have one beignet, which is a fried dumpling made of yeast-based dough (a zeppole to the Italians and New Yorkers in the audience), served under a blanket of confectioner’s sugar. Since you can’t order just one – one order equals three beignets – I got three, and ate all three. They’re beyond good – crispy exterior, light airy interior, with that slightly nutty flavor that properly fried dough has. The coffee is New Orleans-style, where the coffee is mixed with ground chicory root, and served au lait. It’s weak as hell, and I never drink much, but a few sips with the beignets just make for a more authentic experience. Or something.
I walked around the French Quarter a bit to walk off the calories, and I was surprised at how little it had changed from my last visit, December of 2003, pre-Katrina. I’m sure the reality is that it changed, and then changed back, but it appears that significant resources went into restoring the French Quarter to its maximum touristy goodness. That’s a good thing, since tourists are money and New Orleans has long depended on tourism and conferences for its economy, but at the same time, I wonder about areas of the city that didn’t fare as well in the storm and are probably still in need of rebuilding. The one facet of the French Quarter that had changed was security: There were police everywhere, and extra security guards in my hotel, the Marriott on Canal Street, where baseball held its winter meetings in 2003. It’s a shame that it’s necessary, but tourists are indeed money, and dead tourists are bad for business.
I think the French Quarter was much less severely damaged than places like the 9th ward. I was there last spring and if you didn’t know, the average tourist probably wouldn’t be aware of what happened there. The places that were destroyed/ignored…tourists I don’t think spend a whole lot of time there.
That said, my second trip there was excellent, it’s a much different experience when it’s not Mardi Gras.
How personally disappointing that you did not visit me during your trip. I maintain a hot dog stand for my employer Paradise Vendors, Inc. just around the corner from CDM. Had you come by, I would have treated you to the finest hot dog in the country made of rubber, cereal and tripe. As happened to me the first time I found paradise, the vibrissae about your nostrils would have detected something unique.
I wish you’d said earlier that you were going to New Orleans, a newish restaurant (August) has opened up, and it’s excellent. But well done, a poboy and raw oysters with Abita Amber at Acme is probably my favorite meal in the world.
One of my best friends is working to help restore places like the ninth ward. His assessment is that while places like the French Quarter and wealthier neighborhoods are well restored, the poorer neighborhoods, he thinks, will never recover. The destruction was so complete that many of the people from the neighborhood are gone, never to return.
It’s a rough job.
Damn, someone beat me to making the first Confederacy of Dunces reference!
Ever hit up Lafitte’s Blacksmith Bar on the far end of Bourbon (beyond the gay district)? Awesome place, everything’s lit at night with candles. No light bulbs to be found. There’s also a lounge singer in the back that takes requests (we New Yorkers asked her to sing New York, New York right after the sox won the ws this year lol and she obliged!). They also have the best Hurricane’s (from fresh fruit juices, not from the powder, like Pat O’s) and this drink called Voodoo, which has everclear in it. nuff said… but it tastes like grape soda! Also, another great non-touristy spot on Decatur on the edge of the French Quarter, but the name of it is elluding me right now. Will let you know when I remember it.
the place on decatur is called Coop’s Place.
Hey Keith,
Sorry that this is off-topic. I remember you recommending a specific edition of Alton Brown’s “I’m Just Here for the Food” at one point, but can’t remember which edition it is. I want to get it for my girlfriend’s mom for Mother’s day, so if you could remind me which one it was, I’d really appreciate it. Thanks a lot.
Jason: Been to Lafitte’s for a drink. Cool decor, but I’m not a huge drinker.
Bob: I think you’re thinking of Joy of Cooking
, where the edition really matters. Alton’s second cookbook, I’m Just Here for More Food
, had some errors that were fixed in subsequent editions, but I don’t know what the differences are in version 2.0 of I’m Just Here for the Food
.
Ben: There’s no way I was going any place else that night. I had my agenda.
Thanks for the quick response. It must have been The Joy of Cooking that I was thinking of. I’m not a big food guy so my memory doesn’t work very well on that topic. Also, thanks for your good scouting reports on Dustin Mcgowan and Ervin Santana in the ESPN chats. They are carrying my fantasy teams right now.
I had to chime in to partially confirm what was said by TC. I was in NO this December working in the upper ninth ward (the lower is where the levees broke) in the neighborhood’s efforts to recover from Katrina. The wealthy and touristy areas of the city are back to being in great shape and it is indeed important that the tourist money continues to flow into the area. However, unfortunately the poorer neighborhoods are still a long way from fully recovering. Those who have been lucky enough to return and slowly piece their lives back together are extremely resilient in their belief that recovery will happen eventually, although most say it’ll be at least another 5-10 years. I strongly suggest that anyone who makes a trip to NO take a drive through the Pontchartrain and Gentilly areas as well as the lower ninth ward and tell others about what you see there, and that the area is still in dire need of any help that people can give to it.
On a lighter note, while driving through the area I’d strongly recommend going to a small hole in the wall called Spicy Kitchen on Old Gentilly Rd where you can get the best local food I had during the time I was there (and that includes the meals I ate at the places noted by Keith).
Restaurant August is indeed fabulous, run by award winning local chef John Besh, however it’s not a partiuclarly new restaurant. Besh has opened three restuarnats in New Orleans (and taken over a 4th) and August was the first. It’s wonderful but pricey — definitely worthwhle for a splurge type meal but expect to spend some cash.
Acme Oyster is generally excellent, but if you seek po boys, Keith, you really should try Mothers on Poydras street. It’s a casual place where you order at the counter and they bring the food to you (or give to you for takeout) and has a line out the door at peak time — all of the locals I know there love it. Their Po Boys are simply awesome — in particular, when in season, the soft shell crab one is just amazing.
As for the French Quarter, because of the topography of the city, that part of town was never uneder the multiple feet of water that decimated areas like the 9th Ward. I was in New Orleans only about 2 months after Katrina, when most of the people in the French Quarter were FEMA workers. Many places were still closed for lack of workers and customers, but damage was minimal. It was, I might add, the cleanest I ever saw the quarter…
Jeff, good call on Mothers for po boys. Some other places to try when in the Big Easy are Frankie and Johnny’s and the Camelia Grille. It is a shame that Chez Helene is no longer in business.
I was all set to have breakfast at the Camelia Grille, but between the moment I left my hotel room and when I reached the hotel exit, the heavens opened up and wouldn’t relent. I had a narrow window before I had to go to the airport , so I had to skip it. Very disappointing.
Jeff,
Good point re: August and Mother’s–I think August has been around for almost 10 years, but the menu was completely revamped post-Katrina. Pretty awesome.
Craving Abita Amber now…