A festive guide to a romantic New Years Eve in the Big Easy
To fill you in, Alan and I met when I was living in New Orleans. To keep it short, our love was hatched over Old Fashioned cocktails and raw oysters in some of the best little restaurants hidden in that town. This year, we decided we'd return to our "roots" for New Years Eve and explore the city that's changed so much in two short years, and check off some restaurants on my list of places to dine. Don't worry, we'll never quite reach the end of that list.
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| At Cochon in 2014 |
Rule #1
Avoid Bourbon Street (unless 70-year-olds chain smoking in crop tops is your thing)
Look, I do have love for Bourbon Street. I just wouldn't characterize it as charming or romantic. It's got it's own feel, and for this night, we left it out. Our key words were "intimate" and "delicious."
Rule #2
Find a decent place to stay
And for the love of the 'hood, avoid AirBNB unless you personally know the owner. AirBNB's model is phenomenal, but it's also ruining the great neighborhoods of New Orleans for everyone, even tourists. That's a whole other post, but do us a favor, and stay at a cute boutique hotel or BnB that pays taxes and has a business license, ok? Look toward the Marigny, Warehouse, Lower Garden, or French Quarter neighborhoods.
Rule #3
Don't drive!
Aside from obvious facts like drinking, parking is a nightmare, and you're likely to get stuck in some construction maze. How unromantic is road-rage? Do everyone a favor, and call an Uber or a taxi.
We were fortunate enough to have good friends that live in a loft in the warehouse district. They were out of town for the holidays, and allowed us to stay at their place. That saved us a ton of cash, and put us right at the start of our "dinner map" so to speak.
Stop 1 - 4:00pm: Martin Wine Cellar
On our way into town, we stopped at the Baronne Street location (though Metairie will also suffice) and picked up some great small-production vintage champagne to sip on while we spruced for the evening. Martin is one of very few retailers in the nation that direct import and retail incredible French, Spanish, and Italian wines. While here, do yourself a favor and pick up a few bottles.
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| Champagne Gaston Chiquet Special Club 2007 |
Stop 2 - 6:00pm: Sac-A-Lait
This was our first restaurant stop, literally 200 feet from the bed we were sleeping in. It's been around for nearly a year now, and it's specialties are esoteric south Louisiana country eats with a gourmet twist.
Our stand-out dishes and drinks:
The wines by the glass list was impressive and offered great choice and variety. I had the Gamay. Raw oysters are always delicious, but the house-made sauces really hit them home. The creamy horseradish was our favorite. The Alligator and Mirliton dish was incredible, and believe it or not, I think the Mirliton mash with Remoulade sauce was the star. I will be attempting to make that myself.
Stop 3 - 8:15pm: Angeline
Located in the old "Stella" property, this restaurant is away from the street and quite intimate. We requested to dine at the bar, which has a total of 5 seats. The service was impeccable, and the food was phenomenal. Some of the best we've had recently. We will definitely be back.
Our stand-out dishes and drinks:
This is really tough. Everything we had was dynamite. Old Fashioned - great, French 75 - great. But the best I think was the drink called the Last Aviator, which is a mix of the Last Word cocktail and an Aviation. Gin, Creme de Violette, Campari, honey, and lime are showcased. I am attempting to replicate this myself, but I've not succeeded in breaking the code. For food, the Georgia Clams and Wild Boar sausage was a knock-out, though if you have a salt sensitivity, don't do it. Definitely briny.
Stop 4 - 9:15pm: Cane and Table
This restaurant is described as European-colonial meets proto-Tiki. What I think is that it's definitely what Louisiana tasted like in the 1700's. Brainchild of cocktail wunderkind Nick Detrich, we've been here quite a few times and always return, though the brand of cocktails and food is not for everyone. Simple, heirloom cocktail recipes and classily antique new-world flavors are the mainstay.
Our stand-out dishes and drinks:
Drinks are the name of the game. The cocktail list here is nearly two pages. But for us, the best things were the Labat's Planter's Punch, a potent mix of 3 rums and lime (recipe from 1693) and the Bottled Silk, which is an enchanting concoction of Cava, fino Sherry, and Birch Snaps. The Crispy Suckling pig was sinful, with slow-roasted texture and juices that seeped into the rum-soaked bread that it rested on. Believe it or not, the Brussels Sprouts blew us away. A bit spicy, but perfectly crispy, this is exactly what tipsy Alan and Wallace wanted from Brussels Sprouts.
Stop 5 - 10:30pm: Beachbum Berry's Latitude 29
To continue the proto-Tiki trend into a mod-50's Tiki moment, we finished up with this place. Equal parts New Orleans and Trader Vic's, it's a great place to end the night and a phenomenal vantage point for fireworks!
Our stand-out dishes and drinks:
Dumplings. Dumplings everywhere. Knock yourself out. The Dumpling Burger does not dissapoint. For drinks, we chose a communal option. Upscale parent to Bourbon Street's fishbowl cocktail, the one we chose was the Lapu Lapu, a 60's drink based on rum, lime, and juice. We finished up our drink just in time to step out the front door and catch the fireworks.
After settling up and sealing midnight with a kiss, we took an easy stroll back toward our abode for the night, not more than 3/4 a mile. It was quite a way to seal such a big year in 2015, and though we were unsure if we still "had it" to make it through 4 restaurants, we found out that not only are we still with it, we can do it with impeccable timing!
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| Courtesy Hotel Monteleone |
