72 Hours in New Orleans š¦
The best things we ate from one of America's best food cities
Hi hangries! š¦ What a week it has been (emotionally, physically, mentally, politically). Todayās newsletter takes us back to those ābefore timesā (read: pre-election) when I went to New Orleans for a long weekend to see Eraās Tour with my friends Alex and Emma and explore (read: eat) as much of the city as possible during our long weekend there. I was told I would love New Orleans, and I knew I would love New Orleans, but I didnāt know how much I would love New Orleans. Iām excited to share more about our adventure today.
Not only is New Orleans one of the best food cities Iāve been to in the country, the southern hospitality is palpable there. The people are so nice that I sneezed and a lady all the way down the block said ābless you!ā She was so far away that I had to raise my voice to thank her. We had an Uber driver share his favorite recipes for New Orleans cuisine like butter beans with ham and stewed chicken. He assured me that if I just ākeep doing what Iām doingā Iāll be able to afford a big house one day like the ones we were driving past on St. Charles Avenue. I appreciate that man for believing in me despite not knowing a single thing about me. The city welcomed Swifties for the weekend with open, friendship bracelet-stacked arms. Bars, restaurants, and cafes all had Taylor Swift-themed specials, and her songs were played all up and down Bourbon Street. It was extremely festive and felt cool to be so sweetly embraced by the city for the weekend.
72 Hours in New Orleans
Make sure you arrive in New Orleans on an empty stomach because you are going to want to fit in as many meals as possible, and youāll need to start right away. Here is where we ate and what we loved!
Chargrilled oysters, two ways
We bookended our trip with a New Orleans classic, chargrilled oysters. The first time was on Thursday afternoon when we went to Acme Oyster House ā adorned with checkerboard tablecloths and neon signs. Alex and I ordered a dozen while we waited for Emmaās flight to get in. The bartender asked if we wanted to add crab to the oysters, which was an easy yes. We were further validated when we got our check and learned that the generous portion of crab they gave us only cost $7 (D.C., I love you, but you could literally never). One dozen plus two bonus juicy, cheesy oysters came out on a platter with a few slices of bread over top. The cajun spice flavor was prominent and a quick grill on the oysters gave them a nice bite.
Their oysters were so good that we tried to go back each of the remaining days we were there since the restaurant was just around the corner from our hotel. Sadly, the line was so long that we were deterred, but on Sunday morning, our last day, we went across the street to Felixās which also served chargrilled oysters. The inside was slightly more formal, the lights were brighter, and their service was a bit more attentive. No diss to Acme ā I loved their āsqueeze into a spot at the bar and flag down someone to get your order inā kind-of vibe just as much, if not more. Their oysters were different too ā they were chargrilled, topped with butter flaked with smoky charred bits), parmesan, lemon juice, and breadcrumbs. They were less spicy than Acmeās and the breadcrumbs were prominent. If I had to choose between the two, Iād go with Acmeās. When one is topped with crab, itās hard to compete.
Beignets, even more ways
While we did not make it to Cafe Du Monde because the line was even longer than the one outside Acme, we still got our fix of beignets. We spent the late morning on Friday before the concert at The Vintage for brunch where they had different flavors to choose from, including a beignet flight option. We each ordered a few in the flavors we wanted, and there was a mix-up in the kitchen so they ended up bringing us a few bonus regular powdered sugar beignets. I ordered the raspberry beignet, which resembled a jelly donut (my favorite) and a savory beignet topped with sausage gravy. The beignets were unexpectedly not as sweet as donuts, which was nice and made it so that you could definitely have multiple. They were pillowy, warm, and fresh.
Saturday morning after the concert we walked around the French Market and got more beignets from Lorettaās. I tried their praline-stuffed beignet (yum) ā pralines are the fudgy brown sugar pecan candies that are a New Orleans staple. I also got their crab beignet which came with a little side of remoulade sauce (YUM). It was like a crab cake met a donut.
The best meal ever (Taylorās version)
On Saturday night, Emma had already left, and Alex and I had plans to go to Saba, an Israeli restaurant that came highly recommended to us both. A few minutes after we had sat down, Alex leaned over the table and said, "not to be dramatic, but I think we might be at the table Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn sat at when they came here.ā As we looked up the photo of their 2022 spotting at Saba and confirmed that we were in fact at ātheirā table, the group of girls next to us also let us know that we were indeed at the table. Our photographic evidence is below.
Alex encouraged us to get anything on the menu that sounded good, which led to us egregiously over-ordering. It was so much that even our server was a little shocked after we put in our order. The blue crab hummus topped with a little lemon juice and warm butter with freshly baked pita delivered the ultimate first impression. It was so good that if they brought out four more bowls of just that and nothing else, we would have left happy. Pickles, smoked trout roe atop a viscous cream cheese-like mixture, lutenitsa (Bulgarian spread of roasted peppers, eggplant and tomato) arrived next alongside Moroccan carrots served with labneh, fried lentils, and coriander. Every bite was vibrant, and our flavor receptors were firing on all cylinders. We also got the chicken, which our server advised was the best thing on the menu and ate that with the jeweled rice and falafel.
This would be a good time to remind you that it was just two of us enjoying this meal. We were so full that we took home leftovers that weād eat cold from the hotel fridge for breakfast the next day, and we regretfully had to pass on dessert, which I have no doubt would have been fantastic.
A sandwich worth waiting for
Turkey and The Wolf was one of our most highly-anticipated food stops. Initially, Alex and I had plans to split three sandwiches between us to get to try more of their menu, but we could not fathom that coming off our meal at Saba the night before so instead opted to split one sandwich and a salad. Our anticipation mounted as we waited in the line that wrapped around the side of the building. The inside was small, every corner and even the ceiling adorned in retro 90s cultural references and decor. Our ham sandwich and coconut chili cabbage salad arrived on plastic Ronald McDonald collectible plates. The sandwich had smoked ham, cranberry sauce, lots of herb mayo, cheddar, and arugula on a super fresh Virginia french roll. The cabbage salad was spicy, creamy, and refreshing ā the sunflower seeds and crushed fried pig ears on top really made it special.
More sweets and treats
Bar Tonique is a perfect spot to get great drinks just a few blocks away from the craziness of Bourbon Street. We all really wanted to try their gin fizz, which they couldnāt make since they were out of egg whites (Iād try it if they have it available if you go!).
The Creole Creamery was a mandatory stop since it was where one of my coworkers Lucy had her first job. She always talked about how the chocolate orange there is her all-time favorite. That one wasnāt available when I went, but thankfully there were ample other options to choose from. I got the pumpkin praline flavor, perfectly combining seasonal flair and strong New Orleans themes. Absolutely scrumptious.
Latitude 29 was a tiki bar by our hotel that had a huge menu of tropical cocktails, super friendly bartenders that poured little tester shooters for us as we sat there, and spectacular food too. The standard for food in Nola is so high that it seems difficult to find a bad meal. My tip would be to get the pandan painkiller cocktail that Alex ordered and I envied after trying a sip.
St. Joeās Bar is a good pit stop while youāre waiting for your table at Saba just a few doors down ā get the blueberry mojito that theyāre known for.
Voodoo Chicken & Daiquiris had a location just steps away from our hotel. Locals might roll their eyes that I would include this chain as a rec, but if youāre visiting and looking to get a strawberry daiquiri for the road (courtesy of open containers laws) or some late night fried chicken, Voodoo is great for that. Youāll see tons of locations around town.
Thank you for reading, subscribing, and continuing to follow along at @hangrytohappyy on Instagram and @hangrytohappy on TikTok! See you here next time! Xoxo š¦
Great food in New Orleans!