Recent Restaurant Outings in Louisiana

Last week I was in New Orleans.  I flew out there on Delta.  Let's not talk about Delta.

Forget that.  Let's talk about Delta.  I fly so much I believe airlines should hire me as a consultant.  If Delta chose to hire me I would advise them to install seats so that leg room can actually accommodate a leg.  I would suggest that they provide cups that keep their shape and don't require two hands to keep gravity at bay.  And finally (because when you're being negative I find that it's helpful to work in threes), if everything inside the plane appears to have been updated in 1970 when the word "ear bud" wasn't commonplace, passengers will not be reassured - no one is reassured.

Sites seen while frolicking in New Orleans.

Now onto the food - First up is the restaurant I went to on the first night - Deanie's Seafood.  It was in the French Quarter and only a short walk from our hotel.  In place of bread, the complementary appetizer was boiled red potatoes.  They looked like unappetizing, dirty balls lounging on a white plate.  But, cut them open, add butter, and they were good.  Tasted like...potatoes.  I ordered the redfish, blackened, and it was great.  The waitress was nice and other than staring blankly at us when we asked for hush puppies, she was very helpful.

The next day I requested that we stop at Frank's in Baton Rouge.  I intended to order the red beans and rice, but found that when we got there I wasn't craving something so heavy.  Instead I ordered the BLT sandwich and it was delicious.  The ice in the ice tea was crushed and there was plenty of it.  The waitress was efficient and friendly.  Frank's is my favorite restaurant in Baton Rouge and for good reason.  It's a small family-style restaurant with no real atmosphere other than pleasant conversation and clean dishes.  Go elsewhere if you want fancy.

That evening we went to Bayona.  It was a longer walk down Dauphine, back in the French Quarter.  The restaurant was cramped and the folks who worked there were snooty.  The outside garden was wonderful, but inside, the carpet looked as if it'd never been cleaned, and walking through the crowded tables was near impossible.  I ordered iced tea.  It smelled like my dog's rear end.  I let the waitress know and she informed me that it was the fault of the container they brew it in.  Bad container.  How dare it.  Wait...

@@

I ordered the salmon.  I requested it to be cooked.  It arrived nearly raw AND was accompanied by sauerkraut.  The combination wasn't pleasant.  The waitress apologized for giving me poop tea and fish that was flapping ten minutes earlier and offered me free desert.  I declined, paid the bill, and fled.

The next day we ate lunch at Katie's.  It was a bustling joint in the bottom of an old house.  We ordered onion rings and they arrived with a wonderful, spicy dipping sauce.  I tried the crab cakes and was not disappointed.  They were crispy and delicious.  Feeling adventurous I ordered the white chocolate bread pudding.  That was also delicious.  The chef stopped by to see what we thought of the food ("Delicious") and the owner dropped by as well ("You ordered the pudding?" "Yes, I did.").  The place was crowded and there was a fly in the bathroom (which terrorized me and made it impossible to pee), but other than that I have no complaints.

This week - Phoenix.  I'm sensing some Tex-Mex in my future.