YOLO in NOLA pt. 2

We planned a private cemetery tour at 9:30 the next morning which we all regretted when we woke up, but actually really enjoyed once we did it.  Louisiana is extremely humid, so we had to schedule it in the morning to avoid the humidity and high cost of nighttime tours.  I have to say I learned so much about Louisiana history during that tour, and even my friends who were from Louisiana said they learned a lot of things they had never heard before.  I highly recommend doing one if you have the chance.  They aren’t really like a ghost tour.  It’s a lot more historical than supernatural.  We left the cemetery and went to tour a church close by, and we actually got the chance to see a New Orleans funeral procession complete with a brass band.  It was really something to see.  Supposedly those processions were the only time the family got to have fun because they were supposed to be in mourning for a long while after the death.  It was definitely a celebration.

 

We left the excitement at the cemetery and tried to make it to Stanley’s for brunch.  They don’t take reservations, so we were faced with an hour long wait.  Being the adventurous types, my friends and I decided to walk around and find something that was without a wait and more importantly, air conditioned.  We ended up stumbling upon a hole in the wall style place which actually turned out to be extremely good.  I can’t remember the name of it, and I actually never saw the name as we stumbled in.  I had a chicken sandwich with a sundried tomato and cream cheese spread and a side of jambalaya.  It was outstanding.  I am always harping to people on the importance of making things from scratch instead of trying to cut corners to save time.  My friend’s husband was remarking on his drink, I believe it was a Pimm’s Cup, and he was saying it was the best one he’d ever had.  I picked up the menu to see what was in it.  Well, wouldn’t you know, the lemonade that is in the drink is homemade in their restaurant, no powdered Country Time in their kitchen.  On that note alone, they had won me over.  It’s the little things like making your own lemonade that make such a big difference in the flavor of what you serve.

 

 

We left the city to relax before changing and getting ready for dinner.  We had dinner that night at Muriel’s.  It was probably the best food I had on the entire trip.  It also doesn’t hurt that there is a tragic love story involving 2 ghosts which surrounds the restaurant.  I don’t believe in ghosts, but it does help add to the ambiance and character of the restaurant.  Here’s the short version.  Apparently the owner was to marry a girl he fell for right when he saw her, but he ended up squandering away his money playing cards.  Her father took her away, and she ended up dying.  When he found out, he killed himself.  Supposedly, they serve two dinners and two wines upstairs on a table every night and every morning the plates and glasses are all empty.  The staff believes the couple reunited after death and enjoys their nights having dinner together.

So we started out the night with some delicious bread and appetizers.  I ordered goat cheese crepes with a crawfish, chardonnay, butter, onion, tomato, and bell pepper sauce.  It was outstanding.  My non-foodie husband even remarked multiple times about how good it was.  The crepes were nice and light and the goat cheese was very creamy.  The sauce was light for a butter sauce, and I was pleased to find the dish wasn’t overly heavy.  They even placed a whole crawfish on top to add to the appeal.  For dinner, I was excited to see duck on the menu.  I absolutely love duck!  It has such a nice sweet flavor.  My duck came in a fig reduction sauce with baby carrots, and duck confit dirty rice topped with shaved leeks.  The dinner was extremely delicious.  I am always a believer that you should eat everything that comes with the food because the chef meant for each flavor to help accentuate the other.  I tried the dirty rice without the leeks first, and it was okay, not outstanding.  Then, I tried with some shavings of the leek, and it tasted completely different.  It had a nice little pop of flavor right at the end that married the entire thing together.  I kept thinking what a shame it would’ve been if I’d knocked the leeks off to the side and never touched them again.  Chefs know what they’re doing when they choose flavor combinations.  Sometimes you just have to go out on a limb and trust them.  Everyone left that night remarking at the excellent food and service.  Muriel’s is a coat and tie type of establishment, and with that expectation comes the expectation that the service will be top notch.  I am pleased to say the service was outstanding and the waiters knew exactly how a dinner service should be run.

 

I, of course, did my homework, and I found out there would be a race the morning of the last day of our trip.  I had already missed the deadline to register online, but after a quick phone call where I explained my predicament to the race organizers, I was able to register and pay over the phone!  The race was HOT and HUMID, but I was so happy to be out there running and knowing I did something healthy and awesome before we had to make our trek back home.  The race brought my goal of running a race in each state to 4 states that I have now conquered.  We left to come home shortly after that, and it was a bittersweet goodbye.  I would never want to live in New Orleans, but it will always hold a special place in my heart.  I have spent a lot of my teenage years there, and I have made too many memories to count there as well.  I will always look forward to the time when I can return to it once more.  There are many more restaurants I haven’t had the pleasure of trying and many more memories I have yet to make.  Until next time New Orleans, keep it real in the Big Easy!