We are not the type of ladies that don’t eat. We both enjoy many types of food; Mexican, Italian, Mediterranean, American, My favorite type food though is good old fashioned Southern cuisines.
If you are a foodie like us there is a whole different flavor of food in NOLA. There’s Cajun food and Creole food and there is a difference between the two. Creole food is often times viewed as “city food” whereas Cajun food is thought to be more of the “county food. ” Both are tasty!
A Breakdown of tasty foods found in New Orleans
Jambalaya is a popular main dish usually consisting of rice, chicken, andouille sausage, some kind of shell fish, vegetables and spices all jumbled together.
Gumbo is more of a stew that is served alongside or on top of rice. The stew is made up a rue (butter and flour) and much of the same ingredients as what is in Jambalaya, but has different spices and is a whole different dish.
Crawfish Etouffee is also a thick stew, usually consisting of lots of crawfish and is also served with rice. It also contains a roux, but is much lighter than what you will find in Gumbo.
Red beans and rice is a dish that was traditionally served on Mondays, but you can enjoy it any time. It is red or kidney beans mixed with spices and served with white rice. Sometimes it is served with ham or andouille sausage.
Another favorite of mine is a muffuletta. This is an Italian sandwich with cured meats, cheese and an olive salad and a thick sesame-seed roll. I personally like the muffulettas at Central Grocery Co. They are huge and definitely big enough to share!
Another well known sandwich is a Po-boy. There’s options of meat such as crab, shrimp, oysters, catfish, sausage, ham, or my personal favorite which is roast beef . These sandwiches come with all of the fixings (Mayo, lettuce tomatoes and pickles) and are served on a flaky french bread. You can find some of the best po-boys at Mother’s Restaurant or Johnny’s Po-Boys.
Hopefully you saved room for dessert. I love bananas foster., especially from Brennan’s. It is butter, sugar, cinnamon, banana liqueur, rum, and bananas, set on fire and added to some vanilla ice cream.
My all time favorite is beignets. Some people call it a dessert, I call it dessert, breakfast or a snack. These are french pastries, deep fried, and loaded with lots of powdered sugar. Nobody beat the beingnets at Cafe Du Monde. Pair them with a Cafe Au Lait and you will be in heaven. You can get them 24 hours a day, which is why I call them breakfast, dessert or snack food.
My tip: Don’t wear dark clothing because the powdered sugar gets everywhere.
Refreshing Drinks in New Orleans
It is perfectly legal to drink alcohol in plastic cups while taking in the sights of New Orleans. There are so many different yummy drinks, it will be difficult to try them all, but here are a few of my faves.
Pat O’ Briens has the best hurricanes, mint juleps or other mixed concoctions. You are charged for the glass so you can take it as a souvenir. If you don’t want the glass, just take it back up to the bar before you leave and they will refund you the $4.00. Remember, if you decide to keep the glass, it will need to be wrapped and your beverage of choice can be converted to a plastic cup.
I also love trying Bloody Mary’s throughout the city. Everyone restaurant/bar has their own take and you never know what will be added to them.
There are so many different options for food and drink in New Orleans, I could write an endless blog. It truly is a foodie’s dream come true!
