Eating BIG in New Orleans Pt. 3

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties 
- Back to my favorite city in the USA to eat out in.

Another year, another bachelor party in the Big Easy. Starting to lose count on how many times I've been here but it never fails when it comes to food and fun. Lots of both were had on this quick four day trip that resulted in a nice sampling of some spots both in and away from the French Quarter. There was about 13 of us and we rented a really nice spot just off Frenchman on Chartres, ended up being a great location and a place I'd stay in or near again. I had a day and a half before everyone else got there so I rented a car and managed to squeeze some spots in with my buddy before the festivities began. When they did begin food was pretty much second fiddle but that doesn't mean I didn't put another nice dent into the scene. I managed to squeeze in handful of po' boys, a couple Vietnamese favorites, do a mini sno-ball tour, and also hit up some longtime locally loved stops both in and away from the Quarter. All this with a trip to Cajun Country squeezed in. Louisiana, I love you.

Street Musicians putting in work, don't be the derp that doesn't throw a couple bucks in.

_____________________________________________________________________

Bevi Seafood Company

Metairie, LA

I had commented on an article over at SE about the best po boys in NOLA, in it I mentioned I was a big fan of the roast beef po boy from R&O's in the neighboring town of Metairie (Check Pt. 2). I followed that with a comment on how I planned to get back on this trip The author emailed me back asking if I wanted to meet up with him for some of his favorites, that didn't happen as our schedules didn't work out but he did suggest this locally loved spot for what may be the best roast beef po boy in the area. It didn't disappoint, so I heard all of the sandwiches here are a step above the rest and that was the case with the roast beef that was cooked just to the point where it was still sliceable yet the meat easily fell apart when bitten into. Add that to the amazing sesame seed studded bread and you got a delectable sandwich.

Roast Beef Po Boy

_____________________________________________________________________

Killer Poboys

Located in the back of the Erin Rose Bar in the French Quarter

These guys have taken the city by storm with their ever changing menu of internationally inspired chef driven po boys. Situated in the back of a small Irish bar just off Bourbon street they've always got a crowd there these days. Expect them to open their own brick and mortar soon. In the meantime they're putting out some really exceptional stuff including the best meatloaf sandwich I've ever ate to date. Consisting of Boudreaux's BBQ Sauce, Killer Pickles, House Ranch made with dill I considered ordering another as soon as I was done. It was that good.

Meatloaf Po Boy

_____________________________________________________________________

Quarter Grocery

French Quarter

Some online searching for readily available red beans and rice led me to this place. Like many of the corner stores in the Quarter this is a Vietnamese owned spot that sells food made to order along with groceries and booze. I ended up here a couple times as it was a short 10 minute walk from our rental. The guy was really friendly and remembered me each visit following the initial one. Along with some solid shrimp po boys they make some of the best red beans and rice in the city, and its available daily. I don't know what they put in their recipes down there (Salt Pork?) but you just cant find dishes like this outside of Louisiana. I brought an order back on the plane for lunch later that day.

Shrimp Po Boy

Red Beans and Rice

_____________________________________________________________________

Gene's Po Boy

Marginy Neighborhood

Those that like to get a taste of the locals favorites need to remember this place. I thought it was one of if not the best non-seafood po boys in the city. Not for the faint of heart at night this 24 hour stand is in an ever changing neighborhood and it can get rowdy after hours. All they offer is roast beef and their signature hot sausage po boy.

a peak inside

We were there late, though it was a quiet night, and we came for the hot sausage. You want it with cheese and you want them to add fried onions on top of everything else (Lettuce, Mayo). The result is part po boy, part breakfast sandwich, part cheesesteak and all muscle. It's not for those with a weak stomach and best eaten while inebriated. Check and check.

Hot Sausage with Cheese, add fried onions

Glorious

_____________________________________________________________________

Verti Marte

French Quarter

Speaking of po boys not for the weak, this 24 hour stop has another one. The menu here reads like a short story, they have a ton of stuff and are cooking at all hours of the day. A short walk from our rental I made my way here with a friend around 4am one night, I was in much better shape than him hence the ability to take a picture that didn't look like it was what he was seeing. Though the sandwich seemed to help him sober up a bit. Their signature eat is made with "a medley of grilled ham, turkey & shrimp, Swiss & American cheese accompanied by grilled mushrooms, tomatoes, on grilled french bread with our original "wow sauce." Wow is right, I need some sleep.

"All That Jazz" Po Boy

_____________________________________________________________________

Pandora's Sno Balls

City Park Neighborhood

I'm a big fan of Italian ice, growing up I always wanted it over ice cream. Since it was in the low 90's temp wise I decided to scope out some of New Orleans' favorite snoball stands. Sno(w)balls are a summertime favorite of most anyone who grew up here. They can be found on what seems like every corner. Pandora came praised so I stopped by to try a tutti frutti (too sweet) and also a half sack of "Hots." The tamales were pretty tasty and would be a regular snack for me if I was a local.

Tutti Frutti and 1/2 dozen Hot Tamales

_____________________________________________________________________

Williams Plum Street Sno-Balls

Audubon Neighborhood

I'd read a list of the best flavors in town and the fresh mint from this spot got lots of love. Known for the fact they serve they're regular sized snoballs in a Chinese takeout container they also make a mean creamed mint concontion. I found the best flavors in town tend to be made with cream on top of the flavored syrup. Check out this Southern Foodways spotlight HERE.

 Frozen Mint Snowball (Extra Refreshing)

_____________________________________________________________________

Sal's Sno-Balls in Meteraie - By this point I was loving me some sno-balls

_____________________________________________________________________

Pho Bistreaux

Uptown

It's getting to the point where I need to start checking out Nola's Vietnamese dining scene as it's kind of an unknown amongst tourists. For those unfamiliar the Vietnamese came to town a few decades back to work on shrimp boats and have since started their own communities down there. I didn't have the time to get down to the riverbank towns but sought out a couple Viet bites while waiting for my friends flight to touchdown. This is a newer spot and seems to be very popular with the second and third generation of Vietnamese people in town. Lots of young folks, many of them taking pics of their food for instagram and why not when they're putting out bites like these sliders seen below. Just a typical bbq pork bun but the quality of ingredients make them a must, perfect hot weather snack.

BBQ Pork Sliders

_____________________________________________________________________

Lily's Cafe

Lower Garden District

Aside from my trip to Mo Pho seen in Pt. 2 (Best New Restaurant of 2014) I had never had pho in Nola. Despite it being 90+ outside I decided I had to try the signature bowl from this popular Top Chef hangout. I guess Padma, Tom and the producers were regulars here during the shows filming in New Orleans. According to the reviews online this place makes one of the best unconventional bowls of pho in town. In an homage to both their heritage and also the abundance of fresh gulf shrimp available they make a spicy shrimp pho. The broth is made with potent shrimp stock that will put tears in your eyes while bringing joy to your stomach. I absolutely loved this and ate damn near every drop. Service was extra friendly, I can see it being in my rotation for every trip from here on in.

Spicy Shrimp Pho

_____________________________________________________________________

Manchu Food Store 

 Seventh Ward

I missed my chance to get to the famous Willie Mae's Scotch House when I messed up the hours of the place. I arrived onsite just as they were closing. The smell on the street made the crave for fried chicken real so I went ahead and rode over to this all in one recommended by a local on the street after he saw I just missed getting in.

Menu

This place is a Vietnamese owned store pushing booze and Chinese food. Located in an eccentric part of town there was a party going on in the parking lot but no one seemed to mind my presence. Just a few local cuties sending smiles my way that were there for the same reason as me . That reason was their fried chicken wing plate. It ended up being about as good as you'd expect for $5. Well fried wings with some fried rice did the trick before heading back to the airport to grab my buddy.

Waiting on my number

Boones Farm and Mad Dog drinkers are good to go

Chicken Wing Plate

_____________________________________________________________________

Harbor House Seafood

Kenner, LA

Upon pickup I decided we'd try this locally loved spot for some seafood for dinner. I guess the town of Kenner (where the airport's at) is a seafood centric town and there's quite a few places like this that double as both a market and restaurant. From what I read online Harbor House is one of the most popular and luckily for us we just beat the rush. Crawfish season was not in swing so we went with a plate of boiled shrimp to start. Never a bad thing.

Shrimp Boil with Hot Sausage

My friend had a plate of oysters and I went with one of the specials. The fried red snapper filets topped with crabmeat sauce served with Cajun corn, smashed potatoes and garlic bread was about as much as I could ask for $16. Like almost every meal I've ate in-state, it more than did the trick.

Fried Snapper Filets with a Creamy Crabmeat Sauce

_____________________________________________________________________

Random Stops and Shots in Town

Walking around

Drinks and Oysters at Cooter Brown's on the other side of town

Muffaletta from Matassa's Market (Check Pt. 2)

Gator Tour requested by the future groom (about 40 minutes outside the city)

Please feed the animals

Outside the Casino

Manning's Seafood Gumbo - Not bad, good place to watch football and pay homage to the first family of New Orleans.

_____________________________________________________________________

Royal House

French Quarter

After we spent one of the mornings on the gator tour we had requests of oysters and someone mentioned Acme. This is where I step in and say hell no, we're going to Royal House please follow me. I cant vouch for the rest of the food as those that ordered stuff that weren't oysters weren't happy but I warned them about that. I think this is your best bet for raw seafood in the FQ. It's been great every-time I've been in and if you sit at the bar and tell them you're from the 'hood you'll get 20% off your total. The oysters were as fresh as ever on this particular trip.

Raw Gulf Oysters and an assortment of their grilled offerings

_____________________________________________________________________

K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen

French Quarter

Last meal of the trip was at an old New Orleans favorite. Chef Paul Prudhomme is often considered the Godfather of Louisiana cooking. Long before Emeril made a name for himself this guy was at the forefront of getting word out on the bounty of amazing food being made in-state. In fact I can attribute my love for all things Cajun and Creole to him as I remember reading my parents cookbooks of his back in early days of high school. I wouldn't of picked this place as it's been around for a while and there's still other spots I wanted to take the group but this was one of a few spots that could sit all of us at the same table. In the end it was one of the best meals I had all year. Perfectly executed and enjoyed amongst some great company. The drum was out of this world, I should've known that the man that made blackening a thing would be putting out one of the best variations of it I've ever ate. Fom the food to the service, everything was flawless. Long live New Orleans.

Turkey Meatball Soup and Blackened Louisiana Drumfish cooked in a Cast Iron Skillet. Served with Drawn Butter, Potatoes and Veggies.

_____________________________________________________________________

That's it for this trip...See ya next time.

Note: Check out Part One and Part Two 

_____________________________________________________________________

Bevi Seafood Co
4701 Airline Drive
Metairie, LA 70001
(504) 885-500

Killer Po Boys
811 Conti Street
New Orleans, LA 70112
(504) 252-6745

Quarter Grocery
836 Burgundy Street
New Orleans, LA 70116
(504) 529-2702

Gene's Po-Boy's
1040 Elysian Fields Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70117
(504) 943-3861

Verti Marte
1201 Royal Street
New Orleans, LA 70116
(504) 525-4767

Pandora's Snowballs
901 N Carrollton Ave
New Orleans, LA 70119
(504) 486-8644

Williams Plum Street Snoball
300 Burdette St
New Orleans, LA 70118
(504) 866-7996

Sal's Sno-Ball Stand
1823 Metairie Avenue
Metairie, LA 70005
(504) 666-1823

Lily's Cafe
1813 Magazine Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 599-9999

Pho Bistreaux
1200 South Carrollton Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70118
(504) 304-8334

Manchu Food Store & Chinese Kitchen
1413 N Claiborne Ave
New Orleans, LA 70116
(504) 947-5507

Harbor House Seafood & Oyster Bar
3203 Williams Boulevard
Kenner, LA 70065
(504) 443-6454

Royal House
441 Royal Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 528-2601

K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen
416 Chartres Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 596-2530

A Day in Acadiana

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties 
- Thru the Heart of Cajun Country

I finally made it to one of my most coveted food regions last month. One of my best friends is getting married and his bachelor party was in New Orleans. While most people were flying in Friday afternoon, myself and another friend flew in Thursday. Upon landing I picked up a rental car and drove myself around to lots of food stops while waiting for him to get in later that evening. We'd spend Thursday night eating and drinking in Nola before sleeping off a few hours until around 7a Friday morning when we awoke for a daytrip to Cajun Country.

Attack of the Giant Crawfish!

The ride to Lafayette from New Orleans is two hours, although it took longer on the way back in with lots of rush hour traffic near the bridge over the Mississippi in Baton Rouge. This gave us a good four hours to eat. That said I feel like I barely scratched the surface as I only made it to maybe a third of the spots I had listed. Though you know you were doing damage when Chase bank calls wondering if your card has been stolen due to the fact it was being used continuously at many food stops in different towns. I feel like this is one of the must eat regions of food travel. The south is loaded with traditions in the kitchen and lots of culture outside of it, one of the richest trails resides right here. Crawfish season was not in swing so instead I focused in on boudin.

Fresh Seafood available for sale everywhere

"What is boudin? Great question! Boudin (Pronounced Boo-Dan) is one of most unique, tasty and distinctly uncorrupted regional specialties in America. Basically, boudin is a combination of cooked rice, pork, liver, onions, green peppers, and seasonings. The mixture is pulverized (to some degree) in a meat grinder before being stuffed into a sausage casing. It is then steamed--or otherwise heated--for on-the-spot snacking. Ahh, but these are truly just the basics. Folks around here are passionate about their boudin, and each recipe is a variation on the foundational ingredients. The devotion to boudin results in innumerable other uses, recipe tweaks, or preparations for the meat and rice mixture. Boudin Balls, Smoked Boudin, or Seafood are just a few of the variations you’re likely to find." - From the Cajun Boudin Trail Website. Away we go.
_____________________________________________________________________

Poche's Meat Market

Breaux Bridge, LA

One of the most well known stops in the area, this place has been featured in everything from roadfood to Saveur. They've been serving up authentic Cajun cuisine and meats since 1962.

"Everything on the hog is good. From the rooter to the tooter."

Tons to choose from...

The Cafeteria in back

Breaux Bridge is considered the crawfish capitol of the world, thus they eat it all year long. When it's not in-season the main form of consuming it is in etouffee and other stews. This would be one of the specials on the cafeteria board on my visit thus I knew what I was getting. First off though was the crawfish boudin which I thought was just ok. I'm not a big fan of seafood sausage. The etouffee did nothing short of amaze, had I not stopped in at the next place it would of been the best I ever had. Loaded with real Louisiana crawfish and served with both a crawfish dressing and also traditional rice dressing on the side, I wish this was available regularly to me. Nothing like it in Chicago.

Crawfish Etouffee

_____________________________________________________________________

Glenda's Creole Kitchen

Breaux Bridge, LA

Next stop is a short two minute ride from the last stop. I've wanted to visit Glenda's Creole Kitchen since I first read up on it over at Roadfood. So it's been on my to get-too list for some time.

an ode to the local legend

Glenda's serves good old fashioned home cooked meals that will bring you back to another time, before Zatarain's instant jambalaya came to town. Every dish is cooked using only the best local ingredients. Nothing frozen here folks. In fact when we first got there around opening time they hadn't unlocked the door and we almost missed them, luckily the lady peeling fresh potatoes for tomorrow came running out and yelled us down that they were open. Lucky me because this might of been my favorite meal from the five days I was down in Louisiana. First up was the fresh made tea. I'm not a big sweet drinker, rarely drink pop and prefer my tea unsweetened. However I felt it was my civic duty to order a homemade peach tea and damn me if it wasn't the most refreshing drink I could of asked for on a 90 degree day where the temperature was still climbing.

Fresh Made Teas

As for the food, this was a tough call. Just like at Poche's they had a "stew" this one made with pork that looked like it had all sorts of flavors packed into it, it was calling my name but I quickly pointed out to myself that we weren't far from the Gulf and this isn't always the case. We did a combo plate of their crawfish etouffee and the crab stew. Man oh man, I would walk 100 miles thru the impending polar vortex for this...in my underwear nonetheless. Their etouffee was much darker than Poche's and because of this it had some insane depth as far as flavor. Plump crawfish tales with some potent sauce made from seafood broth which was also noticed in the crab stew. I live in one of the great eating cities in all of the world yet I'm envious of the folks that get to stop into here and order some home cooked Creole food via the drive thru as if it's just another lunch. Great place.

Crawfish Etouffee + Shrimp and Crab Stew

_____________________________________________________________________

Charlie-T's Specialty Meats

 Breaux Bridge, LA

We drove past this place twice as it sits in an old rundown pink building that looks as though it may be vacant. By the time we were paying up, a lunch rush of about 20 blue collar workers came in for some food. Much like Chicagoan's with beefs and hot dogs, each local from around this way has a different place they say makes the best boudin. All I did was list each and everyone of them and then narrow them down based on location, allowing me to get to as many as I can. Another plus is the fact you can buy as many links as want. As seen in the pic up above many of these spots sell the boudin ready to eat from rice cookers where it sits in warm water until ordered. Charlie-T's makes it's traditional recipe as well as a chicken based one.

Pork and Chicken Boudin

The first time I ever tried boudin I didn't know you were supposed to take it out of the casing. It was also some mail ordered stuff that was previously frozen leading me to believe it was like eating a Chicago pizza from the freezer. So I was excited to both try the real stuff and eat it the proper way while doing so. You squeeze the mixture out and can eat it as is or throw it on some crackers or a sandwich as you'll soon see. Upon my first bite of Charlie's boudin I knew I was eating the real thing and I knew I loved it. Spicier than the rest this was a fine example. I didn't care for the chicken one as much, like most other chicken sausages I've tried it was a tad too dry for my liking.

Chicken Boudin

_____________________________________________________________________

Johnson's Boucaniere

Lafayette, LA

There's lots of food stops to choose from in the Cajun Capitol so I had some tough choices to make. My plan was to hit as many stops as possible and in doing so going to the quick counter service establishments that many locals frequent for lunch. This was obviously one as there was a nice ongoing crowd coming in one by one. The family behind the counter seemed to know most of them and with it had a hankering that I wasn't from around there, ok maybe the fact I was taking pictures is what gave it away. I told them our deal and they were ecstatic to have us.

Menu on the Wall

Many of the recipes here have been used since the early 1900's. They became a local legend starting in 1937 when they were using these recipes at the world-famous Johnson's Grocery located in Eunice, Louisiana. It's there that many say was one of the first spots in the country to sell boudin. Obviously this was in-store but one of the newer food crazes in the area was too. Grilled cheese spread with boudin is popping up at lots of spots and Johnson's was said to have one of the best. It seemed like every other order had a Parrain sandwich included and once I tried mine I understood why. The melted cheese mashed up with their legendary boudin in between a smashed/toasted bun was all that and then some.

Parrain Sandwich (Boudin Grilled Cheese w/ a side of BBQ sauce)

The boudin was also a big winner. I thought it was the best of the bunch we tried. The casing had that snap that you could hear upon breaking. Inside was the original blend of pork/rice/liver that was served in Eunice way back when. I noticed extra bits of green onion which I'll always welcome and tasted them mixed in. Mardi Gras in my mouth.

My favorite boudin of the day, loaded with green onion

_____________________________________________________________________

Billy's Boudin & Cracklins

Scott, LA

Next town up! That would be Scott, Louisiana aka the "Boudin Capitol of the World" as there's a handful of longstanding shops in this town of 8,000 which hosts their annual Boudin Festival each April. I'd read up on Billy's which one article mentioned as a relatively newcomer to the boudin game. They could of fooled me as the wait was a good 20 people deep. Truth be told, stopping here cost me a couple other stops as we waited a good thirty minutes for the food, but how could I not? None of the other places had a line like this.

Waiting in line

Happily for me it lived up to the hype. This is your spot for some amazing Cajun snacks starting with both the namesake boudin and cracklins. Aside from their original recipe they also offer a smoked boudin which was mesmerizing in it's own rights. I enjoyed both immensely but it's the other snack from here I'll remember most.

Regular (L) and Smoked (R) Boudin

You'll see boudin balls sold at most every stop in town, they're made by molding some boudin into a ball and breading it before a trip to the deep fryer. Don't eat any of them without trying Billy's recipe first. Once you have one of his you wont want to waste the calories on any other. Here they're about double in size than the other spots thus double in price. They come with a surprise treat inside. Melted pepperjack cheese takes these to the podium. Also insanely good for a quick bite were their personal crawfish pies, another common Acadian snack. The cracklins? As good as they get. Made fresh throughout the day these were still warm when I first tried them so instead of tasting like a crunchy snack ala pork rinds out of the bag, these were more like something found on the snack section of a trendy cocktail spot, both crispy and juicy. Mouthwatering.

Crawfish Pie and Pepperjack Stuffed Boudin Ball

The insides

CRACKlins

_____________________________________________________________________

Don's Specialty Meats

Scott, LA

Don's is the big boy in town. They sit in a large lot and from what I read there's always cars parked there as traffic inside is non-stop. They double as a full scale butcher and have local spices and seasonings and some other stuff like hunting gear for you to shop for while you grab some boudin and cracklins. We all need a local butcher like this.

a peak inside

Separate Counter for the signature items

My friend thought the boudin from here was the best of the trip and truth be told I loved them all so I was happy to eat this throughout the rest of the weekend as he bought a bunch for the fridge at the bachelor pad. It was greasy in a good way, moist and filled with lots of pork and some green onion to give it a nice color. Rice was separated and plump, nothing mushy about it. I was also told they make a mean Cajun meat pie and agreed with the recommendation. Pretty much the opposite of a pasty as the filling was aggressively seasoned.

Cajun Meat Pie

Don's Homemade Boudin

Excellent Batch

_____________________________________________________________________

The Best Stop

Scott, LA

Many of the locally owned supermarkets around town also make and sell their own boudin for customers to snack on. One of the more established stops is known as the Best Stop. They've been at it since 1986 when they first opened in the building pictured up above. Now they have a place next door that's sells all sorts of wonderful Cajun meat treats, I think their tasso might be the best of the three I brought home. The boudin balls were ok, they all were after Billy's, but the boudin was a real pleaser. You can check out this interview with Southern Foodways for more on them.

Boudin and Boudin Balls

14 Time Acadiana Times Readers Choice Winner

_____________________________________________________________________

Hebert's Deli

Breaux Bridge, LA

Last stop before heading back to Nola was this place which I spied from the gas station. I had them on my list as they were said to make a really nice boudin, this was true, also talked about was an old Cajun favorite of BBQ tasso with mayo on white bread. I stepped inside and had a chat with the friendly lady behind the counter as she made my sandwich. In doing so I found myself wishing I had more time and getting excited for the day I get a chance to return. I got to alot of spots on my list considering I was only there for four hours, but for every place I made it into there were at least two I didn't get to try. Not to mention all the spots I saw when driving by. See you again soon.

Tasso BBQ Sandwich

_____________________________________________________________________

Poche's Market
3015 Main Hwy
Breaux Bridge, LA 70517
(337) 332-2108

Glenda's Creole Kitchen
3232 Louisiana 31
Breaux Bridge, LA 70517
(337) 332-0294

Charlie-T's Specialty Meats
530 Berard St
Breaux Bridge, LA 70517
(337) 332-2426

Johnson's Boucaniere
1111 St John St
Lafayette, LA 70501
(337) 269-8878

Billy's Boudin & Cracklins
523 Apollo Rd
Scott, LA 70583
(337) 232-1114

Don's Specialty Meats
730 I 10 S Frontage Rd
Scott, LA 70583
(337) 234-2585

The Best Stop
615 Louisiana 93
Scott, LA 70583
(337) 233-5805

Hebert's Deli
1101 Grand Pointe Ave
Breaux Bridge, LA 70517
(337) 332-6000