Doing the Big Easy - Triple D Style (part 2)

My last day in New Orleans dawned and I was not feeling too great.  I think that with our weird winter weather at home combined with really pushing it in Austin as well as my first day in New Orleans led to my feeling really bad when I woke up.  The hotel I was at was really cold (and if you know me, then you know that it really can't too cold for me!) and I was shivering just walking inn the lobby and hotel corridors.  The cold aside, I was not going to let that slow me down!

My friend Jimmy told me that he had on;y a very short time to meet for lunch and we decided to meet a a very cool place near where he works and really not too far form my hotel.  We decided to meet in the small suburb of Jefferson at a very cool place called THE RIVERSHACK TAVERN.  This place is very much a shack and for lunch on a Friday it was extremely busy!  After waiting for a few moments they seated me and I waited for Jimmy to arrive.  The place is very cool!  Local signs and decorations adorn the place and one of the coolest things are the stools at the large bar.  The back legs of the stools are decorated as legs, some better than others and for some it really looked like real legs, so the people looked as though they were standing at the bar!  Jimmy arrived and we ordered, he decided upon a bowl of the Turtle Stew and I chose the Single Crab Soft Shell Crab Po Boy.  My sandwich was delicious.  I really like Soft Shell Crab, but don't get to enjoy it very often as they really aren't in season very often at home.

My Soft Shell Crab Po Boy

Jimmy told me that his stew was awesome, the best Turtle Stew he had ever had, with bits of turtle in every bite.  Although the place was packed and busy, the chef that cooked with Guy in the DDD episode came out to meet me and sign the book.  He seemed very happy that we had stopped in and I thanked him for a great meal and also how much I enjoyed him on the show.  He told me that this would be one of the last days to serve the stew as Turtle meat is getting scarce.  He actually changes the menu up with local flavor that he is able to get and cook.  On the episode he cooked Rabbit for Guy (Guy said in an Elmer Fudd voice, "Be Very Very Quiet, I Trying Rabbit!").  The chef told me that he has had to take it off the menu due to him not being able to get rabbit.

I said good-bye to Jimmy and we made plans to meet on the ship the next day.  From there I drove into New Orleans to try a few more places.  The next stop was a total disappointment.  I had been told that there would be alot of people at MAHONY'S PO BOY SHOP mostly due to the fact that on the DDD episode Guy visited the shop with famous chef Emeril Lagasse.  I got to the shop and went in to the counter to order.  the place was busy but not packed in the least.  As I got up to order I was informed that it would be 35 to 40 minutes before they would even get to my order.  As nothing on the  menu really jumped out at me I decided to pass on Mahony's.  In my opinion I think think that with the DDD show with both Guy and Emeril, Mahony's has gotten a bit "big for their britches" I mean I could understand if I had to wait for a table but it didn't seem that busy.  Oh well, onward and upward!

From Mahony's I moved on to a really cute small cafe not too far away called JOEY K'S.  This small diner-cafe had a nice lunch rush business but I was able to get a table right away and I decided to try a lighter meal choosing a bowl of Corn and Rice Chowder.

The chowder was very tasty and the people there were so nice.  I really liked Joey K's.  The staff happily signed my book and their large menu is quite appealing.  If I make it back to New Orleans I really want to try a full meal at this place!

From Joey K's it was onto the most unique place I visited in New Orleans.  PARASOL'S BAR AND GRILL is a small smoky bar with a really good local menu.  As I entered the bar was full and on the episode the place looked a lot bigger than it actually was.  I took a seat off the bar and just watched the interesting staff and floor show.  Parasol's uses the theme of "It's casual!" and it was!  The bar tender was dressed as a middle aged woman that had just  awoke, with curlers, bed jacket, bed hat, etc. with a beard and all the make-up done!  I ordered the Oyster Gumbo and it was really good but extremely spicy and came with a  slice of garlic bread to help quell the heat.  I was able to the get the bar tender to sign my book and we talked about my travels and then all of the sudden he told me "Get Out!'.  Taken aback I asked him how much and he told me to "Get Out!".  It didn't take me a long time to figure out that my soup was on the house, a first in my travels.  I will definitely go back to Parasols for both the great food and the fun atmosphere!

My Parasol's Bar Oyster Gumbo

Being pretty full I went to more more place about a mile away.  SURREY'S CAFE AND JUICE BAR.  I decided to save Surrey's for last because I knew I would be full by the time I got there and since Juice Bar is part of the name I could get a cup of fresh juice and that is exactly what I did.

I got a glass of their daily juice special.  Fresh squeezed orange and mango juice.  It was sweet at first tasty and then had a real tart ending, very tasty!  Surrey's was my last New Orleans DDD joint and put my DDD total to 227!

Later that night I met back up with my brother for dinner with his ABA group and we went to a famous Bourbon Street restaurant called "the Red Fish Grille".  the food there was awesome and I got an appetizer of Buffalo and Bleu Oysters followed by a main meal of Shrimp and Grits, both were awesome, you would not even have known that the Oysters were oysters as they had the taste of buffalo style wings with some great bleu cheese drizzle. 

From there we walked to a Dixieland Jazz place on Bourbon Street, where the music was lively and awesome.  I must admit that Bourbon Street was not my kind of place, I found it very much in your face, loud and raucous.

That ended my DDD trip to New Orleans.  The next day I boarded the Voyager of the Seas for a 7 night cruise, which was very nice.  The only down side was that it took a few days for my cold to subside, but a cruise with a cold ALWAYS beats the best day at work!