Battle of the Beignets!

Our friend / tour guide thought a "Beignet Contest" would be a fun part of our two-day New Orleans' itinerary.

"Beignets" were introduced to New Orleans by the French-Creole colonists during the 18th century. 

What is a beignet? 

Similar to doughnuts and fritters, they are deep-fried square pieces of dough made fresh, served hot either tossed, sprinkled or smothered in powdered sugar.

Having a sweet tooth and being a bit of a travel foodie, I had no objections to this "Tasty" idea!

Day one we headed to City Park for our first taste test at the "Morning Call" Cafe.

We ordered a plate of beignets (they come three to an order) and Cafe au laits.

With restraint we shared the beignets and the tasting began.

Day two we decided to have beignets and Cafe au laits as a dessert treat at the world famous Cafe du Monde.

                           

    

Our friend Laury was close lipped about her favourite.

At Cafe du Monde, we discussed the differences between the two beignets ...

Texture, crispiness, sweetness and then voted which one we each liked the best.

The votes are in ...

Cafe du Monde 2 /Morning Call 1

Msr. Honey preferred the softer texture and less crispy beignet at the Morning Call, while Laury & myself loved "Cafe du Monde" beignets.

Footnote ... the beignets at Morning Call are served plain with a shaker of powdered sugar so you control how much is added. 

Msr. Honey was more partial to this.

Cafe du Monde beignets are covered in the sweet powder when they are served to you.

Nothing says New Orleans to me like "beignets" and "beads".

 

      

A Walk in the Park ... City Park!

#CityPark#SculptureGarden#SpanishMoss

After our first "Beignet" taste test at the Morning Call in City Park, we strolled through the park and visited the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden.

It wasn't a bright, sunny day and a soft mist hung in the air with possible threats of rain.

The park was full of old oak trees dressed in Spanish moss.

                  

   

 

The Sculpture Garden is an absolutely wonderful part of the New Orleans Museum of Art.

The creative pieces of art are by various artists/ sculpters and funded by donations.

It is a peaceful garden that is home to some beautiful birds and waterfowl with surprises throughout.

The Tree of Necklaces, 2002 

                        

We met several characters as we strolled throughout the garden, there was a Cardinal, a drummer who had a canny likeness to Darth Vader, musicians and many more! 

If I lived in New Orleans this would be a favourite place that I would make part of my daily walks, a place to contemplate, reflect and feel close to nature.

                             

                       

    

                                          

 The installations are numbered, titled with credit to the artist and donor. 

There are many more sculptures to see. A must do if you are in New Orleans.

   

          

I "Love" this special place ...

Love was in the air ... at this photo session.

Dining with Legends

Our friend, Laury who was going to play tourist with us for a couple of days in her city was busy Saturday with a prior engagement.

We spent our first night just off I-10 in East New Orleans, arriving at our hotel late Saturday afternoon.

When we checked in we were told about the "Seafood Grill" next door ... bonus we wouldn't have to drive anywhere.

After some rest and relaxation, we wandered next door to the restaurant ready for an evening of good wine-ing and dining.

Imagine our disappointment when we opened the door to discover this was a fast food joint.

Now we were on the hunt. 

We went to the hotel, spoke with the clerk who said the grill was good.

After Msr. told him we wanted a fine dining experience, he directed us to "Dish on Hayne".

Not walkable! We had no address and our GPS "Molly" could find no such place, so we followed the  directions we were given that sounded simple enough.

After driving the full length of Haynes we turned around to return to the hotel as we could not find it, suddenly we saw an unlit sign directing us to "Dish".

We pulled into the dark parking lot surrounded by a 9ft. High chain link fence. 

The restaurant was located in a large industrial building shared with the Top Notch Auto Repair shop.

Things didn't look too promising. 

With much apprehension we entered the restaurant.

We were relieved and surprised as we were greeted by the hostess and taken into the stylishly designed dining room with an upscale soul atmosphere including white linen napkins and tablecloths.

Our friendly waiter, Derek promptly took our wine order and presented the evening's special ...

Surf 'n' Turf  (ribeye steak, half pound shrimp, garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus) which sounded delicious and did not disappoint. The best shrimp ever!

Everything was perfectly prepared and presented.

              

We were serenaded by jazz musicians and singers.

We were in the company of many great performers!

Who would have guessed what was inside here?

Once again ... proof you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover!