You know what was on my mind for Monday, right? I intended to have a muffeletta, come Hell or high water!
My first stop was at Hotel Villa Convento, though. I’d met T. on my last trip to New Orleans (we’d gone to Celebration Hall together) and she works most mornings at Hotel Villa Convento. We discussed where we’d been in the Irish Channel for the Irish Parade, as well as where we’d been on Super Sunday to get pictures. While there, I also took advantage of their free WiFi. (Since my studio was located in a brick-enclosed courtyard, the free WiFi there didn’t actually work 98% of the time, which relegated me to buy things at CC’s Coffee House or lounge in the lobby of the Royal Sonesta in order to post things on FB!)
People on TripAdvisor had been talking up the muffelatta at Albert’s Cheese and Wine Bistro in the French Market, so that’s where I headed (because Central Grocery is closed on Mondays). There was already a line at the counter. The cute young guy informed me that it would be at least 15 minutes to get my order out, but that was fine with me. In the meantime, I wandered around taking pictures. My muffelatta was done in the allotted amount of time, which was great, because people who ordered after me had to wait closer to half an hour as the line was getting ridiculous. I, however, had a lunch reservation at Mr. B’s Bistro, so had to take mine to go.
I’ve eaten at Mr. B’s Bistro at least twice before, possibly three times. They’re most famous for their BBQ Shrimp, which I’ve never ordered because I have an aversion to ripping the heads and legs off of crustaceans. Someone on Yelp mentioned that they’d asked if the chef could remove the heads, though, so I thought I’d give it a try. My lunch order consisted of their classics – the Gumbo Yaya and the BBQ Shrimp. The waiter did indeed say that the chef could remove the heads, but would NOT remove the shells. Fine by me. The Gumbo Yaya is a country style gumbo with chicken and Andouille sausage; rich, as most New Orleans dishes are. Since Mr. B’s has cocktail specials during weekday lunch, I enjoyed a $5 Champagne Royale with that. When the BBQ Shrimp arrived, the affable waiter tied a little bib on me, as well as bringing a bowl for the shells, plus lemon slices and a damp napkin to clean my hands with. The bowl of BBQ Shrimp consisted of 6 large shrimp in a buttery, peppery sauce, along with some bread to soak up the sauce. I also ordered a $1.50 Bloody Mary. I still managed to make quite a mess ripping those legs and shells off! The BBQ Shrimp were very good, but I didn’t feel obliged to sop up all of the sauce with more bread. There was still dessert to think of, you know. I wavered between the Strawberry Shortcake and the Lemon Icebox Pie with Raspberry Sauce, but the waiter steered me towards the Lemon Icebox Pie. He said to choose that “Hands down!” It was decadent in a way that I never knew pie could be. There wasn’t a crumb left, believe me!
I then took my muffelatta back to the studio to put it in the refrigerator before venturing out any more.
It was a beautiful Spring day in New Orleans, so I wandered off to the Marigny to take pictures. The Fauborg-Marigny is a lovely area across Esplanade, not too far from the Quarter. It’s mostly popular for the many clubs on Frenchmen Street. The beautiful houses on Esplanade and along Royal Street are worth seeing, though.
When I got back to the Quarter, I stopped in at David’s Antiques. Their poison rings and silver jewelry were 50% off. I picked up a small poison ring, a silver chain, a silver charm and another loose cameo. The owner remembered my buying a couple of loose cameos the last time (in fact, I was wearing the ring I’d had made with one of them), so she gave me a little discount.
A “new,” or possibly renovated bar had been written up. Located in Broussard’s, I sat myself at the bar at Empire Bar. Luckily for me, it was Happy Hour. They even have an Absinthe Hour within the Happy Hour. I’m not usually a fan of rose, but their rose was from the Bastianich family. I remember liking one of their roses at my New Year’s Eve dinner a couple of years ago at a Mario Batalli restaurant in Los Angeles. I ordered it post-haste. The bar was beautiful and the lone bartender was very professional and efficient. Several people came in after me, followed by maybe 12 people on a cocktail tour. The bartender worked like a well-oiled machine! After my two roses, I went back to the studio to get ready for dinner.
I was hoping to have dinner at Eat Restaurant, but it was closed on Monday. I then wandered over to Galatoire’s, but it was also closed on Monday. So I did what any self-respecting woman would do – I skipped dinner and went to Patrick’s Bar Vin. I’d gone there on my last trip and made friends with Patrick, the owner. When I walked in, he was sitting at the bar alone; no other people were there. I’d apparently just missed the before-dinner crowd. We said “hello” and were chatting. Another couple came in, as well as two other men. Patrick was telling the couple (who he knew) and me that some customers/friends were taking him to the Houston Rodeo later that week. He’s never been to a rodeo before (he’s Belgian), but intended to make a fashion statement by wearing a Louis Vuitton cowboy hat, pink pants and pink boots. We were, for the most part, advising him against the pink pants and pink boots. I told him that he could wear one or the other, but both would be too much. Meanwhile, one of the other two men piped in to say that he was from Houston and he thought Patrick should wear whatever he wanted! He DID suggest a huge belt buckle, though! When the couple left, they invited Patrick to join them for dinner, which he agreed to. Since he was still there chatting with me, I asked if he wouldn’t be late for dinner. He replied that he didn’t want to be rude to me. I told him to go ahead and do whatever he needed to do! He stayed a bit longer, then headed out to join his friends for dinner. In the meantime, the guys next to me told me that they worked for Sebastiani Winery; one had even lived in San Francisco before. They were staying at The Saint, a trendy hotel on Canal Street. I’d never heard of it, but they said it’s a really cool place, so I looked it up later and I WILL hit up the bar there sometime in the near future. They’d just arrived that night and were tired, so headed back to their hotel after one drink. Another gentleman had shown up and ordered a drink. The bartender poured his drink, plus a glass of wine. Apparently, he’d been there earlier with a female friend that had been drinking wine. He told the bartender that his female friend wasn’t with him at the moment, but to kindly give the glass of wine to me. Why, thank you! I LOVE Southern gentlemen! We chatted awhile, during which time Patrick returned from dinner. It was a Monday night and everyone was tired, so Patrick bid me “adieu” after a bit, as did the other gentleman. Once I finished that third glass of wine, I called it an evening myself.
Back at the studio, due to missing dinner, I got out that muffelatta to give it a try. My consensus – average! Foiled again.
In the French Quarter
Musicians Across From the French Market
BBQ Shrimp from Mr. B’s Bistro
In the Marigny
Washington Park in the Marigny
Empire Bar