New Orleans - The Hungry Nomad

Magasin Cafe Re-visited (New Orleans, USA)

June 15, 2012 1 Comment

I already wrote a post on this restaurant but I think it deserves another one since their service has dramatically improved. I love Vietnamese food- particularly a good pho and am so happy to have this place so close to home. The Count and I are frequent visitors (don’t tell Tan Dinh since the Count has been their loyal customer for years).

I love the interior of the restaurant. It’s clean, modern and fresh. There are stools lining the windows for additional seating and a cement area in the middle which they have creatively used as a seating area.

Each table comes ready with an assortment of sauces, cutlery and napkins.

On our list of must haves are the crab rangoon, various spring rolls, the chicken pho and lemongrass chicken banh mi. The Count also tried the fillet Mignon steak dish once which he thoroughly enjoyed. The crab rangoon is a crispy fried dough filled with cream cheese served with a side of sweet and sour sauce. It was my first time trying it at Magasin Cafe but ever since I have been hooked.

Below is a photo of the chicken vermicelli which as you can see was served with mint, shredded carrots, spring onions and cabbages. The colorful range of flavors exploded into an amazing spoonful of textures and tastes in my mouth. So good and so fresh.

My main dish is always the chicken pho since I love a good soup and for me the pho is a mixture of your chicken noodle soup with a twist. The addition of fresh basil, jalapenos, bean sprouts and lime with a spoonful of the spicy sauce just makes it oh so good. Even when its boiling hot outside.

I also love how they have set up the outdoor space. It reminded me a lot of Thailand (since I have not yet been to Vietnam). It looked like many local restaurants in the area with one man grilling meats on the barbecue outside. Overall, it’s a wonderful creative space to stimulate your senses…the best part: it is very cheap compared to other restaurants in the area.

Bubble Tea, Gourmand, Ice Cream, New Orleans

Bubble Tea at Honeydeux (New Orleans, USA)

May 7, 2012 No Comments

Ever since I moved down to New Orleans I kept questioning why there were no bubble tea places around. After all, it is a frozen drink and seemed like it would be a great hit down here. Well, I am happy to say that finally one has opened on Magazine street. Honeydeux serves bubble tea in a range of real fruit flavors along with an assortment of asian shaved ice and wraps.

What to look for in a good bubble tea? Do they use real fruits? If so you know its good. This place even uses real taro roots (the purple drink on the bottom) which is ever so delicious. Most places use taro powder rather than the real thing. Next, you should look for a perfect proportion of tapioca balls which are average in size and not overly hard or soft but chewy. My personal favorites are the taro, coconut and honeydeux. I’ll have to go back and try their asian shaved ice which is served with fruits and a scoop of ice-cream on top finished off with condensed milk. Anything with condensed milk makes me happy (in fact I may or may not eat spoonfuls at times for dessert…mmmm condensed milk). Ok. Back to my review…. as you can tell by the pink lipstick below I tried the taro and loved it.

The prices are a bit on the steeper end but I’m thinking its the new trend down here. More competition would bring down prices; unfortunately for us, there aren’t that many bubble tea places around and so you have to pay the higher price. In return however you do get real fruits as opposed to powder.

New Orleans, USA, Wine Bar

Delachaise (New Orleans, USA)

April 30, 2012 No Comments

Delachaise is a lovely little wine bar tucked away on Saint Charles street close to Touro hospital and my favorite sandwich shop, Milk Bar. We usually go here for drinks and appetizers (more specifically, the Lambic framboise beer and goose fat fries for me). On this particular day I was craving steak (poor attempt at vegetarianism preceded my cravings). It was a bit early- many restaurants were still not open for dinner and as we drove by Delachaise I checked the menu online to see if they offered your typical french Steak/Frites dish. Once we discovered that they did we quickly made our way over.

Delachaise is a really lovely place and many of their dishes are delicious. The place is usually packed in the evenings- offering a cozy patio overlooking Saint Charles Avenue and the passing streetcars.

I have never had a bad experience at Delachaise; however, I’ve never had a meal and stuck to the fries and other small appetizers. Craving steak I predictably ordered the Steak/Frites while the Count ordered the special for the day- a Peruvian stir fry served on basmati rice.Once the food arrived I was delighted to see the beautiful presentation and the resemblance of a typical steak/frites dish I frequently had in France. However, as soon as I dug my knife in the meat I was quickly disappointed. The meat consisted of 80% fat. I left the entire thing untouched..and the count had to dissect it to find some small pieces of meat. The worst part…it was not cheap. I was expecting a good quality meat given what they were charging which added to my disappointment. On the bright side, the fries were delicious- as they always are.

On the other hand, the Peruvian steak stir fry was an amazing blend of flavors and sauces.

I don’t usually post these sort of photos as shown below but I wanted to show what remained at the end of our meal: Below: steak dissection…

…and to be fair, our Peruvian stir fry was polished clean.

Since I love this place, my bad steak experience will not stop me from going since everything else is amazing, I guess all I can recommend is: stick to the what they know best: appetizers and amazing wine.

Ice Cream, New Orleans, USA

The Creole Creamery (New Orleans, USA)

April 29, 2012 No Comments

I’ve tried many ice cream shops in New Orleans and this one has made it to the top of my list. It has by far the best ice cream in town. As soon as you walk through the doors you take a trip back in time. It reminds me of many hollywood movies based in the South- it definitely has that old world charm.There are so many delicious and creative flavors to try and it’s usually hard to choose just one. However, over time and many flavor tests I find that I tend to gravitate to chocolate flavors. My personal favorites at the Creole Creamery are the entire chocolate section (located on your left as soon as you walk in); more specifically, the chocwork-orange (a dark creamy chocolate ice cream with a hint of orange flavor), the butterscotch english toffee (soooo good) and lavender honey (who doesn’t love lavender?)

What’s your favorite flavor?

Chocolate, New Orleans, Sweets, USA

Bittersweet Confections- CBD (New Orleans, USA)

April 18, 2012 No Comments

Chocolate truffles, cakes, cupcakes and more chocolate. This is what you’ll find at the new Bittersweet Confections location in the Central Business District. Although, there on a cake tasting mission, we ended up tasting many of their delicious cupcakes in various flavors: chocolate, red velvet and almond. All were delicious and washed down with a perfect cup of cappuccino. They also offer little treats to take away- neatly packaged in clear plastic and pink stickers.

Originally located in Lakeview close to City Park the owners have relocated downtown. Lucky us- their treats are now more accessible for those living on this side of town.I hear their truffles are to die for and so I’ll have to go back sometime on a truffle tasting mission. Will keep you posted on my discoveries.

Ice Cream, New Orleans, Sno Cone

Magazine Deli Sno Balls and Ice Cream (New Orleans, USA)

April 17, 2012 No Comments

One of the best ways to cool off from the heat in New Orleans is to have a sno ball. I had my first one just the other day and now understand why there are always long line ups at each sno ball stand.There are literally thousands of stands all over town and some gain more popularity than others based on the flavors, quality of ice and syrup quantity. Some offer preservative free syrup made mainly from cane sugar, extracts and water but most use pre-made syrups.

What is a sno cone you ask? It’s a delightfully simply treat: shaved ice and flavored syrup. I added ice cream to mine which made it extra spectacular. The best part? It is a very cheap way to cool off. Magazine deli is a little stand close to my house. The staff were so friendly and gave me a little history of sno balls and offered their best flavors to taste. I am already a fan.

New Orleans, Sushi, USA

Sushi at Chiba (New Orleans, USA)

April 15, 2012 No Comments

A new sushi restaurant in New Orleans? This I must try. So far I have not been impressed with the New Orleans sushi scene. Most sushi joints serve sushi rolls covered in various sauce, many deep fried, and really not healthy at all. So you can understand how excited I was to try out Chiba hoping that it would resemble more of what sushi should be about: fresh fish preferably not drowning in sauce. This is a sushi spot for true sushi lovers. In fact I quickly learned that the restaurant prides itself on serving less common fish and no Americanized sushi rolls (which means no crispy/fried sushi)! Great if you are looking for a healthier meal.

Chiba is a beautiful modern, clean and roomy restaurant located on Oak street. I love everything on this vibrant and eclectic street, Chiba is a great new addition. We ordered several sushi dishes and loved each one. The perfect amount of rice on each roll (not too much) and fresh fish. Delicious! Being from Vancouver its hard to rate this as the best sushi I’ve ever had but I can easily say that it is the best sushi I have ever had…in New Orleans.

Gourmand, New Orleans

Herbsaint Bar and Restaurant (New Orleans, USA)

April 14, 2012 1 Comment

Another great restaurant discovery in New Orleans. This one is located in the Central Business District and caters to the more professional crowd (at least for lunch). After having lunch at Herbsaint Bar and Restaurant yesterday I watched an episode of Anthony Bourdain in New Orleans post-Katrina and learned that the passionate co-owner and chef, Donald Link, came right back to New Orleans within weeks to re-open his restaurant, followed by opening the ever-so-famous Cochon (another favorite of mine). That is dedication!

The restaurant serves a mix of French and Italian flavors with a southern twist. We wanted something light for lunch so opted for the tuna sandwich and goat salad. At first I thought the goat salad was goat cheese but the server informed us that the goat salad was actually crispy goat meat served over a mix of greens. I’m a fan of goat meat ever since I’ve learned that it is much healthier than other forms of meat and the taste is delicious (have you ever tried a goat roti?).

Our food arrived and was both perfect. The grilled tuna sandwich was served with a side of salad and crispy chips and was ever so tasty. Actual fresh tuna pieces mixed with a melange of flavors and avocado- delicious! The goat salad was also great although I didn’t like the crispy texture of the goat meat but the salad was delicious and fresh- the mint flavor overtaking all others. It was perfect for a perfectly sunny hot day.

Herbsaint Bar & Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Gourmand, New Orleans, Tapas, USA

Salú (New Orleans, USA)

April 12, 2012 No Comments

Salu is located on Magazine street and offers hot and cold Spanish and Mediterranean tapas (although they also had some Indian dishes). It is a pretty large restaurant offering both indoor and outdoor seating. The interior dining area is decorated with eclectic art pieces and a hand-painted circular skylight designed by local artist E. Lee Jahncke. There is also a large colorful bar offering a wide range of wines.

This place has been around for over a year now; however, I’ve always passed it by without considering it. What a mistake! Everything from the decor, ambiance, service and food was great. The food….

…ahhh the food was delicious. Although I wouldn’t exactly describe all the dishes as tapas since some came in large portions. We ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala, Patatas Bravas, Wild Mushroom and Goat Cheese Empanadas and Grilled Lamb Lollipops.

As soon as we finished ordering we were served with warm white bread and a plate of olive oil and herbs. Each plate came out as prepared. We went on a Thursday which also happened to be Paella night. The Grilled lamp lollipops was served on top of roasted red pepper fava bean hummus and crumbled goat cheese with two pieces of flat bread.

The wild mushroom and goat cheese empanadas was amazing. I could go back just for those. It was served in a delicious sauce with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

The patatas bravas (roasted potatoes served in tomato sauce) was perfect. Usually the skin is not crispy however this one was crispy yet absorbed in delicious sauce. And on to my favorite dish of the night, the Chicken tikka masala. The masala was a perfect blend of spices and flavors, served over top saffron rice and flat bread. It was delicious and the portion was huge considering it was meant to be a tapas…but I’m not one to complain about larger portions.

Gourmand, New Orleans, Sandwich Shop

Psycho Sandwiches at Milk Bar (New Orleans, USA)

February 22, 2012 1 Comment

The Milk Bar is hands down the best sandwich shop in New Orleans. It serves a variety of gourmet sandwiches, po boys and salads. The likes of Psycho Chicken, I Dream of Aubergine and Clooney’s choice are available- and are all delicious. The space is small and always full- conveniently located across from Touro hospital for the doctors amongst us who crave a sandwich here and there. The walls are pink covered in cow artwork and the delicious smells permeate the room. You order your sandwich and take a seat while its prepared by the team. The menu is extremely creative with sandwich combinations I’ve never tasted. We tend to order the psycho chicken and the Clooney. I’ve never tried the milkshakes but also hear that they are to die for. You also get a free lolly pop which always brings a smile to my face. If you are not from New Orleans you may have a hard time finding it since its tucked away into a small side street off of Saint Charles. Just follow your nose and stomach I am sure they will lead you there.