Amber Waves of Bread Pudding

Yesterday we walked the Quarter, ate lunch on the corner of Jackson Square at Stanley (sister, or, should I say, husband restaurant to the more upscale, much more expensive Stella!), and took in the architecture and ambiance that makes New Orleans so wonderful.  How can you not love a city where two of its hot restaurants are named after characters in a Tennessee Williams' play?  I devoted just a bit of our lunch conversation to describing the play that had earned our lunch spot its name.  Later, when we popped into an art gallery/novelty shop (Imagination Creations?), where the artist made everything from earrings to toys to abstract wall hangings out of wood, Maddie was delighted to find among the treasures a streetcar "named" Desire. 

Tell Fiona that we haven't yet spotted Tiana, but we did browse in a couple of what I'm sure are Dr. Facilier's favorite voodoo shops.  Reflecting on Naveen's experience, we thought better of purchasing any of the potions that promised us love, money, or wisdom.  Some of them sure are tempting though! We have seen several spots that could be Tiana's home, so we're going to keep our eyes out!

While our walk through the Quarter was lovely, there is no doubt that New Orleans in late June is hot.  We finally sweltered our way back to our hotel for showers, air conditioning, and another round of Angry Birds before Dana returned from his conference, and we took a driving tour of the Garden District, as we made our way to our dinner spot, a new discovery for us, as Boucherie opened in 2009, after our last visit to the city.

I'm including just a couple of the shots I took of the jaw dropping houses on St. Charles and throughout the Garden District.  We also took a quick look at Loyola and Tulane, two colleges we intend to give a proper visit before we leave.

Apparently Chef Nathaniel Zimet, a North Carolina native, who worked at Commander's Palace and Stella! before opening his own spot,  returned to New Orleans after Katrina.  He wanted to help restore the city he loved.  First he started operating a gourmet food truck (which he still sends out each weekend), then he opened Boucherie, which I cannot recommend highly enough.  Not only is the food interesting (after we had been served a complimentary mystery appetizer, which our waitress identified for us, Daniel leaned over and whispered to me, "any chance they'll bring us more drum?"), but no dish is priced over $15.00!!!  I'll include a link to the menu in case you find that as hard to believe as I did - http://www.boucherie-nola.com/.  We topped our delicious meal off with - get this - Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding.   No description can possibly do it justice.  My off the charts response caused Dana to suggest I change the name of my blog to "Amber Waves of Bread Pudding."  I'm seriously considering it. ;) 

As we dined, we couldn't help but notice a blackboard announcing a benefit for Nathaniel Zimet.  When we inquired, our waitress told us that he had been shot twice in an armed robbery after returning home at  5:00 a.m. from an all-nighter preparing food for the Bayou Boogaloo Festival.  He is expected to make a full recovery, but seeing (and, more accurately, reading) how this community has come together to help the uninsured Zimet cover some of his staggering medical bills, is a reminder of both the worst (the shooting!) and the best (that community spirit that brought Zimet back to NO in the first place) that is New Orleans. 

Still... the story certainly gave me pause about taking more than a cursory glance at Loyola and Tulane.