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.

"Sweet/Suite" New Orleans

After we bid Mobile farewell, we drove past the many billboards announcing the diverse musicians heading to Biloxi this summer (Wayne Newton! Peter Frampton! Plain White T's! Motley Crue! Wynonna!), then, just two hours later, arrived at the Marriott on Canal Street. As Dana told the kids about our Priceline misadventure many years ago (where I wanted a quaint boutique French Quarter stay, and Dana managed to deposit us in this towering corporate monstrosity), we also fondly remembered how he was able to come out of the dog house when he sweet talked the front desk clerk into upgrading our room. Long story short - the kids were intrigued! :) So... Dana once again worked his magic, and we are now in a fabulous two bedroom suite. The kids opted for the corner room, complete with a dining table for 8 (!), a small living room, and huge windows overlooking the Mississippi river and parts of the French Quarter (though from the 17th floor, so you can't see much) - the real reason for our excitement, other than the fact that we'll be in this space for a full week, while Dana attends his conference, is that we will have a spectacular view for the fireworks this July 4th.

Once we settled into our new French Quarter studio apartment :), we unpacked and played Angry Birds until it was time to take a short walk to Mr. B's Bistro, one of our family's favorites, and one of the few restaurants Dana will deign to repeat. Daniel and I donned our bibs to take on the barbequed shrimp - to understand why bibs are necessary, check out this link:(http://www.mrbsbistro.com/recipes_shrimp.php), while Maddie and Dana chose to be more civilized with their menu choices.

Our after dinner French Quarter stroll was cut short by a spectacular thunderstorm. We managed to duck into a Walgreens to buy some breakfast items and wait out the rain before rushing back to the hotel, where we settled into our "living room" to watch The Voice (Go Vicci! Go Dia!) I snapped some photos from our various windows, as I found the view quite striking (pun intended ;) even in the rain.

As I write this, Dana is off to his first day of workshops, and the kids and I are about to head to Jackson Square and shopping in the Quarter. So far, the sky looks clear. Fingers crossed...

A Tour of the South

That was the plan. Dana was (is?) a little bit skeptical when I proposed a tour through Mississippi and Alabama to surround the week we would spend in New Orleans coinciding with a conference he would attend there. Still... he gave me his blessing to buy "the books," do the research, and make our itinerary.

Yes, we all realized that visiting Mobile, Birmingham, and Montgomery, Alabama, along with Jackson, Mississippi, during the months of June and July, meant that we would be hot, hot, hot. Since the whole trip would end with a week in Orlando to coincide with Young Lit Authors Day, where Maddie hopes to meet the great John Green, avoiding the heat seems to be the last option on this year's summer vacation. We'll have to reflect back on our moments gliding past glaciers in Alaska last year when we need to cool off.

So here we are, in the Battle House Renaissance, a gorgeous old historic hotel in Mobile that very much symbolizes this lovely southern city's desire to become the next Charleston or Savannah. Mobile is far from there, her friendly residents are quick to admit, but they are optimistic. The restoration of this hotel was an important step in the process, as was the creation of the Exploreum, a wonderful science museum, where we whiled away many hours yesterday afternoon, after taking what amounted to a private tour where a transplanted Wisconsonian drove the four of us around in a small van and told us all about the hidden history of this city.

For instance... did you know that Mobile is the original home of Mardi Gras? A group of "Mystics" (the organization of anonymous citizens that runs Mobile's Mardi Gras, which is an 18,000,000 a year business here!) went to New Orleans many, many years ago to give them advice about how to get started. Guess the advice was a little bit TOO good. Our guide explained how Mobile's Mardi Gras starts just after Thanksgiving, with a series of Debutante balls, which will lead to the crowning of the Mardi Gras Queen - and her King, and ends, after many parades and many parties (though far more family friendly, she explained) on Fat Tuesday. As we walked the very quiet downtown streets, noticing the beautiful iron work on the balconies, we would notice the unmistakeable green, purple and gold colors peeking out. Sometimes in bead form, sometimes as a flag, here and there, the evidence of Mobile's proud Mardi Gras tradition can be seen everywhere, if you're looking closely enough.

This morning we head off to New Orleans, where our guide is hoping we will notice architecture that "reminds [us] of Mobile." I can understand her desire. This city, the second oldest settled city in America (just after St. Augustine) has a rich history that I imagine very few people have discovered. Bienville and Iberville (two names I recognized instantly from the streets in New Orleans' French Quarter) discovered Mobile before moving west and, eventually, discovering New Orleans. The streets here also bear their names, along with many of the other French names and architecture a frequent visitor to New Orleans will be quick to recognize. It's ironic, but the residents here don't seem to mind too much. They are friendly and proud and about the best testament to that famous southern hospitality that this visitor could have hoped to have.

With a week ahead in New Orleans, I will likely fill in some more of the details about our brief time in Gainesville and our couple of days in Mobile, but for now I will include photos of the kids playing at the "whispering arch" in our hotel (which is one of the best I've ever experienced!) and of scenic Mobile Bay, then sign off to help the family pack. Until tomorrow....