To Hell With Wine ... At Least For The Weekend

Long weekend in "N'awlins" - a bottle of Moet as we got on the plane at LGA - checked into a charming B&B - headed out for dinner in the Big Easy -

Determined to find the "locals" - first stop was Mandina's Restaurant - Maki opted for a Sidecar - I surveyed the bourbons - whereupon Randy - the bartender for 19 years - proffered his take on the Sazerac - "if you don't like it - its on me" - rye - sugar - bitters - lemon peel - variations and percentages -  a closely guarded secret -

It was downhill from there -

Mandina's was a hoot - lots of food - Joy - the waitress was our guide - Turtle Soup au Sherry - Oyster and Artichoke Soup - Crab Fingers in Wine Sauce - Fried Calamari, Fried shrimp, Fried oysters and Italian sausage - Creole Mustard - Remoulade Sauce - All Cash - Another round of Sidecars and Sazeracs - Please -

Off to Bourbon Street - too many people - too many bars - too many mediocre bands - all too loud - we wandering into one - the bartenderess was picking three bottle beers at a clip - holding them tight to her chest - reaching behind - she grabbed a flat bottle opener - in a smooth motion popping the caps - bottle opener back in the backside - serve the beer - reach for the tip - asked for a Sidecar - what's that - asked for a Sazerac - whats that - it was going to be a straight bourbon night - Makers Mark - Knob Creek - To Go cups - we were out of there -

Kept moving down Bourbon Street - finally opting for a cab and the seemingly endless journey to Vaughn's Lounge -

In the middle of nowhere - one of these bars you think twice about walking into - Maki did a Makers - I went with IF Weller - tab per round ?? - Eight Dollars !!!

'bout midnight - Kermit Ruffin - trumpet - with friends on sax - trombone - trumpet - drums - keyboards - even with more Makers - way to load for Maki - I was in heaven - she fled to the out-of-doors - I kept with the Weller and grooved to the set -

Finally turning around to reunite with my loved one - Carmen !!! - Mr. Communications of the Wine Industry - Its A Small World - Very Small -

Split Vaughn's at about 2 AM or maybe 3 AM -

Day two - lunch at Elizabeth's Restaurant - awesome breakfast - lunch - brunch - bloody marys to serve as hair-of-the-dog - praline bacon - from Mars - I want to go !!!

Back to town - walked the outdoor market - boiled peanuts - praline's in every variety - stopped at a liquor store on Royal street - white zin for a lazy sip outside of the B&B - time for a nap - perfect -

Dinner at Brigtsen's - Sweetbreads - Crawfish Gratin - Blackened Tuna - Sidecars - Sazeracs - this is a place to seek out - set in an old house - are there any new houses in New Orleans ?? - service was low-key -  gracious -  perfect - food was totally memorable - price of the entire event was under $100 - only regret was that Frank Brigtsen - James Beard Award Winner -  has not written a cook book -

Back downtown - Bombay Club - flashback to the '80's - 100 Martinis - the menu was protected by GPS - music was only OK - crowd was 2005 version of the leisure suit - we moved on -

Napoleon House Bar - old - old bar - Phil - a classic bartender - filled us in on the Bar's lore - and the ins and outs of the liquor industry in Louisiana - right down to the local liquor distributor lobbying successfully to make Louisiana distilled liquor the only liquor that an occupy the bar well (bottom shelf - speed rack ) in a Louisiana bar - must be a relative of our own Robert Moses -

Saturday was a lazy sleep in - wandered over to the St. Charles Tavern - if you;ve ever wandered Manhattan's Upper West Side - caught NYPD Blue - Law & Order - think the P&G Bar on 73rd - outside the St. Charles were three EMS vehicles - a few police cars - it was where the locals got breakfast - and it was good -

Crawfish Etouffee Omelettes - strong coffee - I asked for seltzer to re-hydrate - inhaled the glass - asked for another - apparently without a poker face - as the waitress offered "bitters" to add to the club - hauled it all back to the B&B - wonderful breakfast -

Went off to buy a bottle of wine as a house gift for the evenings party - the place to go - via Trolley - Martin's Wine Cellar - "in a bad neighborhood" - a fortress like structure - surrounded by run down blocks - sort of a cross between Zabars and Astor Wine - a lot of people buying wine - as the family settles into a table - retreating to the wine service counter for decanting - a few crystal glasses - great way to eat and drink - lots of stuff to sample -

Quick trip to quick food - Voodoo BBQ - across from St. Charles Tavern - slightly fast foodish - great pulled pork - big sandwich - would have liked a bit more spice - but the table sauces brought it up to speed - good - not a destination -

Glen and Lisa's house for the house warming - I don't want to know how much he sunk into this project - which included "raising" the whole structure 18" - end result is magnificent -

Can't be an early bird - back downtown -

Spotted Cat - Heard about this from a "guest" sax player wit Kermit - ended up inside as we looked for some "not quite so loud" music - walking Frenchman Street with a local architect and his charming wife - the drink of the night was to be Bakers - wonderful bourbon - $5 per drink - the music - Joe "Survival" Caruso - he just played and played - a two hour set of blues - r&r - 65 plus - the man made the guitar sing -   

A bit harder getting up - back to the Irish Channel - Crawfish Boil - high spot on the journey - deserves its own space -

Met up with some friends - joined us for the Crawfish - early afternoon - back to downtown - he insisted on The Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleone - very classically cocktail lounge - the only bar in New Orleans that revolves around the room. Installed in 1949, the 24-seat former Carousel bar turns on 2,000 large steel rollers, pulled by a chain powered by a one-quarter horsepower motor - the crowd was hotel guests - not the hip hop - but the ride around the bar was "a trip" - funky it was not -

Dinner at - Red Fish Grill - the only disappointing meal of the weekend - part of Brennan's - big - brassy - team service - the waiter was pushing the local attractions - the Bourbon St scene - a bit too much - very touristy - although past reviews were right up there -

One saving grace - the only bar in New Orleans serving Sazerac Rye - I thought it was gone forever - what a treat -

Final day - lunch and shopping - Maki want to find THE Voodoo shop - she was successful !!!

Lunch ?? - Acme Oyster - can't visit NO without oysters - Acme was ALIVE - sat at the counter - Freddy was the shucker - a cool dozen - served right on the counter - fresh - fresher - freshest !!! - a taste of rice and beans - a taste of crawfish etouffee - a few fried oyster - ice cold beer - we could do this every day - twice a day -

Time to head to the airport -

I visited New Orleans several times as a single - I called it one of my two 72 hours towns - LV being the other one -

With Maki - I'll call New Orleans my 96 hour town - as I haven't done LV with the wife yet - stay tuned -

Enjoy

HBH

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[christian louboutin]

In June of 1996, chez Domaine du Val des Rois, in Valreas, I tasted a 1969 rose that my host, Romain Bouchard, had made, from Grenache, Syrah, and Gamay, and it was breath-taking! Only very slightly past its prime, but still vivid and precise, and riveting. After which we tasted a Tavel, from...1968--a terrible year--and it was more tired than the Bouchard wine, but amazingly still quite interesting.