NOLA Trip Report: Amazing Food and Service

[danieli10]

Just wanted to say Thank you to the entire C-hound community for truly helping out with all the great information, recs, opinions, insider info, etc. It made for a fabulous trip and not one single bad meal the whole time.

Thursday - Free breakie in the hotel. Solid. Lunch - ACME. Both the raw and charbroiled/grilled oysters were excellent. Really fresh. My group ordered well. The fried shrimp/oyster poboy was excellent. The gumbo, jambalalaya, red beans, sausage combo hit the spot. We had better gumbos later in the trip, but as a first shot out, it was still solid. A surprise favorite was the soup of the day, a crab and corn chowder in a nice fresh bread bowl. Perfect consistency and fresh crabmeat in every bite. Washed down with Abita amber - a great way to start a FQ walking tour.

Dinner - Brigtsen's. Overall, a wonderful meal, consistent, delicious, and supported by excellent service and a really warm atmosphere. We felt right at home in the converted house. The shrimp bisque was delicious with flavors of both main ingredients coming through. The shrimp roumalade and mustard & cornmeal crusted catfish were nice apps. The catfish didn't need much to support it as it was cooked perfectly and very fresh. The mains were all good, especially the recommended duck and combo plate. Deserts were excellent. I'm a pecan pie lover and this one was spot on. The chocolate cake was the only disappointment as it was a little dry. No other complaints and I would certainly return and recommend Brigtsen's again.

Friday - Lunch was another late one as my buddy and I golfed both Friday and Thursday morning. We hit Magazine Poboys on our way down Magazine Street. The roast beef poboy was really good, with the requisite 20 napkins each. We also tried the pastrami poboy and it was flat out delicious, totally hit the spot. Magazine is a fun street to walk and shop, etc. I highly recommend it for a nice afternoon. We stopped in at Sucre for some amazing sweets and gelato. Best cookies and cream gelato I've ever had. The macaroons and peppermint patties were good too. The people watching and desert watching were both super.

Dinner was a very interesting and rewarding night. We chose Emeril's with much debate and deliberation. Cocktails were ok, I think the bartender wasn't really into it as the martinis needed more shaking... The apps, on the other hand shined bright and were the stars of the meal. The colorado baby lamb spareribs were outrageously good. Unreal. The baby artichoke and scallop small plate was delicious with two aiolis for dipping and the abita braised bacon salad was the best salad of the trip by far. The bbq shrimp was as good as advertised. The entrees weren't as remarkably. The double cut pork chop was the best of the bunch. One of our group had the hangar steak and it was not a good choice. The meat was flavorless and not prepared well. The deserts also fell felt. I expected the signature banana pie to be a lot taller, fuller, etc. But, my SO felt her homemade banana cream pie was better. The service, however, was outstanding and we truly enjoyed our meal and our time with our friends. The time seemed to fly by.

Saturday - Commander's Palace brunch. I'm pretty much speechless as it was an amazing experience. The jazz was good, the service superb and the bloody mary's spectacular. The 1+1+1+ soups was a solid starter. I really loved the gumbo and they had a special carrot soup in honor of Easter that stole the show. I liked the turtle soup, but there was an odd acidity that I didn't like as I had more of it. The tomato salad was excellent and my buddy's oyster dome was interesting, albeit, in the end I didn't love the overall dish. Perhaps absinthe isn't my thing. The main dishes were good, with the star being the duck pancake craziness. Deserts were beyond spectacular and a definite highlight of the trip. The cheesecake was stellar and my friend could not get enough. I went a little nuts on the sundae as it was a chocoholic's dream. My SO refused to give up the strawberry shortcake as it is one of her favs and it was excecuted beautifully. The breadpudding souffle was an experience and I don't think I've ever tasted such a light and delicious version of bread pudding. A wonderful experience to say the least.

As for dinner, we didn't think we could get any better, and yet Irene's blew us away. It was flat out fabulous and the best overall meal of the trip from start to finish. Service was, again, flawless. The meatball app was to die for. The spinach and ricotta ravioli fantastic, and the gratin a fun way to kill the hunger pains and ease down the first few excellent cocktails. My SO's canneloni was perfection and I loved my perfectly cooked filet with gorgonzola risotta. I hadn't eaten red meat on the trip yet, so the filet was a good way to get my red meat fix. It came with roasted peppers and goat cheese on top. The veal marsalla was melt in the mouth good and my buddy's fettucine with mussels the best I've tasted. Mussels were fresh and sweet and plenty of them, not the usual handful. We didn't think desert would match C. Palace, and it didn't, but an excellent tiramisu and suprisingly good creme brulee finished the meal well. The atmosphere and piano player added to the whole. I will definitely return to Irene's as there were other dishes I'd love to try.

Again, thanks to all and more importantly to the great city of New Orleans and all the nice people there. We will be back, hopefully sooner than later.

[designwise]

Having just left New Orleans after 7 years, I am so pleased to here of your great experiences. You hit some great ones, Brigtsens is avery comfortable place with great service and food, next time your in go to Jaqamoes and you will have the same great experience in a local favorite. I find it a bit tight at Emerils, my wife and I entertain friends from out of town and always feel the staff brushing up againts our chairs.