New York foodie coming to NOLA for MLK weekend

[t19103]

Original message disappeared so pardon me....

Friday night late- near Hilton Garden Inn on Gravier street. Anything open with food and entertainment within walking distance after midnight?

Breakfast- I need three breakfasts- Sat, Sun, Mon.
Beignets and chicory coffee at Cafe Du Monde? A jazz brunch somewhere?

Lunch- Would like to try Antoines and the Commander's palace for lunch since my friend is not into spending a ton of money on food. Are they good for lunch?

What are great street foods and local foods that I should not miss? Mufuletta? Gateau de sirop? French bread float? Bananas foster? Pain Perdu? Do locals really eat these things?

Are there any carnival foods that will be found at events. I will be there the 15th to the 18th of January so it will be early in the Carnival season but I hope that some activities will have started.

With a trip this short I only want to have food that I can only get in Louisiana. It should be authentic and good. Please make any suggestions.

Now here is the hardest question- What are the best kosher entrees? I don't mean "certified by a rabbi" kosher I just mean "biblical kosher" e.g. no crawfish, no pork sausages, no shrimp, etc.

Thanks!

[roro1831]

You will be a little too early for any Mardi Gras parades, although there is one in Slidell on the 17th, the Krewe of Claude.
Yes locals eat all of those things, do you think we would only let tourists eat the good stuff?
As far as street food, we do not have the street trucks like up in NYC, at least not in the quantity and mostly it's mexican food, and the Lucky Dog in the Quarter.
I can't speak of kosher foods.

[Hungry Celeste]

Sorry to let you know that the best only-in-Louisiana foods are most emphatically NOT kosher, although Cafe du Monde's beignets are rabbinically kosher.

Gateau de sirop is a Cajun home-cooking thing, you're not gonna find it in NOLA.

[kukubura]

Commander's shines at lunch. Don't hesitate to go.

[radman123]

this post may help you decide:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/628556

[swyeoh]

Hi t19103

If you find you like beignets after your Cafe du Monde experience, I recommend trying Cafe Beignet one morning for a comparison. They're not open 24 hours and have less frenetic atmosphere, but their beignets are subtly different while remaining an excellent yeasty/greasy/slightly caramelised delight. I guarantee it will be an interesting empirical experiment.

Also you can pick up their brochures around tourist offices which entitle you to a free cafe au lait. (Reason: they're not that good :P)

[kukubura]

Yeah, their coffee is gross.