Commander's Palace

A New Orleans institution for well over 100 years, Commander's Palace has been on my list of places to go before departing the city. Sara's mom made the bucket list item a treat of hers this past week with lunch reservations! 

I did not snap any photos of my lunch (this was a fancy place!) but I can assure you everything was delicious! 

I had been strongly advised to try the Turtle Soup so I gave it a go. It wasn't anything that I will be dreaming of in the future, but it was not bad at all either. My best description would be that it was more watery than chili but has a similar profile of tomatoes, onions, and herbs. The turtle meat was white and ground up like turkey or beef would be. I can't say that it had a distinct flavor that made it stand out from the other ingredients. The waiter tops the dish with a swirl of aged sherry at the table.

For my main course I had the red fish with "a warm salad of roasted cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, local tomatoes, baby roots, and grilled kale with herb vinaigrette and compound chili oil". Very good! Light yet filling. 

Dessert was Ponchatoula Strawberry Shortcake. OMG...I could have licked the plate if 1) I wasn't already super full and 2) I wasn't in a public place. "Local strawberries marinated in Louisiana sugarcane with a fluffy buttermilk biscuit, powdered sugar and Chantilly cream" Wow! Everyone raves about the Creole Bread Pudding Souffle, which I tried a bite of since Susan & Sara both got that, but I couldn't resist the sweet strawberries knowing that they are in season now in southern LA!

A picture of the ladies :)

 Sara & me | Sara & her mom

Another thing they are known for, besides the Turtle Soup and Creole Bread Pudding Souffle, is their 25 cent martinis! I had a Cosmopolitan and the Commander's which was a blue citrus concoction. Can't beat that price!!

I am so thankful that I was able to experience this famous restaurant, it was most certainly a lovely treat!

All The Food

As I meet up with people to say "see ya later" I have been integrating my farewells with some of my favorite places to eat too! Two birds, one stone sort of thing. Behold my most recent outings:

Sara, Kenneth and I ate at District Donut where I savored their cheeseburger slider...so good! We caught up on the Serial podcast, Apple v. FBI, and other worldly matters.

Pi Day (3.14) brought Sara and I to Noodle & Pie where I enjoyed a slice of lemongrass buttermilk pie! 

Dale Cooper (Twin Peaks) ordering some of his favorite Cherry Pie.

Bacos from Ba Chi Canteen are so very yummy! Sara, Jackie & I had lunch one day and enjoyed many slider-meets-taco-meets-Vietnamese-flavor style treats. 

Happy Hour at Superior Grill with Sucre ladies means half priced frozen strawberry margaritas & Mexican food! 

My fellow cheeseburger fanatic, Laura Theriot and I met at Company Burger to catch up over greasy food. So many tots!

I made the drive out to the East to Dong Phuong for the best banh mi in the Greater New Orleans area! #4 will always be my favorite :)

There are still a few more places to go before I hit the road. New Orleans does not lack for good food!

Katie's Chocolate Club: March

Sara discovered Chocolatier Blue for me after I told her that I realized most of my monthly indulgences were coming from the east coast. Based out of Berkley, California, this chocolate shop rotates its flavors seasonally. The selection available to me featured a lot of breakfast inspired bon bons as well as some more classic pairings. 

The UPS guy left the box at the side door of the house without any notification, so I was unaware the package arrived and it sat outside in the rain over night. Despite the outside box being soaked, the inside, chocolate-filled box was not harmed at all: thank goodness!

I went with a simple note to myself this month since I am finally making the move from New Orleans back to Virginia. It serves as a nice little reminder...

Oooo! Aaaaa! Check out these bright beauties in their fun shapes!

ROW #1

Cookies & Cream: oreos are ground up and blended into Straus organic cream, organic butter, and white chocolate

Passion Fruit Caramel: fresh tangy New Zealand passion fruit juice is made into dark caramel with a Solstice dark chocolate shell

Tequila Sunrise: fresh squeezed orange juice is mixed with tequila and grenadine in a ganache filling

75% Dark Chocolate: single origin Solstice Madagascar dark chocolate is blended with Straus organic cream and butter

Chili: crushed red pepper flakes are steeped in Straus organic cream, organic butter, and Solstice Madagascar chocolate

Espresso: local Flying Goat Coffee is steeped in fresh-farm Straus cream with organic butter and Solstice Madagascar chocolate

ROW #2

Banana: ripe bananas are blended into a rich caramel with Straus cream and butter

Chai Tea: Mighty Leaf Bombay Chai tea with black tea and spicy aromatics is steeped in fresh-farm cream

Hazelnut: award-winning Ennis hazelnuts from Holmquist farm are freshly ground with fleur de sel salt

Maple Syrup: true Vermont grade A maple syrup is added to Straus cream and organic butter in a white chocolate filling

Fruit Loops: flavors of fruit loop cereal is made into a milky white chocolate filling with Straus organic cream

Grapefruit Mimosa: fresh local ruby red grapefruit juice is added to champagne in a white chocolate filling with Solstice dark chocolate

ROW #3

Grapefruit with Rosemary: fresh local rosemary sprigs are used in a caramel made with fresh-squeezed organic ruby red grapefruits

Vanilla Rum: fresh Madagascar vanilla beans are cut open then added to dark rum, Straus organic cream, organic butter, and white chocolate

Sage Honey: wild California sage honey from Gipson's Golden is blended with Straus organic cream and butter

Peanut Butter & Strawberry Jam: smoothly ground peanut butter with fleur de sel salt is layered with house-made organic strawberry jam

Pistachio: true Sicilian pistachios from Bronte are slowly roasted and mixed with organic Straus cream and butter

Lemon: fresh local lemon zest and juice is mixed with Straus organic cream and butter

ROW #4

Blueberry Muffin: a layer of fresh blueberry compote and vanilla muffin in a white chocolate filling

Mint: fresh market mint leaves are steeped in Straus organic cream and blended with organic butter and a touch of salt

Toast: a rich toasted flavor with Straus cream, organic butter, and white chocolate filling

Lemon Poppyseed Muffin: fresh lemon and poppyseed muffins are blended into a white chocolate filling

Coffee & Donuts: Flying Goat coffee is steeped in Straus cream and blended into a filling with fresh donuts

English Breakfast Tea: a malt smooth Mighty Leaf Breakfast Tea is steeped in fresh-farm Straus cream

ROW #5

Caramel: a dark rich caramel with a trace of fleur de sel salt from Camargue and Straus organic cream and butter

Tangerine: fresh local tangerines are juiced with Straus cream and organic butter, then blended with Solstice chocolate

75% Dark Chocolate: single origin Solstice Madagascar dark chocolate is blended with Straus organic cream and butter

Tequila Sunrise: fresh squeezed orange juice is mixed with tequila and grenadine in a ganache filling

Passion Fruit Caramel: fresh tangy New Zealand passion fruit juice is made into dark caramel with a Solstice dark chocolate shell

Cookies & Cream: oreos are ground up and blended into Straus organic cream, organic butter, and white chocolate

The winners for me were Vanilla Rum, Blueberry Muffin and Tequila Sunrise, though there were no real losers in this group. Those three had strong flavoring and I feel confident in stating that I like vanilla and chocolate together. Very sweet! I will keep their website handy to check back and see what other interesting combinations they roll out over the year!

*all names/descriptions were copied directly from the guides provided with the collection.

Tyler Turns 24

Last Saturday Brie threw Tyler a surprise 24th birthday party (after his original camping trip plans were rained out)!! It was a lot of fun tricking him into coming to his friend's house where we were all waiting! On a whim I made a bunch of Jell-O shots with things I had at the house. They turned out STRONG! But Butterscotch moonshine with King Cake soda is rather delightful! 

After blowing out the candles and socializing for a bit, we made our way to Mimi's in the Marigny for pool and darts, then ended the night at Kajun's Pub for karaoke!

Me, Sara & Brie waiting for the birthday boy to show up for his surprise party!

Tyler huffing and puffing to blow those candles out!

Jell-O shots!

 Candid moment: Brie & Tyler

 

Good ol' bathroom wall wisdom at Mimi's: people write some truly absurd things on the walls of bars!

Brie, me and Sara at Kajun's

Tyler squeezing in with the gals!

China Lights

City Park is hosting a really cool light exhibit + entertainment show in the Botanical Garden right now called China Lights. Brie, Sara and I wandered around and took in the circus-like performance (minus animals) for nearly two hours the other week. It is open during the day and in the evening, and while I am sure it is beautiful either way, the black night sky made for a great backdrop to all of the colorful lanterns and figurines!

In the tent where the live entertainment occurs they are serving food, including this delicious deep fried s'mores egg roll! Oh yeah!

 A very visually fascinating set-up that can be appreciated by all age groups :)