Blog: Bacon Infused Bourbon Anyone?
Any dermatologist whose appetite is more than skin deep is going to L-O-V-E the American Academy of Dermatology meeting. New Orleans and food. They go together like waffles and fried chicken, praline bacon and stuffed French toast, beignets and chicory coffee.
Although there's no shortage of tables in the Big Easy, reservations could be in short supply with thousands of docs ready to pounce on the city's specialties. So get on the phone, or hit opentable.com, and line up your plan of attack.
Breakfast
Most derms are probably going to hit the AAD's breakfast tables before hitting the morning sessions. But if you just can't take one more muffin-and-coffee meal, consider the following:
Do we really need to talk about Café du Monde? Just do it. It's easy to incorporate into an early-morning jog and the jog back eliminates any guilt (and all calories) about downing two or three sofa-pillow-sized pieces of fried dough (1039 Decatur St.;800-772-2927).
You also might want to hop on the St. Charles Streetcar and head up to the white-colonnaded Camellia Grill. The streetcar ride is a pleasure in itself, a leisurely trip through a grand old neighborhood of enormous moss-draped live oaks, Audubon Park, and some incredible old homes. Get off at Carrollton Ave. and open the door on the past – a long lunch counter served by (mostly) men in white uniforms and bow ties. Banter with the grill cooks and enjoy an enormous plate of eggs, waffles, French toast, or omelets. Since Camellia serves breakfast all day, you can still enjoy the experience at night, with the added bonus of a piece of pecan pie grilled in butter. Or what the heck - just have that pie for breakfast (626 South Carrollton St.; 504-309-2679).
Brunch
Brunch at the Court of Two Sisters in the French Quarter is a frustrating mix of dream-like atmosphere in a vine-draped courtyard, and throngs of hung-over tourists lining up at the trough ... ummm... buffet line. The food is decent, but the courtyard not quite as lovely in February as it is in June and well… it can be a mob scene (613 Royal St.;504-522-7261)
How about a real surprise – something elegant, discreet, and lovely in the racy French Quarter? For about $60, you can listen to soft jazz and blues by The James Rivers Movement and relax in the Roosevelt Hotel's velvety Blue Room For that price, you'll get endless champagne and mimosas, one entrée off the brunch menu (anything from eggs Sardou to prime rib), and access to buffet of gumbo, chilled seafood and a dessert able of mini-pastries, specialty cakes, and bananas Foster flambé tableside. For cool cocktails and hot jazz, check out the hotel's Sazerac Bar, decked out in devilish red velvet for a devilish evening out (123 Baronne St.; 504-648-1200).
Oysters
I know, I know - everyone will say that Acme is THE place to go. But while 50 people are shivering in the outside line, facing an hour wait, you can saunter right across the street to Felix's Restaurant & Oyster Bar, grab a bar stool, and have them shuck you out a dozen crisp, sweet oysters for $10.75. Manager Adrian Zado assured me that Louisiana oysters are still coming in, although the beds around the mouth of the Mississippi remain off-line. "Some were shut down for protection," because authorities didn't know how oily oysters would affect diner safety. Other beds died off when the state released more fresh water into the gulf to try and keep oil offshore. Slip in on a Wednesday from 5 to 10 p.m., and you'll get a free beer (the local Amber Abita is great) with every dozen oysters. Although I like mine with one of those cute demi-bottles of champagne (739 Iberville St.; 504-522-4440).
Lunch and Dinner
Mother's, close to the convention center, is a controversial place. Tourists love it because it's in all the books. Locals come for a few specific things - the roast beef with debris particularly. But mostly it's a long wait in a lunch line, followed by big servings of mediocre food (401 Poydras; 504-523-9656).
Both Antoine's and Galatoire's are old NOLA institutions, these two grand monseiurs of the French Quarter offer a similar experience – a time trip back to the genteel era of ladies with feathery hats and the men who coddled them. Antoine's is the elder brother, established in 1840; Galatoire's a mere 106-year-old. Antoine's is heavily French-influenced; Galatoire's proudly claims "The menu doesn't change." Aficionados of lighter, New American-style cuisine might be disappointed in the presentation and the flavors, but both draw devotees of these classic dishes (Antoine's, 713 Rue Saint Louis, 504-581-4422; Galatoire's, 209 Bourbon St., 504-525-2021).
