What I Ate in New Orleans | Chicago Loves Panini

A song in the distance, piercing blue sky, a sunset sticky and sweet: It’s Louisiana, New Orleans, and vacation time 🙂

My recent trip to New Orleans to cover the Americas selection for the Pastry World Cup and the Bocuse d’Or delivered a carousel of emotions unlike anything I had experienced before. Maybe it was the effect of the stifling heat. Maybe it was my excitement upon taking a long cross-country trip after a very long (too long?) break. Perhaps it was the realization of the incredible sightseeing opportunities unfolding before my eyes, minute by minute.

My family and I decided to turn this into a week-long trip, and it was a great idea. Sure, the plane would have brought us to our destination a lot faster, but why miss on the spectacular sights and sounds of the trip, the majesty of the sky and the vegetation, the goodness of the moments spent with my loved ones? 🙂

We drove for two days, with an overnight stop at a Super 8 motel in Arkansas.

As we approached New Orleans around 3pm on day 2, our eyes got bigger and bigger upon our first encounter with the iconic local swamps. Indeed, Louisiana’s swamp lands “hold a special place in Louisiana culture. These marshlands are an extremely important ecosystem within the land and Cajun and Native American Indians have been living in harmony with these lands for centuries.”

We also had a great time doing some on-the-spot research upon driving on the Manchac Swamp Bridge, “the longest bridge in the world built on water,” that spreads 22.8 miles over the Manchac Swamp and makes up one-third of Interstate 55.

I had never heard of this bridge before, and I was amazed to learn about its history. As stated online, “The first bridge, constructed in 1976, collapsed and was reconstructed and opened in 1979 for highway traffic. The National Transportation Safety Board report stated that the collapse was due to inadequate weight capacity caused by a design error.”

At the end of day 2, we were tired and ready to check in at the New Orleans hotel we had booked. The heat was almost unbearable!

The next few days were spent by me at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center covering the Americas selection for the Pastry World Cup and the Bocuse d’Or, and by my family checking out the local attractions.

We reunited in the afternoon for early dinners and pic taking opportunities. For this reason, all of my pics were taken with low light 🙂

Dat Dog

Speaking of low light pics, lol, one afternoon we checked out one of the Dat Dog locations, which had been recommended to us as the best place to taste alligator sausage.

Founded in 2011, Dat Dog “has grown from a single 475 square foot hot dog stand into a critically-acclaimed culinary institution with a devoted following and delightfully offbeat vibes. Eclectic and colorful, Dat Dog elevates the humble hot dog to a work of art, serving a wide variety of unique toppings and gourmet sausages, chicken, fish, burgers, award-winning French fries, premium spirits, daiquiris and local craft beers.”

We bought a variety of hotdogs, a nice mix of meat-based and vegan dogs.

The hotdogs were delicious and very creative – I just loved the variety of toppings! As the day turned into night, we got some of the dogs “to go,” to eat in our hotel room. The alligator dog tasted similar to beef to me, but I have read online reviews that state that it tastes like chicken. Either way, it was fresh and very satisfying at the end of a busy day.

Café Du Monde

No visit to New Orleans is complete without a stop for beignets and café au lait at Café Du Monde, an iconic New Orleans destination since 1862. We stopped several times, as a matter of fact 🙂

Beignets are deep-fried square pastries that are usually served in sets of three, with a generous dusting of powdered sugar. Beignets were declared Louisiana’s official state doughnut in 1986, and they are celebrated at the Beignet Fest held in New Orleans every year.

“In the 17th century, French settlers brought beignets with them as they migrated to the eastern coast of Canada, to a region called Acadia. When the British took control of the region a hundred years later, thousands of Acadians endured a forced migration, with many Acadians settled in Louisiana where their descendants became known as Cajuns. Acadians brought their cuisine and their language with them as they migrated south.”

I ate the beignets with my phone, my pants, and my bright red shirt, all quickly covered in abundant powdered sugar, the fluffy fried goodness washed down with a cup of café au lait (a blend of coffee & chicory mixed with hot milk)

Who can resist a magical snow of powdered sugar on a hot summer afternoon? The clothes will be washed, while the memories will last a lifetime 🙂

The Creole Creamery

Our final dessert shop stop was at The Creole Creamery to sample some of their creamy, dreamy icy treats.

Creole Creamery “is an old-school style, traditional American ice cream parlor that has been a staple in New Orleans for years. Creole Creamery makes its artisan ice creams and sorbets in-house every day (…) Since Creole Creamery knows it may be too hard to pick just one, the menu offers a four-scoop mini sampler so customers can pick different flavors to taste! The menu also offers classic milkshakes, ice cream floats, and banana split sundaes.”

Boasting an impressive mélange of classic flavors, seasonal favorites, and innovative treats, the Creole Creamery menu was a dream come true for me, my sweet tooth, and the ever-so-excited members of my family 🙂

We chose a Classic Sundae and a Creole Strawberry, the latter with fresh strawberries served over cream cheese ice cream, topped with whipped cream, a cherry, and a wafer.

I was curious to try cream cheese ice cream, and my expectations were fulfilled in the most delicious way possible. I loved the smooth slight tanginess of the ice cream complemented by the freshness of the berries and the crispy yummilicious wafer, melting away in the gorgeous afternoon light. Actually, this is one of the memories of our trip I cherish the most.

Each moment counts, and there were plenty of sweet moments in New Orleans, eating sweet treats with the beloved sweet people in my life. Thank you for the memories, New Orleans! We hope to return soon 🙂

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