Beignets

Oh, those beignets. I wished I had eaten them everyday when we were in New Orleans but would that be asking for trouble? Those deep fried dough sprinkled ever so generously with confectioners sugar are really something. I generally do not like to hype up touristy places and Cafe du Monde certainly does not need any additional hype but dang, those beignets were good.

We arrived at 9:10am on a Friday and saw that there already was a long line. Uh oh. I insisted we wait. Cafe du Monde currently has a whopping 1512 reviews (and counting) on Yelp so that had to mean something. To our surprise, the line moved pretty quickly that morning and in about 15 minutes we were seated. It also helped that Cafe du Monde has a huge seating area. We looked at the menu and they really only serve the famous beignets and trademark coffee. That also explained why the line moved so quickly. With only these items on the menu, there was not much reason to linger at the table after scarfing down those beignets. And who wouldn't scarf down those delicious beignets?

 

The beignets were warm when we bit into them and they were light and fluffy. It was pure deep fried doughy goodness without any heaviness to it. Heavenly.

 

I was still dreaming of beignets on the morning of the day we were supposed to head back to Chicago and I told T that we must have another round of beignets but maybe this time we would find an alternative and skip the line. After doing a little bit of research we headed over to Cafe Beignet only to find that we were every bit wrong about not having to wait in line for beignets. We stood in line patiently like the others to order our food. Unlike Cafe du Monde, this place serves more than just beignets. They have breakfast items and pastries. The line moved slowly but one needs patience for beignets. I can see why some people prefer Cafe Beignet over Cafe du Monde. The former does not have as crazy a hype but surely it is popular enough that we still had to wait in line to order our food. But getting to the bottom of it, beignet is the star here and both places make their beignets a little differently.


Cafe du Monde
Light and fluffy
Puffed up in shape and size
Almost obscene amount of confectioners sugar sprinkled on top

Cafe Beignet
Doughy in texture
Not as puffy and is a little flatter
Relatively less amount of confectioners sugar

I honestly think that the differences aren't a good or bad thing but they reflect the different establishments' own take on beignets. In fact, I would be hard pressed to decide if I liked one better than the other especially when I would definitely return to both places the next time we make a trip to New Orleans again. All I need is patience to stand in line and I will be rewarded with some deep fried dough.


Mmmm, beignets.

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Cafe du Monde
800 Decatur Street
New Orleans, LA 70116

Cafe Beignet
334 Royal Street
New Orleans, LA 70130

All that Jazz at the French Quarter and Faubourg Marigny

The French Quarter really is very charming. It is not difficult to see why and how it embodies the spirit of New Orleans. It's alive day and night but each time of the day with different types of crowd and atmosphere for obvious reasons. No time of the day is more exciting than the other. When the sun is out, art galleries, stores, boutiques, and cafes come alive. Come sundown, the fun and craziness begins on Bourbon Street.

The buildings throughout the French Quarter are striking with the common theme of Victorian-style cast iron railings. There was certainly no shortage of cafes and bars on every street we walked on in the Quarter. While many of the streets can easily be passed off as being similar, they actually each have their own little unique characteristics. We turned from one corner going on to the next street and found ourselves in quite a subtly different setting. Royal Street, best seen during the day, is lined with a multitude of expensive and upscale antique stores, art galleries, and specialty boutiques. Walking past the many antique stores make a good opportunity for window shopping although I am also curious as to how often these stores make a sale given the competition from their neighbors.








There was no lacking in dining and shopping options along Decatur Street during the day and we could easily see how the colorful bars come to live at night.

We probably walked on Chartres Street most often really because our hotel was right around the corner from here. The colonial architecture buildings were each different and unique in their own way. It was not uncommon to spot ceiling fans on many upstairs patios on the second floor which was really interesting given that the patios were outdoors. Perhaps they are needed for the non-breezy summer days in New Orleans. Or maybe I need to get used to the fact that not every city is as windy as Chicago.

Cocktails to go. Only in New Orleans.

Come sundown Bourbon Street turns into a pedestrian-only zone with Mardi Gras-like festivities no matter the time of year. One of the wonderful things about Bourbon Street is that we did not necessarily have to be in New Orleans during Mardi Gras because every night on Bourbon Street feels like Mardi Gras although with a lesser extent of craziness but nevertheless bustling with energy. Mardi Gras may have been recently over but there was still the ritual and tradition of people gathering on balconies throwing colorful beads to people (women, especially) on the street in exchange of bearing their breasts. But really though, these beads throwers are getting nicer and nicer. They still throw you beads and trinkets as long as you raise and flap your arms in the air signaling that you want them too. We did not really see people actually working hard to earn all the colorful beads they draped around their necks. Live jazz bars were everywhere and the music from the different bars were loud enough to escape out onto the streets that we did not necessarily have to be inside any of them to feel the jazzy atmosphere of Bourbon Street. When we had enough drinks for the night, late night eats were everywhere as well. People working for the various strip clubs clamored for patrons and many of them would walk up to us both and say, "No cover charge for you couple!" One of the big differences between the law in Chicago and New Orleans is the alcohol consumption on the street. No surprises here that in New Orleans it is legal for people to carry a beer in hand walking on the street and enjoying the night out. In Chicago, you drink inside and if you cannot finish your drink before you leave, I guess it is too bad for you.

Artists, tarot card readers, and musicians find their comfort spot at Jackson Square. Right outside the park, tarot card readers set up their own little tables, sit on their chairs, and wait for passersby to stop by hoping to get a reading. Artists display their works for people to admire and maybe make a sale. Musicians offer live entertainment to people walking past and maybe some interested passersby will buy the band's CD.

Lovers of jazz will like Faubourg Marigny, an area located right outside the eastern edge of the French Quarter. This hip and bohemian neighborhood has four blocks of live jazz bars and restaurants along Frenchmen Street. On one of our nights there we strayed away from the drunken and tourist atmosphere of Bourbon Street and went to Frenchmen Street. We heard that this was where locals come to enjoy jazz. Many of these bars do not have a cover charge but patrons are encourage to leave a tip for the musicians. The best way to enjoy Frenchmen Street is to stay for a drink at a bar while listening to the music, and then hopping over to the next bar for another drink and for more jazz. As the bars have different types of jazz genre playing at a time, it really was a good option for us to decide the types of jazz we wanted to listen to that night whether for a short while or longer at a certain bar. Some of the popular jazz bars on Frenchmen Street are Spotted Cat, Snug Harbor, and Apple Barrel.

All we needed was good jazz to complete the essence of the true New Orleans experience and it was not difficult to find it.