Being Tourists in the Big Easy

Club Stanley

One of the best parts about living in Jackson, is getting out of town. Meaning rather, the close proximity to New Orleans.

A flight from Kansas City costs half as much, which is why my mom and I met in the Big Easy instead of Mississippi for a weekend getaway.

It was nice to spend time together and be camera happy tourists. We browsed the French Market, ate beignets at Cafe du Monde, listened to music at Preservation Jazz Hall, people watched on Bourbon, went on a Honey Island swamp tour and shopped on Magazine Street.

The best part was, since my mom cares about food as much as Oprah worries about money (they don’t), I was solely responsible for picking restaurants. This was the line-up:

• Saturday we had lunch at Stanley’s, gelato at La Divinia Gelateria, drinks at the Carousel Bar and dinner at Landry’s Seafood.
• Sunday began with beignets at Cafe du Monde, praline samples at the French Market, pizza at Slice and dessert at Sucre.
• Monday morning we had coffee at the Orange Couch and lunch at Camellia Grill.

Stanley Restaurant
Perched on a corner of Jackson Square, Stanley Restaurant is a great option among the throng of eateries centrally located in the quarter. Natural light spills in from two walls of tall windows, giving the interior a bright and airy atmosphere. Luckily since it was late afternoon we walked right in, were seated immediately, and a Gabe Kaplan look-alike (Welcome Back, Kotter) was our server.

Not wanting to tote around leftovers, we decided to share the Club Stanley sandwich and an order of french fries. The club was stacked with grilled chicken, ham, bacon, Swiss cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. A layer of pesto dressing was slathered on golden brown french bread. It was warm, toasty and full of complimentary flavors. The french fries were hot and crispy, a perfect side. My mom enjoyed a $12 Bloody Mary, but I saved room for dessert.

Their menu proudly boasts of their house made frozen treats, so I took the bait and ordered a waffle cone with Blueberry Cheesecake ice cream. The cheesecake essence was muted and it mostly tasted of blueberries, so next time I would try the Bananas Foster flavor or a sundae.

Stanley’s is well known for twists on Eggs Benedict, but you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu. Serious Eats has article on breakfast at Stanley’s.

La Divina Gelateria
Exiting Stanley’s five minutes hadn’t passed by before we stumbled upon La Divina Gelateria. Such is the culinary landscape in New Orleans, alluring food at every turn.

Being a foodie with a cavernous stomach, I pressed on despite having just consumed an ice cream cone. (Besides, gelato and ice cream are vastly different). Almost succumbing to fresh Louisiana strawberries and cream, I showed traces of restraint by ordering a due gusti cup which is positively tiny.

One flavor sounded better than the next, so after deep consideration I selected Pistachio and Dark Chocolate (70% Valrhona). Each flavor was so intense that four ounces was plenty. La Divina’s gelato made Stanley’s ice cream a distant memory.

Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleone
At the office whenever New Orleans is mentioned, one of my friends sighs and wistfully laments about the Carousel Bar, wishing she was there that very moment. Her complete adoration sparked my curiosity.

Situated inside the Hotel Monteleone, the Carousel Bar is exactly what it sounds like, a carousel turned into a bar (sans oscillating horses). The center bar and seated stool area circling the perimeter slowly rotate counter clockwise. It’s just enough motion for a sober person to feel tipsy.

Having never been, we went for one Bloody Mary which was surprisingly reasonably priced. Some consider it too much of a gimmick and nothing extraordinary, but it’s worth sitting down for one drink.

Landry’s Seafood
I’m reluctant to admit that we ate dinner at Landry’s Seafood, but I can’t deny the truth. Unbeknownst to me, it turns out Landry’s is a chain (ack!). In search of seafood on our way to Preservation Jazz Hall, we took off down Decauter and found Laundry’s on the corner of St. Peters.

We hungrily requested french bread (otherwise you don’t get any) and started with the Shrimp Cocktail appetizer. The shrimp suspiciously firm and probably previously frozen, but the main disappointment was there were only five. For entrees my mom splurged and ordered Shrimp Scampi, while I went with the Tilapia topped with crab meat and scallops.

Prior to our meals, a waiter tossed salad in dressing table-side which seemed somewhat unnecessary. The house honey mustard dressing was cloyingly sweet and I couldn’t force down more than a couple bites. All the better because the fish dish was huge! The tilapia was lightly breaded and fried, the sauce needed a dash of salt, the amount of seafood in the topping was satisfactory, and I enjoyed it overall. I didn’t try the shrimp scampi.

Landry’s Seafood is definitely not at the top of my list, but in a pinch it made my mom and I happy.

Stanley Restaurant
547 Saint Ann Street
New Orleans, LA 70116
Phone 504-587-0093
http://stanleyrestaurant.com

La Divina Gelateria: French Quarter
621 St. Peter Street
New Orleans, LA 70116
Phone 504-302-2692
www.ladivinagelateria.com

Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleone
214 Royal Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
Phone 504-523-3341
http://hotelmonteleone.com/dining-entertainment

Landry’s Seafood
400 N. Peters St.
New Orleans, LA  70130
Phone 504-558-0038
www.landrysseafood.com