bar

A French 75 at French 75

The French 75 at French 75

When all else fails, have a cocktail.

If the city of New Orleans ever needed a new tagline, that could be a strong contender. Appropriate for a place where there are daiquiri bars with drive-thru windows. A city known for it’s passion of the never-ending party has an equally impressive number of bars, restaurants and signature drinks to indulge in.

Ever striving for the quintessential experience, I try and hit Crescent City landmarks on every annual trip with my mom. Thanks to the He Said/She Said NOLA blog, I can now cross #30 off the Only in New Orleans: The 100 Essential Experiences list.

Following a long day of shopping on Magazine street, po’boys at Parasols and a heart wrenching Saints football game at Pat O’Briens, we were dragging our feet but didn’t quite want to call it a day just yet. Meandering away from the loud, neon noise of Bourbon street we ducked down a dark street in search of a cocktail.

Adjacent to Arnaud’s restaurant, French 75 bar is the perfect quiet side-stop to sip on it’s namesake drink, the French 75. Having no knowledge of the actual ingredients,  it includes champagne which is all I needed to hear. It was delightful, bubbly and just sweet enough topped by a twist of lemon.

There are two window tables, mirrors lining the walls and a very polished, classy bar feel. We slowly savored our drinks with a cone of salty, warm gougères. The cocktails aren’t cheap, but in lieu of a beer on Bourbon I’d take a French 75 at French 75 any day.

To learn more about the French 75 cocktail, read the articles below:

• French 75 history and recipe: Esquire
• French 75, a little history and basic recipe: Gourmet magazine
• French 75 recipe: Epicurious

French 75
next to Arnaud’s restaurant
813 Rue Bienvilles
New Orleans, LA 70112
Phone 504-523-5433
http://www.arnaudsrestaurant.com/french-75/

Georgia Blue

Mahi Sandwich

Memphis is a long way to go for lunch.

When I say Memphis it really means Madison, and when I say lunch it really means a Mahi sandwich. Madison feels so far away that you may as well be going to Memphis. (I may be exaggerating.) Two friends had been raving about this particular sandwich at Georgia Blue for so long, I needed to get my hands on it as soon as possible.

My friends and I broke free for lunch one day, jumped on I-55 north and veered off on highway 463. Georgia Blue is in a strip mall which conjured up images of glorified bar food, heavy on the burgers. Instead it’s a fairly laid back, comfortable atmosphere serving a range of dishes with a Southern twist.

We stepped into a bustling dining room and slid into a booth near the stage (on the weekends they have live music). Although I didn’t need to look at the menu, I surveyed the options and was nearly distracted from my  mission by a plate of Chicken and Dumplings passing by.

Keeping in Southern tradition, they offer blue plate specials every day except Saturday which includes a meat, three vegetables, bread and drink for $10 during the week, $15 on Sundays.

Sticking to the task at hand, I ordered the Mahi sandwich with home-style french fries. My friends got the same thing but choose the hand cut sweet potato fries and the house made potato chips. Thankfully they were willing to share, so I got to taste all three starchy sides.

The sandwiches were delivered in baskets molded out of license plates, laid on Georgia Blue liners and we ate on a Georgia Blue branded table. The mahi was thick and nicely grilled. It was a tad dry which was masked by the creamy avocado and remoulade sauce, I asked for extra on the side. The french fries were nothing new, the sweet potato fries (similar to Walker’s) were great, and the real winner were the thick, crispy chips.

I’d like to try one of those blue plates, the Gorgonzola Chips or their version of Shrimp and Grits. Between the variety of options, drink specials and entertainment on the weekends, it would be easy to make Georgia Blue your regular neighborhood haunt. This was no ordinary bar food and a whole heck of a lot closer than Georgia, or Memphis for that matter.

Georgia Blue
111 Colony Crossing, Suite 130
Madison, MS 39110
Phone 601-898-3330

http://www.georgiablue.net