I always wanted to go to New Orleans but for some reason or another, I never made it there. I obviously was never going to have a reason to go there, so I took matters into my own hands and just booked a trip. While in the process of booking my flight/hotel, I came to realize that Superbowl was being hosted there (I do not watch football) and that pretty much anything Thursday through the weekend was not available or ridiculously priced. Instead of changing my plans altogether, I just decided to modify slightly and leave earlier and come back earlier. So, instead of it being a weekend trip, it ended up being during the week, but its New Orleans, so I am going to have fun regardless!!!
In order for me to make my way to New Orleans, I had to make a short stop in Dallas. Dallas, is another place I have never been, but it was only for a short layover, so I didn't get a chance to leave the airport and explore the city. I was however hungry once we landed and in dire need of something to eat so I had to find something I could grab quickly and stumbled up Reata Grill.
We were in a bit of a time crunch, because our flight was delayed heading into Dallas and our layover time was shortened. As a result of this, we decided to just get the Breakfast Burritos and share it. When it arrived, we were giving two separate plates and we had thought that our server had accidentally given us two orders instead of the one, until we received our bill and saw that we were only charged for one. It was really nice and greatly appreciated that our server had went out of his way to separate the meal for us. The burrito was made with scrambled eggs, crisp Applewood smoked bacon and cheddar cheese inside of a soft flour tortilla. It was served along with breakfast potatoes, salsa and fruits. What you see pictured is actually a half portion so it really is enough to share between two. It was actually pretty good and well worth the price.
Once we finished eating, we finally hopped on our plane to our final destination, The Big Easy. Instead of staying in the typical hotel or directly inside the French Quarter, I found a bed and breakfast type place called Melrose Mansion. It is a very beautiful, old Mansion but with midcentury modern design.
Not only where the grounds and common areas magnificent but the room was just as spectacular. I stayed in a Junior Suite and was extremely satisfied excluding the fact that the bed was next to the door. The staff was incredible also, extremely nice and very helpful.
Shortly after check-in and situating ourselves, we were once again hungry and wanted to grab some lunch so we hit the streets for a stroll and made our way to Stanley Restaurant.
This restaurant didn't live up to expectations. The service left something to be desired, although there also wasn't anything to complain about. I had heard about the food here, but it really wasn't that good. My boyfriend, who made the trip with me, decide to get the "World Famous Stanley Burger". I don't know in what world it is famous; it is just a regular burger that you could have probably gotten almost anywhere.
The same goes for the onion rings too.
I couldn't go to New Orleans without having a po-boy and the Soft-Shell Crab Poor Boy sounded like it was going to be a good one. A Whole Cornmeal-Crusted Soft-Shell Crab, Cole Slaw, Spicy Remoulade and Creole Cocktail Sauce on Toasted French Bread, why wouldn't that be delicious? Although it looked delectable, the bread was slightly rubbery and the overall flavor felt like it was lacking something. It needed that kick.
The restaurant wasn't exactly bad but with so many options it definitely doesn't warrant a return.
The Lost & Found Saloon truly has something for everyone.
Not only is the restaurant vegan and vegetarian friendly, but also suitable for
meat lovers too. Anything you ever hoped a saloon to be, this place is. The
staff is very friendly, the atmosphere is very laid back, they have horses
everywhere and they even have western movies playing on the TVs. If you ever
wanted to meet a real life cowboy or cowgirl, you may find them here having a
drink at the bar. The food is fresh, they're open late, they deliver and it’s fun.
What more could you ask for?
On my recent visit, I stopped by with my friend to fuel up
before a night of drinking. We started off the meal with the Crab Stuffed
Endives, made of fresh Belgian endives stuffed with lump crab meat, corn,
cilantro, and chipotle aioli. I don't like cocktail shrimp and I drink my water
room temperature which basically means I don't really like cold food, but
despite that, I actually liked this. Instead of just saturating the crab with mayonnaise
like so many do, they did it right and along with the corn and the chipotle it
created a nice tasting dish. It was surprisingly spicier than I was expecting it
to be, but that’s a good thing.
For my entree, I decided to get the Half-rack of Barbecue
Baby Back Pork Rib Treat. They also have a dinner portion that comes with rice
or spinach as a low carb substitute but I wanted to make sure I had room for
dessert so I got the app instead. The ribs came with coleslaw which was very
good. I tend to not be a fan of coleslaw since most people douse the cabbage in
mayo and sugar but this was not like that and tasted very fresh. My complaint
is that the portion size is so small. The ribs were less than stellar. They
were cooked well and tender but the flavor left something to be desire. I was expecting
more than that and have had way better so I wouldn’t choose to order that
again.
The friend that came with me had the Posse Club Burrito. If
you ever wanted to know about good burritos, this one right here fits that
description! The burrito was filled with steak, bacon, avocado, shredded
manchego, cheddar, and Monterrey Jack cheese blend, lettuce, tomato, and
chipotle aioli. If you were going to choose any one dish here, it would have to
be the burrito; it's really that amazing!
I am so glad that I did not skip out on dessert. The
Chocolate Chip Jumbo Cookie a la Mode is by far one of the best I have ever
had! I know I said the burrito would the one dish to eat but if you were
willing to forego food and just eat a dessert instead, this is the only thing
you will ever have to eat here to keep coming back. I am drooling thinking
about it now! I don't know how to describe it other than its soft, chewy,
chocolaty and so mouthwatering good that you forget about life eating it. I
felt like I was competing with my friend to see who can eat the most, the
fastest.
As Benjamin Franklin put it, "lost time is never found
again", so don't waste your time searching for someplace to eat, find yourself
at the The Lost & Found Saloon.
The Lost & Found Saloon Restaurant
185 Northwest 36th Street Miami, FL 33127
(305) 576-1008
www.thelostandfoundsaloon-miami.com
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