Cochon Butcher - Central Business District - New Orleans, LA

My first Cochon's experience and it didn't disappoint. Of course, I got the Muffaletta and it was excellent. I have had Muffalettas at other places before and never really loved it but the one at Cochon Butcher works. The bread here is a lot softer and fluffier than the others places (which is why I never really loved this sandwich) and they toast it which makes it so much better. Since Cochon Butcher is not only a sandwich joint but also a butcher shop, the meat itself was on point, well-seasoned, and absolutely delicious!!

I also tried the Pastrami. Do not know what is was, but it was far better than the average pastrami sandwich. I have had the great New York pastrami sandwich piled high with meat and even that wasn't a contender when it came to the flavor of the pastrami meat at Cochon Butcher.

I was surprised to find tasty, sweet morsels at a butcher shop. I tried the bacon praline, which I was not a fan of, but the cookies are awesome!!

This location is pretty small so don't expect to find anyplace to sit down and eat your lunch in peace. Also, be ready to stand in line, especially during lunch. The staff here is pretty nice considering how busy they are. 

A superb find.


Cochon Butcher
930 Tchoupitoulas St, New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 588-7675
www.cochonbutcher.com

Tomas Bistro - Central Business District - New Orleans, LA

We arrived at Tomas Bistro at about 5:30pm (since we had someplace to go afterwards). We had made a reservation in advance so we had no issues getting a free table but despite the fact that the restaurant has just opened, it was empty anyways. There was only one other table when we got there and only a handful of tables were there when we left at about 7:30pm. 

The ambiance is pretty much grandma's rustic dungeon. The only thing missing were doilies on the table but that was reflected in the window curtains anyways. I am probably not really in their age demographic so that was not much of a bother. What irked me was the darkness of the restaurant and it would have annoyed me more had I not been seated by a window.

The service was typical French; proper and uniformed. Service was good. Our server was knowledgeable and personable and more importantly, water remained filled. It really isn't a big deal but my OCD had me wondering why crumbs weren't removed from the table especially considering the type of service they appear to offer.

The drinks were good. I had a glass of Prosecco but my fiancé (I always say boyfriend and am struggling to get used to that) had not one but two Rum Punches. It had the right balance, although I will say the orange juice stood out. Still, it was tasty and refreshing. It was not particularly boozy to taste, but had the desired intoxicating effect. 

We started with the Crabmeat Pontchartrain. I get so excited when I have a dish with crabmeat and it actually has crabmeat. The avocado was fresh and the flavor was on point I was just a little salty that the portion was so small and I had to share.

After eating such amazing Rack of Lamb at a different restaurant, this one just didn't deliver (not to say it was bad). It came with Tomato Provencal and that didn't help its case. It was very mushy and kind of gross. 

The Rabbit Au Poivre was tasty, I'll give them that. It just could have been slightly more tender but had a lot of flavor. The problem was the sauce on top. It was too thick and I don't want to say it but was similar to something I'd expect from a mix (which at their prices I hope wasn't).

We finished the meal with the Maricabo Warm Flourless Chocolate Torte. I will put it this way, if you have a chocolate craving you will be satisfied. 

The food was overpriced and at those prices the food just does not seem as enjoyable as it should be. With so many restaurant choices in New Orleans you can definitely find someplace better to eat. It is by no means terrible just not a place I would ever tell someone to go to.




Tomas Bistro
755 Tchoupitoulas St New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 527-0942
www.tomasbistro.com

Café Adelaide - Central Business District - New Orleans, LA

Cafe Adelaide is located inside the Loews Hotel which means complimentary valet. So if you have a limited lunch break, time won't be wasted looking for parking. As a part of the Brennan restaurant chain and a fan of Sobou and Mr. B's Bistro, I was excited to have lunch here. 

Cafe Adelaide fits the mold of a hotel restaurant. There wasn't anything standout about the space. 

Our waiter was also pretty forgetful too. At some points he was quick to refill our waters yet at other times we had to ask and remind him to refill our water or bring drinks we had ordered. He would do the standard how are you doing but was quick to rush off before even receiving an answer. 

The excitement about lunch at some of the Brennan restaurants are the 25 cent martinis. I think about 99 percent of the people, dining in the restaurant as the time, ordered the Commander's Martini (vodka with blue curacao) but that was my least favorite. Besides the Commander's, you also have the option of the Classic (vodka or gin), Appletini or Cosmopolitan martini. Try one or try them all but for 25 cents these drinks pack a powerful punch (hence the 3 drink limit). 

My boyfriend started off his lunch with the Shrimp & Okra Gumbo. The presentation was dazzling! They present you with the bowl of rice and a cup of the gumbo on the side and poor in front of you. The gumbo has a pleasant flavor and a little bit of a bite. 

I started with the Shrimp & Tasso Corndogs. Out of the entire meal, this was the dish that stuck in my mind. I was intrigued by the sweet yet spicy flavor of the 5 pepper jelly and the cheesy taste of the Crystal hot sauce butter. It was an unique, good-tasting dish but could have improved with less sauce since it overpowered.

For his main, my boyfriend order the Absinthe BBQ Cheeseburger and requested that it be cooked medium. At far as the meat goes, it was cooked per his request but as far as taste goes, he said he felt like it was missing something. For a BBQ burger, he said he really didn't taste the sauce. 

I had the Smashed Blue Crab and Brie Po'boy. The sandwich was satisfying, but had too strong of a lemony flavor. The bread was buttery and crisp, more like a Panini than a po'boy. The pickled corn, tomato and zucchini salad was over pickled and half way through, I felt like I was drinking a jar of vinegar.

For dessert, we had to try the award winning White Chocolate Biscuit Pudding. I fancied the ice cream, was fond of the pudding but eating dessert should be this sinful experience and it wasn't.

After my meal, I left feeling like everything was adequate but not memorable. I think the saving grace was the 25 cent martinis but Brennans' offers that at some of their other/better restaurants.


Café Adelaide
300 Poydras St New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 595-3305
www.cafeadelaide.com

The Crazy Lobster Bar and Grill - Central Business District - New Orleans, LA

Views of the Mississippi, live music, and outdoor seating are all good reasons to at least try The Crazy Lobster Bar and Grill, so I did. 

At places like this that caters to tourists I am often scared to order certain items off the menu. You see restaurant like this sometimes do not care what they put in front of you because they assume you will never come back anyways. With fear of this, I decided to start off with Hushpuppies. Luckily, they were freshly fried and tasted yummy.

I decided to continue the safe approach and ordered another fried item, the Fried Crab Claws. There is not much to say about them. However, they were also freshly fried so it tasted fine.

Surprisingly, on this outing, my boyfriend was the daring one and at the suggestion of our server, ordered the Shrimp Cajun Étouffée. Visually, it did not look that appealing to me, but he said that it wasn't bad.

I will admit, the food at The Crazy Lobster Bar and Grill isn't great (could be due to my choices), but if anything else, it is a fun place to be to people watch and have a few drinks! It comes down to this location, location, location but if you do not care, please skip it.

The Crazy Lobster Bar and Grill
#1 Poydras Street Suite 83 New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 569-3380
www.thecrazylobster.com

Domenica Restaurant - Central Business District - New Orleans, LA

With Domenica being located in the historic Roosevelt Hotel, before even stepping foot inside the restaurant, you know that the ambiance will be warm and inviting. The high ceiling, beautiful artwork, and modern design elements creates a high end appeal but paper menus and rustic wood allows the restaurant to remain casual and not pretentious. Even though the service left something to be desired, the environment compensated (somewhat) for that.

One thing I liked about the restaurant is the selection of cocktails. I choose to get the Carry Me Away. The portion was a little small but it did pack a nice punch.

The pizzas are really what define this restaurant. I know you are thinking really? but trust that this is not your ordinary pizza. It is good, really good.

I ordered the Squid Ink Tagliolini with blue crab and herbs. To sum it up I saw virtually no herb and overall it tasted like just plain salted pasta.

Someone else in my party decided to venture outside of the pizzas and ordered the Wood Roasted Goat cooked shakshouka style with a yard egg & tomato sauce. One word, delicious!

For dessert we ordered Banana Zuppa Inglese (banana cake, bananas, crema cotta mousse & peanut brittle). It was served cold, but basically if you don't like bananas, you are not going to enjoy this one.

Overall, my experience at Domenica was nice but what stood out for my was the pizzas and cocktails. Since they offer half price on those items during happy hour from 3-6pm, I would recommend that as the time to go.

Domenica Restaurant 

123 Baronne St New Orleans, LA 70112

(504) 648-6020

www.domenicarestaurant.com

Lüke: A Chef John Besh Restaurant - Central Business District - New Orleans, LA

If you are looking to be impressed by French-German dishes in New Orleans, please go to Luke Restaurant, I know I was. 

The restaurant is located in the Central Business District, next to the Hilton and in the former Masonic Temple Building, so there is that historic vibe to the restaurant. The front room is a lot more grand than the back room (where we were seated), but that is offset by views of the open kitchen. 

Apparently they only want to seat people with reservations, so since we did not have one, we were refused seating until 9:15pm (it was 6:45pm) but with a little back and forth, we ended up waiting only 15 minutes before we were seated. However, as we walked through the restaurant to the back room, way too many tables were empty that it made no sense that they acted that way. A lot of tables still remained empty throughout the meal.

I decided to start out my meal with a cocktail. I originally wanted the Mint Julep but they were out so I had the Riverbend (vodka, lemon juice, basil syrup, blueberries & ginger ale) at the recommendation of the server. It was a relatively sweet cocktail, with the ginger ale being the most powering flavor, but you could still taste the alcohol.

My friend choose a regular starter and ordered a cup of the Crawfish Bisque. She ate all of it so I am assuming she liked it, but she did complain of a sour aftertaste.

My boyfriend skipped the appetizers and went straight for the entree. He always seems to find the most basic item on the menu and order it. He had the Luke Burger (bacon, caramelized onions, tomatoes, Swiss cheese) and was raving about it. One thing I can tell you, it was a very good size. 

My friend had the Jumbo Louisiana Shrimp "En Cocotte" with lump crab meat, roasted jalapeño cheese grits, andouille & green onion sausages. She loved it.

I have an obsession with mussels so I had the classic Moules et Frites. Although only having two simply ingredients (garlic & thyme) in the broth, the flavors stood out and the taste was a lot bolder than others I have had with a lot more ingredients. The house-made fries were scrumptious. These are the best kind.

Even with all that food, we still made room for dessert. We first had the Bread Pudding which was delicious but quite sweet. I am also not a fan of over sauced foods.

One wasn't enough so we also ordered the Bourbon Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee. It was superb and not too sweet which is a plus for me. The little cookies on top added nothing to the dessert and if anything could have been left off.

All that good food, I still have to give props to our server. He was amazing and engaging. The front desk soured the mood a little bit a first but he more than made up for it. I couldn't have asked for anyone better.


Luke Restaurant

333 St Charles Ave New Orleans, LA 70130 (504) 378-2840 www.lukeneworleans.com