Unfortunately, we woke up this morning to rainy weather. Despite that, we hit the streets. We walked around, doing some shopping in the French Quarter and along Canal Street.
We hopped on the Canal Streetcar to Riverwalk to grab breakfast at the Cafe Du Monde located there. The mall was wack and empty and beyond Cafe Du Monde I couldn't see a reason why anyone went there.
Because of the rain, it was a pretty chilly day so although I really wanted to try the Frozen one, I opted for the regular Cafe Au Lait.
And of course we got Beignets too! Those things are so delicious. Not because it is a special phenomenon but mostly because you get them hot out of the fryer. They are definitely worth at least one trip in New Orleans, although after the first bite you become addicted and it will end up being way more than that.
After breakfast, we walked towards the pier.
Since it was free, we decided to get on the ferry to Algiers.
I love a good boat ride, so I was excited to go. However, it was a very quick 5 minutes to get there (I wasn't counting) and a very quick ride back. I didn't really see the point. There was no beautiful view and frankly the water was brown, disgusting and smelled horrible.
After that stench of a ride, we headed to Harrah's Casino.
We are both gambling fiends so this was right up our alley. Basically after a few table games and slot play, we walked away with $30 in wins! Not much but much better than losing it all I say.
Good Morning New Orleans! Our hotel included breakfast. Well, it wasn't exactly breakfast, but things like cereal, muffins and croissants. It obviously wasn't the most fabulous of breakfasts but at least the items were fresh and weren't stale.
After breakfast and getting ready, we made our way to the St. Charles Streetcar to explore more of the city. We hopped on and headed to Audubon Park, where we just relaxed and chill out.
It wasn't the most beautiful park I have ever been to, but it was very tranquil and the birds chirping was a soothing sound to be heard.
Once we started to get hungry, we hopped back on the St. Charles Streetcar to the Garden District for lunch. We got off on Lousiana Ave and we headed towards Magazine St where a lot of restaurants and shops are and stumbled upon The Rum House.
Not only was it a good sign that the restaurant was packed, but I was excited when I saw the red stripe boxes on the table. My country (Jamaica) was being represented so I felt obliged to check it out.
My boyfriend ordered the Jerked Roasted Chicken. Althought it did not have the authentic jerk taste or wasn't very spicy, it was tender, well seasoned and well cooked. The coconut mango rice it came with was also not authentic, but has a nice taste to it although it was a bit too sweet.
I choose to order the Two Dat Taco Combo. The first taco I had was the Seared Scallops. It was extremely good, tender, fresh and very nice combo of flavors. You can't go wrong with scotch bonnet! The Fried Oyster taco was even better. Again it was crunchy but tender, nice combo of flavors and finished off with a nice little tangy spicy taste. In addition to the tacos, the meal came with two side. I choose plantains and coleslaw. Both were delicious and fresh.
The food here was really good and I can see why they were so busy. Our waitress, on the other hand, wasn't very good. She was slow in about every aspect of the meal but most annoyingly not refilling our waters. I saw the other people on staff doing a much better job so it was just a matter of not getting the right person.
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.
