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Exploring the Vibrant Essence, Heart, & Soul of New Orleans...
- Stephanie Blanc
- 1 day ago
- 8 min read
Updated: 15 hours ago
Hey guys!! So, if you're here then you're either probably considering booking a trip to NOLA, orrrr even better...You've officially made the decision to book a trip to NOLA! Either way, I say kudos to you (!!!), because it is definitely a win-win scenario, and should definitely be on your bucket list if you appreciate the finer things in life like enriched culture, soulful music, & AH-MAZING food!
Photo Credit: Purroy Productions
So, we all have those special places that we love to go to because it has us beaming from ear to ear, like a kid in a candy store, making us feel alive! For me, one of those special places is New Orleans, Louisiana. If you want a quick synopsis of what this beautiful city has to offer then make sure to read on.
Now, if you've been, recently, keeping up with my socials, then you'd see that I just came back from visiting the BIG Easy for the second time for my birthday, and had a blast! And, in this blog post, I'm going to share with you my knowledge, my recommendations, & my full-blown itinerary, so that you can make the most of your time there too! So read-on for more hot Louisiana tea!
My Quick Guide To New Orleans
Man oh man...!!! When the locals tell you the hidden gems...YOU LISTEN! Ya here me?! Haha!!
WHAT TO DO
Walk around the French Quarter. Even better if you book your hotel within the French Quarter or within walking distance of the French Quarter. This way, you're right in the middle of all the action...Close to many activities that you'll probably want to check out (see the tours I booked below)...And you'll most definitely save on cab fares.
If you're a history & culture enthusiast such as myself, then you'll enjoy the slew of historical, food, & haunted tours this city has to offer. I wasn't bold enough to do the haunted tours nor the voodoo tours, but best believe that I absolutely took advantage of the historical & food based tours. Perhaps, I'll be courageous enough to do the haunted & voodoo tours next time. On my trip 10 years ago, I did happen to book an alligator tour via the hotel concierge, and that was pretty cool too. For this trip, I booked most of my tours via Trip Advisor and I've listed them all below:
All the tours were great and one-of-a-kind experiences! It's a little difficult to narrow it down to 1 favorite, but if I had to, then it would be New Orleans School of Cooking (Chef Lynn was awesome!!) & Crafting your own cologne at Ti Jon. These were awesome, fun, experiences that I'll never forget, and that I'd do again in a heartbeat during my next visit to NOLA.
When we weren't actively, partaking in the tours, we were walking around, exploring nearby areas like the French Market, Frenchmen Street, & Magazine Street, and hitting up the best-kept-secret, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, which brings me to my next topic....Where to eat?!
Listen...I believe that a lifetime is still not enough time to check out all the New Orleans restaurants serving deliciously decadent foods, BUT I think I did a pretty damn good job with my picks this time, and I'm excited to share them all with you!
WHAT TO EAT
Ruby Slippers
Day No. 1 - We started off at one of my fave breakfast/brunch spots called Ruby Slippers. I ate at this restaurant 10 years ago and to this day, I still think of how delicious the crab cake egg benedicts were. Funny enough, I went with my mouth already salivating, and was informed by our waitress that the dish is seasonal only and wasn't currently in season (even though last time I went was during the same week of my birthday :-/). Needless to say, I was pretty bummed about that, but I quickly found another menu item to satiate my appetite, which was the Trifecta, which included a trio of their signature egg benedicts, along with a "Hello Sunshine" cocktail. This was our only real meal for Day #1 (outside of a banana on the way to the airport) because we literally landed dropped off luggage and went to go eat (priorities y'all....priorities haha!!), so this meal filled us up for the rest of the day.
Oh yes (!!!), I initially always thought that there was only one Ruby Slippers, but there is actually a chain of restaurants, all owned by the same family. Not that it matters too much, but just to give it more context...My 1st visit to Ruby Slippers was on Canal Street, and my 2nd visit was at the one on Decatur and both were equally delicious! My overall food rating: 5/5
Lil Dizzy's Café
Day No. 2 - Now my birthday fell on Day No. 2, which was a Monday, and so, I thought that meant no long lines and shorter wait times, but boy was I wrong! The wait wasn't too crazy though, but any wait time is a bit annoying for someone who hates waiting haha. Especially, in the midst of a torrential downpour (Don't worry they had outdoor seating with a wood covering) haha. We waited approx 35 minutes, and we had arrived at approximately 11:30 am. Needless to say, this longtime staple in New Orleans, called Lil Dizzy's Café, is now another brunch spot favorite for me!
Oh yes (!!!), I should mention a slight disclaimer that this restaurant isn't the most glamourous, but personally, I find those to be the best ones! You get a protein and 2 sides, so I went with Crabcakes, Mac & Cheese, & Collard Greens, and this creole soul food DID NOT DISAPPOINT! And, like Ruby Slipper's...This restaurant kept up us full for most of the day. My overall food rating: 5/5.
St. John
Day No. 2 - Since it was my birthday, I wanted to go somewhere nice for dinner, and St. John came up in one of my searches for the best restaurants. So I thought why not, however I'd say out of all the restaurants we were to (and we went to several), this one had the least southern hospitality vibes. So I didn't feel so welcomed...Our waitress just seemed to be bothered to wait 1 more table for the night. Then she said, "the bar wants to know if they can close, or would you want a drink." I don't know, but that was extremely off-putting for me, as we had literally JUST sat down. She must've heard me grumble something, because her disposition changed shortly afterwards and then she was overly nice. I will say, I booked the last reservation for 8:30 pm and the restaurant closed at 9:00 pm., but don't have an 8:30 pm option if that's how you're going to act...
I ordered the gumbo, which was way too thin & watery. Personally, I felt it lacked in flavor.. For my entree, I ordered the Creole Beef Daube, which tasted really good! I ordered The Bright Side for my cocktail, and again, it left a lot to be desired. I didn't have room for dessert cause I was stuffed from my entree haha!! My overall food rating: 3.95/5 (it would have been a 3.75, but my entree brought it up to a 3.95/5).
Cafe Beignet
Day No. 3 - 10 years ago I went to Café Du Monde, and I had no complaints. However, this time I wanted to try a different beignet café to see if there was any difference that I would instantly notice, and I'd say that Cafe Beignet tasted pretty much the same to me. I ate an andouille omelette and it was decent. Nothing to write home about, but the beignets were good. My overall food rating: 3.95/5
Loretta's Authentic Pralines
Day No. 3 & 4 - Man oh man...!!! When the locals tell you the hidden gems...YOU LISTEN! Ya here me?! Haha!! I definitely let my sweet tooth get the best of me on this trip. I wish I had known about Loretta's prior to going to Café Beignet, but then again, I wouldn't be able to notice the difference in flavor if I hadn't tried both (Yea...yea...I know that I'm rationalizing breaking my diet, but you only live once! haha!!) Loretta's is one of those best kept secrets that should be OUT! They have an array of decadent beignets, which include savory & sweet. I tried the crab beignets, and it was so nice I had to go twice! I wanted to try the crawfish, but they weren't in season. So I'll have to add that to my list for next time! My overall food rating: 5/5.
Dat Dog
Day No. 4 - Dat Dog came upon my several searches for best NOLA restaurants and I had the opportunity to check it out during a late night craving. I visited the one on Frenchmen Street, which is popular for having live bands playing throughout the day & night. The fact that Jazz Fest began the next day made the street more lively than usual, which was quite a delight. I'd say the wait for the hot dogs was pretty long, so I was expecting to be WOWED, however....I would say it was giving mid. I mean it was good, but not mind-blowing, and the size was that of a regular-sized sausage. I mean, yes, it had all the fixings, but still if I'm waiting THAT long for a dog then it's gotta be a little bigger than the standard size. But, to each his own. I ordered the Rougarou, which is alligator sausage. I also ordered a Hurricane cocktail, which was bomb! My overall food rating: 3.75/5.
WHERE TO STAY
A decade ago, I stayed at the Crowne Plaza on Canal Street, and honestly it was rated as a 5-star hotel at the time. But, personally, I ended up giving it a 3.5 out of 5 stars for my stay. Mainly, for the moldy odor that came with our room :-/. Hopefully, they have since worked on that.
This time, I opted for different hotel, and so I booked my stay at the Hyatt Centric French Quarter. I also wanted the hotel that I booked to have a balcony in which I could potentially see some of the parades marching down the street. Well, I should have done more research with the hotels (even though I searched for days :-/) because, come to find out...The balcony in the type of room that I had booked, faced either the courtyard of the hotel or the hotel pool. I had booked a 2 queen-sized bed room by the way. I later found out that the king suites with the balconies are the room types that face faced Dauphine Street...Sighsss...I guess there is always next time for the picturesque balcony.
Ultimately, I'd say that the recent hotel renovations were beautifully, designed. Particularly, the lobby and bar area. However, I feel as though the rooms still needed minor updates. Certain bedroom amenities seemed a little outdated, and others were nonexistent like there being no microwave, so there was no way to heat up your leftovers, unless you went downstairs and asked the kitchen staff, which I wasn't going to be doing all of that haha. My overall hotel-stay rating: 3.5/5
MY ITINERARY
So, confession...I'm totally the nerd who plans out her vacays to the T. I am an Event Planner after-all :-). I always always create a vacation itineraries...No matter how short or long the getaway is. No, not to be a buzzkill, but rather to provide some sort of structure, so that I am not wandering aimlessly trying to figure out what to do. With an itinerary you maximize your time there because it flies by so quick! Especially, when you're having fun! So, you have permission to totally steal mine below and make any necessary adjustments haha!!
Well, there you have it guys! My recent NOLA experience with all the tea! I hope this post helped or inspired you to look into going and book your trip! Keep an eye out for the latest blog posts & IG series, which will feature some delicious recipes that I learned during my stay.
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