Abita Beer. Brew Pub. Deliciousness.

Oh, yes.

You see, it is the weekend before my birthday.  Due to work circumstances, husby will be traveling on my special day, so he opted to take today (Friday) off and whisk me away to visit the Abita Brewery (which is located in the small - but lovely - town of Abita Springs).  We've been wanting to do this for a while (okay, since we moved to New Orleans at the beginning of November 2012) and we also decided to try the Abita Brew Pub for lunch.  We had to drive across the 24-mile Causeway which spans Lake Pontchartrain in order to get to (what is referred to locally) the North Shore.

The weather today was quite muggy, which created the feeling of being in a cloud... or as in MY overactive imagination, it looked like a scene out of Stephen King's short novella "The Mist".  If you haven't read it, you might want to.  Anyhow, I digress.  This is what it looked like while crossing:

^^  It's like driving into the sky...  spooky!!  ;0))

Please ignore the EU safety sticker on the window.  It's been there since we bought our car in Germany three years ago.  I'm not really sure why the husby hasn't removed it yet...

First stop???  Lunch.  Yes, lunch.  The atmosphere at the Abita Brew Pub was really laid back - and they even had beer tap handles from all over the world as decoration.  Both of us had a good chuckle when we saw a Bitburger tap - which is one of the most popular pilsner in Germany.  I had the fried oysters and husby decided on the gumbo, made with locally-made Andouille sausage and chicken.  We also both had pints of SOS (Save Our Shores) beer.  It's a high gravity brew and it's very smooth and sweet.  Delicious!!  

^^  It's the brew pub!!  

^^  They had outdoor seating also (for al fresco dining), however it was a too hot and muggy to eat on the patio.  We opted for the air-conditioned comfort (icy cold inside)... but, I'd like to come here sometime in the fall when the weather cools down.  

^^  The pub features different daily specials. 

^^  View from our table... this building used to be the brewery, until the business took off and the owners had to move to a far bigger location.

^^  The brewery is all about being green!!  :0))

After eating a delicious lunch, we decided to explore the downtown area before heading in for our beer tasting and brewery tour.  We visited the local museum and took a short walk down the Rail-Trail.  I plan on definitely exploring some of the shops and checking out the local bakery - it smelled divine as we walked by.  They also had some beautiful looking pastries on display...

 ^^  Introduction to the Rail-Trail...

 ^^  Map and statistics about the Rail-Trail concept...

 ^^  Head of the trail...

^^  Walking towards the Abita Springs Museum (free of charge to the public)...

 ^^  Lovely little museum... they had a really friendly staff.  

 ^^  Every Saturday afternoon (from 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM) the museum features an impromtu jam session with local musicians.  It's free to the public - to either play OR watch.  I'm definitely going to come back and check it out.  :0))

 ^^  The town of Abita Springs ALSO has their own "Piney Woods" Opry.  Although, I don't think that there is anyone under the age of 65 who either watches OR participates.  

^^  The fountain gracing the Abita Pavillion.  They have beer festivals here, also.

After wandering around, we finally headed over to the brewery.  They offer *free* tours AND *free* 12-ounce beer "samples".  Yes.  You did, indeed, read that correctly.  And, it's entirely self-serve.  Another plus is that people under the age of 21 are not allowed to attend.  So, for any of my friends who are Child-Free, Child-Less, or Empty Nesters, this is a great place to come and visit.  The town is quaint, the people are very friendly, and there is a great gift shop with some very funky art (for sale right beside the tees, coasters, hats, coozies, and glassware).  

 ^^  Outside the brewery, before going into the courtyard.  The placard even reads that people under the age of 21 are not allowed to enter.  I'd certainly be happy if more restaurants and pubs would stop allowing children entirely.  After all, that's what (Up) Chuck E Cheese is for, yes???  ;0))

 ^^  Fountain and greenery in the beer garden.  It was HAWT out!!  

 ^^  Feast your peepers on this bomb-diggity SELF-SERVE beer bar!!  ::swoon::  I really wish that I could have one of these in my house.  Le sigh.  A girl can dream, can't she???

 ^^  Gift shop area... also, please note that they do NOT take cash OR credit cards.  So, if you think that you'd like to buy something, you may want to ensure that you have your plastic money with you.

^^  Very surreal Purple Haze painting (one of my favorites besides Turbo Dog)...  I wouldn't mind owning this!!  ;0P

^^  I picked up this magnet for my car...  Abita Brewery is donating all proceeds from their SOS line (beer included) to agencies cleaning up the BP oil spill.  Some also goes to the wild life refuge and zoo.

^^  Braved the 24-mile long bridge and we're almost in Metairie!!

And, since we were in Metairie, we decided to swing by one of our favorite comic book stores (yes, I am letting my inner geek out for a bit) and browse around.  Well, the husby didn't find anything that he wanted... but there were a couple of things that I found.  A hardback compilation of Neil Gaiman's "The Sandman" AND a graphic novel of "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" originally penned by Stieg Larsson - but the comic book style adaptation was created by Denise Mina, Leonardo Manco, and Andrea Mutti (published by Vertigo).  And so I snatched up the latter of the two.

All-in-all, it's been a great day - and a wonderful start to my weekend.  Tomorrow, the plan is to grab some lunch in the French Quarter (the venue has yet to be decided... but I'm really thinking about Napoleon House or Coop's) and then we'll head off to the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas.  I have a hot (cool??) date with some penguins - as we've picked up tickets for the "Backstage Penguin Pass".  I will get to touch the penguins, hold them, feed them, and after that is all done, *your* bird-buddy gets some non-toxic paint to waddle around in - and voila!!  Penguin artwork!!  No two are the same... hahahahaha!!  

Well, I'm signing off for now... I hope everyone has a fan-fucking-tabulous weekend!!!

x0x0

Drug-fully Loaded.

I had thought that I had recovered from my hedonistic San Fermin weekend unscathed.

Apparently not.

Ended up with some bruised and cracked ribs (along with various cuts, scrapes, and blisters).  Went to my doctor's office yesterday (love you, Dr M!!) and he took a shit-ton of x-rays.  Yep, I'm *officially* broken.  So, I now have a bag o' drugs (painkillers and muscle relaxers), some Lidocaine patches (HUGE), and directions to lay low for a while (about a full week).  Not that I could really do much, anyway.  The druggy-drugs make me loopy and I don't want to move.

Not that I can move... well, at least not easily.  I don't hurt BETWEEN heartbeats (hahaha)!!

^^  One of my nefarious bruises.

So, I met up with a friend for lunch and had the most delicious bacon mac-and-cheese bites (in a cheddar beer sauce) ever.  We also had a sweet and spicy chicken flatbread, Korean shredded pork tacos (with lots of cilantro and lime), grilled na'an with chicken skewers, and a salted caramel cake for dessert.  I'm pretty sure that the fall didn't affect my taste buds at all...  and we just did tasting menu/small plates/tapas thing - so it wasn't full-on gluttony.  Oh, and I drank a LOT of non-alcoholic beverages.  My mouth feels as dry as talcum powder and I don't feel like I can drink enough water to ever even make it moist.  Winning!!!

^^  Bacon mac-and-cheese bites.  These were totally delicious.  

(And no - I wasn't that drugged up - the pic just doesn't do them justice)...

I'm planning on chilling out for the rest of the afternoon.  Hopefully, I can find some cheezy TV drama...  I'm thinking it's a Judge Judy kind of day.  ;0))

x0x0

Thundering. Thursday.

One of the most awesome things about New Orleans happens to be the (almost) daily afternoon thunderstorms.  I love them.  The Choggie, however, is NOT a fan.  She's crammed up under my desk - on my feet - which are gradually falling asleep.  It's so dark out right now it looks like twilight (and I'm not talking about that idiot who writes about "sparkly" vampires - I'm a "True Blood" kind of girl) and it's raining.  Our weather forecast doesn't look so hot for the festivities this weekend:

^^  Thunder-y every day!!

^^  Choggles is currently sitting on my feet.  Her head is the only thing that is NOT under my desk...

I'm super excited because four of my roller derby sisters are coming in tomorrow night - and then it's the Running of the Bulls on Saturday!!!  Husby and I have also decided to have a throw-down-hoe-down on Saturday night - while I'm boozing with the bulls, my better half will be smoking a beef brisket (an all-day process).  We'll be serving it on fresh po' boy bread with a choice of spicy ho'made BBQ sauce or a more traditional debris sauce.  Crackers, chips, dips, veggie tray, and LOTS of booze (okay - cheap wine and beer) will round out the party nicely.  We'll also be making a Southern Comfort pound cake (utterly delicious) for dessert.

Yesterday, I popped over to the French Quarter to pick up some tees for our upcoming weekend festivities, and popped in to The Red Lantern to get some socks to wear on Saturday (knee-socks for derby girls are pretty much mandatory!!) and I found the coolest little owl wristlet bag that has enough room to hold all necessary items.  It was a little pricey, but well worth it.  Check it out:

^^  Sorry it's a little blurry - but the caption reads "It's the little things".  <3

^^  Beer socks!!  I'm going to wear them with my black low Chuck Taylors - sexy, eh???

Annnnnnnnnnnd...  I dragged my friend A. over to The Company Burger (scroll down for the menu and booze listing) so that I could get my delicious fix.  At first, A. was a little wigged out that they don't put lettuce OR tomato on their burgers (they don't even have it on hand - the back of the staff tee shirts reads "BYO L & T").  Personally, I'm okay with this because lettuce always ends up wilt-y and nasty from the heat of the burger AND I prefer my tomatoes on their own or in a cold crisp salad.  Needless to say, A. is now a convert and has agreed that the lack of tomato and lettuce are not that bothersome (this was AFTER she tasted the awesomeness of their burgers).  Go on, it's okay to drool:

^^  Single with onions, cheese, bacon, pickles, and ketchup... small order of red onion rings and tots...

And this has pretty much summed up my week thus far.  Although, after looking at the picture of my delicious meal, I must say that I could probably totally go and grab another one.  Alas, my hips and ass would NOT appreciate this type of a meal TWICE in one week.  :0((  So, just because I'm feeling defiant, I'll leave you with this:

^^  Vag power!!

x0x0

At This Juncture:

We're back to our regularly scheduled blog.

Memorial Day Weekend. Crawfish Saturday.

Memorial Day Weekend???

Started with a bang.  BOIL time!!

There is NOTHING better than a boil, great company, and plenty o' booze.  I actually find myself feeling bad for those who think a "party" consists of high-end cupcakes, some sort of fizzy drinks (non-alcoholic, of course), and worrying about how everything looks.  How does one do it??  To me, that would be the second circle of hell - I'd rather deal with crazy drunks rather than the Joneses.  True story.

Let's start off with Friday night.

So.  Went to Perino's last night (I had such a hard-on for some properly fried oysters).  We sat in the bar area (which also has electronic gaming machines - so no one under the age of 18 was allowed - SCORE!!) and ordered our deviously delicious seafood.

I had a basket of sweet fried oysters and curly fries.  Husby had the fried shrimp (which are JUMBO) and he drank a couple of Abitas.  Needless to say, I drove home.  ;0))  Perino's is THE place to eat fresh Louisiana seafood.  It's not fancy (not by any means), but the beer is frosty and cold, the menu is simple, and the food comes to you hot and fresh.  One of our very good friends introduced us to this very local restaurant, and I won't eat oysters anywhere else.  The decor is awesomely tacky, though...

^^  An alligator sucking down a beer??  WINNING!!

^^  Cheezy mural outside Perino's...  the crab isn't really looking boiled.

But the gator has a beer and is wearing "over-hauls".  <3

After dinner, we stopped at Barnes and Noble (again) on the way home - I had just found out that the new Joe Hill book was out (I've given up waiting for the trade paperback/regular paperback versions - I'm rough on my books and I love to have them forever), so I picked that up and found a book which was a collection of short stories/novellas by some of the best horror writers in the genre.  So, I started reading that today (Sunday - as I'm a bit behind).  :0))

So... on Saturday, the neighbors were having a crawfish boil.  Oh, yes.  I picked up a Bananas Foster Cake (banana cake with rum custard - if I were religious??  I would've had an epiphany!!) and some Mike's Hard Cherry Lemonade from Rouses Market (which is one of my favorite local stores here in NOLA)... and bestowed my friends with the gifts.  I also drank some Abita beer, white wine, and a lovely mixed (girly) cocktail.  Delish!!

 ^^  It was 10* cooler under the overpass.  I was glad to get some shade!!

^^  Looking down a side-street on the way to my house...  I love how I can see the city (even when it is beyond the levees AND across the Mighty Mississippi)...  shots like this make me appreciate living in New Orleans.  The difference between a "big city" and a "little neighborhood" are obvious, but not unreachable.  This city is FANTASTIC.

^^  Live crawfish.  Waiting to be boiled.  And, yes.  That is a boat paddle in the upper right-hand corner of the picture.  Certainly necessary for getting every last live crawfish into the boiling pot.

^^  It takes 30 minutes to boil the crawfish, potatoes, onions, mushrooms, garlic, and corn (along with cayenne and other Cajun spices) on a 80,000 BTU gas burner.  Sounds like the space shuttle taking off, it's so loud.  And when everything is done, it's spread out on a large table and everyone eats what they want - it's a communal experience.  We were really lucky - we had some out-of-country visitors (a married couple from Brittany, France - and an Irish woman on a short stay from Dublin).  It was very cool to teach them how to eat the crawfish and they really enjoyed the whole experience.  

^^  After dinner, L. (who works for the New Orleans Saints), took out her ring that she received when the Saints won the Superbowl.  It's from Tiffany's - and it is HUGE.  Weighs over 2 ounces with all the  gold, diamonds, and onyx... and it is heavy.  

^^  Here I am, wearing the ring (to give you some perspective, my solitaire is 1.2 carats - and the Superbowl ring makes it look minuscule)... I can honestly say that I don't think I've ever worn a piece of jewelry that is so very expensive...  

^^  View from the front porch after the boil.  Everyone is keeping their lights off, because right now - the termites are swarming.  Yes, you *did* read that correctly.  However, it was a really balmy night and the wind coming off the Mississippi River was lovely.  So, we braved the swarms.  ;0))

I didn't get home until well after midnight and managed to sleep until 8:00 AM.  Woke up, showered, dressed, popped some Tylenol, and headed to another friend's house because I was on doggy-sitting duty for her four pups.  Hung out there for about an hour and a half, ran the dogs until they were tired, watered and fed them, and headed home.  Where I promptly fell asleep on the couch while reading one of my new books (no, the book wasn't boring or badly written - I was just wickedly tired).  I managed to snap some pictures of the pup-dogs, though...  they were so happy to see me and so very cute!!

 ^^  Petey (the ugliest-pug-in-the-world) is wrestling with Clementine... the hairiest dog in the house.

^^  Petey's profile.  He has a massive under bite and the worst breath.  ;0))

I didn't get pictures of Sophie and Bootsy... as Sophie had jammed herself under an end table and Bootsy moves TOO fast for me to get a decent picture of her.  Maybe I'll be able to get a photo in the morning (when I head over to the Grotto to water, feed, and wee everyone).  

Speaking of tomorrow, I don't think we're planning on doing much.  I borrowed the Lord of the Rings trilogy from my friend, K. - so I'm thinking it's going to be a pretty laid-back day.  I'm thinking that we'll probably do some upscale bar-food (spicy buffalo wings, home-made pizza with a ton of roasted veggies, and some jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese, wrapped in bacon, and broiled) and we'll probably graze for most of the day.  Besides, it's supposed to be hot and humid here again, and I think it'll just be in our best interest to take it easy.

Because... come Tuesday, I'll be back at the gym for my 3+ miles on the treadmill and then off to the pool afterwards to hopefully start a tan of sorts and swim some laps.  I love, love, love to swim!!  

I hope everyone had a wonderful, relaxing, fun, happy, awesome weekend... because we most certainly did (and are technically still working on it).

x0x0

The Short List.

New Orleans is a foodie paradise.  Oh, yes.  There are so many restaurants to choose from... we could dine out - once a week - for ten years - and never go to the same eatery twice.  So the husby and I threw together an impromptu "we-must-eat-there" list.  Some of the places on this list are instantly recognizable (not just because they are famous, but because the chef is well-known) and some others are relatively obscure.  No matter where we go, I'll be sure to write up a review (similar to my most recent post about Antoine's) and let you know all the dirty details.  :0))

So, here are some of the places we're eager to eat at (in no particular order):

^^  Galatoire's

(Photo courtesy of the Galatoire's website)

Galatoire's Restaurant

209 Bourbon Street

New Orleans  70130

(504) 525-2021
Located in the French Quarter

Yet another "Grand Dame" still in business here in NOLA.  The restaurant was first established right at the turn of the century - the nineteenth century, that is (1905).  Galatoire's is mentioned in the 1952 film of adaptation of Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire".  Apparently, Williams was quite a regular there, hence why he wrote about it.  During lunch, the restaurant is pretty relaxed about attire (no shorts, tee-shirts, or flip-flops) but during the evening, it's more formal.  Coat and tie are required for men, fussy dressy outfits for the women (which is why I want to come here for lunch - it's getting too hot to be trussed-up).  

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^^  The Bier Garden at SoBou

(Photo courtesy of the SoBou website)

^^  The Apothecary at SoBou

(Photo courtesy of the SoBou website)

SoBou

310 Rue Chartres

New Orleans  70130

(504) 522-4095
Located in the French Quarter

SoBou is a newcomer to the French Quarter.  The restaurant is owned by the Brennan family who are, essentially, restaurant Gods here in New Orleans.  One of their most famous restaurants, Commander's Palace, attracts foodies and celebrities alike.  The Brennans place a large emphesis on quality food, excellent service, atmosphere, and they are known for recruiting such famous chefs as Emeril Lagasse, Jamie Shannon (who is now deceased), and Paul Prudhomme.  The name of the restaurant is quite simple... it stands for South of Bourbon.  I cannot wait to try this one out.  

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^^  Piles of fresh seafood at John Besh's Luke

(Photo courtesy of the Luke website)

^^  Pate of Louisiana rabbit
(Photo courtesy of the Luke website)

Luke
333 St. Charles Avenue
New Orleans  70130
(504) 378-2840
Located in the Garden District

John Besh is known locally for his many restaurants.  He even has a steak house in the Harrah's Casino on Canal Street (the menu there also looks mouth-watering).  The food at Luke looks deliciously French and I must admit, it would be VERY hard for me to pick just ONE appetizer, ONE entree, and ONE dessert.  I'll have to really molest the menu before I even get ready to eat there.  That way, I can make up my mind beforehand and not frustrate the waiter.  :0))

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Royal House

441 Royal Street

New Orleans  70130

(504) 528-2601

Located in the French Quarter

Apologies for not having any pictures to post (they didn't have much on their website) - but this restaurant is really near the top of my list.  Every year, at French Quarter Fest, they char grill oysters in their shells.  Oh.  My.  Gawds.  So fucking good!!  They throw in some butter, black pepper, and parmesan cheese and then grill them in their own shells.  Royal House also gives a 10% discount to all locals AND will usually have coupons for a free appetizer (with the purchase of an entree).  I'm really looking forward to trying the actual brick-and-mortar restaurant instead of eating off of a food truck!!  

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^^  Arnaud's 

(Photo courtesy of Arnaud's website)

Arnaud's Restaurant

813 Rue Bienville

New Orleans  70112

(504) 524-5433

Located in the French Quarter

Arnaud's is also a French Quarter institution.  Founded in 1918, the restaurant has a reputation of being haunted by a man in a turn-of-the-century tuxedo.  The building has been around since the 1700's, and it was an opium den before it became an eatery.  There are a variety of menus - from an a la carte to a prix fixe menu with three courses for $40.oo per person (not including libations, of course!!).  They also offer a Sunday Jazz Brunch.  Personally, I'd probably never make it to the Jazz Brunch... only because I'm really not an early riser (although I'm trying to change that).  I'd love to come and eat here on Halloween or All Saints Day.  I imagine it would be a very interesting dinner!!

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With the exception of the Royal House, the rest of these restaurants are not exactly child-friendly.  For instance, John Besh offers a mixed seafood platter (lobster, mussels, shrimp) that will set you back $125.oo.  As with many fine-dining restaurants here in New Orleans, there are NO children's menus, high chairs, or booster seats.  Dinner (depending on the courses) can take upwards of 2.5 hours - so plan accordingly.  

I cannot wait to try all these restaurants!!  Stay tuned, because I will be writing about them all.  :0))  

Happy Eating!!!

x0x0

A Post Of Its Own: Antoine's.

An adventurous Saturday, indeed!!

We moseyed into the French Quarter today to take advantage of the three-course prix fixe menu offered for lunch at Antoine's.  The price for all three courses is $20.13 per person.  Also being offered was the .25-cent drink of the day... which just happened to be lemon-drop martinis (one of my personal favorites - mouth puckering sour lemonade and a lot of vodka).  Fuck the wine, we martini-ed it up!!  At the beginning of the meal, the waiter brought out two fresh (as in just-out-of-the-oven) mini-baguettes and freshly churned butter.  ::swoon::  It was so delicious.  I had to stop eating it so that I could save some room for the three plates to come!! 

For my first course, I had the Hot Shrimp Ravigote Au Gratin and the husby had the Ponchatoula Salad.  For my entree, I had the Ginger Currant Pork, which had a current-cranberry sauce with sweet and herby rice.  B. tried the Basil-Crusted Drum (a light flaky local fish) on a bed of corn, artichokes and tomatoes - both of our meals were perfectly prepared and delicious.  For dessert, I had the Pineapple Upside-Down Cake (which had a sweet rum glaze) and ordered a cafe au lait.  The cake itself was dense and moist and had freshly whipped cream on top.  Husby had the candied Peach Melba with home-made vanilla ice cream.  He skipped the coffee and decided to have another martini.  Fabulous New Orleans lunch!!

Antoine's happens to be one of the oldest restaurants in the Quarter.  It was originally opened by a Frenchman back in 1840 and is still owned and operated by the founding family heirs.  As a matter-of-fact, our waiter was proud to point out that he was the third generation in his family to work at the restaurant (he started when he was 15 and told us that this year he celebrated his 20-year anniversary working at Antoine's)... he even gave us a business card with his name on it so that we could request him again.  The restaurant itself has 16 different dining rooms and can hold a capacity of 1400 people at one time.  Some of the dining rooms are small and private, but there are also larger, banquet-style rooms available.  The decor is truly old New Orleans and the food is distinctly French (there are some Creole-style offerings on the menu, but for the most part it is classic French cuisine).

The service was impeccable - white linen - and the wait staff wear tuxedo-style "uniforms" (for lack of a better word) and patrons are expected to be a bit more formally dressed (no flip-flops or shorts or wife-beaters).  For evening dining, patrons are expected to wear a coat and tie and ladies to be dressed appropriately.  There are NO children's menus, nor are there high chairs OR booster seats offered.  I was pleased to see that there were NO children at all, everyone there appeared to be older than the age of 25.  Personally, I think it's worth every penny to dine at this type of restaurant.

 ^^  Antoine's is very distinctive - you can see the sign from a mile away...

 ^^  The main entrance...

 ^^  One of the large dining rooms.  The staff encourages patrons to look all around the restaurant... they also provide souvenir menus on request.

 ^^  The Wine Cellar.  Antoine's has one of the largest wine selections in the entire city.  Well over $2,000,000.oo of wine on hand...  this would be one of the premier restaurants to visit for wine aficionados.  

 ^^  Every fine liquor you can imagine is available in the bar.  

 ^^  Pre-mixed Sazerac!!!

 ^^  One of the private dining rooms.  It had a snail theme of sorts going on...  perhaps a referral to the Escargot that can be found on the menu???

 ^^  Back hallway leading to the various private dining areas...

 ^^  I loved this dining room...  the colors were fabulous and I'd love to have dinner with a group of friends in this lovely room...

 ^^  Courtyard walkway.  The glass cases on the right-hand wall contain a huge collection of ashtrays from all over the world.  I was wondering if people donated them...

 ^^  I just loved the name of this dining area...  

^^  The inside of the mysterious "Mystery Room"...  ;0))

Once again, my apologies for letting so much time lapse between posts.  Since I've been behaving myself, I haven't been out and about as much as usual.  This will definitely be changing over the next couple of weeks... hell, I *still* haven't posted anything about the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas!!  Stay tuned...

x0x0