NOLA Vibes

 

Oysters at Acme!

Oh, friends. After a year of pandemic malaise, I am seeing strong signs of hope! In Mississippi, every citizen over 16 is eligible for a vaccination, and I have now received my first dose! Many of my friends were eligible earlier than me and have now received their second dose! Now that more and more of us are protected from the virus, things are beginning to feel like they are swinging back to normal. Thank the good Lord.

In celebration, a few of my friends (the usual suspects - Shawn, Caron, and Susan) and I booked a quick weekend in New Orleans. As part of my job, I typically take frequent trips there, but my last one was in January 2020. It's the longest I've gone without visiting New Orleans in at least 15 years. I was excited to get back there - especially for a fun reason!

We rented a cute AirBnb!

We left at around 9 a.m. on Friday morning and headed for NOLA. Along the way, we stopped in Metairie to check out The Larder, a gourmet food market and eatery that Shawn had discovered online. It was so cute! They had lots of yummy-looking pantry items, and we would have eaten at the lunch counter, but it was PACKED. Though they had outdoor seating, it was a cool, windy day. In search of another option, our eyes landed on Acme Oyster House across the street. Done. A quick hop, and we were feasting on chargrilled oysters, salads, and all kinds of yumminess. 

Our immediate hunger sated, we still had a little time before we could check into our accommodations for the evening. We spied a Trader Joe's in the area and popped in to pick up a few items we might need: coffee, sugar, a little fruit, etc. 

Now fully prepped for the weekend, we pointed our navigation system towards our cute AirBnb on Annunciation. This four-bedroom, two-bath property would be our home base while we were in town. It's in a perfect location near Magazine Street, and the neighborhood is quiet. The rental has a generous living area with lots of light, and each bedroom had a sink in it, which proved to be very handy. Though there's not a full kitchen, there's a large fridge, a microwave, a sink, and other necessaries in the living area. My only gripe - the furniture in the living room is just not very comfortable. So if you're planning on making your own cocktails and munchies and lounging in the rental, the seating is not very comfy for that.

Once we got settled in and unpacked, we decided to check out Magazine Street for some shopping. So many cute stores! So many cute items! I found an adorable (and very extra) dress on sale that I snapped up at Lucy Rose, and I also got some white sunglasses at Varsity Sports. After we shopped a bit, we dropped our purchases back off at the rental and headed for dinner at Atchafalaya. This restaurant was walkable from our rental, we'd heard wonderful things about it, and the chef was one who'd cooked for a while in the Jackson area, so we were looking forward to trying it! 

O'Keeffe is always mesmerizing. 

We had a reservation, and so we were immediately seated. (FYI - This establishment has both indoor and outdoor seating.) I ordered the redfish, and it was divine! It came with crispy smashed potatoes and pan-roasted bok choy. For dessert, we shared the blueberry hand pie and the espresso cheesecake. Everything was excellent, and the service was speedy and friendly. There were a few other diners in the restaurant that were very loud (and all of the hard surfaces bounce the sound around), but other than that, this was a fantastic experience. Afterwards, we walked back to our rental and turned in.

My sweeties! 

We took our time in the morning, choosing to nibble granola bars and fruit at the rental for breakfast after the previous day's indulgences. Once we felt up to facing the world, we hopped in the car and drove to the New Orleans Museum of Art. I hadn't been to the museum in years, and it was still a bit chilly and windy that morning, so this was the perfect diversion. We paid $15 pp for entry, which also included the museum's outdoor sculpture garden. (More on that later.) For the next couple of hours, we wandered through the museum's three floors, admiring Modiglianis, a Picasso or two, O'Keeffe, some gorgeous religious art, a lot of decorative pieces (Eames chairs, some Fabergé lovelies), and more. Beautiful. When our tummies began rumbling, we reconvened in the museum cafe (which is run by the Brennan family) for a bite. I had a veggie panini and a side of fries, both delicious. Then, we perused the gift shop for a bit before heading outside.

By this time, the temperature had warmed up, the clouds had burned off, and the wind had died down. We dropped our purchases in the trunk and explored the sculpture garden. I had never visited it before, and what a treasure it was! You meander on paths through mature plantings and huge, moss-draped trees. All along, you encounter lovely, interesting, disturbing public art pieces. There is so much to see! There's a lot of water in the garden - pools and small falls and streams. (We even saw a kayaker making his way through!) The water reflects the art and the sky and adds so much to the experience. Much of the art you can get really close to or otherwise interact with. We loved examining it, taking goofy pictures, and stopping at some of the many benches to just sit and observe. It was an absolutely gorgeous afternoon, and I'm so glad we made time to enjoy this gem.

The sculpture garden on a perfect day

After our busy day, we stopped back at the rental to rest a bit and freshen up for dinner. Then, it was back out to Magazine Street for a little shopping (I found a precious, breezy beach dress at Kathy Fielder, and we all picked up flavored olive oil and other goodies at Verdure.) on our way to culinary happiness at La Petite Grocery (which was also walkable from our AirBnb).

I'd been to La Petite before, but on this occasion, I decided I'd order appetizers instead of an entree. After starting with a French 75, I opted for the steak tartare and the ricotta dumplings. Ohmyheavens. Everything was absolutely wonderful. I finished with the strawberry tart. Divine, divine. My dining companions inhaled everything from the burger (which was delicious as well - I demanded a taste) to the redfish special, and everyone was well-pleased. We all really enjoyed this experience. Good conversation, delicious food, excellent service, just a fantastic evening. We ambled back to the rental.

After another lazy morning, we cleaned up and packed up. (It took some doing to get everything in the trunk! We'd all made purchases! Heh.) But after we'd gotten ready, packed up the car, and closed out the rental, we walked to Slim Goodies Diner for brunch. We were lucky to be seated very quickly, and upon glancing at the menu, I immediately loved these folks. The names of the dishes, the descriptions of them, the $3 mimosas - these were my people. I ordered the American omelette with a biscuit, a mimosa, and a hot cup of coffee. For the next hour or two, we ate, talked, drank, and enjoyed our perch next to a sunny window. (We learned later that the restaurant also has a leafy courtyard out back. This would be another great place to sit on a warm morning!) 

Breakfast at Slim Goodies

Then, we walked back to the car and drove out of town. Once we got past the bridge, we stopped in Ponchatoula to gas up the car and take a quick break. It's strawberry season, so we puttered downtown for a flat of fresh-picked berries and a quick walk around the charming shops. I'd never noticed the Chesterton statue before and couldn't resist a photo. (Apparently, a local was a huge fan of the author. He commissioned a life-sized statue of Chesterton, which now sits in "Chesterton Square." Southerners are the weirdest people, y'all.) 

In no time, it was back on the road and back home. I so enjoyed getting out of town for a short weekend with the squad. We are already planning our next trip!   

Happy strawberry season from Ponchatoula!