A Quick Trip to the Big Easy

Beep and I had a short weekend trip to New Orleans and Baton Rouge, check out the video/food montage and this list of wonderful restaurants. We always hit the standard fare in New Orleans, this time we branched out and in the little time we had tried a few new places. We ate, drank, napped, then ate, drank and napped a little more.
Our first food stop was Lüke, Chef John Besh welcomes you to Lüke, his homage to the grand old Franco-German brasseries that once reigned in New Orleans. We started with spicy and wonderfully garnished bloody marys, followed by a not so light lunch, as we had intended, but I wouldn't have changed a thing. It was perfect! We had a reservation at Cochon, where chef Donald Link combines his German heritage with Cajun cuisine, in other words, MORE PORK. Well, long story short, we hit the Ritz concierge room and ended up missing our reservation. Some things happen for a reason. We ended up at the Davenport Lounge, downstairs and enjoyed some wonderful small plates and live music from Jeremy Davenport. A quick walk down Bourbon for some interesting people watching and an obligatory drink at The Old Absinthe House, we were home shortly after midnight. We awoke the following morning and enjoyed a light breakfast back at the concierge lounge, and headed north to Baton Rouge. Lunch at a great little Mediterranean spot and dinner at Jubans. It is worth repeating, if you only have one chance to visit New Orleans, you must visit the regulars, but if you are lucky enough to visit the crescent city more than once, change it up and get off the beaten path!
THE STANDARDS: (I wish we would have had time for!) Brennan's, Antoine's, Arnaud's, Mother's, Cafe Du Monde, The Pelican Club, August, Lafitte's Blacksmith Bar. These are just a few of our favorites in the Big Easy, as you can see it takes more than one weekend or one visit to enjoy all this city has to offer. I didn't even cover any of the spots on Magazine or the Garden District!