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!

Austin Eatery Adventures

School is out and we had a quick family trip to Austin, one of our favorite weekend getaway destinations. We hit most of our favorite places, but it is difficult to fit them ALL in, only being there for a long weekend. Check out the links to our favorite spots and some photos of the yummy food we could fit into our busy schedule.
First stop and favorite pizza at HOME SLICE! The king of pizza parlors. Beep and I split our favorite, White Clam pizza. The kids filled up on Calzone, Cheese by the slice and Garlic Knots. Go early or be prepared to wait, even with the newly expanded spot next door, getting a seat is no easy task.
Day two: a late breakfast, early lunch of Crepes and we were off to South Congress for some family shopping adventures. Where else can you find cowboy boots, candy shops and Lucy in Disguise. Check out the the costumes, they never grow up!
We skipped our favorite local BBQ joints, Green Mesquite and Salt Lick and opted for a short drive to try something new. We headed over to Lockhart, with only minor amounts of whining from the backseat of, "How much further, are we there yet?" I suppose it was worth the drive, Beep had a beef rib that rivaled Fred Flintstone's famous carside treat and the family style food, history and atmosphere were an experience. We rounded out the trip with a Texas Steak House, Eddie V's. Texas has so many steak houses, this one is not much different from the rest, great selection of seafood though and Beep and I shared what was possibly one of the best desserts we have ever tasted. It was a variation on Bananas Foster that I don't even know how to begin to describe. We just thought it was YUMMY! Another late lunch at Juan in A Million was a must and well worth it. Again, go in between breakfast and lunch so you may not have to wait???? The queso with guacamole and ground beef is wonderful, AKA in Dallas as Bob Armstrong Dip.

Legal Seafood

 

This one was just for Beep. Pissers, or long neck clams are one of his favorites and not easy to find, so we had to stop in once we spied this Boston chain. They are quite yummy, even though you might not think so based on their appearance. Bo did enjoy a lovely piece of swordfish with Bearnaise butter, however. Cam and Camille ate about a dozen warm rolls with butter, and I had a salad, all we did was eat and eat, I needed something light.

Not just Monuments & Museums: Our Dining Tour of DC

 

OUR NATIONS CAPITOL
We love visiting DC, there is so much to do and see. This was our second visit as a family and we focused less on hitting every major landmark this time, slept in, hit the high spots and took advantage of the wonderful food this diverse city has to offer. The W Hotel was the perfect location and the room was spectacular! Some panoramic pictures of the room and our views of the Treasury Building out one window and the Washington Monument out the other two in the living room windows are in the collage above. The only negative there was the in hotel dining, we tried to eat twice at J & G Steakhouse by Jean Georges, but they were not at all accommodating and incredibly snooty. The roof top bar was nice, but a bit over the top as most "exclusive" clubs are. Not quite our style, a friendly relaxed atmosphere is my preference. The entire staff at the hotel could not have been more pleasant and welcoming. The W certainly is the perfect walking distance to anything and everything in the city.
I will touch on each restaurant we visited in this post, but have posted detailed reviews of each restaurant as well. Following is a list of the restaurants we enjoyed:
Old Ebbitt Grill, The Old Ebbitt is Washington's oldest and most historic saloon. It's current location on 15th Street NW, may not be the original spot, but it has an enormous amount of charm and sense of history none the less. Don't miss it!
Ben's Chili Bowl, a DC icon. This place epitomizes the neighborhood joint. No fuss, just great food, and it is fun to check out all the celebrity photos too. Maybe, just maybe if you are lucky you will have a chance encounter with the "Advice Bum", waiting just outside for exiting customers. Ben's only takes cash, so he knows how to pick a spot. Take a second to glean some wisdom from someone who has been down a challenging road. Bo learned the importance of a good education and taking advantage of the opportunities that life presents. I chose to think he would use our donation wisely and get something to eat, but Beep, ever the realist crushed my hopes and said, "It would surely go toward a liquid diet."
The Dancing Crab, another neighborhood joint. Located on Wisconsin Ave., it is an easy drive but you have to know what you are looking for or you will pass it by. Their business card reads, "The Dancing Crab & Malt Shop," but with paper on the tables, a bar lined with locals and pitchers of beer, I believe it to be more of a tavern. Whatever it is, it is delicious and the blue crabs were wonderful.
Legal Seafood, a reliable Boston chain with Beep's favorite clams, he had them steamed and fried. Great food and always consistent in decor and food preparation, if you run out of local joints, this is a great back-up plan.
Crepes A GO GO, owned and operated by European immagrants, these guys thought we were a little nuts due to our number of visits, although I am certain they appreciated the patronage. The crepes are made to order, street ready to eat in a cone and kept everyone happy.
The Shops at National Place, the food court located in the shopping center was terrific. Not your usual food court fare, it was an inexpensive alternative and a quick stop during a schedule filled day of touring DC. Beep and I had amazing Gyros, half of one would have fed me. Bo and Cam had burgers & fries from Five Guys, so they were content and Camille was able to get freshly prepared sushi.

Crepes A Go Go

Our saving grace for keeping food in Cam's belly. We visited twice in one day. Quick, easy, located in China Town just steps from the metro and only a couple of blocks to the spy museum, the crepes are a perfect quick lunch, snack or dessert. Camille's favorite is the dark chocolate, strawberry and banana. Beep gobbled up the avocado, egg and cheese. Bo went for his staple combo of spinach, mushroom and swiss. Cam's highly nutritional favorite was butter and white sugar, he ordered two at a time. I can only hope that one day he will develop a more complex palate and show a little diversity in his diet. I must give him credit for ordering an egg and cheese, but nothing green!  

The Dancing Crab

 

Blue Crabs are a must when we visit this part of the country and Beep will seek them out at all cost. We discovered The Dancing Crab on our last visit to DC and it has become a can't miss destination. Not only are the crabs fantastic, but getting there is fun too. Depending on your place of origin, we are always somewhere near the White House, it is a spectacular drive through embassy row on the way to the "blink and you'll miss it," tavern.

Ben's Chili Bowl

Way off the beaten path, in a not so picturesque area of DC, you will find chili nirvana. The neighborhood is quickly improving however, big changes since our last visit and there is a metro station right across the street if you don't want to make the drive. We were lucky, only had to drive around the block once and we scored a spot right in front. (Kim Schuh luck)
We arrived to a short line filing out the door, but it was a quick 5 minutes to the counter to place our order and find an open table in the back. Camille ordered a giant basket of chili cheese fries and thankfully let us all dive in for at least one bite. Cam opted for the plain dog, of course. Bo and I chose the basic chili dog and loved every chili dripping, snappy dog bite. Beep had the Bill Cosby favorite, a Chili Half-Smoke. Some day we need to get down there for breakfast! Pictured Below, the Advice Bum with Beep & Bo and all our good eats.

 

 

 

 

Old Ebbitt Grill

I stopped counting after 3 visits in the first 2 days of our time in DC, needless to say, we like Old Ebbitt A LOT! A big bonus on our restaurant scale is one where everyone can find something on the menu that makes their tummy happy. This restaurant certainly fits the bill, half a block from the W, our hotel, didn't hurt either.
Hope you enjoy this video clip of just some of the menu items we feasted upon. Not a huge fan of oysters, Beep ate them at every visit, I must admit they were sweet, creamy and lovely to slurp. The shallot vinaigrette is the perfect balance, why doesn't every restaurant offer this accompaniment?
The Eggs Chesapeake was a beautiful variation on this brunch classic, with a crab cake in place of the traditional protein. Cameron, our pickiest eater, proclaimed that the French Toast was BETTER than mine. He did redeem himself by quickly following up with, "Mom, you still make the BEST pancakes." The Fried oyster stew perfectly matched creamy and crunchy and rich but not too heavy. Every item we tried from the menu was a masterful combination of flavors and textures. One that I didn't get a chance to photograph was the Brownie Cappuccino Sundae, Bo and Camille both tried it and dug in before I could snap a photo! The simple addition of warm cappuccino poured over a chewy brownie and vanilla bean ice cream was heavenly!

Cabo Review

Sooo . . . as promised here is a quick review and photo story of our trip to La Palmilla. Simply said, it was the trip of a life time. The hotel and grounds were exquisite. It was like being transported to a tropical paradise, 1950's style. From Here to Eternity couldn't hold a candle to the romantic atmosphere of this place.
We were greeted at the airport with cool scented cloths and water by our driver and quickly whisked away to the resort, entertained by a video preview of all La Palmilla's amenities and offerings.
Stepping out of our car we promptly received guava and passion fruit popsicles to enjoy as we were escorted to our accommodations and given a brief tour of the grounds. Our butler was waiting and introduced to us upon entering our room, he courteously described each indulgence our quarters had to offer, from the complimentary tequila with spiced almonds to the daily fruit and appetizer selections. Be it in our room, by the pool or at the hotel's restaurants, I have never been so pampered at any resort.
Cabo was great too, filled our days and nights with food, fun and entertainment and we didn't even hit the water. Places like The Office, Slim's Elbo Room Bar, Cabo Wabo, Squid Roe, and La Golondrina (The Trailer Park) Restaurant are must sees and offer unforgettable experiences. I can't wait for our next visit so we can actually do something besides eat and drink.

Cabo Here We Come!

Photo story to follow, but so excited for the wedding of the year! Kevin and Nic are one lucky couple. Rick has been down-graded to a tropical storm, so no rain on our parade. I am fairly certain the trip will provide incredible pictures, food and memories. In the interest in creating a good tease . . . check out this preview of the Palmilla where we will be spending 5 days of kiddo-less bliss.


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