Even with all our trips to the Sugar Bowl, I have never actually made it to New Orleans...
UNTIL NOW
I'm jumping in with both feet this weekend for Mardi Gras and I need some advice from my more seasoned Hokies. Obviously a bunch of you have been here for out bowl games, but has anybody been to Mardi Gras? I need advice.
Places to see.
Places to eat.
General tips about New Orleans.
I hear pickpocketing is a big risk during Mardi Gras.
Most importantly, please share any crazy bourbon street stories you have!
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You must get yourself a Hand Grenade at Tropical Isle at some point, in my opinion. A hurricane at Pat O'Briens is also a good choice. Also, beignets at Caf du Monde are a requirement.
Stay away from hand grenades.... I've never felt worse in my life than after one of those. Pat O'Brians is solid advice though.
So if you need some company and someone to talk about Hokie stuff...I am available. Just
sayin....
Definitely stop by Cafe du Monde one morning. Other than that, eat everywhere and anywhere you can. For Mardi Gras, I'm sure it will be super crowded but I would try to get up on a balcony. Most of the bars on Bourbon St have one
I gotta disagree with eat anywhere and everywhere you can....
*applies to local, safe-looking establishments only
Here's my tricks I learned in the Navy for avoiding pick pockets.
Don't carry your wallet. put the cash you need immediately and CC in your front pocket, not back pocket.
Put cash you don't need immediately along with driver's license and spare CC in your shoe, under your foot.
Don't carry your cell phone in your rear pocket. Get a latching carrier that attaches firmly to your belt or wear it in a front pocket.
Or, just don't wear pants, therefore, no pockets to pick.
No pants might be the best NOLA advice
Never been during Mardi Gras, not sure I could take the crowd, but NOLA is my favorite city on the planet. That said, prepare yourself, bourbon smells like a garbage can. They clean it every morning, but it's part of the "charm". For a burger hit up Port of Call. For true authentic delicious Cajun, go to Coops on the back side of the quarter near the French market. Don't stay on Bourbon the whole time, go enjoy the city. Check out Marie Levous grave and Louis Armstrong park, take a ghost tour. It's a great city full of history. But at night enjoy all the hand grenades you can handle at Tropical isle.
The best start to finish meal that I had down there was at this butcher shop/restraunt called Cochon which is right outside the French Quarter. Cold beers, hot local entrees and apps. Just wear loose fitting clothes, its will fill you up. Try the Alligator fritters.
Oh Yes, properly done alligator is very good.
Stuff like blackened gator tail strips (think boneless blackened chicken wings) and a stack of dips. That stuff is great with beer.
If we ever play UF at home I already have my tailgating theme picked out.
Commander's Palace for one of the best meals of your life. Though during Mardi Gras that may be difficult. Definitely buy some beignets from Cafe du Monde.
EDIT: Fixed Commander's Palace name.
and the chicory coffee from Cafe du Monde.
Yes, the chicory coffee. I had heard about it for many years and then a few months ago I was in a Korean supermarket in Orlando and there it was, in a can! I know my way around a cup of strong, black coffee and this is good stuff.
The wife likes chicory but I can't stand it. Quick fact, its not really coffee but a coffee substitute made from the root of the chicory weed. Became popular in the south during the civil war when blockades kept ships from bringing actual coffee from South America.
That's good to know. I was told by my History of the South professor it was coffee with chicory root in it. He was always looking for some around Blacksburg. Anything has to be better than the ersatz coffee you read about veterans of the ETO having to drink.
The can I have says it's a coffee and chicory blend with the beans roasted, ground, and packaged in New Orleans. It makes a strong cup of coffee nonetheless.
Edit: After looking around online, apparently Wal-Mart sells it. It must not be that big of a deal. I don't feel so special anymore.
Chock Full o' Nuts is a blend that Southerners have enjoyed for years. Not to my liking, though.
Cafe du Monde is definitely a must, but while tables turn over regularly, there can be a long line. Last time I was there, I watched as a few people just went on through the border fences and just sat down at the first unoccupied table they came to. I saw enough folks do it that "looked" local to me, I figured it was an insider thing. Now, I wouldn't be suggesting that anyone do this, mind you, nor would I admit to doing it myself (Who, me?), but...
Acme oyster house for a dozen and a Dixie, and music, music, music...it's all good, some of it's great, and it is literally everywhere.
My wife went for the sugar bowl and said that cafe du mond is def a must!!! Same with a hurricane from pat o'briens!!!!!
Commander's Palace if you are looking for a fancy meal while down there. Bourbon street is a must obviously but make sure you try some of the small jazz bars on the bourbon strip. Garden district is pretty cool as well
Used to live in the Big Easy, and I'm headed down on Saturday. This is a list that I keep in my email and send to friends who are going down:
Food:
Angelis on Decatur (Great Pizza, open late)
Cochon Butcher (Get the pork belly sandwich)
Parkway (Best Po-Boys in NOLA)
Central Grocer (Delicious muffalettas)
Steins (Great deli/bakery)
The Camellia Grill (Classic southern diner feel)
Caf Du Monde (A bit touristy, but good beignets)
The Joint (Best BBQ in NOLA)
Jacques-Imo's (Get a reservation, it's very small but worth it)
Acme Oyster House
Dante's Kitchen
Coop's Place
Fancy food I can't afford but have heard is amazing:
Commander's Palace
Cochon
Dominique's
Galatoire's
Cafa Atchafalaya
Bars:
Molly's on the Market (Iced coffee and bloody marys)
Three Muses
Erin Rose (Great Irish bar right of Bourbon)
Pat O'Breins (Hurricanes)
Lafittes Blacksmith Shop (Oldest bar in NOLA)
Johnny White's (One of my personal favorites, Redskins bar on Bourbon)
Balcony Bar
Music:
Apple Barrel (My favorite, very small but great blues/jazz)
Maple Leaf (Check their calendar to see if Rebirth Brass Band is playing)
The Howlin' Wolf
Tipitinas
Places:
Jackson Square (Touristy, don't eat anywhere too close to here because the food won't be great but cool street performers)
City Park (Beautiful, enormous park)
Magazine Street (Great little shops and restaurants all along this street)
Garden District (Beautiful homes)
French Market (Outdoor covered market)
Audubon Park
Preservation Hall
Bourbon street is worth a walk down, but it gets old, especially considering how INSANE it is during Mardi Gras. I would avoid the Canal/Bourbon St intersection, especially at night. I'd actually suggest walking along Royal street for the first few blocks, there's some really nice restaurants/homes/shops/art galleries along there. I personally like Frenchmen street better, it's a classier version of Bourbon and has some great food and music as well.
Take a street car down St. Charles, you will see some awesome houses. If you want to relax at any point, look up The Fly, it's a great little strip of land right on the Mississippi where you can watch the ships pass by.
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A lot of these things require a car, which is not really worth renting during Mardi Gras. The city is basically shut down and it is nearly impossible to drive anywhere.
Pick pocketing can be a problem, a lot of it due to the crowds so be smart about it.
Also, if anyone tells you something like "I bet I can tell you where you got your shoes" don't play along. Its a weird New Orleans thing where people will do that, and then if you let them guess they'll say "You got them on (whatever street you're currently on)!" and then harass you to pay them.
Whatever you do, do not pee in public. Find a bathroom. NOPD is crazy strict about it and you will get arrested and you do NOT want to end up in Orleans Parish Prison, especially during this time of year.
You'll have an awesome time, the city is insane especially this time of year. Do the normal things to keep yourself safe, stay in groups and all that. You'll be fine.
great list. Maybe would add Drago's for oysters and seafood to it. And J & J Seafood for buckets of crayfish.
Drago's Chargrilled Oysters may be the best food of any kind I've ever eaten.
I concur, they are the tits.
Would also add-
Dba on Frenchmen Street- it's the local's Bourbon Street- great music usually and good beers and a good stock of scotch/bourbons/whiskey
F&M Bar if you want some good late night fun with locals
As Hammer says: 2 things you can't do in NOLA-
Don't pee in public and don't punch anyone and you'll be fine.
Yes to dba, should add that to my list.
Can't remember if I've been to F&M, but I'll be at Tipitinas so I'll wander over.
Fm doesn't get hoppin til after 11:30. Easy walk from tipitinas. Funny- saw funky meters at tipi s during my first and only Mardi Gras. Then went to F&M. Earlier got very lucky and got a Zulu coconut from the Zulu Kreme. Dan akroyd approached me at F&M at 3;30am (have the pic framed in my foyer) and asked me about the coconut. Too many shots later I threw up on his feet. For whatever reason a lot of people don't like him down there. People kept coming up to me afterwards telling me "that was so cool" and tried my buying me more shots... Only in Nawlins...
Ok, I gotta do a brewery list of stuff just in New Orleans. In no particular order because everyone's taste differs but, the first I can vouch for:
Dixie Brewing - Tulane Ave
Crescent City Brewhouse - Decatur St.
Gordon Biersch - Poydras St. But, let me inject here that I haven't been impressed with any of this chain.
NOLA New Orleans Lager and Ale Brewery - Tchoupitoulas St
Also, if you are just at a bar, the excellent brewery called Abita is from Louisiana. Local and fresh from these guys, I am told, it out of this world good.
Abita does have really good beer!
Edited to add that if you want some that the vintage cellar in bburg carries some of the Abita products!
Quick but awesome gourmet burgers right off of Bourbon St. at "Yo Mama's"! Yes that is the name of the restaurant.
Already mentioned, but Coop's Place is amazing!!!! Really good cajun food. After eating it is an easy walk to Cafe Du Monde, and on the way there is a really cool Hot Sauce Bar/Shop. I cannot remember the name, but you can't miss it. Pretty cool spot, and you can try some really hot hot sauces. You even have to sign a waiver before trying some of them.
Yes to both.
Coops is also right near Molly's (mentioned above).
must eat at MOTHERS!!! best food in the NO line is usally around the corner though but they get them moving pretty fast its by the harrahs casino.
some of the balconies are free try and get there at a decent time at night and find a good spot. being on the street at night is a nightmare in my opinion. between the smell, the pick pockets, getting pelted by some beads some of which are pretty big and heavy, just find a good spot and hang out. dont let the shooter girls inside clubs/ bars get you. they will def pull some here take this and then they will take one with you but not tell you your paying for theres and then your either dealing with a bouncer or shelling out an insane amount of money for some shots with no liquer hardly in them. watch for the pick pockets. most places are pretty reasonable on the drink prices. try and hit a couple of parades as just a chance to chill out and recoup a little. if your looking for a quick bite eat at popeyes on canal its louisanna good no joke itll be unlike any other popeyes youve ever had lol. hope you have a blast man! was there 2 years ago for a bachelor party one of the best times of my life and been to all the sugar bowls other than the NC game (i know wth right) and i was stationed in leesville at ft polk LA about 3 hrs north of NO so visted frequently.
Eh.
I think Mothers is the most overrated food in NOLA. Its certainly not bad, but I don't feel like it lives up to the hype.
Good points on the balconies and shot girls.
My experience was 13 hrs in the emergency room. Someone stole my phone (taking some pics of some events on balconies), chased him down, gang surrounded me (unbeknownst to me) and got sucker punched in the eye breaking 3 orbital bones. But other than that the food was amazing, the grenades did their damage, and the music off the beaten path was fantastic.
If you meet any UVA grads, be sure to tip them well
"Those UVA girls are so brainy...their grades no they never let slip. But when they receive their diplomas...they go down to Nawlins to strip. OHHHHH!"
U OF VA! SOUNDS LIKE SOME BULLSHIT TO ME!
Oh Harry, that poor broke bastard.
Mr. B's is a great restaurant if you don't mind the price. K-Pauls for shrimp and grits is a must.
The Pat O'briens Piano Bar is one of the best bars I have been to in New Orleans.
Some of my favorite bars:
Arnaud's French 75
Bacchanal
Barley Oak
Mimi's in the Marigny
The Saint
Have a great trip, Louisiana is the best place in the world if you ask me.
Gobbler stay safe down there, NOLA PD is saying they had a double shooting at a parade last night.
I might hate my next trip to NO for advertising this but.....Port of Call. Just a tick outside the French Quarter. That cheeseburger is so damn good. It is a local hotspot to the point that I shed all fangear when I go in as not to be "the annoying tourist".
Pascals Manale. Well outside the French Quarter. THE classic barbeque shrimp. I mean hands down the best Barbeque Shrimp. This is not shrimp covered in STUBBS. This is shrimp served hot as hell, head on, in a bowl full of butter, shrimp boil, hot sauce, green onions with a side of french bread to soak it all up. God. Bless. America. If you go one place off the beaten path, go here.
Brennans Breakfast. It's about as cliche as cafe du monde but it's that good. I'd take Brennans one time over du monde 5 times. Classic benedicts of different varieties, amazing cocktails, banana's foster flambed tableside. Top notch.
K Pauls Kitchen right next to Jackson Square, I believe. It's not incognito but any blackened fish dish you get is going to be authentic NO. Its a Paul Prudhomme joint....so, ya know.
Lastly, go on a gator tour. Get on a fan boat, fly through the swamp and spanish moss. A really cool experience that's well worth the money. Also just happens to be a good break from loud trumpets and days of bourbon.
Been to NO several times so forgive me for going on.
I cannot stand hand grenades. They are LOADED with sugar and you WILL have a stomach ache before you get done with one.
If you drink LOTS of liquor in your first day or two, take a trip to Huge Ass Beers on bourbon. they serve.... huge ass beers! They'll be a very welcome retreat from the incessant liquor tinge you'll probably have in your mouth, if you're anything like me.
Do NOT be tempted by the flashing lights of PO BOYS! and PIZZA! That stuff is NOT good. Those places specialize in nothing because they cater to everything.
I love the blues. When I am in NO, I'll just cruise down the street in the early evening and keep my ears open. When you hear something you like, stroll in. Great musicians are rotating gigs around Bourbon street so I personally would not latch on to any bars before you get there (besides Pat O'briens if you can get a seat with the piano's). Every bar has beer. Every bar has liquor....
Go to Deanie's (the one out near Lake Ponchartrain, not the one down on the quarter) and feast on shrimp as big as your hand.
Mandina's on Canal Street is also a must, but have cash with you.
Restaurants:
Cafe Du Mond, obviously. Who doesn't go there when in NOLA.
Bon Ton Cafe, Gumbo is second to none, finish it off with the Bread Pudding w/ whiskey sauce.
Felix's Oyster Bar, Oyster's are awesome, you also gotta try their fried alligator.
Acme Oyster Bar, it's the popular place to go.
Dickey Brennan's Steak House. It's one of the top steakhouses in the U.S.
Those were a few of my favorite, and most memorable restaurants from my time in 2012 at the Sugar Bowl. Since i was only 18 at the time, I can't suggest any bars, but the "Big Ass Beers" on Bourbon street caught my eye lol. Anyway, NOLA is jam packed with restaurants. Everything is good. Just make sure you try plenty of the typical New Orleans style food's i.e. Gumbo, Oysters, Alligator, Bread Pudding, etc...you can't find food like it is down there anywhere else in the country.