UNDER CONSTRUCTION – PHOTOS RETURNING SOON

Jackson Square through window at Stanley's

I can still taste my first bite of an oyster Po Boy in New Orleans. It was at the Acme and the combination of crunchy bread, warm crisp oysters, cold lettuce and tomatoes was transforming. Sadly, the Acme doesn’t measure up any more. Domilise’s has been my favorite in recent years. This trip we discovered Stanley’s on Jackson Square, around the corner from its sister restaurant, Stella’s. They’ve tweaked the classic Oyster Po Boy with a coleslaw that made every bite a sensational experience.

But that’s not all. They also served Eggs Benedict with Fried Oysters that just might be even better, according to my wife.  I’m biased towards Po Boys, but it too was amazing.

Oysters at every meal. That makes for a happy life. We finally got to Casamento’s, a NOLA institution. But I was disappointed. The oysters were not that tasty. It might have been that they weren’t cold. They serve them right out of the bushel basket, surprising to see them so muddy. No hosing down these bivalves, though the dirt didn’t get into the oyster.

The best oysters on this trip (and the last one too, during JazzFest) was at Restaurant Luke, one of John Besh’s six restaurants. Cold and scrumptious.

Motivation for this trip was to celebrate the launch of John Besh’s book “My New Orleans,” ad amazing book, if I do say so myself. (My wife, Dorothy Kalins, produced it.) It’s getting wonderful reviews, like the one in Head Butler that compares it to the bible (http://bit.ly/IynCE):  ”Like the Bible, it’s a story of generations: A boy grows up in rural Louisiana, learns the lessons of his people and tries to keep them alive for his children. And, like the Bible, “My New Orleans” is serious at its core — John Besh was not lacking in a sense of mission before Katrina, but he came out of it with a sense of stewardship for his beloved city and its traditional cuisine.”

John’s other restaurants include August, the just opened Domenica, an Italian bistro which makes its own cured meats, Besh Steak, La Provence, and The American Sector. The beautiful photography is by Ditte Isager.

I’d never walk out of my apartment and buy fried dough. But how can one go to NOLA without stopping at Cafe du Monde and scarfing down hot beignets.

Holy Water Angel at St. Louis Cathedral

I got to eat at Bon Ton Cafe, one of the classic NOLA restaurants. A regular told me he eats there every day. And, John Besh did a Food Network segment there about his favorite food minutes before his big party kicked off.

Bread Pudding w/Whiskey Sauce

Beignets Disappear

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