Eating New Orleans
View of Mississippi River from above Jackson Square.
“Little girl, where are your shoes? This is the French Quarter, there’s piss everywhere!” I smirked at the barefooted little girl walking on the sides of her feet to the rubbish bin to toss her empty paper plate. She smiled turned her head and said, “I’m sorry Mommy.”
I bit into my deep-fried soft-shell crab from one of the vendors at the French Market District and patted dry the juice that rolled down my chin. I always eat well in New Orleans. It’s truly a food city and I have been coming back since I was a sophomore in college. Every time, the trip is different because it is such a culturally multi-faceted place.
Champs and fries at Sylvain.
New Orleans’s foodways are more expansive than soul food. The food is typically called “Creole” and it is a part of France’s and Spain’s former colonial empire. The cuisine is steeped in social heritage from the enslaved Africans, French, Spanish and Native Americans along with the various immigrant groups that have settled there over the years, each bringing a little bit of their culture and fusing it with Creole food. The food is a mirror of the city’s rich cultural complexity.
This last trip was the latest filming of The WTAF Show which I direct and co-host with Kelly Groehler. We had some amazing meals and conversations with artists, activists, and people who love to eat.
Mosquito Supper Club
Located in the Uptown neighbourhood of New Orleans, this seasonal Cajun supper club is open annually from September to June. Chef Melissa Martin tells the story of fisherfolk and farmers in a family-style multi-course meal.
I had a significant foodgasm over the strawberry galette. See it unfold on Instagram here.
FOODGASM- a feeling of bliss when one eats something exceptionally delicious and it is accompanied by sounds and facial gestures of pleasure.
Each of the courses was paired with a wine and on this particular night, they were celebrating their tenth anniversary with their original menu.
Sweet potato biscuits with maple honey butter started us off on our journey. The biscuits were soft with a delicate hint of cinnamon but that buttah stole the show. We asked for another serving, just to smother it on everything.
The genius of the crawfish bisque served in a Dutch Oven was the crab-stuffed crawfish heads. I mean if you’re gonna suck the head, it’s gotta be worth it right? The bisque was silky with great umami flavors running through.
Fried stuffed crab with feta and pea rice offered another foodgasm around the table.
Gas Station Fried Chicken (Keys)
A well -known fact among locals is that you get some of the best fried chicken at gas stations around New Orleans. After visiting New Orleans for years, this was the first time I learnt this culinary fact and had to test it out.
After receiving this hot tip, we ventured to the French Quarter for red beans and rice and fried chicken. However, two lovely men encouraged us to go to Keys for the chicken. “We had twenty-five pieces last night for dinner,” one said sheepishly.
After biting into the crispy skin and juicy meat, I was fully onboard with gas station fried chicken.
Compere Lapin
French for “brother rabbit,” and traditional Caribbean and Creole folk tales of a mischievous rabbit, Compere Lapin is located in the Warehouse Arts District and is helmed by Top Chef alum, Nina Compton. Eater and CNN dubbed it as one of America’s Best Restaurants.
Drawing from her childhood in St. Lucia, Chef Compton fuses Caribbean culinary storytelling with New Orleans heritage.
The blackened pig ears with smoked aioli ate like thick cut potato chips and if they sold it by the bag, I would’ve bought several. I almost bit off my finger with the peel and eat broiled shrimp with chilli butter and cilantro.
I had ordered the curry goat but when I saw a whole fish delivered to a neighboring table, I immediately changed my order. I can’t see a big fish and not order it. The crispy Branzino was cooked perfectly and washing it down with the Ease Down Di Road cocktail of coconut milk, pineapple juice and Appleton rum transported me to a beach in Jamaica.
