This is my final post about my time in New Orleans. My aunt and I drove from Lafayette to New Orleans with her two grandsons. We met up with my aunt, uncle and cousins from Pittsburgh, who were staying in the French Quarter. he reason they all came to New Orleans was to celebrate my cousin’s 16th birthday, which is a bit hard to believe. I have watched her grow into this wonderful young woman. She is about to embark on a trip to my beloved Argentina, and I am so proud of her for taking this adventure.
The main activity we did this day (after filling up on beignets) was to take the St. Charles street car to the garden district. This was a beautiful ride, with a view of old style mansions and also Tulane and Loyola universities.
I was less fond of the ride back, because it was packed full of tourists like myself trying to get back to the French Quarter to make dinner plans. I did manage to get one of the famous New Orleans daiquiris when we got off the street car in the Garden District. One of the things that shocked me most about Louisiana were these drive-though daiquiri shops. I understand you can walk down the street in New Orleans drinking your booze, and Bourbon St. is full of these frozen daiquiri shops. I was surprised to learn that in other parts of the state, you can drive up and get a daiquiri and take it away in your car. That does not seem to be the safest activity.
After a long day of sightseeing, I was looking forward to one last meal in New Orleans. I had to get up at 4:30 AM the next morning to fly to Boston, but I did not want to miss out on a fun dinner with my family.
Before we solidified plans for dinner, we hit up the bar at the hotel where my family was staying. I couldn’t resist getting the Scarlet O’Hara cocktail with southern comfort. Scarlett (aka Katherine “Katie” Scarlett O’Hara) is one of my all-time favorite literary characters. This drink was refreshing and not overly sweet, and it fit perfectly in the theme for the evening (which was my namesake).
After drinks, we headed to Katie’s Restaurant and Bar in mid city. My aunt was so excited to take me to this restaurant that shares my name. I checked out the menu beforehand, and I found myself ready for this dinner. What I didn’t realize until I got there was that this restaurant was featured on Triple D. I was pretty pumped to discover that Guy Fieri had been here, as he is one of my favorite stars from Food Network.
I had a couple things in mind that I wanted to order, but I couldn’t resist the opportunity to order what Guy Fieri ate. So, I got Katherine’s Cajun Cuban, and stayed within the namesake theme. I absolutely love cuban sandwiches, and this one featured cochon de lait (slow-cooked suckling pig). The pork was so tender and juicy. It just fell apart as I bit the sandwich. I adorned the sandwich with a little bit of the several bottles of Tabasco sauce sitting in front of me. I used the chipotle one, to add some smokiness.
My aunt from Lafayette got another item that Guy Fieri ordered, the Boudreaux pizza topped with cochon de lait, roasted garlic, spinach, red onion, scallions and a butter cream sauce. I stole of piece of her pizza, and it was quite tasty. My aunt from Pittsburgh ordered the red fish noel, which was a piece of red fish topped with shrimp and crab meat over a bed of zucchini and summer squash. It looked rather delicious.
I am glad I got the chance to check out this restaurant, and surprisingly another Triple D joint. The food was delicious, and the atmosphere was welcoming. This restaurant has been serving New Orleans since 1984, and I can see why they are still doing so well.
This wraps up my New Orleans/Louisiana experience for now. I am sure I will find myself back in Louisiana some day for more delicious eat. Stayed tuned, as I have a series planned focused on Boston (where I spent two days after I left New Orleans).
*This post reflects my honest views. I did not receive any compensation or other incentives to post this review.
Katie’s Restaurant & Bar
3701 Iberville St.
New Orleans, LA 70119
(504) 488-6582
Catie Cooks 