NOLA Restaurant

New Orleans, Louisiana

Everyone knows who Emeril Lagasse is and that the man can flat out cook, but it's always a task for his restaurants to live up to his name, now that he's one of these "celebrity chefs." I had the pleasure to dine in the second restaurant he opened in New Orleans, NOLA Restaurant.

This restaurant brings in many of the occasional New Orleans Creole dishes but some may come with a Cajun, Southwestern and even a Vietnamese flare to them.

First, they bring every person a nice corn muffin and this odd looking square bread. It was actually pretty good, there were definitely pieces of sun dried tomato in it and definitely made you ridiculously hungry.

Our reservation was really late so unfortunately they ran out of their popular Crispy Smoked Duck and Mushroom Boudin Balls. We asked out waiter what his favorite was and he said that he orders Miss Hay's Stuffed Chicken Wings with homemade Hoisin Dipping sauce, every time. We ordered them and were not disappointed in the slightest. They were fried perfectly and once you bite into them, you instantly get the Vietnamese twist to it. This came out of left field for sure, I was expecting some kind of sausage or other kind of stuffing but you could really consider this as a chicken wing dumpling. The homemade Hoisin sauce was delicious as well.




I came here with my aunt in cousins so I was fortunate to try all of their dishes as well. We had Pan Roasted Salmon with Herb Couscous, Ratatouille, Red Chili Raita and Preserved Lemon Butter Sauce. The salmon was cooked just the way we wanted it (more on the rarer side) and everything surrounding it was very flavorful.

I told my visiting family that someone absolutely had to try shrimp and grits, because they haven't had them before. NOLA Restaurant's Shrimp & Grits comes with Sauteed Gulf Shrimp, Grilled Green Onions, Smoked Cheddar Grits, Apple Smoked Bacon, Crimini Mushrooms and Red Chili-Abita Butter Sauce. The grits were nice and creamy as they should be, and I really enjoyed the size and flavor of the shrimp. The Red Chili-Abita Butter Sauce added some heat to it and ...who doesn't love big chunks of apple smoked bacon?

I decided to try the Abita Beer Braised Pork Shank. I was expecting maybe a small portion of cut up pork shank, and not this Fred Flintstone sized piece of meat. I was pleasantly surprised when this got sat in front of me. It comes with Fresh Field Pea Succotash, Housemade Bacon and Sheaux Fresh Farms Okra Sprouts. The pork had a very good braise done to it so every bite around the outside had a very nice sweet caramelization to it. On the inside, it was so tender that you could pull it apart with your fork. The Fresh Field Pea Succotash had a very nice earthy flavor that paired really well with the shank.

And last but not least, dessert. We didn't have enough room to each get something we wanted so we decided to split the Creme Brulee Trio. One was Vanilla Bean with Fresh Berries, the other was Coconut with a Coconut Truffle and the third was Mocha with a Chocolate-Almond Biscotti. They were all pretty rich in flavor, and I really liked how the coconut brulee wasn't overpowering with coconut flavor.

We had a great time here, I really enjoyed the casual-fine dining atmosphere and the food lived up to the Emeril standard. I recommend on making a reservation here if you need a good place to eat in the Quarter.

NOLA Restaurant - 532 St. Louis Street, New Orleans, Louisiana
http://www.emerilsrestaurants.com/nola-restaurant

Cochon Butcher

New Orleans, Louisiana

There comes a time where everyone should take in a deep breath, and enjoy a deliciously prepared sandwich with some excellent choices of meat. When you first walk in the doors of Cochon Butcher, you are immediately lifted to the high heavens with the aroma of... well... meat. Once you get back down to reality, you realize that you have to order something, and maybe everything.

Here, I decided to go with everyone's guiltiest pleasure... bacon. This is their Buck Board Bacon Melt. It comes with a copious amount of deliciously smoky sliced bacon, collard greens, swiss cheese and pickled pepper aioli. The bread comes nicely buttered and pressed to make a delicious sandwich. It also comes with a side of their potato chips, and sliced pickles.

You certainly get a mouthful of bacon in every bite, just like how all great sandwiches should be. Very rich and full with smoky flavor. The pepper aioli pairs really well with it. They also have a couple hot sauces that go with the sandwich pretty well too, if you're into that kind of thing. The sweet potato habanero sauce was my favorite, sweet and a big spicy kick at the end.

My friend ordered the BBQ Pork sandwich, because she's a huge fan of the Carolina style. Carolina style BBQ is more geared towards the vinegary flavor, so it has a clean bite to it. It came topped with coleslaw on a big fluffy bun. It too came with a side of their chips and sweet buttery pickle slices.

Overall, we enjoyed the experience a ton and definitely plan on coming back again. Beware that seating is pretty limited. We came at a very arbitrary hour and it was still very, very busy.

Cochon Butcher - 930 Tchoupitoulas Street, New Orleans, Louisiana
http://www.cochonbutcher.com/

Joey K's Restaurant& Bar

New Orleans, Louisiana

I had a couple of friends come in town for some cajun/creole cuisine the other day. I remember spotting this place on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives so I figured that it had to be pretty good. Little did I know that my hopes were about to be dashed.

We ordered a few things: the Oyster Platter, Red Beans and Rice, and the Trout Tchoupitoulas.

The Oyster Platter consisted of a bunch of deliciously fried oysters and a side of fries. Probably the one highlight of our meal. The Red Beans and Rice wasn't so spectacular. They were quite stingy on the rice and it was a little too thick for my liking. Flavor was decent though. It's pretty hard to mess up either dish.

The one specialty item on the menu that I decided to go for was the Trout Tchoupitoulas. It comes lightly floured and pan fried, then topped with shrimp and crab meat. On the side were mixed vegetables and potatoes. It also comes with a side of salad, but I didn't bother to take a picture, because it clearly came out of a pre-made salad bag.

When the plate got placed in front of me I immediately knew I probably wasn't going to enjoy it, especially not for the amount of money it was worth. The trout was definitely over cooked. It came out very dry and the seasoning was very very conservative at best. Hardly flavorful at all. The toppings on it weren't very appetizing either. The shrimp was very bland and whatever alcohol they tried cooking into the crab meat stuck out like a sore thumb. It almost tasted like a sour beer. The potatoes were pretty plain and the mixed vegetables dwarfed the portion size of the fish. The garnish of scallions on our dishes looked relatively old as well.

Joey K's also added gratuity to our table. I am perfectly fine with adding gratuity to my bill as long as the service can back it up... which it most certainly did not. Our waiter may have visited us twice during our two hour stay (most of the time we spent waiting for our food). It got to the point where we were sipping on our melted ice. I was utterly disappointed with the quality of service and their specialty item, however they can fry a mean oyster.

To be honest, I felt pretty embarrassed on bringing my friends here. And how this place got mentioned on the food channel is beyond me. It will take a ridiculous amount of consideration to give this place another shot.

Joey K's Restaurant & Bar - 3001 Magazine Street, New Orleans, Louisiana
http://www.joeyksrestaurant.com/

Pat's King of Steaks

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Well, I had an early morning flight off to Philly after seeing the one and only parade on my Mardi Gras agenda. Needless to say, I was quite hungover. So, what better way to cure it by filling my stomach with a Philly Cheesesteak! Oddly enough, I just to happened to go to another site that was featured in Food Wars and Food Feuds. The episode of Food Wars that took place in Philadelphia was for the best Philly Cheesesteak. The contestants were Pat's King of Steaks and Tony Luke's. In Food Feuds, it was Pat's vs Geno's, a rival that sits just across the street. This time, I picked the winner of BOTH shows. Pat's has been around since 1930 and is considered as the co-founders of the cheesesteak. You step up to the window and ask for a cheesesteak "wit", meaning you want onions on it. They operate at a super fast pace. So fast that my cheesesteak came out literally in seconds. I ordered the pepper cheesesteak "wit" with an order of fries.(which you order separately a window down)

The difference with this place compared to many other cheesesteaks is the cheese. If you don't specify what type of cheese you want on your sandwich, they automatically load it up with cheese whiz. You can ask for provolone or American too. They use thinly sliced rib eye for their meat and place it on Italian bread, which tends to be a little bit chewier than what I'm used to in the South. (French bread) This cheesesteak was delicious. This place is the definition of "simpler is better". Very tender chopped up rib eye with some grilled onion and cheese whiz, can you really go wrong with that?












Pat's King of Steaks - 1237 East Passyunk, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
http://www.patskingofsteaks.com/

Crabby Jack's

New Orleans, Louisiana

You're in New Orleans for some Cajun/Creole influenced food, sure you are. But, it's not the etouffee or gumbo that reigns supreme. In this city, it's all about the Po'boy, and the Po'boy will always be king. I haven't tried every place that sells them... yet... but I can tell you that this place is DEFINITELY worth stopping by.

Crabby Jack's doesn't sell just Po'boys, they range from seafood specials such as blackened fish with hollandaise, fried green tomato salad, fried chicken and sides that cover all bases (jambalaya, mac & cheese, potato salad and slaw). I haven't explored much into their full menu, but I would assume it's good. After all, they do belong to the same owner that owns the famous restaurant, Jacques-Imo's on Oak Street.

I ordered both the Calamari and Cochon de Lait Po'boys. And you can order them to be fully dressed with lettuce, tomato, pickle and mayo.

So, for the calamari, it was fried really well. Definitely not over cooked because they can end up hard as rocks if they're fried for too long. I can't say much other than that it was really fresh, and delicious. I added some Crystal hot sauce on it for an additional kick. (As listed on their menu, these things really are overstuffed)

The cochon de lait on the other hand, needed nothing. It had a good amount of spice to it which was pleasant. The sauce was delicious and the meat was so tender that you have no problem shredding through it with your teeth. This does get a little sloppy but, who cares when you're dealing with something that tastes THIS good.

The bread that they use is also a very good find. The crust is firm enough to not fall apart and the inside is so soft that it could be mistaken for a pillow. I absolutely love this place. The atmosphere, the food, and the people that take your order shows what New Orleans is all about. Making new friends and eating delicious food!

*Note*
Their hours are limited from a lunch time to an early dinner.

Crabby Jack's - 428 Jefferson Highway, New Orleans, Louisiana
http://crabbyjacksnola.com/

New Orleans Hamburger & Seafood Co.

New Orleans, Louisiana

Burgers and seafood? Yeah sure, why not?

I had a friend craving some white beans and rice when she rolled into town, and this was the spot she mentioned. New Orleans Hamburger & Seafood Co., an establishment with nine locations around the New Orleans area. We dined in at  the St. Charles location, which is a block down and across the street from Superior Seafood.

Well, I'll go ahead and get into the meal. We started off by ordering the Oysters Saint Rock. It's a fried oyster served in a half shell on top of creamed spinach, pepperjack cheese and a Tabasco hollandaise. Not the conventional way to serve oysters, but I must say that it was pretty damn good. The creamed spinach was maybe a little bit on the dry side but the Tabasco hollandaise made it out to be pretty nice.

Considering that this place has the word "hamburger" in their name, I figured that I couldn't really go wrong by ordering one. I went with The Grand Parade. It comes with apple smoked bacon, bleu cheese, red onion and bbq sauce. Every burger also comes with their garlic herb fries.

First, I tried one of their fries. Just based on it's physical appearance and the smell, I figured they'd be ridiculously good. Unfortunately, this garlic butter and herb dressing they put on it was a little over the top. The flavor was good, but made the fries unbelievably heavy. There was actually so much of it that it made some of the fries on the bottom rather soggy, and also crept onto my hamburger bun. So heavy that I couldn't finish them all.

The hamburger on appearance again looked pretty tasty. The bun by itself made it look pretty delicious. The actual hamburger patty didn't hold much flavor at all, poorly seasoned. The toppings were pretty much the only thing saving this guy. The bacon was cooked well though. Pretty disappointed,  I would have to say.

What they seem to pride themselves on is their thin cut catfish, which comes along with the order of white beans and rice.

I tried my friend's white beans and rice first and it was loaded with a smoky flavor. I found it to be pretty appetizing, but if you're not partial to smoky flavors, I'd probably stay away from it. The thin cut catfish on the other hand was delicious! The batter made it very crispy and it was seasoned pretty well. I could probably eat a few plates of it by itself.

One pleasant surprise is the unlimited soft serve ice cream cones you can get! Our waitress told us about it at the end of our meal. The waitstaff was friendly, and the environment was pretty much like a normal sports bar. Overall, my experience here was fairly average.

New Orleans Hamburger & Seafood Co. - 4141 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana
http://www.nohsc.com/home/uptown/

Louie's Cafe

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

You think "open 24 hours a day," and probably think of Waffle House and IHOP. If you're around the north gates of the LSU campus, save yourself the trouble of deciding on the two commercial places and hit up Louie's Cafe! Known for their awesome hashbrowns and hamburgers, this place has been serving up hangover cures and breakfast feasts to Baton Rougians and LSU students since 1941. One of the best things about this place is that you can order anything on their menu at any time of the day. A perfect place to get your "brinner"(breakfast at dinner time) on.


I decided to get Combo  #3, which comes with a waffle or pancakes, two eggs cooked any way, and your choice of bacon, links, patty or ham. I'm always a waffle man, but unfortunately their waffle iron was broken that night, so I had to settle for pancakes. I chose the bacon and ordered my eggs over easy. Everything is delicious. You can't really go wrong with this combo, the only thing missing was an order of their delicious hashbrowns.

My friend and I decided to split an order of their Pepper Jack Hashbrowns. It's Louie's hashbrowns, that always comes cooked with onions and other spices, but topped with jalapenos and melted pepper jack cheese. These are my favorite because I enjoy the heat, but you can get them in tons of different ways (chili/cheese, sausage/cheese, or with mushrooms, colby and sour cream).

This place can fix any hunger need at any time of the day, what else more could you ask for? Only downer is that their delicious biscuits are only served from 6AM-11AM.

Other than that, swing by, grab a seat on the old school stools and enjoy some history.

Louie's Cafe - 206 West State Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
http://www.louiescafe.org/