New Orleans: the city of bourbon, bistro, and Brandon!
This past weekend I went to visit my close friend, Brandon at his new home in New Orleans. Brandon moved to NOLA from SF a few months ago, and I've missed him dearly. When Brandon was living here, we spent most of our time together shopping at the farmers market, cooking dinners, drinking wine, and exploring new hot spots in San Francisco. I have not since found a foodie friend to replace him, and I am currently accepting applicants.
The last time I had visited New Orleans was when I was seventeen-years-old - a senior in high school - visiting my older friend at Tulane as a prospective student. Needless to say, this time around was an entirely new experience. Not only was it my first visit since Hurricane Katrina, but saw the city from the perspective of someone who lives in the French Quarter, dines with local farmers in mind, prefers Trefethen s.i.n. Rose to Pat O'Brien's Hurricanes, and has a car.
I arrived at New Orleans airport at approximately 11:15pm. This was after two legs of flight in first class (thanks to American Airline miles), 3 large glasses of wine, and a vodka cocktail. Read: I was pretty drunk already. Brandon picked me up and we drove back to his spacious and beautiful studio apartment on Royal Street. After changing into something more appropriate for the thick 90 degree heat, we opted for a drink at the Carousel Bar in Hotel Monteleone. One drink was clearly enough, as I was already drunk and the room was spinning (literally, the bar spins in a slow circle as you're served drinks), and it was a Thursday night so Brandon had to wake up early for lunch.
The next day I was on my own for the morning. With a key to the apartment, a flowing skirt and tank top and a mission to shop, I was off in the French Quarter!
I didn't get very far down Royal Street before Brandon called me to tell me to grab an umbrella before meeting him for lunch since the sky looked like it was about to open up and release buckets of rain. Before heading back to the apartment, I did manage to purchase a few small items like spices, a magnet, measuring spoons and some Hanky Panky thongs (my favorite). I met Brandon on the corner of Canal and St. Charles and he whisked me away to lunch at one of his favorite spots, Cochon Butcher. We stood in a long line waiting to order, then took our seats at the bar - according to Brandon, "we would get better service" at the bar. We sipped on homemade iced tea and waited for our lunches to arrive, about 5 minutes after we ordered. While he delved into the brisket special, I feasted on the pastrami sandwich - a Creole take on the Ruben. YUM!
Brandon told me that this place was the kid brother restaurant to the larger and more fancy Cochon next store. Both use practice sustainability and specialize in Cajun dishes. And Brandon was right, we did get better service at the bar. We exchanged stories of the East Coast with the servers and talked about food in New Orleans. It was a lovely first meal experience in NOLA for me!
Later that evening, Brandon took me on a drive through New Orleans' Garden District and pointed out the homes of Sandra Bullock and John Goodman, as well as some other historical mansions. We had dinner at Lilette, a new-ish Creole Restaurant on Magazine Street, and one of Brandon's favorite spots to dine. We shared a bottle of GrĂ¼ner Veltliner - my pick - and ordered some appetizers to start. Brandon got the beef short ribs with cucumber and lime-ginger vinaigrette, and I ordered the Braised veal cheeks with baby greens and horseradish vinaigrette. Both were delicious, but my entree took the cake: Paneed red snapper with Israeli cous cous, leeks, tomato and ver jus mussel butter. Even Brandon was drooling over it, though his grilled Mahi Mahi with braised escerole, leek puree and satsuma-basil butter was almost as perfect as mine. We happily agreed to skip dessert because we were so pleasantly full, and to outsource the calories on the many bevvies that were to come.
Our next stop was Columns Hotel, an old Bed & Breakfast that boasts various large rooms with high ceilings and tables outside and inside to sit and enjoy a drink. We waited for his friend to meet us, and the three of us had three rounds of drinks consisting of mint juleps, bourbon and coke, and vodka and soda. We decided it was time to hit the next spot just a few meters away at Delachaise. I ordered a whopping double vodka and soda and we sat outside on the patio, making plans for the rest of the weekend. We headed back downtown where we separated from Brandon's friend and made one more stop at Bar Tonique, which was a near split image to one of my favorite bars in San Francisco, Alembic. I nursed a strong gin drink called The Last Word (gin, lime juice, green chartreuse, and maraschino liqueur) while Brandon sipped on a Pimm's Cup. A delicious end to a delectable night.
Saturday we slept until 10am and got dressed for brunch in the Bywater district. Brandon took me to Satsuma, a hippy-dippy organic place with five staffers, a small but affordable menu, an assortment of tables outside and inside, and of course free wifi. Are we in San Francisco? Brandon later explained to me that this neighborhood was in fact the more Bohemian area of the city, with brightly painted houses and small cafes and shops, and if you turn the corner you may find yourself in the Ghetto - a lot like the Mission district in San Francisco. After brunch, Brandon gave me a tour of the Lower Ninth Ward, the area of the city that suffered the most devastation after Hurricane Katrina hit five years ago. First he took me to the Doullut Steamboat Houses, two very special and historic homes in New Orleans, one of which Brandon's friend owns and lives in.
We then drove through the area that Brad Pitt's company has been rebuilding. The houses were very modern and interesting looking, all on stilts to protect them from floods. While the seemed to solve the issues of flooding, they don't look very much like typical New Orleans homes. But kudos to Brad for using his money and fame to make better homes for people in need!
By this point, it was so damn hot outside and Brandon's car AC only worked when we drove fast, so we decided we best sneak inside one of the hotel roof deck pools in his neighborhood for an afternoon swim. I was so worried that we would get caught, but we slowly realized that nearly everyone who was sitting by the pool were locals who must have got their bright and early to claim the pool deck chairs. We even met one girl who claimed she was "not a fan" of San Francisco, and the people were "snobby and uptight." Mmm hmm. Go back to your Rickys and Ronnies. We left the pool shortly after to dine on some creole tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil from Brandon's balcony planters - and of course the Trefethen Rose that I trekked across country. Our buzz and heat exhaustion called for a much-needed nap. When I awoke, it was pouring rain with thunder and lightening. This lasted about 30 minutes, and then the sun came back out. At least I got to witness at least one of NOLA's infamous summer afternoon storms.
Later that evening, after we were well-rested, showered, and dressed for dinner, we headed back to Magazine Street to eat at Bistro Daisy, a small American bistro restaurant featuring seasonal and local dishes. I ordered a heaping glass of Duckhorn Decoy Zinfandel and we selected our appetizers. For me, jumbo lump crab and gulf shrimp in aioli with artichokes, new potatoes, petite croutons and chives; for Brandon, grilled sweetbreads with lemon supremes, fried capers and toasted pinenuts in a browned butter. Both were fantastically prepared, with all of the flavors melding together in every bite. For my entree, I chose the lamb with risotto and tomato-mint reduction while Brandon dined on the fish special (which I can't remember because I was so immersed in my lamb and Zinfandel). We again opted to skip dessert, but were pleasantly surprised when we were brought a dish of homemade ice cream - for free! It was literally the icing on the cake.
After dinner, we went back to Brandon's house to change into our evening clothes. After enjoying some bourbon and coke drinks at the apartment, we took to the streets to enjoy some live music and Bourbon Street entertainment. We stopped at DBA and Mimi's, and from here it gets kind of fuzzy - in true New Orleans fashion. We finished off the night with a stop at a taco stand, a five block cab ride back to Brandon's house (apparently I refused to walk), and an expensive faux New York hot dog that lead us to loudly imitate/mock the New Jersey accent for the next 30 minutes or so.
Fortunately my flight on Sunday wasn't until late in the afternoon, so we were able to nurse our hangovers and enjoy a homemade breakfast while watching one of our favorite movies, Sleepy Hollow. Once we were motivated enough to leave the house, we spent some more time walking around the French Quarter doing window shopping at antique stores, history shops, jewelers and a very small but entertaining sex shop. To ease the beads of sweat dripping down our face, we stopped at a small Popsicle shop owned by a woman from Nashville. I highly recommend stopping in this place if you find yourself in the French Quarter on a hot day.
I could not have asked for a more pleasurable experience during this trip. Not only did I get to spend time with one of my best friends, but I got to see a side of New Orleans that I didn't know existed. Special thanks to Brandon for one of the best weekends this summer will bring me!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Since I've Been Gone
Every week for the last two months, I have thought to myself: "ACK! I really need to write a blog post this week... I'll get to it later tonight, after I browse the Internet for a few hours, go for a swim, attend a few office events, exercise, do some work for AsiaWheeling, watch my favorite TV shows, have dinner with my boyfriend... shit it's 1am and I have to go to bed. There's no time to blog!"
I know, I know. I could have made time. But here is what I was doing instead....
SHN, the company I work for, began Peter Pan performances on April 27 and we had the official opening for the show on May 12. Combined with the three or four other shows I was working on, along with the 10/11 Season marketing campaign, I had little to no time at work to accomplish anything that wasn't work-related - Facebook being the only exception because that actually counts as work.
When I wasn't working or attending fancy events for work - like the opening of the Birth of Impressionism Exhibit at the DeYoung Museum - I had several visitors coming to town. Three of my closest girlfriends from college cam to San Francisco for Bay to Breakers weekend. Also joining them were two other friends of mine from college and although one opted to stay at a hotel downtown, the other four made a home out of my living room for the weekend. There was lots of fun had, lots of pizza eaten, lots of booze drank - and one very cute clay mate. A couple weeks later my best friend, Lucy came for a visit! We accomplished pretty much everything on out list of activities: brunch at Park Chalet, semi-matching tattoos behind our ears, Sex and the City 2 (loved it), spoonful of happiness at Sushi Koo, fancy hotel party at W, mucho bar hopping, Napa Valley wine tasting, late night burritos, celebrating the 21st birthday of one very drunk boy, and a near-disaster ride to the airport. Ahh, the joys of hosting.
As some of you know, I tore my ACL back in January when I was skiing in Lake Tahoe. I didn't find out it was torn until March when a MRI was finally ordered. Since then I have been working to strengthen the muscles in my legs to prepare for the surgery on July 8. I've been biking more, doing physical therapy exercises, some moderate elliptical and upper body strengthening, and swimming! Swimming is my new favorite form of exercise. I swam when I was a little girl, and my boyfriend got me back into it when he started to dabble with training for a triathlon (side note: he has since decided to first run the San Francisco Marathon). I've found that swimming is really the only form of exercise where I am completely relaxed, yet the level of adrenaline that surges through me is incomparable to anything I have experienced at the gym. The first day I swam, I did 6 laps (12 legs) - which was more than I expected! Now I am swimming 30 laps (60 legs) combined with 10 laps (20 legs) of kick boarding interspersed between every 10 laps of freestyle. In short, I feel great! I recommend swimming to anyone who is looking for a new and easy way to exercise.
Because of my ACL tear, I was unable to play on my softball league this spring - but that didn't stop me from being a part of the team, the one and only Master Batters. I started Master Batters (which is part of a social/beer league in San Francisco) last year when I was looking for something to activate my social life. I took on the role of Captain/Manager/Coach and played catcher for two straight seasons. But this year when I was sidelined, I took my Coaching role much more seriously and with the help of my team, developed some new strategies and recruited some new players. Though we only won two games this season (one was a forfeit from the other team), we managed to make it to the B League playoffs. After clobbering the #1 seeded team in the first round of playoffs, we were sent to round 2 to play the #4 seed. The Master Batters beat them pretty badly, and we were sent to the finals on the next field over where we were to play the #2 seeded team. And wadaya know, we beat them too! WINNERS OF THE GOLDEN GATE SPORTS AND SOCIAL CLUB SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP! A true Cinderella story for you, folks. Just goes to show that teamwork and enthusiasm always make a winning combination (a good bat makes a difference too). And the icing on the cake? We won the championship on the night of my 25th birthday.
Yes, that's right. I turned 25 this year. I'm a quarter-century old. I had a short-lived, but intense, panic attack two days before my birthday. Some may call it a quarter life crisis. There was hyperventilating, crying, incapacity... some may have even mistaken me for a hobo as I laid on the grass outside of the Civic Center listening to Bob Marley to try and cool off. I did, and I continued to draw out my birthday celebrations for an entire week; including, but not limited to, dining out every night of the week, indulging in expensive wine, taking off work for my birthday and spending the night in a hotel downtown, and of course an elaborate party filled with friends and blackout punch. Thank you to all my friends and family who provided me with such a wonderful birthday celebration! Same time next year?
Some other minor highlights:
I know, I know. I could have made time. But here is what I was doing instead....
SHN, the company I work for, began Peter Pan performances on April 27 and we had the official opening for the show on May 12. Combined with the three or four other shows I was working on, along with the 10/11 Season marketing campaign, I had little to no time at work to accomplish anything that wasn't work-related - Facebook being the only exception because that actually counts as work.
When I wasn't working or attending fancy events for work - like the opening of the Birth of Impressionism Exhibit at the DeYoung Museum - I had several visitors coming to town. Three of my closest girlfriends from college cam to San Francisco for Bay to Breakers weekend. Also joining them were two other friends of mine from college and although one opted to stay at a hotel downtown, the other four made a home out of my living room for the weekend. There was lots of fun had, lots of pizza eaten, lots of booze drank - and one very cute clay mate. A couple weeks later my best friend, Lucy came for a visit! We accomplished pretty much everything on out list of activities: brunch at Park Chalet, semi-matching tattoos behind our ears, Sex and the City 2 (loved it), spoonful of happiness at Sushi Koo, fancy hotel party at W, mucho bar hopping, Napa Valley wine tasting, late night burritos, celebrating the 21st birthday of one very drunk boy, and a near-disaster ride to the airport. Ahh, the joys of hosting.
As some of you know, I tore my ACL back in January when I was skiing in Lake Tahoe. I didn't find out it was torn until March when a MRI was finally ordered. Since then I have been working to strengthen the muscles in my legs to prepare for the surgery on July 8. I've been biking more, doing physical therapy exercises, some moderate elliptical and upper body strengthening, and swimming! Swimming is my new favorite form of exercise. I swam when I was a little girl, and my boyfriend got me back into it when he started to dabble with training for a triathlon (side note: he has since decided to first run the San Francisco Marathon). I've found that swimming is really the only form of exercise where I am completely relaxed, yet the level of adrenaline that surges through me is incomparable to anything I have experienced at the gym. The first day I swam, I did 6 laps (12 legs) - which was more than I expected! Now I am swimming 30 laps (60 legs) combined with 10 laps (20 legs) of kick boarding interspersed between every 10 laps of freestyle. In short, I feel great! I recommend swimming to anyone who is looking for a new and easy way to exercise.
Because of my ACL tear, I was unable to play on my softball league this spring - but that didn't stop me from being a part of the team, the one and only Master Batters. I started Master Batters (which is part of a social/beer league in San Francisco) last year when I was looking for something to activate my social life. I took on the role of Captain/Manager/Coach and played catcher for two straight seasons. But this year when I was sidelined, I took my Coaching role much more seriously and with the help of my team, developed some new strategies and recruited some new players. Though we only won two games this season (one was a forfeit from the other team), we managed to make it to the B League playoffs. After clobbering the #1 seeded team in the first round of playoffs, we were sent to round 2 to play the #4 seed. The Master Batters beat them pretty badly, and we were sent to the finals on the next field over where we were to play the #2 seeded team. And wadaya know, we beat them too! WINNERS OF THE GOLDEN GATE SPORTS AND SOCIAL CLUB SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP! A true Cinderella story for you, folks. Just goes to show that teamwork and enthusiasm always make a winning combination (a good bat makes a difference too). And the icing on the cake? We won the championship on the night of my 25th birthday.
Yes, that's right. I turned 25 this year. I'm a quarter-century old. I had a short-lived, but intense, panic attack two days before my birthday. Some may call it a quarter life crisis. There was hyperventilating, crying, incapacity... some may have even mistaken me for a hobo as I laid on the grass outside of the Civic Center listening to Bob Marley to try and cool off. I did, and I continued to draw out my birthday celebrations for an entire week; including, but not limited to, dining out every night of the week, indulging in expensive wine, taking off work for my birthday and spending the night in a hotel downtown, and of course an elaborate party filled with friends and blackout punch. Thank you to all my friends and family who provided me with such a wonderful birthday celebration! Same time next year?
Some other minor highlights:
- I got a haircut.
- I purchased a few new pairs of jeggings.
- I've been doing freelance marketing for this great adventure-travel blog called AsiaWheeling (check it out!)
- I quit smoking.... cigarettes, that is.
- I learned how to cook scallops.
- I visited New Orleans and had a fabulous time!
- I didn't get iced.
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