In order to start, I needed to create a list of new places to go. I have begun writing this list using already existing food blogs and websites like "urbanspoon" and "yelp!". I also decided to look at the Gambit's "Best of New Orleans 2010" (I will be checking out their "Best of New Orleans 2011" once it comes out too) and try out all of the restaurants listed that I haven't been to yet. This list is pretty large seeing as I haven't even been to infamous restaurants such as Commander's Palace or Galatoire's. So I will also write about some already well known New Orleans favorites! There will be a K-Paul's post coming up seeing as I've never been and I just recently purchased a $60 groupon for $30 for K-Paul's! ChAchINg- cHaChINGGG $*$! Now that's what I call CASH MONAY! Ok so here we go, my first nola noobie restaurant review:
Recently it was one of my best friend's birthdays, who also happens to be quite the big food lover. I wanted to take him somewhere new and delicious for breakfast, and somewhere he had hopefully never heard of! So I did some online research and decided on a place called "New Orleans Cake Cafe and Bakery" located on 2440 Chartres St. in the Marigny. Their menu seemed creative and moderately priced, so I went for it. You can check out their awesome menu on their website: www.nolacakes.com . But don't be fooled! They have daily specials that are changing all the time and not just one, when I went there were at least 6-10 specials for that one day!!! Also, they apparently have super delicious cakes, cupcakes, and baked goods which I did not get to try...next time! Anyhoot, when we arrived, I almost immediately knew I would love the place. It was tucked away in a cute little spot in the Marigny, all by its lonesome. Despite this fact, it was jam-packed! From the look of the employees on their website and their location I expected to find the crowd there to be mostly the stereotypical Nola hipster, but I was mistaken. Perhaps it was due to the fact it was located in the Marigny, but the cafe provided a wonderful eclectic mix of customers. We managed to snag a table in the middle of the restaurant, and this is what I observed: Directly in front of me was a large group of what seemed to be young businessmen and women. To my left, a group of middle-aged men and women seeming to be of the upper-middle class. To my right there sat a couple, decked out in old, torn faded clothing, combat boots, and covered in tattoos. And right behind me, a mother who appeared to be in her 30's with her daughter who did not look older than five.
The restaurant service style was similar to that of Oak Street Cafe or Stein's Deli. There were a pile of Menu's by the cash register which you looked at in line and then placed your order and paid at the register. What Jonathan and I unfortunately failed to realize was that there were two large white boards chalk-full of all of the available specials for the day, each one seemingly more delicious than the next! Beneath the cash register was window stocked with the freshly baked pastries of the day...they all looked MOUTHWATERING...not even kidding, I had to restrain myself from getting one before what I knew would be a humungo breakfast. Next to the pastry window was their cupcake display. One of them particularly caught my eye, it was a very pretty but a very unusual light green color. I asked the employee what it was and he said it was their lime cupcake and it was made with fresh lime juice...yummmmmm! It seemed to be pretty popular: they have a deal that if you order a lunch entree you get a cupcake for just $1 and almost everyone seemed to have gotten that one.
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| Pastries! |
I had already read their menu online, so my mind was set before even showing up on what I was going to get (maybe that's why I didn't notice their two large white boards with the specials...I was blinded by my hunger). I got one of their omelets which was described as such: Roasted Vegetables w/Onion, Portobello Mushrooms,
Tomato, Spinach, Zucchini & Fresh Herb Goat Cheese. You were given the choice of freshly baked bread or a homemade biscuit. I asked the server what he recommended and he said that you could also get a bagel as a side item or even a croissant and pointed me to the wide variety of freshly baked breads they offered. I went for the challah bread, to which the server replied "good choice"... and lemme tell ya..it was a goooooood choice indeed! Jonathan ordered the "special omelet" which came with bacon, brie, and spinach and a bagel. He also got a fresh cherry limeade juice which was delicious and super refreshing (and I usually don't like cherry flavored things)!! The juice came with real cherry bits on top and a lime wedge on the side. We sat down at the table, waiting anxiously for our named to be called for our order. The service was pretty quick despite how crowded it was and the steady flow of people filtering in and out purchasing anything from loaves of their freshly baked bread to pastries, or even just a sandwich to go.
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| More pastries: including their delicious looking cinnamon rolls up top! |
I was so excited when our name was finally called and the quirky looking waitress brought over our order. The first bite of my omelet was delicious! Everything I had hoped for. Folded in the light yellow, fluffy omelet laid the hidden gems. The roasted vegetables were well seasoned and cooked to perfection. And every now and then a creamy bite of goat cheese would take over...mmm! If you like your food spicy I highly recommend squirting some Sriracha on there (one bottle located on every table)...perfection! Every now and then I would scoop some egg, veggies, cheese, and Sriracha on my challah bread...soooo good! Jonathan's omelet was delicious as well, but I liked mine better! If you are a huge fan of brie, however, I would say go for it because they were anything but skimpy on their brie portions...yum! I didn't get a chance to try the bagel but Jonathan says it was pretty legit as well. I finished the whole entire omelet (and they give pretty generous portions here) and loved every second of it! Ahhh can't wait to come back and try their pastries and their lunch menu! This place is definitely worth a few visits to taste their wide variety of options. Supposedly during Mardi Gras season they have some of the best king cake in town...I'll definitely volunteer to be the judge of that come January! After wiping our plates clean, we went and grabbed dessert at one of my favorite new places which I will write about in my next blog entry. In the meantime, here are some pictures of our breakfast adventure (I don't have a camera yet so they were taken on Jonathan's cell phone...so I apologize in advance for the poor picture quality).
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| bacon, spinach and brie and my roasted veggie one in the back! |
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| Cutting into the bacon, brie and spinach omelet! |
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