Theresa's Mixed Nuts: family travel

As I was cleaning out my cupboards the other day, I found some beignet mix and remembered that I never shared our NOLA food adventures with you. I mean, we didn't take any souvenir money with us except for extra spending money to try ALL the foods we could get our grubby little hands on, so it was like "duh" when I found the mix and a slap to the forehead on how I could possibly forget to share such an important part of our trip last winter.

Our foodie adventures actually started in Tennessee, so I'd be remiss if I left that part out. My oldest daughter couldn't accompany us on this particular trip, but since TN was on their short list of places to relocate to once they finished college that fall, and because it was on our route to Louisiana, she really wanted her boyfriend to try some Nashville Chicken and Memphis BBQ to help sell him on the state. So our first stop was at Central BBQ for some barbecued pulled pork and chicken.

Because we were trying to stay safe in the height of Covid, we placed a curbside to go order. I will say that I was quite miffed because we pulled into the curbside spot, texted the number provided to have someone bring our food, and waited more than 20 minutes before realizing nobody was coming out, so I had to go in to get our order. Kind of defeats the whole curbside service they claim to provide, but whatever. I will also state that for vegetarians, this is not a stop that should be on your radar because the only options are nachos and a mushroom burger. BUT, the onion rings and green beans were spot on, and this southern girl that's currently stuck in the Midwest really missed her southern green beans so I was thrilled to get my fill of them. As for the bbq meat? Allison gave it 5 stars while not caring that she was eating like a caveman.

Then it was off to NOLA to dig into the grub. We did stay at The Drury Inn where they offered us daily breakfast and dinner throughout our stay, so we mostly did lunch and snacks on our own through the city. Po'Boy's were a must, so we swung into NOLA POBOYS on Bourbon Street on our first day. I was pleased to see that there was a huge assortment to choose from on the menu, honestly it was almost overwhelming, but there was definitely something to accommodate almost everyone.

This was one of my favorite stops in the French Quarter. While the restaurant was nothing fancy, I liked the laid back messy vibe going on here.

The staff was so friendly, there was adequate seating, pricing was fair, and the po'boys were tip top!

Cafe Du Monde was another must for us. We've heard that it's the IT place to be for beignets, so we had no problem waiting in the massive line to get our greedy little hands on some.

The line was long, but it seemed to move quickly. The one thing that I didn't like was it is a cash only business. I'm not one to carry cash on me, especially in a big city, but thankfully I knew this ahead of time and came prepared. The beignets come 3 to an order for right around $3. We added in a hot chocolate for another $3 each, which made for a very affordable and filling afternoon snack. While the beignets were delicious, I can't say they lived up to the hype. For as much as I've heard about them, I supposed I was expecting something more special than what they turned out to be. Kyle, on the other hand, had to get every last crumb out of the bag, whereas Allison decided to share hers with the pigeons.

The next day we decided to give Cafe Beignet at whirl.

The first thing I liked about Cafe Beignet was that it had indoor seating, unlike Cafe Du Monde. Also, it seemed more cozy and inviting, offering a real cafe vibe.

I also like that they had a larger menu than Cafe Du Monde, more drink options, and they weren't cash only. The beignets did cost about $1 more than Cafe Du Monde, but honestly we all thought that they were WAY BETTER! They were bigger and fluffier, and we were all full after 2 beignets, leaving an extra in the bag to snack on later. However, this treat is made to be eaten fresh out of the fryer. They really aren't as good once they lose their warmth and the oil has time to soak into the dough. But that didn't stop us from stuffing our faces with our leftovers later. My thoughts: if you're going to NOLA for beignets, skip Cafe Du Monde and head straight to Cafe Beignet.

After our hotel dinner on our last evening in the city, we decided to place a to-go order for 3 small cups of gumbo. Authentic gumbo is something that I've been wanting to try for as long as I can remember, so we weren't leaving without having a taste. I wish I could remember the name of the place we ordered from, but I'll tell you this, I think there's a reason my memory has tossed it into the abyss. Allison's reaction pretty much sums up how we all felt about the gumbo:

I don't know if we just got a bad batch or this particular restaurant had a gross recipe, but if old lady perfume has a taste, this was it. Blah! $25 was spent on 3 small cups of gumbo that went right into the trash. As much as I hate wasting money, I didn't regret tossing these out.

On our road trip home we stopped in Tennessee again so Kyle could try that famous hot chicken. Hattie B's Hot Chicken had amazing Yelp reviews, so we placed a to-go order, and once again sat in our car for over 20 minutes waiting for someone to bring our food out. And again, I had to go in and get it myself (seriously, take down your curbside signs if you're not offering it, Tennessee!)

But how was the chicken? FIRE!

Fire as in so freaking hot I thought Kyle was going to die, and he ordered a medium heat. And fire as in so damn good it would have been worth him dying for LOL.

Overall, our foodie adventure was a good experience for only having 3 days to find eats in NOLA. The only thing I didn't get to try was King Cake and jambalaya, but I'll end up looking for good authentic recipes for those and will make them for myself this Mardi Gras.

Have you had authentic gumbo? If so, does it really taste like old lady perfume? If not, is it something you'd like to try?

The traditional Mardi Gras was obviously canceled this year. No parties, no parades, nada where large gatherings were concerned. Instead, they decided to throw Yardi Gras. In lieu of parade floats, the good people of NOLA were invited to decorate their yards like you would see on the parade floats, yet people could visit them at their leisure. This way, visitors could still get a feel for Mardi Gras while maintaining safe social distancing practices. And I'll tell you, the residents of NOLA did not disappoint in their creativity. I'm going to show you some of my favorites, and there were A LOT, so this is going to be a PHOTO HEAVY post. If you aren't into pics, that's your fair warning to move along. For those of you that are, I hope you enjoy seeing the party through my lens.

We'll start with the smaller homes. And smaller does not mean not as good, because I absolutely loved the creativity that went into a lot of the displays.This modern take on a Hansel and Gretel house was quite charming. I loved how they used paper lanterns and pool noodles to create a whimsical Candyland vibe.

This house didn't have a lot of yard to work with, but they maximized every inch to its fullest potential.

Coronavirus was the theme for many of the displays. This take on Margaritaville was quite clever!

There were a few other Covid themed that were clever as well:

This street all banded together and did a Lego theme on each of their houses:

My favorite: The Chanel House! I kinda want to live here year round LOL!

These people here had a fun display and were the only ones passing out beads. We each took a necklace from the post and I think it made the homeowners day because he gave us a big wave from his window. It made our day, too! :)

And, it was where we first learned about King Cake, which is a huge thing at Mardi Gras. Sadly, we weren't able to find a single slice, which was my only disappointment on this trip.

And thrown into the mix for the hell of it, a funky little car to boot.

We were going to head back to our hotel after an exhausting day of walking all of NOLA checking out the decorated houses, but on the way back I read that there was a Schitt's Creek house and made Kyle detour so I could check it out.

I loved how the spirit of Mardi Gras touched all walks of life. You didn't need to have a fancy setup to get in the spirit. This broke house float got a good belly laugh from me, plus they featured the Christmas Story Leg Lamp, so bonus points to them!