When I wake up around 8:30AM or so, it's another dull, grey, overcast day. I can see a light "drizzle" falling on the pavement outside.
Make coffee, shower, dress...then make a few blog entries, a few telephone calls...watch a little CNN.
For lunch, I'm heading over to a place called Luke...it's billed as "an Alsatian-style Brasserie"...run by New Orleans' current restaurant "kingpin", John Besh. I ate here a few years ago with m friend, Kammi, and one of her LSU classmates. The classmate's "significant other", Sef, was then the sous-chef at Luke...so, we had a great lunch there. Sef is now cooking at another restaurant, but I'm heading back to Luke anyway.
It's a fifteen or twenty minute walk from my hotel, and the "drizzle" is now rain as I get to Luke.
Soon, I'm sitting at the bar and having a pleasant conversation with my bartender, Amber. As I'm perusing the menu, I see that Luke is now serving their own fried pig ear salad, so that's a "must order". But first, a refreshing absinthe frappe made with with "Lucid"...that's the real thing with the full compliment of wormwood providing 100% of the body's daily requirement for the chemical, Thujone.
Pretty soon, my salad arrives and, for a moment, I am somewhat stunned. Because, somewhere...somehow...in the trip from the kitchen to the bar...some gal, some female paragon of New Orleans society, has managed to drop her fancy silk purse in my salad!!! Amber is busy with another customer, so I flag down a waiter and explain the situation. He looks at me, then at my salad, then back at me and back at the salad. He then very patiently explains that what I think is a silk purse is, in fact, one of the crispy pig ears...wow...I feel like a dumb tourist.
The salad, by the way, is good...damn good with a few glasses of French Cotes-du-Rhone. I'm having trouble deciding on an entree, so I ask Amber for a recommendation..."get the stuffed shrimp, they're my favorite". Amber does not steer me wrong here..the shrimp are extra-jumbo beauties stuffed with seasoned crab meat, rolled in Panko breadcrumbs and flash-fried...served with a little pitcher of warm blood orange hollandaise sauce...outstanding! Amazingly, I've still got a little room for dessert after all that, so I order the Alsatian "kuchen" with caramel sauce and diced quince...sublime. I'm also having a very nice conversation with Amber...going to college, loves to travel, loves to drive. She's cute and sharp as a tack.
After lunch, I stop back in at Gordon Biersch for a few more glasses of that great Pilsener. From Gordon Biersch, I decide to walk through the huge Harrah's Casino across the street. I put a single dollar in the first slot machine that I see...and bet it all on one pull. I win $50.00, immediately cash out and head for the door.
Now I just feel like walking...back up Canal, way up on Bourbon, back on Royal Street (pronounced "rawl" down here). There's all sorts of little shops along the way, particularly along Royal, and it's a nice way to kill an afternoon.
Soon, it's my favorite time of the day...nap time!! I sleep like a rock from 4:00PM or so until 7:00PM.
At 8:00PM, I'm out doing a little bar-hopping on Bourbon and Royal Streets...rain or not. The French Quarter is definitely not the cheapest place in town for a cocktail...figure $6.00 or so for a beer, $9.00 or more for a mix drink. Of course, for around $4.00, you can get two of those "Everclear-marinated" cherries...if, that is, you're feeling lucky. By 10;30PM or so, I'm actually feeling a little hungry...nothing big, just a snack to take the edge off. So...I head over to Acme Oyster House for two dozen on the half-shell and six charbroiled oysters...they're good, but they really load on the butter and cheese...sometimes "less is more".
After my snack, I head over to the Montleone Hotel's Carousel Bar for a nightcap. My favorite bartender, Parker, is off tonight, so I limit myself to one Milk Punch" made with Maker's Mark.
The rain is rally pouring now, so I figure it's time to "call it a night" and head off for bed.
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