Part Four of our “New Orleans Experience” takes us to City Park and two of the best restaurants we encountered. This breakdown of our NOLA trip is told from both of our perspectives with Rob’s thoughts in italics.
City Park in New Orleans was a magical place. With approximately 1,300 acres of the most majestic oaks you could imagine and miles upon miles of gorgeous lagoons, it beckoned us to find a quiet nook to sit down and take in all of the surrounding beauty. We made the trek down to City Park a bit later in the day than expected, so we unfortunately missed out on some of the more well-known aspects this sanctuary had to offer. You better believe we will be going back to check out the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Botanical Garden, and the Carousel Gardens Amusement Park at a future date! Instead, we spent the majority of time admiring the incredible creations featured in the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden. This outdoor museum is a separate piece of the New Orleans Museum of Art and is completely free of charge. (You have to pay $10 admission to go inside the actual art museum itself.) There were over 60 installations in the Garden to admire, featuring both world renowned and emerging artists including Renoir, Robert Indiana, Henry Moore, and Joel Shapiro (among others). There was a mix of modern art and more classic pieces, but I would say it leaned more toward the modern side. I was extremely impressed at how each piece was thoughtfully placed throughout the garden and never detracted from surrounding works or the beautiful landscape. Just outside the Sculpture Garden, you could rent paddle boats on the lake or go the other direction and wander through the most breathtaking oak trees and stroll over romantic stone bridges. We took a ton of photos at City Park, so just scroll on down to see a small sample of some of our favorite images.
City Park was pretty sweet. We spent most of our time sweating in the outdoor sculpture garden. Did I mention is was hot? I bought a new camera (used, but new to me) during the trip so I went a little nuts in the sculpture garden. I picked up a used Cannon EOS Rebel T1i from a buddy of mine. He has all kinds of state-of-the-art equipment and this Cannon was just collecting dust so he gave me a great deal. This is my first DSLR camera, so there is quite a learning curve, but I’m loving it. As you can see below, I still have a lot to learn!
On the way back to our hotel from City Park, we stopped at Café Degas to cool down and grab a quick nibble before dinner. Café Degas had to be one of the most charming places we had the pleasure of dining while in New Orleans. This little French bistro had a tree growing through the center of the restaurant and tasteful twinkle lights strung across the branches. The full menu looked divine, but seeing as we had reservations for dinner a few short hours later that same evening, we restrained ourselves and ordered a combo platter of pâté and cheese boards. Oh my, my, my! That platter was a showstopper. Featuring three different pâtés (both smooth and country-style), a creamy brie and sharp Gouda, perfectly crisp crostini, roasted garlic, tart and crunchy cornichons, and this incredible mustard fig spread, I was in hog heaven! I paired it with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc and could not have been happier.
God bless the air conditioning at Café Degas! The funny thing about the weather in NOLA was that it made a one mile walk feel like a 35 mile walk. The plan was to walk from City Park to Café Degas and Siri told us it was only .78 miles. Eventually I will stop complaining about the weather, I promise.
OK, so… back to Café Degas. This place was pretty cool. It looked tiny from the street, but once you were inside it opened up. It had an indoor patio feel to it and I believe they open up the windows when the weather permits. It was a cool little spot to stop for a drink and some snacks and, in our case, that meant a cheese and pâté board with wine and cocktails. I went with Champagne and Elderflower liquor because I’m man enough to order such a drink and it sounded damn refreshing. Dana had something in a martini glass with a piece of cucumber floating in it. I have no idea what it was called, but she seemed to enjoy it and she followed it up with some wine that we shared. The main point I want to get across here is that Café Degas was the perfect stopping point to cool off on a very hot afternoon.
One of the standout restaurants we visited on our trip was, without a doubt, Cochon. In French, the word “cochon” means pig or piglet, so we knew this was bound to be a meat-centric eatery and we were not disappointed! Set in a converted warehouse and showcasing tons of exposed brick and rustic wood, this was definitely the most hip restaurant we sampled on our trip. We started off with a plate of the wood-fired oysters in a chili garlic butter sauce and an order of the fried alligator with chili garlic mayonnaise. Even though they both had a chili garlic base for their respective sauces, each dish had its own identity and complemented the other well. The alligator had a tougher, chewier texture with a slight gaminess upfront and the chili garlic mayonnaise was perfect – not overly spicy, but with a heat that burst in your mouth. The mayo really tempered the heat and rounded out the flavor. The oysters were a little gritty in texture for my preference, but the flavor was spot on. These were far and away my favorite oysters of the trip. The brininess of the oyster combined with the chili garlic butter really set this apart from the alligator. I could not help but mop up the leftover spicy butter with the bread on the table!
Cochon was a cool place! It was a bit loud, but come on… we’re not THAT old. They had a great list of cocktails and some cool appetizers. I ate alligator for the first time in my life and… well… it tasted like chicken. OK, I just wanted to say that. It was fried alligator so it was pretty good. It was a bit tough, but I was expecting that. It had a bit of a “bar food” feel to it, but I enjoyed it and the oysters were legit!
Our cocktails were the “Delta Burke” and the “Brainiac.” The Delta Burke was basically a delicious bourbon mojito made with lemon instead of lime and included the addition of habanero bitters. The bitters definitely gave it that oomph and added complexity to what could have been a boring cocktail. The Brainiac was similar to a Paper Plane, but without the citrus. While quite tasty, it was lacking something to set it above our normal fare. We were excited to see what the hopped grapefruit bitters might add to this cocktail, but ultimately struggled to pull out the addition.
For our main course, we shared the rabbit and dumplings. This was autumn/winter comfort food at its best. It was as though the chef put every savory element of Thanksgiving dinner in one bowl of rabbit pot pie (sans crust). There was a pleasing abundance of sage and tons of black pepper – absolutely delicious! I was a little disappointed that the flavor of the rabbit was lost in the smorgasbord of seasoning, but the technique of the dish was executed perfectly. There was no gaminess in the meat at all and it was so tender.
The Rabbit was so good that we didn’t remember to snap a picture! The rabbit and dumplings was serious comfort food! It tasted like fall and I loved every bite. I was full before the rabbit even showed up on the table, but I kept eating! Man, it was so good. I want more. Right now.
Dessert was a shared flight of Willet Bourbon paired with the butterscotch pudding. The pudding and bourbon were a match made in heaven, but Lord have mercy on my waistline because the pudding was perfection in a jar! With intense notes of maple and vanilla, the pudding had a thick, custard-like consistency without being oversweet. This was a dessert I will be dreaming about for many, many years. It was the butterscotch pudding that all other puddings wish they could be. The pecan shortbread was also great and served the purpose of being a fantastic palate cleaner. It helped to wipe the creaminess from your mouth and prepare your tongue for the next upcoming bite of butterscotch perfection.
The flight of Willet Bourbon was fun for me. I love bourbon, but I don’t think I really know how to “taste” it. I can smoke a cigar and talk about the flavors I pick up and, to a lesser extent, I can do that with beer as well. But when it comes to getting tasting notes from spirits I think my palate is lacking. We took some notes on the three different Willet offerings, so bear with me as I try to make some sense of my chicken scratch.
- Noah’s Mill (113 proof) – Maple, maple and a little more maple. The profile was sweet on the tongue and hot on the throat. It’s not cask strength, but it’s pretty close.
- Rowan’s Creek (100 proof) -This one had some nice caramel notes along with a mild spice. The nose was sweet and the finish was a bit harsh. This one was my least favorite.
- Willett Pot Still Reserve (94 proof) – There was a little bit of everything here. It had some sweetness, some spice and a mild earthiness. It was complex, but a bit muddled and was the easiest to drink.
