I'm Baaaack . . . Trip to New Orleans (Part 1)

Hello all! I am back from New Orleans and boy was it a fabulous trip!! I think I gained 10lbs while I was there, my goodness. I had been to NOLA before, but this time I really felt like I had a true New Orleans experience. I had never been this time of year, it has always been so hot and humid. I actually really enjoyed going during the winter. It wasn't as crowded with people and it was just different. It was a bit harder to walk around since it was so cold, but we all just bundled up and did it.

We had business to tend to of course, but we also had time to play. I'll see if I can tell in a nutshell what went on during our trip and the amazing places we ate.

First of all, we stayed at the beautiful Hotel Monteleone.

Everything was still decorated for Christmas too - they leave their decorations up there in New Orleans a little longer then the rest of us. But I liked it because it was fun to see the buildings decorated and all.

Another view of the hotel during the day . . .

I had a roommate, Staci from Alabama. She works on the Southern Bride Alabama Magazine. she was so sweet! This was our charming room . . .

First night we all went to eat at Acme Oyster House . . . we had a little toast

After that, we went to Pat O's and sat in the Piano Bar for a while and sipped on some Hurricanes. (we used to have one here in Memphis but it closed over a year go - I sure do miss it.)

After Pat O's we went on a French Quarter Ghost Tour. We had out Hurricanes in hand and walked around with a guide as we made stops at different buildings and heard stories of tragedies and murders and supposed hauntings of these buildings. One building was owned today by Nicholas Cage. This is a few of us on the tour . . .

The next day we had meetings, had to conduct some business of course. We took a break for lunch and went to the FAMOUS Breakfast at Brennan's.

(Photo of Restaurant Lobby courtesy of Brennan's)

My parents went to NOLA for their honeymoon 29 years ago, and this was one of the places they went. So it was neat to go and think that it was where they had once been. Not only was the food AMAZING, but the company was as well. There were 9 of us from Southern Bride Magazine, but we also had a very special host: Mrs. Ellen Brennan herself. She ate with us, along with her daughter (who was featured in the magazine a while back.) She was the loveliest lady and made our lunch that much more special! Did I mention how INCREDIBLE the food was?? OMG!!!

Everything was real butter, cream, we even had 3 or 4 of Brennan's signature cocktails (yes at lunch.) My favorite was this red drink that came with a strawberry on the glass. It was called "Mr. Funk." ha ha - loved that name. The cocktail was named after a man that had worked for the restaurant for many years. There was one man who was helping serve us and he had been working at Brennan's for over 30 years - wow!! The family treats all of their employees very well - obviously! We had about 4 servers and even after 2 sips of water they were re-filling our glasses. It was the best service I had ever had!! They have outstanding service anyway, but I'm sure it was even better and top notch since Mrs. Brennan was present. For dessert, we had Banana's Foster (which I found out was created by the Brennan family - never knew that. Google Banana's Foster and The Brennan's should pop up.) And we also had Strawberry Crepes with real cream. yummoo!! This is how they prepared the dessert, right next to our table . . .

It was a production to say the least . . .

(The next photo is courtesy of Brennan's) To show the finished product like I enjoyed . . .

After dessert, Mrs. Brennan gave us all the sweetest gift: The Breakfast at Brennan's cookbook. She even took the time to sign each one personally for each of us

Mrs. Brennan signing our books
After lunch, Mrs. Brennan and her daughter took us on a tour of the restaurant and the many rooms it holds. One room was the wine cellar/dining room. There was a beautiful mural painted there . . .

That is it for now, too much to show so I had to break it up into part 1 and part 2. So stay tuned for the 2nd half of my New Orleans trip!