Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler, Let the Good Time Roll: It's holiday time in New Orleans

HOUSTON – City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style.  In the air there's a feeling of Christmas….but there is also something else in the air; comfort and happiness that come from the rich food and spirits that only a Cajun Christmas can bring.  Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler—Let the Good Time Roll—it's holiday time in the French Quarter!

Traditionally, when people think of the ultimate Christmas vacation, they think of New York's Rockefeller Center, with a 100-foot decorated Norway Spruce as the epicenter of the holiday-lit streets, but a Southerner need not venture far away from home to get that type of experience, and for those on other coasts, a few hours on a plane will bring you to Destination Delight!  New Orleans is America's most authentic city where European traditions blend with Caribbean influence.  The city's history is as colorful as the local architecture and the food is legendary. 

I had been to New Orleans before, but only during the overly-packed tourist times; caught up in the congestion of Bayou Classics, national festivals and Mardi Gras, and while those events are a blast, if that's your only experience, you are doing yourself and the city a disservice.  New Orleans is about the people, and the people of New Orleans love to share, especially in the French Quarter.

The key to falling in love with a city, in my opinion, is where you retire at the end of the day and the Hotel Monteleone is the perfect liaison between you and a love affair with New Orleans.  The luxury hotel is both a historic and literary landmark dating back 125 years.  My room was decadently unique, with just enough hints of Old World Parisian décor to let me know I wasn't at home anymore.  I retired my heels, slipped into some comfortable shoes and clothing, and got ready to explore the best of The Big Easy.

The way to really get to know a city is not by whizzing by in a vehicle from one place to the next, but to take at least a day to walk, explore and learn the history of the place.  I took a tour of the historic Garden District and was mesmerized by the stately early 19th century sprawling front porches and antebellum columns. My tour guide Robert Florence, who owns Historic New Orleans Tours, weaved me in and out of streets, sharing history of homes owned by Brad and Angelina Pitt, Sandra Bullock, John Goodman, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails and the childhood home of the Manning Brothers, to name a few. And right in the middle of the neighborhood, we detoured into Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, which has been the source of inspiration for many writers, including New Orleans native Ann Rice, and has been featured in movies, including Double Jeopardy, Interview with the Vampire, Skeleton Key and Dracula 2000.  I left being less afraid of the dead and felt captivated by the stories of the people in the graves.

Speaking of captivating in a spiritual way, I had the pleasure of visiting acclaimed New Orleans psychic and medium Cari Roy.  For 20 plus years, Roy has been tuning in to people's "inner beings" seeking the who, what and where details to help enhance and enrich all aspects of their journeys. She looks like—and is—a normal woman, in a beautifully tiny package, without all the stereotypical bells and jingles one would expect. In a nutshell, I went in as a skeptic, and left as a believer, and I am not one easy to believe in things I can not prove.

Now, about that food, though………

I would love to take you bite by delectable bite, but so your eyes won't tire from reading, I will tell you how I came, I saw and I conquered the "foodie paradise" that still has my taste buds suffering from withdrawals.  Most of the places I visited in New Orleans had five-star cuisine and the phrases "world famous" or "world renowned" attached to the restaurants and chefs.  Each day got better and better. I never had so much fun traveling uphill – but trust me – EVERYTHING in New Orleans is TOPS!  

• On the first day of my trip, we hopped a streetcar and took a quick little ride to the Columns Hotel on St. Charles Ave. for cocktails and "people-watching."  I got into the mood with a French 75 cocktail, suggested by the server.
  
• To satisfy my urge for some down-home Southern cooking, Lunch at Joey K's hit the spot! 
  
• I visited Luke, the house that Besh built—world renowned Chef John Besh that is—and was introduced to my first Reveillon meal.   What is Reveillon?  Glad you asked! A Réveillon, a French heritage tradition, is a long dinner held   on the evenings preceding Christmas Day and New Year's Day. The food consumed at réveillons is generally exceptional or luxurious, and Luke delivered that and then some for the designated menu. 
  
• The Palace Café is a classic New Orleans spot where Dickie Brennan and the culinary team are keeping the classic Creole vision alive.  I had Andouille Crusted Fish, rissole potatoes and was treated to the visual "art of flambé" tableside, then served the best Bananas Foster by the pros who started it all.
  
• I had a cocktail demonstration at world famous Galatoire 33 Bar and Steakhouse.  Our bartender Robert taught us how to mix up the perfect Brandy Milk Punch (which is apparently enjoyed with breakfast as a norm), a Santa's Old Fashioned and a Spiced Rum Hot Toddy. 
  
• Restaurant R'evolution served the best darn shrimp and grits, eggs, spicy bacon and breakfast libations a person can imagine.
  
• You're nobody unless somebody knows you, right?  Or so they say…or is it you're nobody unless you've had coffee, cocoa and beignets at Café du Monde.  I sipped, chatted and listened to live jazz played by the street performers.
  
• It was all-hands on deck at Emeril's New Orleans and, not only was I blown away – BAM – by the food, but to see all the young servers and professionals working in unison to bring guests the ultimate dining experience was amazing.  It's safe to say lunch at Emeril's was my favorite.
  
• I ended my trip where it all began, back at Hotel Monteleone to enjoy dinner at Criollo, where the gumbo was hot and savory, the steak was aged to perfection and the holiday desserts were almost too beautiful to eat, but glad I did – it was all great!
  

Wrapping up my New Orleans experience, I listened to Leroy Jones "take me home" with his smooth jazz tunes at the St. Louis Cathedral and was blown away by the LUNA Fete lights display at Gallier Hall. In addition, I explored the French Market, where I bought a beautifully handmade African doll for my daughter and visited the award-winning Southern Food and Beverage (SoFAB) Museum learning culinary culture and history.

Afterward, I learned how to cook my own Cajun cuisine at the New Orleans School of Cooking by the world renowned (there's that phrase again) Chef Frank Brigtsen.  Chef Brigtsen took time out to share stories of his city, the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the rebuilding of the city and his joy of seeing the people make their way back home.  And while being captivated by his recounts, would you believe it, somehow a three-course meal popped up in front of me.  We learned to cook Crabmeat Ravigote, Trout Meuniere with Shrimp and Roasted Pecans and White Chocolate Bread Pudding for dessert. 

Can you believe after all of that, I actually managed to return home?  Neither can I, but trust me, I will be back again and again.  Because as Chef Brigtsen so perfectly explained, New Orleans has heart and soul, and everyone from the eccentrically crazy to the royally refined are welcomed with open arms.