Louisiana Once Again!

We cannot drive through Louisiana without stopping. We have visited New Orleans and the Bayou Country many times. You might remember we spent our first Christmas in the RV in Cajun Country. We had planned to drive straight through from Katy Texas to New Orleans but when we found out our friends John and Renee from Virginia were going to be spending the night in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana so we changed plans on the fly and stopped there for three nights so we could visit with them. We had a nice dinner at Crawfish Town and then wine back at the RV. Nine years ago the four of us had been in this same area birding and pigging out on the Cajun cuisine. Time flies when you are having fun!

Early next morning I drove to Lake Martin and tried to bird in the heavy fog. While there I met a local birder who told me about a rookery on private land, he thought the owner would most likely let me visit since I was from out of town. Since it was near where we had planned on visiting later that day I got directions and a phone number. I went back to the RV and picked up Josie and we first stopped at the Conrad Rice Mill in New Iberia. We love their Wild Pecan Rice and I am sure I have mentioned it before in the blog. It smells just like popcorn when you cook it.

We then drove to the rookery site and the owner was more than happy to let us walk out to see the birds. For those of you who are not Facebook friends I have added a few of the pictures I was able to capture. The area was alive with birds in their finest breeding plumage. There was a lot of squawking and fighting going on for nesting sites, and it seemed to be standard practice for the birds to steal sticks from other nests. Some birds were already on eggs, some were still building nests and we saw a few instances of coitus while we were there. Josie was enjoying it all till we started to see gators coming in. She was back in the car in a flash. I must admit having a 13 foot gator crawl out of the water only a few yards away was a little unnerving. 

On our drive from Breaux Bridge to New Orleans we were bombarded by "Love Bugs". They are called that because they fly while connected to each other for several days after mating. If you have ever visited the Gulf Coast in the spring you have seen them and the mess they make on your car. It took me over and hour to clean the front of the RV.

We have been to New Orleans many times but we keep coming back for the fabulous food and drink. So in this post you will see a lot of food and drink pictures. Also just walking around the French Quarter is an experience in itself. The people, the architecture, and the smells, some good, some bad, make for an interesting time. But for us it's mostly about the food. On our first evening in town we visited the suburban location of one of our favorite restaurants The Acme Oyster Bar. As the name implies they specialize in raw oysters. On this visit we tried their Oysters Rockefeller Soup for the first time. It is so rich and tasty we will make it a must do on our next visit.  

​We were able to take the bus and streetcar into the French Quarter and not worry about parking. On our first day in the French Quarter we had a fantastic lunch at another favorite restaurant, Bayona. Chef Susan Spicer never fails to have something on the menu that we love. 

Our first stop the next day was the Cafe Du Monde, home of the Beignet. We cannot visit without eating here more than once. You do not want to wear dark colors while eating this Powdered Sugar treat. This trip we visited the Louisiana State Museum and took in the exhibits on Hurricane Katrina and the Mardi Gras. The first thing you see is Fats Domino's piano that was found in his flooded home. Then upstairs you learn about the history of Mardi Gras. The doors of the restrooms were Porta Potties. We were told that during Mardi Gras the city stations thousands of them all over the city for the massive crowds to use. We then walked around the Quarter and just took in the sights, and street performers.  

We worked up a big thirst walking around the city so we stopped into another New Orleans institution, Pat O'Brians for a famous Hurricane. Of course Josie could not finish hers so she got a to go cup. It is legal to walk the streets with a drink. We have always skipped Preservation Hall in our visits because the lines were too long. This trip we got in line an hour early and visited with Dr. Joel a Pediatrician from San Antonio who was in line in front of us. Visiting with him made the time go by quickly, because he was very interesting. The fantastic music inside made the wait worth the time spent in line. We ended the day with a Muffaletta, a New Orleans sandwich of assorted meats and cheeses with a very salty olive spread. 

On Saturday we took the bus to Willie Mae's Scotch House, a neighborhood restaurant that is know for it Fried Chicken and Southern side dishes. While walking to Willie Mae's we passed a true New Orleans funeral, with a brass band parading down the street.  This one was for a member of the Zulu Krewe, the first African American Krewe. A Krewe is a social club. The parades at Mardi Gras are all sponsored by the various Krewes.

We have seen Willie Mae's on many of the Food Network shows, so decided to give it a try. We waited in line for 40 minutes to get in but the food made the wait worthwhile. The Fried Chicken was delicious, a little spicy as is almost all food in New Orleans. Josie ordered the Butter Beans and Rice side which was fantastic. I had the Mac and Cheese with peas, also very tasty. Now we know why the line was so long.

​Later that evening I attended a baseball game, with the New Orleans Baby Cakes playing the Omaha Storm Chasers. Baby Cake is a reference to the King Cake, a dessert made for Mardi Gras, A small baby statue is placed in the cake and whoever gets the baby in their slice has to make the cake the next year. This is not how the tradition started. Originally a bean was placed in the cake and the lady who got the bean was selected to be Mardi Gras Queen. 

Tomorrow we make the short drive to Biloxi Mississippi.