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Eating Out in New Orleans

March 15, 2011 By


One of the most important things to consider when visiting a new place is the types of foods available and the local cuisine.  I have compiled some information on the traditional food of New Orleans and exciting restaurants where you can experience the best of the cities cuisine.


A good place to start is Magazine Street which is in uptown New Orleans.  This is in the shopping district and there are six miles of independent boutiques selling antiques, clothes, furniture and many many restaurants.  It is recommended that you allow a whole day to fully appreciate this area of the city so wear comfortable footwear!


The New Orleans restaurants seem to cater for everyone’s taste, and budget.  The styles of food range from Cajun and Creole to ethnic foods and fresh seafood.  Here are some examples of some of the restaurants on offer in New Orleans


Upperline – in uptown New Orleans, this is considered to be one of the best Creole restaurants.  The chef, Emeril is a well known chef in New Orleans so this place should definitely be on your list of places to go whilst on your holiday.


John Besh is a New Orleans premier chef and he owns the restaurant ‘August’.  This restaurant is in the central business district of New Orleans.


Muriel’s on Jackson Square provides you with good food, in a haunted building!


If you are looking for a contemporary American restaurant the Lucy’s retired surfers bar and grill may be for you.  It is very popular with the young people of New Orleans.


Antoines is a classic Creole restaurant and had been situated in the French quarter since 1840.


If you are a fan of snow cones then you should definitely try the New Orleans Sno-balls. These are made with shaved ice instead of the usual crushed ice found in snow cones.  The idea came from the Hansen family in New Orleans who invented a machine to make these.  You can get cream or syrup on the top and if you venture to the Bliz sweet shop then you can even see the original machine which was invented my Mr. Hansen.


If whilst on your holiday you are looking for romance then New Orleans is a great place to dine.  With both French and Spanish influences New Orleans is a very romantic city.  Broussard’s restaurant serves classic Creole food, and you can dine in the courtyard.  Commanders Place is in the Garden District and is set it a grand Victorian turret, opened in 1880.

Reveillon Dinners


In the nineteenth century, Creoles celebrated ‘Reveillon’ – translated as ‘Awakening’ and during the Christmas season families would get together on Christmas Eve and went along to midnight mass.  They then broke the day long fast with a large meal on their return home from mass.  This meal may consist of chicken and oyster gumbo, game pies, soups, soufflés, brandy and coffee.  This was inherited from Europe.  The second Reveillon came on New Year’s Eve.  This was considered to be bigger and better than the first and is still celebrated today, but they now do it every night during the holiday season.  Many restaurants offer special menus to honour this tradition of reveillon, such as Muriel’s and 7.


While you are New Orleans you can even learn to cook at Culinaria, which was opened in 2005.  You will find this on Carondele Street.  Here you can learn to cook native food; you can take classes or just sit and watch the award winning chefs do a step by step demonstration.  They teach Italian, Creole, French, Latin and Asian dishes and you can then retire to the dining area to taste your, or the chefs creations.


There are also culinary history tours available to tourists.  You can have a walking tour of the French quarter.  This area is very important to learn the New Orleans food culture.  You will visit important restaurants in the city and learn the difference between Creole and Cajun cuisine, and also learn what the influences were on New Orleans cuisine.  You can also stop and eat on this tour!

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South Indian Curry

March 9, 2011 By


Madras curry is a spicy curry which begins in the South of India.


This curry can go with veggies or meat, and it can feature a good range of ingredients, though chili peppers are sometimes an elemental ingredient. Many Indian eateries offer assorted foods with Madras curry, starting from chicken to lentils. Many stores sell Madras curry powder or curry paste for folk who cook at home, and it’s also feasible to make your own version of this popular Indian seasoning.


The curry is named for the town of Madras, now known as Chennai.


The heat of Southern India is perfect for growing chili peppers, and as a consequence many Southern Indian foods are heavy on the chilies. The spicy and spicy Madras curry ended up being a massive hit with English colonists in the area, and it’s eminently available in the UK as a consequence. Classically, folk think about Madras curry as being much warmer than other curries, while it can really be quite variable apropos heat. As well as chili peppers, Madras curry can also contain spices like turmeric, coriander, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, fenugreek, allspice, black pepper, and curry leaves. The curry powder can also be mixed with coconut milk or yogurt for a rather more creamy curry sauce, and ingredients like tamarind or citrus juice might be added to make Madras curry more tart and sour. In some regions, Madras curry sauce is created with a base of fried onions, garlic, ginger, and tomatoes, and the result can be both fiery and a touch oily. If you’re unused to hot food, you might like to go gently on Madras curry while you try experimenting with it. Use classic sides for Indian curries like rice, bread like naan, and raita, a cooling sauce made with yogurt, cucumber, mint, and other ingredients dependent on the area.


Many Indian cafes are also ready to adjust the level of spiciness of their Madras curry, for folk who wish to have a more mild version. At home, you can cook with a bought curry paste or powder, or you can try concocting your own. For the best result, use fresh spices and grind them as you want them to preserve flavour. One of the pleasant things about Indian food is the range of small plates and change in individual recipes ; Madras curry means many alternative things to different Indians, and as a consequence you have a good deal of room with ingredients and the level of spicing that you need to use.

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How Much To Tip In Restaurants!

February 10, 2011 By
Tipping in Restaurants

Tipping in Restaurants


How much you must tip at an eaterie is dependent on these elements : the dimensions of your party, the class of the cafe, and the standard of the service. In this situation we’ll call an enormous party anything over six people, and a costly eaterie a “four-star” cafe. But first let us consider more humble conglomerates.


How much should you tip for eating at a counter? In this situation service isn’t considered a gigantic part of the meal, so ten percent – 12% is a sufficient tip. Nevertheless if the service is glorious there isn’t much wrong with tipping 15%. How much should you tip for eating at a local eaterie? Providing the service was good, an end of 15% of the bill before tax is a good rough rule. Should you happen to live where the state tax is between 7% and 8% you can figure out the tip simply by taking a look at the amount you are taxed and simply doubling it. You may then round this amount off lower or higher, dependent on the service and your country’s tax %.


For instance, shall we say the state tax is 8%. If the bill comes to $48.70, the tax will be $3.90, for a total bill of $52.60. To quickly figure out the tip, double $3.90 for an end of $7.80. Since this is 16% ( 2 times the state tax ), you can round down to leave a $7 tip. This comes to just barely less than 15%. Or if you had a particularly nice meal you may want to round up to $8 to leave a little bigger tip. If you’re eating with a big party, a twenty percent tip is acceptable.


Do not forget that food and service are separate issues. If the food was bad but the service was good, complain to the executive about the food, but tip the server for their efforts. From another perspective, if the food was good but the meal was spoiled by bad service, a lower tip can reflect that also.


But how much should you tip at a four-star restaurant ? At a four-star eaterie, the maitre d ‘ might be the 1st person you tip, particularly if you’re a regular and he goes out of his way to either keep a table for you, or to seat you even if the cafe is real busy. The maitre d ‘ tip could be $20 – $100, and will be given to him before you are seated, or as you are seated, although not after you are seated. When you have dined, expect to leave a twenty p.c. tip. Again the tip is worked out before tax. If you have wine with your meal, the wine valet should be tipped $2 or $3 bucks for a bottle of wine under $10, or if multiple bottles are ordered, ten percent – 15% of the wine bill.


If you order a single bottle that’s intensely dear a five pc tip to the wine valet is sufficient. Another person you may need to tip at a four-star eaterie is the coat check attendant.


Tipping $1 for 1 or 2 coats is fine.


Rest room attendants are typically tipped fifty cents to $1, and parking attendants can be tipped $1. If you stop in at a restaurant’s bar while waiting to be seated, the barkeeper should be tipped $1 per drink, or if you have multiple drinks, 10-15% of the bar bill. Whatever the restaurant , tipping a small percentage more is often a good idea when the server has been forced to work especially hard for your table or went out of the way to make your meal particularly pleasant. Waiting on tables is hard and frequently exasperating work that can often involve tiny thanks. Though tips have come to be anticipated, instead of a reward for service well done, when the service is good it’s sweet to let that responsible server know that you spotted by leaving a good tip. Some cafes now add a surcharge to the bill that is meant to be a “built in” tip. This money is allegedly divided up among busboys and other staff, however it’s not unusual that some cafe owners keep this charge, and the purchaser is still expected to tip. If your cafe bill features a surcharge, ask the waitress if she gets a part of that money. If the answer’s no, leave her the customary tip, based on the food bill before the tax and surcharge. Regardless of if you want to patronize that particular cafe again in the future is your decision! Following these basic rules for how much you must tip at an eaterie will keep you in good standing and help to be sure that repeat visits are as pleasing an experience as practicable.

Bon appetit.

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