Since we were in town to deliver the cake we decided to take some time to enjoy the city. It’s Michael’s home town and there are several places we like to visit and enjoy whenever we’re there.

The day started, as all days should, with coffee at Cafe Du Monde. More precisely, it started with cafe au lait and beignets. The Original Cafe Du Monde Coffee Stand was established in 1862 in the New Orleans French Market. The taste for coffee and chicory was developed by the French during their civil war. Coffee was scarce during those times, and they found that chicory added body and flavor to the brew. The Acadians from Nova Scotia brought this taste and many other french customs (heritage) to Louisiana. Chicory is the root of the endive plant. Beignets were also brought to Louisiana by the Acadians. These were fried fritters, sometimes filled with fruit. Today, the beignet is a square piece of dough, fried and covered with powdered sugar.

As always, when eating beignets, you try, and fail, to not get covered in the powdered sugar. It’s all part of the fun, along with “accidentally” sneezing it all over whoever you’re there with *grins*

A wander around the French Market (which has been there for over 200 years) is followed by lunch at Mona’s. This was my first visit to Mona’s, it was an old haunt for Michael. A middle eastern restaurant, we had our fill of kababs, shwarma, falafel and safeilha (a lamb pizza). We picked up some of their candied almonds to bring home with us.

A afternoon wander about the French quarter was interrupted by yet more coffee. Passing by a delightful looking coffee house we decided we just had to take a break! We actually ended up taking a lot of photos of the place, sitting there for a while enjoying the feel, it had a lot of aspects we’d like to see in any coffee shop we eventually own. Nice warm woodwork, big windows letting in lots of light, old brickwork. Just a warm, relaxed feel about the place.

We finished the day with dinner at Lolas. Our favourite place. Spanish cuisine in a small, intimate atmosphere. If you don’t like garlic you might want to give it a wide berth. Fortunately we love garlic, and all the food they serve, we barely need to look at the menu anymore. We start with the garlic mushrooms and shrimp, mopping up the sauces with the fresh bread rolls. Our entree usually (but not always) involved the paella. I love the meat one, with chicken and sausage, while Michael will without fail go for the seafood one.

Dessert followed at Angelo Brocato’s, an Italian ice cream parlour. Stunning gelatos, delicious pastries. Really, how can you go wrong!

There’s a distinct lack of photos with this post, I know, but we were just enjoying the food so much it vanished before we could take pictures.. And photos of empty plates and full bellies just aren’t as appetising *grins*