I know, I know. This post is a bit late. Between my day job and NOLA Eats, I’ve developed carpal tunnel, so I’ve been resting my right hand as much as possible. Makes it a bit difficult to type. Anyway, let’s get back to the update, shall we?
So, Crawfish Boil 2010. What a tasty massacre that was. We had a great turnout at our hosts’, Lindsay and Keith, home. We bought the crawfish live from Big Fisherman Seafood on Magazine Street. Since most of the fun was had in eating, I will skip right to the pictures.
Lindsay had made some marvelous ice creams for us to taste. I don’t think anyone had fewer than two servings. My favorites were the lavender and the basil with strawberry lemon sauce. Yes, they were as scrumptious as they sound. As I’ve written before, Lindsay has a blog with all of her frozen creations, so be sure to check it out at ScoopAdventures.com.
P.S. – Please bear with me while I test several gallery plug-ins for the site. If anyone has recommendations for a simple plug-in that allows me to create multiple galleries within one post, I will love you for life.
*sigh* I have been sitting on this blog entry for almost two weeks now. I have been super busy planning the NOLA Eats king cake party, and then I got sick, blah blah blah…so, here we are. I’m still backed up from taking time off to get well, so I apologize for the lack of detailed commentary on the food. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment or email me. Thanks!
Ahhh, Sunday. Universally the laziest day of the week. Us New Orleanians know how to make the most of a lazy Sunday, and it’s called brunch. My husband and I took our children to Stanley, a smart soda fountain/diner mash-up for brunch a couple of weeks ago, and while the atmosphere is more casual than Chef/Owner Scott Boswell’s Stella!, the dishes remain creative and thoughtfully put together.
As you can see from the photos, the dishes are obviously beautiful. I am pleased as punch to report that they were as delicious as they were pleasing to the eye. Stanley is a great spot for lunch, brunch or an early dinner (they close at 7:00 pm daily), and excellent for people-watching in the Quarter.
If you are interested in a more in-depth review of the ice cream, check out Lindsay’s review over at her blog ScoopAdventures.com. Unfortunately, I share her opinion of the frozen confections served at Stanley. It was the one thing I felt was a tad disappointing.
One more thing I wanted to add: My daughter had just turned the big “1-0″, so I wanted a candle to stick in her banana split. Our server told us that they did not carry candles for birthdays, so I ran — literally — all over the Quarter searching for a pack. None of the stores carried them for sale, so I followed my instincts and went to Muriel’s Jackson Square right across the street from Stanley. The server that assisted me was happy to give me one of theirs and refused a tip. Bonus points for Muriel’s!
A couple of months ago, a friend-of-a-friend informed me of a new local frozen dessert I should try for the NOLA Eats blog. Since I love ice cream, sorbet and gelato, I thought it was a great idea. Unfortunately, it was only a week or so ago that I remembered to look for it at Whole Foods, but I couldn’t recall the name of the product. However, I did discover that Kleinpeter Farms Dairy, a Baton Rouge dairy farm, has a line of ice cream made with their rBGH-free milk and other “Made In Louisiana” ingredients.
I picked out a pint of their Cafe’ Au Lait, since I am also a coffee addict. I know some people prefer to keep their coffee separate from their frozen confectioneries, but since I enjoy my cuppa sweet and creamy, a coffee-infused ice cream is right up my alley. Kleinpeter’s Cafe’ Au Lait is made with Community Coffee and it did not disappoint.
Now, I am not the resident All Things Frozen & Good expert here in New Orleans. I tip my hat to Lindsay at Scoop Adventures for the bearer of that crown. But lemmetellyousomethin’, this stuff is just plain good. Really good. It is smooth and creamy, just as I imagine a cold glass of their milk is, or so a co-worker tells me (disclosure: we do not drink cow’s milk). I liked that the bourbon flavor in the ice cream base was a backdrop to the coffee flavor, which was mellow, yet rich and flavorful. You could definitely taste the coffee, but it wasn’t bitter, and while it does not specify, I can’t imagine that this was made with a chicory brew. Even my husband, who does not like coffee-flavored ice creams, liked the few bites I let him have.
We try not to buy too many desserts to keep on-hand, but I thoroughly enjoyed Kleinpeter’s Cafe’ Au Lait and can’t wait to taste their other flavors.
What Is NOLA EATS?
Social Dining in New Orleans.
Combine new media & social networking with food & libations and you get NOLA Eats, a New Orleans-based social dining group and blog. Founder, Event Coordinator and habitual socializer Leslie J. Almeida writes about her favorites in New Orleans restaurants and nightlife while promoting a "live local" lifestyle.
You can follow more of Leslie's NOLA adventures by connecting with her on Twitter, Facebook and Flickr.
