The Rum House

Matt met another manager at The Big House that lives down the street from us.  His name is Luis and his wife's name is Ashley.  They invited us over for a few drinks before we all hit up Magazine St.  We settled on The Rum House, which is a Caribbean Taqueria.  Not only do they have great food, but they specialize in...you guessed it, Rum.  For a couple of foodies like Luis and Matt, this is a great spot to be.

Best Nachos Ever!!!  Pulled Pork, Black Beans, Fresh Jalapenos, Tomatoes, Red Onion, Lime Cream, Cilantro, and Melted Cheese...you have to try em'.

Matt Got the aptly named Mr. Big Plate.  It comes with 4 tacos of your choice, one side, and a meat pie.  From left to right, the tacos are Seared Scallops with a Scotch Bonnet Onion Marmalade, Fried Oysters with a Spicy Ramoulade, Calypso Beef which is a Flank Steak with a Guacamole and Lime Cream, and the Duck Duck Goose witch is Stewed Duck and Goose with a Snow Pea and Carrot Slaw and a Creole Rum Sauce.  If all that didn't make your mouth water, the side is Ancho Pepper Mashed Potatoes.

Caryn got the Taco Trifecta which is three tacos and a side.  From left to right, she got the Brisket Taco that is served with a Chimichurri BBQ Sauce, Cilantro, and Fried Shallots, The Calypso Beef, and,...you may want to sit down for this, Chili Glazed Shrimp which is Fried Shrimp with Roasted Pablano and Red Pepper Relish and a Rum Chili Glaze.  Trust me, I was just a shocked as you are, but I think that Ashley may have peer presured her into it.  The side she got was their homemade Mac & Cheese.

Stein's Market & Deli

Went to visit another highly recommended place on Magazine St. called Stein's Market & Deli.  This place is the most legit New York Style Deli in the south.  Their grumpy, unorganized, and have the best deli meats and cheeses you'll find in probably three states.  It WILL be a weekly stop for us.

This is an amazing sandwich called the Caprese.  Freshly Sliced Tomatoes, Basil, House-made Mozzarella on a Fresh Hoagie Roll, then it's drizzled with Balsamic Vinegar and Basil Oil...WOW!  Caryn loves it as is, but you do have the option to add fresh Prosciutto, which is what Matt gets and is pictured above.  Notice the house made pickles that come with everything.

Now Caryn doesn't appreciate this as much as Matt, but their Lox Bagel's are stupendous!  They call it the Davidovich Bagel and Smoked Salmon, Matt calls it "don't talk to me I'm eating"  All their bagels come from Davidovich Bagels in NYC, and are delivered daily.  If you haven't had a Lox Bagel, Here's what to expect; a Bagel of your choosing (Matt prefers the "everything Bagel"), Cream Cheese, Capers, Sliced Red Onion, and Smoked Salmon.  Best...Breakfast...Ever...

Mahony's Po-Boys

We just recently went to a place down the road from our house that is very well spoken of in NOLA called Mahony's Po-Boys.  It's kind of funny since we actually know a chef here through a friend at Marriott Solana.  He was a cook there a while ago, and Matt met him when he came into town a while ago, but we never worked together.  Went went to visit him and say hello, and decided to stay for lunch.  He wasn't there, so I guess we'll just have to go back! BONUS!!

Caryn got the Meatball Parm Po-Boy, which is just like her second favorite food ever, Chicken Parm, but with Meatballs.

Matt got the Peacemaker Po-Boy.  Fried Oysters, Bacon, and Cheddar Cheese.  This was a contest winner at last years Po-Boy Fest, and very deserving of it!

Halloween, Part II

Here's a little video from the parade.  The 610 Stompers is a group of guys with ages that range from their 20s to their 60s with all types of professions that love New Orleans and were formed on the one premise of entertaining the world with their "extraordinary moves."  We're sold. Maybe we could talk Matt into joining?

Deviled Egg and Canadian Bacon.  Great last minute costumes if we do say so ourselves.  On actual Halloween Day, we both worked but knew we needed to head out and see what kind of Halloween shenanigans were going on.  We walked down Bourbon Street to the famous local spot Frenchman's Street to see all the action.  Tons of creative costumes and exciting parties. 

We found the guys from Cool Runnings!! Just a little.. err..umm.. not Jamaican.  One of them was from Canada and thought he could bond with Matt due to his hat.  His friends were quick to tell him the Canadian flag on Matt's hat was due to his costume.  

On our way home, we stopped at Big Easy Daiquiri, which is a chain here in the city.  Not focused on their famous frozen beverages, we were mesmerized by this olive and onion infused vodka they use for their DELICIOUS Bloody Marys.  Looks like Matt has a new project.  

 

Halloween

Halloween is a huge deal in New Orleans, so of course there was a parade, and then lots of partying.  We caught our first parade by the Krewe of Boo, which from what I understand is mostly bar and restaurant owners.  It was a ton of fun.

Of course, a marching band.

and dancing girls

Lots of cool floats.

...and funny characters...

Dracula

Alien

a Witch??

one of my personal favorite, a real New Orleans street band.

not...quite...sure???

A Werewolf

Pumpkin man voodoo doll?

Krewe of Boo!

Chuckie and Bride of Chuckie

Dat Dog

We live a few blocks off Magazine St., which is loaded with new and fun places to explore, and Dat Dog is one of them.  This place is a gourmet hot dog place, and if you know Caryn, you know that this is heaven to her (Matt lucked out to find a girl that claims the hot dog as her favorite food...cheap date).  They have a full bar and a great patio.  Check out what we got!!

Caryn stepped out of her comfort zone by about one inch and got a beef dog with bacon and cheddar on it, but she really liked it.

This mouthwatering dog is their Cajun Dog.  It's crawfish sausage smothered in crawfish etoufee, and topped with diced onions and tomatoes...Mmmmm

And the fries...wow, best fries ever...

A Favorite

In a previous post we mentioned a place called the New Orleans Hamburger and Seafood.  We returned to get some food and watch the Cowboys game.  Here is what we got.

These are Boudin Balls with Creole Mustard...and they were amazing!!!

Caryn had the Hickory Bacon Cheese, which she loved, but maintains her favorite is the Baja Burger

Matt got the Shrimpzilla Po-Boy.  Fried shrimp, roast beef debris gravy, swiss cheese, shredded cabbage, and creaole mustard...it was amazing, and we can't go without mentioning those fries...so good!

And they had free soft serve!

Something to get used to

So the liquor laws here are....well, nonexistent.  The bartenders ask you if you want to go cups, they have drive through daiquiri stands, and then there's this...

Wal-Mart has everything...

...and they are slashing prices.

Welcome Home

This is what we arrived to at 3am (she ran out of "M's", that's why there are bows in words).  Thanks Caryn, we love you!!

Sorry, Sorry, Sorry

OK, OK, we've heard you.  We are so sorry we haven't been able to keep up with the blog, but it has been seriously crazy.  Between working 55 hours a week, and trying to get the house together, we have been swamped.  We've barely had time to see one another, and when we do...we usually sleep.  However, we. have been able to go out and find some new places to check out.  We should be able to keep up much better now that we've settled a bit.  Love you all, and miss you too...MCinNOLA

Our Last day in Dallas

We are headed out and a huge thanks to my Mom and Dad for helping us finish the garage sale, and get us loaded.  We left Dallas at 5pm on a Friday...big mistake.  Guest we needed to sit in Dallas traffic one last time.  Anyways, we arrived in New Orleans at our new place at 3am.

Mamma's not thrilled to let her first born go

Saying goodbye to my favorite place ever.

A Big Thanks!

Ok guys, so sorry for not keeping the blog up to date, but we haven't had internet, and things have been very hectic for the first couple weeks.

First and foremost, I have to thank my incredible team at the Renaissance Dallas.  Melissa Cusano made me a farewell meal of Pulled Pork, Cheesecake, and my favorite, Peanut Butter Cookies.  Thanks!

After my last shift we all went out for drinks at Katy Trail Ice House.  

Kristen and Yesy

Me and Johnny B Good

Earl prefers his profile...seriously.

The whole gang!!

Some New Firsts

After a stressful day of interviewing, we decided to grab a bite.  We were referred to a place called Grand Isle for some good gumbo.  Unfortunately, we were too hungry to remember to take a picture of that gumbo until it was gone...  It was a chicken and sausage gumbo, and it was outstanding.

Now, the Grand Isle was also referred to us because of another item they did well...oysters.  Caryn agreed to try an oyster, so in an effort to ease her into it, we ordered some smoked fried oysters.  They were really good, and they were served with a garlic aioli.  She held up like a champ, and dare I say it...she kinda liked them.

Caryn's first oyster

I guess the bartender overheard us talking about her first oyster, and came up with a little surprise...a couple freshly shucked and on the house

Caryn's second oyster...the real deal!

She said that she liked the flavor, but the texture was going to take some getting use to.  I think next time, we'll try it with some crackers.

A Great Sports Bar

We wandered outside Caryn's hotel just a couple blocks and stumbled across a great bar owned by a local hero, or should I say heroes; Manning's.  This great sports bar is attached to Harra's Hotel and Casino.  We had a great time and it was definitely a cool spot to watch the game.

Killer patio!

Not a great picture, but it gives a great perspective.  Did I mention that this was not a projection TV...that's a mobile LCD!

Finding Our Cowboys

So you would think that a football town like New Orleans would have tons of places showing all the games every Sunday...unless your team happens to be playing when the Saints are playing.  We looked online for a Cowboys backer bar, with not much luck, but we did find a place that was going to have the game on at least one TV; Cooter Browns Tavern & Oyster Bar.

This place was great, and there were fans from all over there, so we didn't stick out too bad.  They have an amazing beer selection (all good beers), the food was really good, and of course...Oysters!  They do things a little different there, they have no servers, so you have to go to the bar, kitchen, or oyster shucker when you need something, but they had it all.

Fried Mac N Cheese Bites

Gator Sausage Quesadilla 

Matt's Favorite...Oysters on the half shell...shucked to order, and the strongest horseradish in the world...seriously!

A Place Around the Corner

So, as we mentioned before, we have been all over the city looking at places to live.  We think we may have found one, but we'll save that for another post.  On our way to a showing, we stopped for lunch a block or so away from the house we were looking at.  This place is very cool, and may have done more of the selling than the Realtor.

The place is called New Orleans Hamburger & Seafood Co., and it was incredible.  First of all, they had  TV's everywhere for game watching, they had a great happy hour, the food was delicious, and they have a coffee shop attached to it too.  If things work out with this house, you can bet they will know us very well.

Craw fish Queso

Matt got the Southern Thing Poor Boy; grilled shrimp, fried green tomatoes, shredded cabbage, and remoulade.

Caryn got the Baja Burger; avocado, bacon, red onion, and chipotle sauce.

All their sandwiches come with those really good garlic and herb potato wedges.  We'll keep you up to date on this place.