Don't Read This If You're Hungry!

Wow, what an amazing weekend!

Truly, the only thing I need for an amazing weekend is my amazing wife. But it never hurts to have other fabulous things to do!

And this one was amazing fabulous.

We left at 4pm on Friday and headed down to New Orleans. We checked into my favorite hotel “The Lafayette” right there on St. Charles and were ushered into an amazing room with 14’ tall ceilings and, well, let’s just say it was very, very nice.

So we quickly dressed for dinner and then the fun began.

We went to Restaurant August, John Besh’s amazing fine dining place.

And was it fine!

Amuse Boucher :
Some kind of Egg white concoction with seafood foam with caviar on top served in the eggshell. OK, this was majorly gross for me and it took a triple shot of absolute to get that taste out of my mouth.

First course:
Salad with organic greens, Maytag blue cheese and pumpkin seed brittle with pumpkin vinaigrette on top.

Main Course:
I had Sweet and Spiced Duck with grits and some kind of strawberry compote stuff that tasted like ambrosia from the Gods. Oh My God! This was absolutely the best duck I have ever eaten in my life. I can’t even describe it because the experience was beyond my palate. But it had an oriental five-spice kind of taste – but not the entire thing. It was sweet and spicy without being hot at all. It was luxurious is the best way to describe it.

My love had a lemon fish crusted in parmesan cheese on top of some kind of root puree – that’s not my gig but by the way she was moaning, well – I think she enjoyed it!

Desert:

Oh yea, I had a piece of banana rum cake with icing and enough white chocolate shaving to make it look like a rose when they put it down in front of me.

My baby chose the Strawberries Three-Way. And like most three-ways, it was amazing!!! It was a strawberry cobbler, a strawberry short cake and a strawberry thing that I’m not sure what it was but again, it was wonderful.

That restaurant was amazing. The service was first class and the menu was exquisite. I had trouble choosing between the duck, the rabbit and the lamb and the waiter expertly steered me towards the duck – but I have no doubt that either of the other two would have been just as good.

The entire experience was magical for me. Of course, I love that kind of stuff. Some boys like to get up early and dress in camo and go in the woods and shoot deer. Some boys like to go to NASCAR races and do whatever it is that happens there. Me, I like to go fine dining!!!

Sure, it costs out the nose, but don’t most things that are wonderful!!!

We’re lucky at home to have the Purple Parrot in Hattiesburg to help my need for this kind of stuff in my life – but John Besh’s place was like the Purple Parrot on steroids. It was so very good.

Our next trip down there is going to be at Emeril’s Delmonico Restaurant. I’m looking forward to sharing a Chateaubriand with my baby!!!

Anyway, back to the weekend…………

We got up early on Saturday morning and checked out of the hotel. It was too cold to walk around so we just drove through the French Quarter to see what was happening.

Not much.

New Orleans still is suffering from a lack of people – but it is getting better. At least this time there was a line to get into the Café du Monde. We were discouraged last time we were there that we just walked right up and got served.

But I decided to take our culinary adventure to the next level and take my love for Breakfast at Brennan’s.

This is a very old New Orleans experience that I haven’t treated myself to in about 15 years. And it was worth the wait!

We started with a Mimosa with hand squeezed OJ. If I ever win the lottery, that will be the way I start each day!!!

Then we had the wonderful coffee. I have no idea why the coffee tastes so good down there. We buy the same exact coffee but it never tastes like it does when they pour it from heavy silver coffee pots.

I started my breakfast feast (and that’s exactly what it is at Brennan’s) with a bowl of turtle soup. My lovely wife had the oyster soup.

Then we progressed to the egg course. I had the Eggs Owen, which was some roast beef hash in a bowl with two poached eggs and hollandaise sauce on top. Major Yummy.

My baby had Eggs Somethingoranother which was a puff pastry with the bottom layered in a tomato chutney stuff which to me tasted like the veggie portion of Grilades with a poached egg with a March De Vin Sauce on top of it. All baked up brown and flaky. It was wonderful. I know because she got two and I got to eat one of them.

Already full beyond capacity, we had the desert course……………….

I had to have the Banana’s Foster, which was invented there. If you’ve never had that – run right out now and go get some! It’s bananas cooked in brown sugar and butter and then flamed with 151 proof rum and served all sticky and gooey over a scoop of ice cream. Truly sinful.

My love had the strawberry crepes, which were filled with cream cheese and sour cream and the warm strawberry goo all over them. Yea, pretty damned good.

All the deserts are prepared tableside with flair and grace, which just adds to the entire experience.

Of course, for the downside, I feel like an idiot paying $150 for breakfast – but once every 15 years? That only breaks down to $10 per year.

How’s that for foodie logic!!!!

Anyway, we drove home in a stupor. But it was a very good stupor!

All in all, another amazing weekend. I have a lifetime of that to look forward to and I am certainly enjoying each and every one.

Like I say all the time: I’m the luckiest boy in the world.

We got back and did more house hunting on Sunday. We are narrowing it down and it’s getting easier. Of course, we still need to sell ours first. But all in good time.

I think we’re not so overwhelmed at the choices now so I think that’s what makes it easier for us.

The thought of getting a place for US is so important to me. I want Paige to have a place that is all OURS and fits all of our needs. I have this very powerful “nesting” syndrome to deal with. I want her life to be exactly how she envisioned it would be. I want her to have each and everything she ever wanted – but more than that, I want her to be happy.

I don’t think anything else in my life has ever been more important to me than that. Her happiness is what makes me happy.

And for those of you that are still paying attention to this long rambling post, THAT IS THE SECRET TO LIFE!!!

If making her happy makes me happy – then who is not happy!!!

See, that should make sense to everyone because it’s so damned simple.

So my prayer is that everyone had meals as wonderful as we did this weekend and that everyone finds the happiness that I have found.

That’s the best blessing I can give you.

Peace.