ACME OYSTER HOUSE - New Orleans

Not all restaurants have reopened post-Katrina, even though it's been almost two years now. I read that Anthony Bourdain ate here after Katrina, so we went to check it out.

Lisa and I split a dozen oysters. This was only the second time that I have had raw oysters. They were okay, definitely fresh, but they were a little gritty. I wonder if it had to do with where they were harvested, or with the preparation. I first time I had oysters, at Emeril's in Vegas, they weren't gritty at all.

For my main course I had the crawfish etoufee. I was not impressed. I think they used minute rice in the dish. I've never had etoufee before, but it's supposed to be more spicy than gumbo. I thought it was just okay.

Overall rating - 2.5 sumos

CAFE DU MONDE - New Orleans

So I find myself stuck in Biloxi, Mississippi for three months, just west of the "Redneck Riviera." The food on base at Keesler is not fit for humans, so weekends and many weeknights find us checking out the eateries in the local and surrounding areas. The first weekend found us in New Orleans, since I had never been there before and I figured this was the most likely place for quality food. First stop, the Cafe Du Monde for their famous beignets and chicory coffee.

How was it? Well, drop dough in hot oil and top with enough powdered sugar to shoot a Scarface sequel...and it was pretty good. Of course, if I came here towards the end of my stay, after eating fried food for three months straight, and I may well have had a different opinion.

I ordered the regular black coffee, instead of the cafe au lait, because I wanted to see how much the added chicory added/detracted from the flavor of the brewed coffee. It wasn't that great. In fact, it was fairly bitter, which may have to do more with the quality of the bean and length of time the coffee had been sitting around.


Overall rating - 2.5 sumos