Jordan, Jordan, where have you been?

If you're one of the four people who follow this blog, you may have wondered from time to time where I had gone...

The truth is, I stepped away from my culinary life to take on a new job as Director of Catering & Conference Service for a hotel company in New York. It is now, a year later, I have settled into my 9-5 and am ready to come back to this blog to share my passions for all things culinary.

While I stepped away from cooking for a while, I never took a break from eating delicious food and discovering wonderful and not so wonderful restaurants, markets, bars and recipes.

Last April my family and I celebrated my Dad's 75th birthday in New Orleans, one of my favorite cities in the world. New Orleans is founded on the two things a chef and her musician husband love most: food & music. Every time we go, we start a new New Orleans "Best Ever" list comprised of our favorite dishes, drinks and meals. Below are my top five of all time:

Best Bloody Mary:
Stanley in Jackson Square
As soon as we step off the plane Erik and I go straight to Stanley, for Bloody Marys, burgers and the Korean BBQ Beef Po'Boy.

Stanley use hot sauce and spices rather than horseradish and celery salt to create a tomato based cocktail that is velvety, tangy, spicy and ooh so drinkable. It is not unusual to find yourself drinking your third before the food even arrives! The classic garnish for a New Orleans Bloody Mary is pickled okra. Stanley actually uses okra as well as pickled string beans in their Bloodys. The brine of the pickle cuts the bite of vodka and the saltiness of the pickle is tempered by the sweetness of the tomato juice. It's the perfect morning cocktail and the only way to start your day in New Orleans!


Best Dinner Entree:
Carpet Bagger Steak with Blue Cheese, Onions, Oysters, Hollandaise
Jacques Imo's

My entire family LOVES Jacques Imo's. My parents introduced us to this local favorite, and now we have to get our fix every time we're in town. Jacques Imo's combines "Real Nawlins" cuisine with creative, funky fresh food. The dishes offer big portions and even bigger flavors.
The Carpet Bagger Steak is unlike anything I've eaten before. It starts with a beautiful 16oz. sirloin or filet steak that is stuffed with sautéed oysters & oyster mushrooms, blue cheese & caramelized onion. It is cooked until crusty on the outside and pink & juicy inside at which point it's topped with...hollandaise sauce. The combination of textures and tastes has your mouth watering between each bite. I dare you to finish a meal this heavy and huge, but you'll savor every bite trying...

Best Fried Food:
The Connection Platter-Soft Shell Crab, Catfish, Chicken Livers, Dill Pickles, Okra & Spicy Chicken Wings
Praline Connection
Ok, I know what you're thinking, "This is a heart attack on a plate". Well, that might be true, but it's worth the trip to the hospital. This platter is a team event, which hits every flavor and gives tons of texture. The fried okra and soft shell crab literally "pop" when you eat them and are light in flavor as well as texture... The catfish's crispy crust is the perfect complement to the tender, meatiness of the catfish. The chicken livers balance their crunchy coating with a creamy texture and slightly bitter taste. The spice of the wings and the sourness of the pickles compliment the platter beautifully by bringing some punch and zing to the palate.

Best Breakfast Entree:
Egg Stanley: Cornmeal Crusted Oysters, Poached Eggs, Canadian Bacon, and Creole Hollandaise on English Muffin
Stanley
My husband and I have an ongoing debate over which of Stanley's breakfast dishes are the best. He argues for the Bananas Foster French Toast with Vanilla Ice Cream and Foster's sauce, which if you enjoy dessert for breakfast is definitely the way to go. My vote however, is always for Eggs Stanley, which is a New Orleans take on Eggs Benedict. The addition of fried oysters to this perfectly executed eggs benedict results in a true taste sensation. When you combine crispy oyster, brightly flavored hollandaise, creamy egg, smoky bacon and English muffin to sop it all up each bite, is the perfect bite.

Best Sweet Treat:
Beignets
Cafe Du Monde
Cafe Du Monde is an institution in New Orleans. No tired traveler or tourist can spend any time in the French Quarter without stopping at Cafe Du Monde for a sugar/caffeine pick me up. If you're lucky enough to find a table, a waitress will be over in a flash to take your order. There's really no choice about what you'll get, beignets and cafe au lait, just a question of how many...When your beignets arrive they are hiding under a delightful cloud of powdered sugar. You take a bite and it's what you always wished every doughnut tasted like, only ten times better. They're warm, light, delicate and delicious. The chicory coffee is perfectly bitter to cut the super sweet of the beignets. More effective than Ritalin, these sweet treats and caffeinated beverages will have you going like the energizer bunny...until you crash an hour later.