Beignets, Gumbo, Jambalaya and Oysters

A Windy Day At Fairhope, Alabama Pier

It's just 7:00 and I am sitting with a coffee, thank god, in the dining room overlooking the courtyard and pool of our Best Western New Orleans.  Our free breakfast is not served until 7:30 so I worried they would not have the coffee out earlier but I was wrong. It's Saturday and it is hard to believe we have been on the road for a week. 

Back Roads

Yesterday's drive took us around four hours because we took our friend Buddy's advice and drove Old 98 to a town of Mobile bay called Fairhope.  The drive to Fairhope reminded us both of Ocala, FL, the horse farms and white fences on both sides of the road.  It's a lovely area of trees, manicured pastures, and homes.  Fairhope, however, had the charm of the south, with the oaks and old homes, or rather mansions set back among trees, many overlooking the bay.  We parked at the Fairhope pier and walked out for the view of the bay and the coastline before we headed back to Route 10, the major highway to New Orleans.  Traffic was heavy much of the way and we drove over numerous bridges and marshes or wetlands, not sure what to call them until we arrived at Lake Pontchatrain's Frank Davis "Naturally  N'Awlins" Memorial Bridge, 5.5 miles long. By the way, my Dad's name was Frank Davis.  We had little trouble finding our hotel, on Rampnat Street, across from Louis Armstrong Park. 

The Best

We checked in, found one of the few parking spots in the hotel, and relaxed in our room for an hour before going for a walk to get a coffee and beignets at the Cafe Du Monde, a must-go-to place in the French Quarter.  We have been here numerous times and loved it,  This time, however, because of Covid, we had to wait in line to order after sitting down at a table, with no waitresses. The wait staff for some reason have always been Asian.  The line, fortunately, moved briskly despite being busy and we were soon covered in powdered sugar, always, as the beignets are doused in it. 

An Aftenoon Beer At Franks Bar

We then walked around Jackson Park and walked along the main street,  Decatur Street, near the water. This is our third visit to New Orleans and things have not changed much, the artists and their paintings along Jackson Square for instance. The only thing missing was the street musicians except for a singer and saxiphone guy outside of the Cafe Du Monde. It was a busy afternoon, lots of locals and tourists, a few wearing masks.  On our way back, we had to stop at a bar called Frank's, a dive, for a beer, and we were pleasantly surprised that in any bar or restaurant, we had to show our vaccination cards.  Without them, we could not have entered. 

A Typical French Quarter Cottage

A Store Filled With Everything You Don't Need

Our mile and a half walk ended with relaxing until 6:00 in our hotel room, tired but ready to get back out there and see if the crazies were out.  We knew the restaurant we wanted to eat at, Cafe Sbisa, and Evie called to see if they would let us eat at the bar. They said no because they were short-staffed. We decided, however, to try it anyway and when we got there, two ladies were already sitting at the bar so we were able to sit down and enjoy drinks and dinner. 

Sbisa Bar And Murals

It's one of the oldest restaurants in the city, founded in 1899, and we loved the ambiance, the formality of it, with great murals over the bar. Our vaccination cards were checked before we sat down as was done for everyone.  The restaurant has two floors and all the tables were filled and it seemed as if you needed reservations.  We got to know or bartender, Mia who is studying to be a nurse and she was fun.  

Living Largely

The Maitre D stopped by, explained the specials, brought us napkins and silverware, and was a hoot, making us feel at home even though we were at the bar. It is an upscale place and I got the feeling that our ordering beers were an exception to mixed drinks or bottles of wine because our bartender did not know what beers were available.  Evie had Bayou crab cakes as an appetizer and I had a bowl of gumbo, both delicious.  For dinner, I had the jambalaya with shrimp, crawfish, andouille sausage and chicken over penne and Evie had a caesar salad and an appetizer called  Oysters Sbisa. 

Caesar Salad, Oysters, And The Last Word

We loved our food  and the bar even if we did not end up making a new friend although Mia was fun. She even talked Evie into ordering one of their special cocktails called the Final Word, with vodka, chartreuse, fresh lime juice and Luxardo marachino liqueur.  It should have been better for twelve bucks.  

The Entrance To Louis Armstrong Park

We left about 8:00 and walked around the back streets, eventually meandering down Bourbon Street, the best or worst of the area, filled with revelers, drunks, bars, mostly empty and others like us just people watching,  We did not return to our room until 8:30 and relaxed until 9:30 with a book or TV and went to bed early, hoping we would have coffee in the morning.  We did.