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May 2016

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

By New Orleans Sojourn

Our second Sojourn in New Orleans has come to an end, and we are heading back to Boise. One of the things I will miss the most, once we’ve returned to our landlocked home in Idaho, is…the fish.

NOLA Aquarium

New Orleans has the wonderful Audubon Aquarium of the Americas on the River Walk, which runs along the Mississippi right next to where the Algiers Ferry docks.

It features a variety of water environments, ocean, gulf, bayou, and river, as well as a rain forest with a waterfall, and parrots, who have lived there since it opened in 1990. We had taken Lina to visit as a toddler, so it was fun to return with her this trip. And see old friends.

Lina and the parrot at the Audubon Aquarium

And of course lots and lots of fish.

Audubon Aquarium tank

Aquarium tank at Audbon Aquarium

Ocean tank at Audubon Aquarium

Lina at the Audubon Aquarium

You really do see fish everywhere in New Orleans.

Like on the sidewalk,

#koifishart
#koifishart

or at the Hong Kong Market, where you not only get to see them, but eat them too.

#Sorrynotsorry

Tilapia at Hong Kong Market

You can buy your fish fresh there, and take it home to make your own Vietnamese Crispy Fish with Cilantro,

Vietnamese Crispy Fish with Cilantro

or you can have your fish as a poboy,

Catfish poboy

or at Mandina’s, as Gulf Fish Meunière.

Mandina's Fish Meunière

Sigh.

I’m really, really going to miss you, fish.

"Fin" the end

Fish fin

Dieting? Read at Your Own Risk!

By New Orleans Sojourn

This, our second New Orleans Sojurn, was a little bit shorter than our first, and in a location slightly less convenient to our favorite restaurants, coffee shops, and other re-filling stations. But, we did NOT starve. Oooh no, far from it. We will be heading home quite fat and happy.

Want to know where, and what, we ate? Well, here’s a pretty comprehensive list with many hot links (Get it? I crack myself up).

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I have no idea if that is true or not, but if you want to eat 3 meals and a coffee per day like we do when we are in New Orleans, then you better start eating before lunch time, and that’s important!

We like to start at Surrey’s.

I like the Costa Rican breakfast…
Costa Rican Breakfast at Surrey'S

and Mike likes the Corned Beef Andouille hash…

Corned beef hash at Surrey's

In our neighborhood in Algiers Point we have Tout de suite . I had the “Katrina” Huevos Rancheros, and Mike had the “Poche” with boudin…

"Katrina" at toute de suite

If we happen to be in the French Quarter at breakfast time we like Croissant d’Or where I had a small cafe au lait and the quiche Lorraine…

Quiche at Croissant d'Or

Once you have breakfast out of the way there are literally thousands of choices for lunch, supper, dinner, just appetizers and drinks, just drinks, and/or dessert. Here are just some of the places we ate at, and the meals we ate at them…

At Primitivo I had the Beef Coulette with Pimento-cheese grits…

Beef at Primitivo

Mariza

Cochon Restaurant

Butcher, where I always have the Carolina pulled pork and the Brussels sprouts…

Pulled pork at Butcher

Casamentos, Napoleon House, Central Grocery, Katie’s, and Liuzza’s — all of which I have written about, and hot linked to in past posts, though I can give you a peek at what we ate this time…

Charbroiled oysters…

Char grilled oysters

Red beans, rice and hot sausage; and the Shrimp remoulade salad…

Red beans and Shrimp remoulade at Liuzza's

Muffelatta, and Oyster poboy…

Muffelatta

Italian salad (basically a Muffelatta without the bread)…

Italian salad at Katie's

Red beans and rice, and fried chicken…

image

And more Chargrilled Oysters at Drago’s.

Char grilled oysters at Drago's

Da Wabbit

Cafe Maspero

Canal St. Bistro

In addition to the New Orleans classics, we also had some terrific Mexican food — on both sides of the Mississippi.

On the West Bank we went to El Paso Mexican Grill and had the fajitas…

Fajitas at El Paso on the West Bank

Fajitas at El Paso Mexican Grill

On the East Bank we ate at El Pavo Real, and at Taqueria Corona (a couple of times)…

At El Pavo Real we had Empanadas and Chimichurri sauce…
Empanadas at El Pavo Real

and Hanger steak tacos…
Hanger steak tacos at El Pavo Real

and were happy fat people…
El Pavo Real with the gang

I had a Cheese enchilada on a very rainy day at Taqueria Corona…
Taqueria Corona cheese enchilada

And yummy Gipsy Fajitas at the Santa Fe Restaurant

Gipsy Fajitas and Sangria at Santa Fe Restaurant

Cowbell

Stein’s Deli

the Joint

Hamburgers are always high on our list and Mike did not miss out on having another Kim Chi Burger at the Mint Modern Vietnamese

Kim Chi Burger

while I had the sizzling steak and sunny side up eggs…
Steak and eggs at Modern Mint

and a tiny bite of Mike’s Kim Chi burger…

Melissa eats a Kim chi burger

We added a new favorite burger to our list — the Pimento-cheese Burger, which we had at both High Hat Cafe and at Brown Butter Bistro (two new favorite restaurants)…

Pimento-cheese burger at High Hat

This sojourn had more emphasis on Vietnamese cuisine because there is a huge Vietnamese community in New Orleans with many living on the West Bank. In addition to shopping at the Hong Kong Market, there are plenty of restaurants to choose from. We ate at Pho Bang, and Rice Paper Pho

Rice Paper Pho

and had Bahn Mi and Avocado Bubble smoothies at Mr. Bubbles

Mr. Bubbles Bahn mi and avocado bubble smoothie

Thanks to Joy’s influence I also had a few salads here and there.

With a beet, carrot and orange juice at Satsuma in the Bywater…

Satsuma's salad

and after seeing “Hello, My Name is Doris” with Joy, at the St. James Cheese Co. on Prytania…

St. James Cheese shop salad

and at Liberty’s Kitchen at the Whole Foods on Broad…

LIberty salad at Whole Foods on Broad

Make no mistake, there were plenty of opportunities to go seriously off track at a bunch of places specializing in sugar.

District Donuts

Sasi at District Donuts

District Donuts

District Donuts

Not that I was always the one going off track…

Lina and Mike at District Donuts

Pie at High Hat…

Pie at High Hat

Brocato’s

Sweets at Brocato's

Creole Creamery

Mike at Creole Creamery

And let’s not forget any excuse to have Doberge cake…

Doberge cake

No idea what Doberge cake is? Click here to read all about it!

Tomorrow we are getting on the road and heading home to Idaho. Guess I’d better go get something to eat. It’s going to be a long drive!

Sasi at Stein's

House Ghosts

By Exhibitions, New Orleans Sojourn

Mike’s exhibition “House Ghosts” opened on May 7th at the Carol Robinson Gallery in New Orleans.

That’s Carol, with Mike at the Opening…

Mike Chambers with Carol Robinson at House Ghosts Opening

We brought most of Mike’s new work for the show with us on our drive down, but we arrived in New Orleans with a few paintings left unfinished. Mike worked on them in the evenings, at his French easel which he set up on the kitchen table.

Mike Chambers painting at the kitchen table

Go ahead, try this at home!

Mike Chambers painting

Carol always hangs a beautiful show, and “House Ghosts” was no exception.

Mike Chambers' House Ghosts

Mike Chambers' House Ghosts

Mike Chambers' House Ghosts at Carol Robinson Gallery

Mike Chambers' House Ghosts

Lina Chambers and House Ghost by her dad, Mike Chambers

There was a great turn out for the opening, and it was wonderful to catch up with friends, both old, and new.

Moseley Sonier family at House Ghosts Opening

Marilyn & Morris Brum with Lina and Melissa Chambers

House Ghosts Opening at Carol Robinson Gallery

The show will be up during the month of May, and you can see all of Mike’s available work on the Carol Robinson Gallery website, as well at at MichaelChambersArt.com .

Michael Chambers with his painting "All the Light "

Good job Mikey! 👍👍❤️🍷🎉