New Orleans Voodoo

Back to New Orleans again for work but also plenty of play. First I have to give a shout-out to my favorite hotel down there, the International House. Close enough to the Quarter, and yet just far enough away, they're always friendly and have a great little bar downstairs. Also, in celebration of All Saints Day/All Souls Day, artist Linda Sampson had installed in the lobby an Immortelle exhibition which is worth a stop-in if you're in town. Immortelles are a tradition of beaded memorial flowers to be hung on tombs on All Saints Day, then removed and stored at home until the next year. On to the food.

First stop, Lüke. I've talked about them before, but the thing I go back for again and again is the Rillette of Berkshire pig. And again. And again.

Next stop, Katie's Restaurant & Bar in Midcity. As soon as I gave the cab driver the address, he asked if we knew a local. No tourists here at this place deep inside a neighborhood. Fine by me, I'll keep the po-boys and hamburger steak all to myself. By the way, if you need a cab in New Orleans, always call United Cab.

Last stop on the food train, the Green Goddess. An amazing meal cooked with love by Chef Paul in a tiny (cozy) restaurant on Exchange Alley in the Quarter. Not looking to define a "type" of cuisine, they seem to concentrate on flavors that just taste damn good together. Started off with a bacon smoked duck soup with red wine and mushrooms, and things only got better. Fresh crab with pickled vegetables and wasabi roe. Black sticky rice and coconut milk rice pudding (the "Saturn Calling"). Oh, and did I mention that I had an heirloom tomato bloody mary? Green Goddess (pictured above), I'll see you again.