NOLA Food + Wine Experience

I just had to get back to New Orleans. My roommate, who is from Nola, spent her Spring semester in Sevilla, Spain, and a reunion was much needed. Little did we realize that the New Orleans Food & Wine Experience would coincidentally lie on the same weekend as my visit!

Before I arrived, Ashley and I already established that the weekend had to revolve around really good New Orleans food. And oh, did we keep that promise.

Friday night was spent at Liuzza's, a hole-in-the-wall local treasure. Ashley's family assured me that they're known for their frosted beer mugs and po boys. So, of course, I ordered both. Plus a cup of gumbo. The meal was authentic, simple and satisfying! My favorite part of dinner was learning that our waitress worked at Liuzza's when Ashley's dad was in high school. Talk about dedication.

Brocato's was calling our name for dessert. I got half salted caramel and half stracciatella (Italian chocolate chip) gelato. Yum.

After a morning shopping on Magazine Street the next morning, we had an unbelievable lunch at Borgne, which I just critiqued here.

Before our evening out, we grabbed a drink at Oak Wine Bar. Seriously, hand me a cocktail and a cheese plate, and I'll be your best friend.

The highlight of our New Orleans weekend was the Funkin' It Up with John Besh event featuring celebrity chefs and top-of-the-line food. I was invited through a fun food blogger connection and felt so honored to be included in such a prominent event for the New Orleans Food & Wine Experience.

Ashley and I traveled from station to station around the Hyatt Regency to taste impeccable dishes by renowned chefs from Miami and New York to New Orleans and Oxford, Mississippi. We even snapped photos with Chef John Besh of Luke and Borgne and Chef Aarón Sanchéz, a judge on Food Network's Chopped. Yes, I was and still am starstruck.

AARON SANCHEZ

Beautiful asparagus gazpacho

JOHN BESH

Borgne (New Orleans)

After attending Chef John Besh's nola takeover in austin, he instantly became a culinary favorite of mine. Besh knows French creole cuisine. And he does it well.

Borgne is John Besh's newest of nine restaurants in New Orleans. Besh worked with Executive Chef Brian Landry, whom I both met over the course of the weekend (still starstruck!). Their talents merged a few years ago, and Borgne was born.

Ashley and I received incredible service by the Borgne staff as soon as we walked through the doors. We were coincidentally seated by a Memphis high school acquaintance of mine and immediately introduced to our lovely waiter, restaurant manager, and Chef Brian Landry himself.

I loved the Louisiana oyster columns that anchored the restaurant's open structure. The bar area created a sports-bar feel with flat screens and LSU baseball playing behind our table. But the large booths and natural sunlight also added to a casual dining experience.

menu

Borgne's menu is "a celebration of all that the local waterways have to offer" with sustainable seafood and artistic preparation. The playful, handwritten comments along the menu margins add to Besh and Landry's personal touches on classic dishes. After ordering GIANT bloody marys, we decided to keep the meal on the lighter side by ordering primarily appetizers instead of entrees.

We began with a warm rosemary baguette wrapped in a brown paper bag with the Borgne logo. Loved that extra touch!

The appetizers were top-notch. I ordered half a dozen oysters on the half shell...and I am 100% serious when I say that these were the largest oysters I had ever eaten! If you thought that oysters were supposed to fit on a saltine cracker...well, you're wrong. These were twice the size of the cracker. I was in heaven.

Garlic clove shrimp arrived next in a small cast iron dish with piquillo pepper, sherry, cherry tomatoes and herbs. The shrimp fell out of their shells effortlessly. The crostini tasted burnt instead of toasted, but I took the rosemary baguette instead to soak up the garlicky broth.

The staff additionally brought us the top-selling appetizer on the menu: duck poppers with jalapeño and bacon on a bed of fresh groat cheese. I would have never, ever ordered this dish since I'm a seafood gal. But it was damn good. Smoky, rich, and a popper of flavor!

The jumbo lump crabmeat and beet salad was divine. The simplistic ingredients went super well together...who woulda thought! And sesame chips, placed beautifully across the plate, were the perfect size to scoop up the salad's ingredients. While the horseradish dressing was creamy, it was tangy and refreshing.

I still cannot believe they brought us complimentary dessert. I was so stuffed by that point! But this chocolate hazelnut pudding with condensed milk sorbet and baby meringues was too good to pass up. The pudding was perfectly smooth, and I enjoyed the crunch from the nuts and meringues. Plus, how cute is the mason jar presentation...

Although I knew before my lunch that I'd leave satisfied, I never imagined such exceptional service and dishes. This meal goes down in my New Orleans visiting history. I cannot wait to come back down.

Chef John Besh Takeover (Austin)

I'm so thrilled I got a taste of Austin's infamous Food & Wine Festival that takes place every Spring at Butler Park. I'm saving up the big bucks for next April as my last Austin-y event before Graduation, but last night was a perfect introduction to the conglomeration of culinary talent here in Austin.

As you all know, I'm a huge fan of New Orleans. I cannot wait to visit next month. Somehow, Chef John Besh's PR rep came across my blog due to my constant chatter about New Orleans and my membership in the Austin Food Blogger Alliance. John Besh is the owner of over half a dozen restaurants throughout the city of New Orleans (including Domenica in the Roosevelt Hotel and Luke). I recently learned that he opened a second Luke Restaurant on the San Antonio Riverwalk, which I cannot wait to try when my friends and I road trip in the fall.

The event Saturday night celebrated and promoted John Besh's newest culinary appearance in the state of Texas. His Luke menu was presented in food stations on the roof of Whole Foods and, man, was it fabulous. A New Orleans band in the background, super friendly staff, a breezy April sunset, and addicting cajun food...I could not have asked for a better last Saturday night in Austin before Summer.

Enjoy the photos (sorry there are so many!) and check out John Besh's skills. They're pretty unbeatable in this cuisine.

shrimp, cucumber, dill appetizer

shrimp boil with snap peas, potatoes, mushrooms and artichokes

peelin' em and eatin' em

great band.

freshly shucked oysters with crawfish potato salad, crawfish pasta

bananas foster masters

Sway (Austin)

photo credit

ambiance

For months, Brenna and I wondered what the heck that pink flower meant. Elizabeth Street and Gourdough's are its restaurant neighbors down on First Street, but the ominous black building's store front remained unmarked.

Recently, from word of mouth, I learned that the building was, in fact, a restaurant! Of course I had to check it out.

Sway, a modern Thai restaurant, brings a funky twist to a traditional style. The community tables gave the restaurant a cozy vibe, although Brenna and I were extremely frustrated that the majority of tables were reserved for parties of 10+ guests (their only call-ahead policy).  I also loved the zen garden/wrap-around patio. 

After thirty minutes of sipping on Asian beer and people watching, we snagged two seats at the bar. And thank goodness we did, because a two hour wair was not working for my appetite. Get ready to wait, people.

photo credit

food

I have always believed that Austin lacks in the Asian cuisine (outside of the hip sushi and Japanese styles). At Sway, they really work to provide a menu of traditional flavors and savory sauces that remind me of my favorite Chinese restaurant in Memphis.

But Sway takes it up a notch, of course. Their diverse menu (and not-too-expensive prices) could please almost anyone!

We started with po-pea jay, also known as rice paper spring rolls with avocado and vegetables. So fresh. My favorite part was the sweet and sour sauce on the side!

You've gotta order the shu mai.  It's made to order, and texture of the dumpling wrap with a crunch of cold cucumber is divine. The steamed dumplings are filled with a mixture of crab, shrimp and trout.  And, again, this sauce is delicious, even though it's a bit spicier than I expected.

Not pictured is the traditional pad thai, made with HUGE blue prawns (almost like little lobsters), tofu, egg, cashew and bean sprout. The amount of peanut sauce was just right (I usually have to ask for an extra side at other restaurants to avoid dryness). I loved Spay's spin on the dish.

You also won't find the blue crab fried rice anywhere else. Giant pieces of crabmeat, snow peas, egg, thai basil. We didn't leave any leftovers...let's just put it that way.

Go try Sway on South First when you have some time on your hands, and let me know what you think!

George's (Alys Beach)

ambiance
George's is located in Alys Beach, a grecian-like neighborhood of beach houses with all white exteriors and unbelievable architecture. The angles and simplicity make me feel like I'm in Europe! George's is a tiny cafe right off the highway filled with a warm staff and small but satisfying menu. The left side of the menu is entitled "mis-be-have" for your sandwich with fries option, while the right side reads "be-have" for salads and the healthy works. The dishes, therefore, can make even the pickiest of eaters happy! And who cares about misbehaving when it comes to eating...right?!

food

thai beef and noodle salad

crab cake remoulade roll

Our family opted to try entrees from all over the menu. Dad got the famous grilled grouper sandwich that magazines say "you must eat before you die." Julia and her friend Dena got the best burger on 30A. I tried the crab cake remoulade roll with bacon. I ended up taking the remoulade off, but I really enjoyed the fried green tomato on top. Mom ordered the thai beef and noodle salad with avocado and mango. The thai peanut dressing was awesome - I could've ordered an extra side of it! We also got the G.A.S.P. (garlic, artichoke, sun-dried tomato, pesto) in a pita with a side of nutty kale cous cous with honey and almonds. Our plates were clean by the end of the hour!

warm chocolate goo with vanilla gelato

key lime pie

candy bar mini cake

But how could we ignore dessert...Julia insisted on the warm chocolate goo, which turned out to be a simply darn good brownie. The homemade key lime pie was a classic. My favorite was the candy bar mini cake. The owner, Anne, told us that she spent two full Sundays after tasting a similar dish in NYC. The cake consists of snickers, rolos, heath bar, oreo, and reese's.

Interested yet?! Good.

Clark's Oyster Bar (Austin)

ambiance
Walk through these doors on a sunny afternoon, and you've entered California paradise.  Clark's, the "baby brother" of Perla's (it's less than a year old!), quickly became my family's new favorite for seafood and sophistication.  It's in a hoppin' location on West Sixth and equates its dining experience to a maritime yacht club.  How picturesque is that?! Put on your shades and Vineyard Vines and step into a beachside bliss.

food

The photos speak for themselves, but these dishes deserve some caramelized praise.

Our waiter gave us a "northeastern sampler" of our oysters on the half shell.  To be honest, I'm not fancy enough to taste the difference between these oysters; once they're doused in cocktail sauce, Massachusetts and Maine are the same to me. But, let me tell you: these oysters were good.

The wood grilled shrimp toast was unlike any other shrimp dish I've had - the shrimp mix was literally baked into the Texas toast. Delish.  And, of course, we couldn't go wrong with the lobster roll, a simple sandwich with succulent lobster, bibb lettuce and a buttery bun.

The wood-grilled brussel sprouts were too spicy for my momma, but I loved the sliced and skewered presentation.  I didn't have time to photograph the grilled cheese with sofrito because my brother Jake ate it too quickly.  Yep, it was that good.

I hope your Clark's experience is as delightful as ours was!