New Orleans - Part 2

Where did we leave off?  The Easter parades!  We watched the classic parade and then the Big Gay Easter parade.  I'll let you guess which one was more entertaining :)

In between parades, we walked through the French Market to try a few more pralines and get Liz a birthday drink!  We walked over to Frenchman Street, too, and the boys got some Hurricanes back on Bourbon.

Here's where pictures from the Big Gay Easter parade start!  Matt must have been a favorite barbecue he got a whole buncha beads!

We visited NOLA, Emeril's restaurant for Liz's birthday dinner that night and it was incredible.  The food was amazing and the service was unbelievable.  This place is definitely at the tippy top of my New Orleans recommendations list.

On our last full day we rented bikes and rode down to the Garden District and Tulane University.  It was a long ride but a really gorgeous day and we needed the exercise ;)

We also got to visit the Lafayette Cemetery Number 1.  Since New Orleans is below sea level, the majority of grave yards a full of individual and family tombs.  It's so different from cemeteries I've seen before and, even though it's obviously morbid, it was a very interesting and cool place to see.

We spent the rest of our trip visiting Tulane, enjoying a few more beignets, a po'boy at Johnny's Po Boys, and our last dinner at Kingfish (you might see a review of that eventually!).

We definitely had a fun trip, but I'm loving having some of that New Orleans weather up here now.

Brunch at Julie Anne's Place!

Recently I visited a cafe that's new to me, Julie Anne's Place, in Malvern, PA.  I stopped in one weekend for brunch and to catch up with a friend, and it's definitely worth a mention!

Julie Anne's Place is an adorably quaint cafe just off of King Street in the Malvern borough.  The cafe  resides in half of a twin house with a lovely and welcoming front porch.

Right when you walk up there is so much character and you can see the love that goes into Julie Anne's place.  Plus, I have the same wreath on my front door so that was instant bonus points in my book!  I love walking up to places that feel like they're actually inviting me in.

Inside is adorable, too, with a few tables set up and very friendly and welcoming staff.  If it were a little warmer, we could have sat out front but we picked a table right next to a big window which means I got to watch the rest cafe in action (people watching, anyone?).  It ended up getting busy right when we got our food, so we had perfect timing!

Speaking of food... I (surprisingly) wasn't in the mood for something sweet.  I think that's the first time in my life I've ever thought that.  I kept it simple and ordered the Lox & Bagel plate.  I love ordering this places because I can sort of DIY my meal and pick and choose what goes on each bite!  Not that this is a difficult dish, but it was great nonetheless!

Did I say I wasn't in the mood for something sweet?  That was until I saw this deliciousness my friend ordered!!!  The Nutella stuffed french toast looked like a birthday celebration on a plate!  I might have to go back here for my birthday to order this for myself.  The official review was that the french toast was killer good but I think I just have to confirm this on another visit ;)

Overall Julie Anne's Place was a great find.  It's a super cute location with convenient parking just across the street, and served delicious brunch options quickly, reasonably priced, and with a smile.  Plus, if it's a warm day you can walk King Street in Malvern and pop into some shops!

I'll definitely be visiting again - if you do, let me know what you try!

New Orleans - Part 1

Oh, N'awlins.  You taught me quite a few things like the correct way to say pralines (prah-leens) and that violinists can get down to some jazz!  I figured out a few things on my own too; apparently having your boobs out while walking down Bourbon St. is totally fine, and Cafe du Monde beignets totally trump those from Cafe Beignet.

We had such a fun trip visiting the French Quarter, riding bikes through the Garden District, visiting Tulane's campus and trying a ridiculous amount of good food.  The two best restaurants that we tried were definitely Café Amelie (my review) and Emeril's NOLA restaurant.  I didn't get to do a review on NOLA, but it was incredible!  The food and service were so amazing and it was a great spot for Liz's birthday dinner.  If you're planning on trying it, I definitely recommend you wait to order Shrimp & Grits at NOLA!

Get ready for picture overload, here's a look at part one of our trip to New Orleans!  We started out first day with lunch, a walk along the Mississippi and exploring the French Quarter.

I discovered my official new favorite place ever.... SUCRÉ!  This "sweet boutique" (which you'll see again in another post) has an incredible macaron selection, all different desserts, and gelato flavors.  I tried as many things as I could from Sucré and it was so stinkin' good.  More to come ;)

As we walked through the F.Q., Liz (obviously) stopped to see a dog, we came across lots of street performs, and looked at all the art around Jackson Square and the St. Louis Cathedral.

Saturday night we enjoyed dinner at Johnny Sanchéz (forgot my camera - oops!).  The creme brûlée was my favorite part, of course.

Sunday was Liz's 21st birthday!  We started the day with beignets from Cafe du Monde, followed by brunch at Café Amelie, and a visit to the French Market for (more) pralines.

Part two of our trip will pick up with the Easter parades and seeing a lot more of New Orleans beyond the French Quarter!  Hope you enjoyed seeing all these pictures and meet me back here for more NOLA later this week!

Café Amelie

Easter morning Liz's birthday started off with a few beignets from Cafe du Monde (ahhhh-mazing) before we strolled down Royal Street to enjoy brunch Café Amelie.  I knew this would be a great meal once we rounded the corner into the beautiful outdoor courtyard with a big fountain, star lights, and gorgeous greenery.  We were seated for our reservation within five minutes (a big plus in my book).

The menu was equal parts sweet and savory, with dishes ranging from a pulled pork special (you'll see that soon) to a banana Belgian waffle.  We started out with some delicious mid-morning cocktails, the Orange Blossom.  They were a play on mimosas with orange bitters and an orange peal, but much lighter and refreshing than the usual addition of orange juice.  Molly and I loved the elderflower liqueur, too!

When it came time to order, I was torn between two meals, but ended up very happy with my decision! Molly and Scott were undecided, but won over when they heard the special of the day.  I chose the grilled (and deliciously seasoned!) chicken served over a waffle with andouille gravy (obviously couldn't decide between sweet and savory).  The chicken was juicy and had a nice little kick with the spicy gravy.  It was a seriously awesome dish.

The Easter Sunday special was pulled pork served over a cheddar biscuit with two sunny side up eggs and andouille gravy.  Molly and Scott both loved this dish and I enjoyed the bite I got to try ;)

Matt ordered the (huge!) Amelie french toast with a southern pecan sauce.  He described it as pound cake french toast and really liked the sweet pecan sauce it was topped with.

Lastly, Liz and Liza both picked the farmers frittata with potatoes, onions, peppers, mushrooms, tomato and shredded cheese.  Both gals were happy with their veggie option and Liz said she didn't miss the (normally included) bacon or sausage that would be served with an omelette!

Final score - 9.5 out of 10.  From start to end this place was beautiful and served amazing entrees.  I gave Café Amelie a 10/10 no questions asked, but one of us asked for hot sauce and it never came, so we decided to drop the score to 9.5.  This was one of my favorite meals of the trip and the atmosphere was so beautiful, I would have loved to go back in the evening to see it all lit up for dinner!