DAY TWO IN THE BIG EASY

CAFE DU MONDE
Jackson Square

A trip to New Orleans must include a visit to Cafe Du Monde. After a brief wait in the rain, we were seated and served quickly. The menu is minimal. Coffee and Beignets. We enjoyed a serving of (3) Beignets (Square doughnut with powdered sugar) and two cups of coffee and a hot chocolate for $8. This is a great way to start any morning in New Orleans. After the Beignets, we took a stroll around Jackson Square taking in the small shops and beautiful gardens and park. Our walk quickly took us to our next meal.

JOHNNY'S PO-BOY RESTAURANT
511 St. Louis Street

Johnny's was highly recommended by a local New Orleans food critic. We entered to find a small (hole in the wall type) restaurant filled with locals, military and tourists. The short wait in line ended in a very friendly welcome from the counter girl. We ordered from the menu printed above the cooking line. One craw fish po-boy and one roast beef po-poy with lettuce and tomato plus a bowl of seafood chowder. These are large (8" or so) rolls filled with a wide assortment of meats, seafood and almost everything you can think of including french fries, crab cakes, oysters, pork chops and cat fish. The crawfish po-boy was simply fried crawfish with lettuce, tomato and mayonaise. Not too much flavor, but good. The roast beef po-boy was filled with great flavor and big on the meat. The gumbo was good, but not as good as Brennan's. The entire meal including two drinks was $25. I would probably try another po-boy restaurant before going back to Johnny's just for comparison.

EMERIL'S
800 Tchoupitoulas Street

Emeril's is the flagship restaurant of Emeril Laggase of the Food Network. I have dined in his restaurants in Orlando and Las Vegas. After careful review, his New Orleans restaurant is the best of all. The entire meal was absolutely fantastic. We began our meal with Sweet Shrimp Hush Puppies with Southwest Cole Slaw. This dish was perfect. I wanted to order a side of the Cole Slaw it was so good. We followed this dish with the sauteed Escargo on a bed of shelled pasta with sun dried tomato and basil. This could have been a main course. Perfect in every way. Our daughter enjoyed pasta with exotic mushrooms. For a six year old that does not eat mushrooms, she ate every thing on the plate. We then proceeded to enjoy a duct confit salad with roasted beets and gargonzola cheese. Again this was amazing. Our main dishes were a Mediteranian Sea Bass with lump crab over a creamy mashed potato and a Main Cod with Little Neck Clams with Fingerling potaotos and sauteed Kale. Both dishes were great. There was nothing left on any of the plates served at Emeril's. "For desert we enjoyed a chocolate truffle tort served with fresh berries and creme. This was a chocolate lovers dream and an excellent end to a truly great meal. With each course, Emeril's suggests a wine pairing. I enjoyed two great glasses of wine that were perfect with the meal. The service is excellent and the kitchen runs like a well oiled machine. Truly professional in every way.
We would highly recommend a visit to Emeril's.