Rachel: Photo Diary

This morning, I ran the Mardi Gras Half for the second year. Last year, I ran this race on my wedding day. I believe this gives me bragging rights for the next decade.

I paced with the chicken above during miles 9 and 10. Pretty sure he beat my time in the end, but I was still proud of how strong & energetic I felt at that finish line. For that finale, I’d like to thank the guy at mile 12 handing out King Cake.

Mr. T met me at the end and tried to snap a picture, but it turns out my decision to sprint those final 500 yards meant he caught the back of some other lady’s head. Oops.

Our first order of business, post-shower, was refueling. We walked down Dauphine to a new place we’d noticed Friday night, called Nosh. We had the place to ourselves. An artist walked in (apparently returning, having been invited) to draw portraits of the staff. Between getting our biscuits and gravy and whatnot, our waitress sat for him. She and the attendant side conversations were charming.

Speaking of charmed, that’s how I’d describe today, where we explored the quarter in warm sunshine.

Mid-afternoon, I started fretting I was coming down with Mr. T’s cold, so I napped that fear away. We awoke hungry, and ready to dine at a place I’d vaguely known about — The Green Goddess. I’d love to recall who might’ve told me about it first (Rocky?), and name my next dog after him (an honor, I promise you). We had one of the top 5 meals of my life — the evening was ridiculously spectacular.

Lemme put it like this: when the chef comes out to fist-bump you at the end of your meal, I’d say it’s a confirmation of a great time. The joy of that meal may carry me for months. There were none of the New Orleans clichés, but all of those delightful eccentricities. (I know. Calling New Orleanians eccentric is a cliché, but the stereotype is grounded in truth.)

We arrived before 6 and snagged the final 2 seats open at the bar. From first bite of that powerfully delicious Korean pancake, we were in for it. The mushroom bread pudding was a great savory twist on my husband’s favorite dessert — we noticed it being enjoyed at a few tables. Later, the chef delivered our Armagnac figs and encouraged us to enjoy every last drop of the brilliant Cherrywood-aged balsamico. We obeyed and were thisclose to licking the plate.

Their cocktail program is worth a visit alone. My first drink (their rum sazzy) was on point, but I knew I’d found my One True Drink when the gifted bartender idly mentioned their julep (“See Rock City!) was inspired by a Ginger Mint Julep sign, only a few blocks away. I KNEW THAT SIGN! I’ve photographed that sign. I’ve wished for that drink. And here it was! How lucky were we to have found this place?

Elated from a marvelous dinner, we finished by going for their praline bacon sundae: “Pecan praline ice cream with a creamy bacon caramel sauce carrying a bit of both Pink Himalayan & Black Lava Salts, & micro-planed applewood bacon.” Oh, yeah!

Our complete dinner, as described directly from their menu:
Korean Oyster & Scallion Pancake This classic savory pancake made of both wheat & rice flours, contains Louisiana oysters, scallions, ginger and a touch of spice, served with pickled celery root in yellow pepper remoulade, with sesame-soy dipping sauce.

Mushroom Bread Pudding Several kinds of mushrooms packed into a savory bread pudding, topped with a “scoop” of La Serena sheep cheese & Oregon white truffle cream sauce.

Shrimp “Wearing a Grass Skirt” Roasted Louisiana shrimp wrapped in shredded phyllo, with New Orleans barbecue shrimp sauce, roasted pineapple & young coconut slaw.

Armagnac-Soaked Mission Figs These boozy morsels are stuffed with Strathdon Blue Cheese, wrapped in Serrano Ham, quick-roasted, and finished with Leonardi Balsamico aged 20 years in Cherrywood Barrels.

The Notorious Bacon Sundae — made with pecan praline ice cream with a creamy bacon caramel sauce carrying a bit of both Pink Himalayan & Black Lava Salts, & micro-planed Nueske’s Applewood Bacon, layered with whipped cream, of course!

Accompanied by:
My new favorite drink on the planet: “See Rock City!” Mint Julep Our exotic take on the eternal verities of the mint julep, with Ginger Syrup, Lychee Juice, muddled mint and Catdaddy Carolina Moonshine.

Mr. T’s favorite: The Oregon Bog Clear Creek’s wonderful Cranberry Liqueur, from organic coastal Oregon bogs; Bruichladdich’s “The Waves” Islay Single Malt Scotch, Italian orange liqueur, & Fee Bros.Whisky Barrel Bitters.

D-Day Rum Sazerac We invented this to imagine New Orleans captured by German U-boats, leaving us without any Rye whisky to make our home town Sazeracs.“Navy Strength” Smith & Cross rum, Steen’s Cane Syrup, Peychaud’s Bitters and Absinthe rinse.

The Gentle Giant In homage to the giant Pacific NW ecosystem, we blend Green Chartreuse, G’vine French Gin, lime, lotus tea & a float of Clear Creek’s magnificent Douglas Fir Eau-de-Vie.

I can relate.

My mom and brother came into New Orleans today to go with us for brunch to Commander’s Palace.

in the Garden District

I was partially making up for being so ill at the end of our wedding trip when we had a final 25+ brunch at Commander’s (and I was feeling too green to eat anything), and I was partially carbo-loading for Sunday’s race day — but we went all out. I ordered Shrimp & Tasso Henican, Eggs Cochon de Lait with biscuits, and Strawberry Shortcake. All good, but I couldn’t keep my hands off of Mr. T’s pecan crusted gulf fish. I’m a sucker for anything a meuniere.

We mentioned it was our anniversary trip to New Orleans, so they brought out Grapefruit Champagne Sorbet. The remains (that chocolate Happy Anniversary was toooo good to pass up):

Mr. T started feeling hit by a cold, so we dropped him off for a nap while a) I picked up my race number for the Half Marathon followed by b) my Mom, brother, and I visiting the World War II Museum. The special exhibit was Ours to Fight For: American Jews in the Second World War. Pictures were verboten, but there were a few quotes I wanted to remember.

After the museum, we caught the final viewing of the day of Beyond All Boundaries, the Tom Hanks 4-D movie covering the war. Highly recommend, but I could see this as being hard for anyone with PTSD issues. The seats vibrated during bombing scenes and were nearly blinded during the A-bomb scene. We exited through the gift shop and past the Stage Door Canteen to find a refreshed Mr. T waiting for us nearby at The American Sector’s bar. We beat the dinner crowd by minutes, it seemed.

Years ago, I stopped drinking full calorie sodas while on a diet. I never regained the habit, 10 years later. I make exceptions upon rare occassion. Besh’s house made (seasonal) Satsuma Soda seemed like a fine candidate for such — after we ordered, they brought out a seltzer decanter with the satsuma simple syrup, and glasses for everyone. I’m pretty sure I drank 3/4s of the soda all by myself. (An order of the $6 house made soda is at least 6 glasses worth.)

The American Sector specializes in nostalgic, comfort food. Since we were in Louisiana, this included poboys! Huzzah! Mr. T & I each had one, my mom got the Reuben and my brother, the sliders. Crowd-pleasing dinner, all around. I’d like to think that’s how the whole day went.

And for the first time, I went to bed at a reasonable hour before a race!