New Orleans - Day 1

Any day that I begin at 3:45am isn't going to be a great one. I just felt like the timing was too close in terms of making the flight, etc... Of course, I am the woman that likes to be everywhere early, especially the airport. Dulles was a comedy of errors. Jim had us get in one line to see about an upgrade, pulled us out thinking he found a shorter line around back, when it was just as along. I, of course, went to the to the electronic check in screen and managed to do the upgrade, no sweat and no line. Does anyone listen to me? Noooo! The TSA check in was a sea of people. Once we got past that and on our plane, things seemed to be fine, until we had to pull back up to the gate after push back because a light indicating smoke came on in the cockpit. They finally figured out was it was and we were allowed to leave, after several anxious moments where I was unsure if we would even get off the ground. Of course, we were (I'm serious here) 21st in line for take off and it was another 40 minutes until we were off the ground...

We got to New Orleans. I nearly got car sick on the cab ride from the airport, thanks to the skillful driving. We checked into our hotel, got lunch, walked around the Riverwalk and Harrah's and went back to our room for a nap. The day was pretty unremarkable until dinner...

We went to NOLA. It's one of Emeril Lagasse's resturants and it was nothing short of amazing. I had their Taste of NOLA special - $50 and an extra $30 for the wine pairing and totally worth every penny. So here is what I had for dinner on Friday night...

Jumbo Lump Crab Salad with Roasted Beets, Toasted Walnuts, Baby Greens and Basil Pesto

2004 Coleman Pinot Gris (Willamette Valley, Oregon)

Sauteed Chanterelles with Puree Celery Root, Rapini, Porcini Oil and Chardonnay Butter

2002 Macon-Vergisson La Roche 'Caniculus', Verget (Burgundy, France)

Pan-Seared Filet Mignon with Crumbled Goat Cheese, Barley Risotto, Apple-Smoked Bacon Lardons, Haricots Verts and Huckleberry Veal Reduction

2002 Foley Syrah (Santa Rita Hills, California)

Dessert on the Taste of NOLA was Lemon Chess Pie with Citrus-Blueberry Coulis and Fresh Berries. Since I was in New Orleans, I swapped it for Pecan Pie, which was amazing as well. We also had this amazing sweetbread appetizer. The meal was phenomenal. We went to Pat O'Brien's for drinks and hung out on Bourbon Street. When I finally hit the bed that night, it was spinning. I didn't think I had that much to drink, but apparently I was wrong...