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Monthly Archives: May 2016

Cavan (Uptown, New Orleans, LA)

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Cavan opened just a few months ago and was on my food radar. I was excited when the hubby decided to surprise me one night. Cavan is gorgeous! It’s in an old historic mansion located on Magazine St. with high ceilings, beautiful chandeliers, and your classic old New Orleans home feel.

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Oysters. Mignonette and Cocktail Sauce.

 

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Scallop Crudo. Lime. Pistou. Pickled Red Onion.

 

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Crab Deviled Eggs. 

 

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Old Bay Fries. Malt Aioli.

 

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Fried Oyster Caesar. Kale. Romaine. Pecorino. Crackers.

 

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Clam Chowder. Baked Oyster Crackers.

 

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Seared Scallops. Jalapeno-white cheddar grits. Sweet corn. Crab. Arugula.

 

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Complimentary Cherry Meringue. 

 

The menu consists of a lot of small bites and small plates that are quite small in portion so be sure to order multiple dishes. We ordered Oysters, Crab Deviled Eggs, Waffle Fries, Salmon Crudo, Clam Chowder, Fried Oyster Caesar Salad, and the Seared Scallops for my husband and I. The dishes were light and appetizing but were a tease since they were in small portions. The Waffle Fries were more like a thin potato waffle wedge as opposed to fries, but were good and went well with the aioli. The Salmon Crudo was refreshing. My favorite was the Clam Chowder. It was more of a Clam Soup but was very flavorful. There was an herbiness with a delicious oniony finish. I loved it. Too bad I had to share it with my hubby. The Kale Caesar Salad with Fried Oysters was pretty good as well. I only wish the kale were chopped into smaller pieces for easier eating. The scallops were really good and laid atop a bed of homey corn grits. It was a very light entree and I somewhat wished it was loaded with cream or butter, but I won’t complain on reduced fat since it was still very good!

I would definitely like to try Cavan again. Service was super friendly and the food came out fast! I’d really like to see what else they have to offer since this was only their first few months of opening.

 

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Rating: 4/5 spoons
Cavan Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato



Mr. Bubbles (Gretna, LA)

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As we’re approaching hump day/mid-week, I’d like to talk about a great lunch spot! Years ago, there was a bubble tea shop at this location that was easy to overlook and they’ve made quite a few improvements and serve Vietnamese sandwiches are there menu.

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Banh Mi Dac Biet. Combination banh mi. Bubble Tea: Jasmine Iced Tea with Tapioca, Taro and Tapioca

 

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From left to right: Jasmine Green Tea with Tapioca x 2, Mocha and Tapioca, Black Milk Tea with Tapioca.

 

My favorite is the Combination sandwich loaded with delicious Vietnamese cold cuts, pate, aioli and veggies. My go-to drink is the Jasmine Tea with Tapioca…it’s healthy and refreshing! There are more desserty flavors that aren’t as healthy but make a great treat such as the Taro or Cafe Sua Da. Another plus? There’s a loyalty card! With every 10 drinks, you get a free one. Easily done with summer approaching! There are only a few tables since it’s mostly take-out orders, but it’s quite spacious. The restaurant is located right outside of the Hong Kong Market so you if you happen to be in the area, Mr. Bubbles is a great treat!

 

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Rating: 5/5 spoons
Mr Bubbles Sandwich House Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato



Trenasse (CBD, New Orleans, LA)

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It was a Monday night and my husband and I decided to celebrate our first month of being married. Cheesy! I know. But why the heck not? My husband and I tried brunch at Trenasse with some friends not too long ago and had a good experience. After brunch my friend continued to rave about the Escargot and Crawfish Pie and neither were available for brunch. We had to try dinner!

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Escargot “Trebeache”. Sauteed escargot. Button Mushroom. Charred Tomato. Browned French Wine. Wine. Lemon. Garlic and Butter.

 

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Louisiana Crawfish Pie. Crawfish. Creamy Pepperjack Cheese Filling. House made pie dough.

 

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Pan Roast Cauliflower Steak. St. Andre’s Brie. Rough-cut Pistachio Pesto.

 

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TThe Wedge. Crisp bacon. Crumbled blue cheese. Green Goddess Dressing.

 

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Special of the night: Veal and Lobster Ravioli Duet

 

I loved it! My favorite dishes were the Escargot and the Crawfish Pie. The escargot is served differently than your traditional Escargots à la Bourguignonne, a garlic herb butter sauce, but it was really refreshing to try it served a different way. The crawfish pie was perfectly crisped on the outside and filled with a perfectly seasoned crawfish and pepperjack filling. We also ordered the cauliflower steak, Wedge Salad, and the Veal and Lobster Ravioli duet. The cauliflower steak was pretty good! The Wedge salad was refreshing. Honestly, we only ordered the extra salad to appear “healthy”. The Veal special had to be the most disappointing. The veal was over-salted that we couldn’t even finish the last piece. On a brighter note, the lobster ravioli were delicious and balanced the over seasoned veal a bit. Overall, everything was great! Service was super friendly and I loved the ambiance.

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Rating: 4/5 spoons
Trenasse Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato




Pho Bang (Westbank Expressway, Harvey, LA)

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In New Orleans there’s a growing trend towards Vietnamese food. A ton of new “Vietnamese” and pho restaurants are opening in town, but there’s very few that can beat Pho Bang. When I was growing up Pho Bang was the place to go right after church on Sunday. It’s like Vietnamese brunch! Many years later, I am still going to Pho Bang and there are a few locations throughout the city. Two are located on the Westbank, one in the East on Chef Menteur Hwy, and one is located in Kenner on Veterans Memorial Blvd.

IMG_8054ePork Spring Roll. 

 

 

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Pho Chin Nam. Combination Rice Noodles in Beef Broth. Eye of Round Beef. Beef navel.

 

The beef broth is authentic and flavorful and the meat is fairly lean. You can customize your bowl with different cuts of meat, but my favorite is the Pho Chin Nam. It’s simple and it’s just what I always order. The BBQ pork spring roll is a great appetizer as well! There are combination rice and noodle dishes that are offered if you’re not craving a hot bowl of soup especially in this New Orleans weather. My favorite non-pho dish is the Com Bi Thit Heo Nuong (aka Marinated grilled BBQ Pork on top of rice dressed with Tomato, Vietnamese pickles, and Lettuce). If you’re looking for a legit and authentic bowl of pho and Vietnamese food, this is where it’s at!

What’s not good: Bun Bo Hue, smaller portions

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Rating: 4/5 spoons
Pho Bang Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Barcelo Bavaro Punta Cana: A Guide to Eating at an all-inclusive resort

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Barcelo Bavaro Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic was my first time experiencing an all-inclusive vacation. The resort has everything you can possibly need: shopping (although quite pricey), arcade for children, the adult arcade (the casino),24/7 doctor available (which I actually visited!), and of course a plethora of restaurants to try. When dining out at an all-inclusive you can’t help but order everything and eat to your heart’s content, but there’s a smart way to do it.

DINING and EATING TIPS to any all-inclusive resort:

  1. DO NOT have high expectations and expect a fine dining experience. The service is excellent, but food is generally very par with an occasional surprise. I’m not saying that you won’t enjoy your food, but from a foodie’s point of view I’d give everything a 2-3/5 spoons.
    • Restaurants are categorized by cuisine so you’re able to choose a cuisine of your liking for that night. My favorites were Sante Fe Steak Restaurant and La Fuente Spanish Restaurant. My least favorite was Kyoto…I would definitely pass on sushi in the Dominican Republic next time!
  2. AVOID bread. Most are stale probably due to the humidity but an occasional dinner roll does not hurt.
  3. EAT in moderation. Don’t overstuff yourself! Find what you love and enjoy it. It’s hard to turn down “free” food but you have to realize that you can’t eat it all. Don’t sacrifice how you feel because you wanted to eat everything.
  4. Don’t be afraid to venture from the resort to try local foods. Although there are a variety of restaurants, the themes and style of cooking tend to be very similar. I didn’t have the chance to venture too far but here’s a list of casual local places that I tried: (reviews coming next blog!)
    1. El Pollo Borracho
    2. Los Waffles
    3. El Churro Charro
  5. Brush up on your Spanish! It’s not necessary on the resort as most concierge, bellhops, and waitresses are able to speak English, but if you want to explore outside of the resort and speak to Taxi drivers, there’s definitely a language barrier. Definitely pick up on some basic Spanish or try the Google Translate app on your phone. It’s super handy, but let’s hope your phone service is great!

 

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La Caribe (adults only) breakfast and lunch buffet.

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La Comedie. French Restaurant.

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Mexican Lindo. 

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La Fuente. Spanish Cuisine

 

I may be a foodie and a little critical of the food and restaurants of the resort, but would I go again? Most definitely! It was such a great getaway and I loved restaurant hopping all the time. How can you say “no” to open bar and open buffets all day? After this experience, I can’t wait to try my next all-inclusive vacation!