boudin – ChefsGirl

Ignatius Eatery (Magazine St., New Orleans, LA)

chefsgirl — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 15:18:03 +0000

It’s the weekend and there’s nothing I look forward to more than weekend brunch. Call me a fatty! Ignatius Eatery is a very homey brunch restaurant on Magazine St. It’s the perfect blend of Southern cooking meets breakfast. Quite a few years ago, this spot was a coffee house called Rue De La Course. It’s where I spent my undergraduate days studying. It brought back so many memories…coffee, school, and what I thought at the time was the worst stress I’ve ever felt. Now, Ignatius has taken what I remembered to be this little coffee shop and revamped those old memories into a different kind of hangout spot…

Shrimp Remoulade Salad. Shrimp. Cucumbers. Grape Tomatoes.

Poche’s Pork and Jalapeno Boudin. Creole mustard.

Creole Seafood Gumbo.

Corn and Crab Bisque.

Crab Omelette. 3 egg omelette. Creole Cream Cheese. Local crab meat. Stone ground grits. Fresh fruit.

Tons of crabmeat!

Not pictured above, but the restaurant even kept Rue De La Course’s old coffee mugs, which I thought was a really nice touch. Years ago, this place was filled with college kids intensely studying for their next big test, but now I see a different crowd…middle-aged folks, retirees, and couples like “The Chef” and I.

It’s homey, but the food is refined. I really loved the omelette dish, because it had tons of crabmeat! The grits were cheesy and delicious. The Shrimp and Remoulade Salad is also a great choice and it went so well with the gumbo. I was slightly disappointed with my Corn & Crab bisque, since it wasn’t thickened like I expect chowder to be. It probably needed to be reduced down a bit more…

Overall, everything was the perfect mix of South Louisiana meets brunch. I would love to come back to try the Dinner menu.

Rating: 3.5/5 spoons

Cochon Butcher (Warehouse District, New Orleans)

chefsgirl — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 02:20:00 +0000

If you’re familiar with Chef Donald Link‘s restaurant, Cochon, well you’re in luck because Cochon Butcher is right around the corner! It’s a casual deli as opposed to the finer Cochon. They offer a variety of meats, sausages, and best of all sandwiches! Cochon is known for their charcuterie so it’s only natural that the sandwiches are fresh and equally as delicious as the fine meals at its finer counterpart.

Pastrami w/ Sauerkraut on Rye.

BBQ Pork. “Carolina Style”

Hot Boudin. To Go! I’ve been on a boudin craze lately so anywhere there’s boudin, you know I’ll be getting it! This particular boudin was SO good. Who would’ve thought that creole mustard could go so well with it?

Each dish was served with homemade sweet pickles. Great for balancing out their savory dishes. After dining at Cochon Butcher, I ordered a few other sandwiches for “the chef” so he could enjoy at work…and he agrees! Not a single sandwich disappointed us. Every bite infused with flavor…

Cochon Butcher has been open for quite some time now, but lately has been “Talk Of The Town” (on Urbanspoon). Why now? Who knows, but it deserves the recognition!

Boucherie (Carrollton, New Orleans)

chefsgirl — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 14:58:00 +0000

I discovered this restaurant years ago at a Festival downtown, where they had their food truck, “The Que Crawl”…They served these delicious roast beef poboys. Then I found out that “The Que Crawl” is a branch off of Boucherie so I just had to check it out. Went there for lunch one day and have loved it ever since!

12 Hour Roast Beef Po’boy w/ Pickled Red Onions & Horseradish Cream. Moist and savory with a wonderful balance of pickled onions and horseradish cream. What’s different about this poboy is that it’s stuffed into French bread from a local Vietnamese bakery, Dong Phuong. It’s a must try if you eat here!

Boudin Balls w/ Garlic Aioli. I’ve been on a major boudin kick lately and this has to be the best boudin ball I’ve ever had…I don’t know what they put in here, but it was DELISH! Boucherie does a great job at balancing flavors with a little bit of tartness.

Smoked Wagyu Beef Brisket w/ Garlicky Parmesan Fries.

Every dish was a 10/10 and to top it all off, you get so much bang for your buck! Boucherie offers the best prices for upscale dishes. One suggestion…Make sure you make reservations on weekends. It’s a tiny little restaurant so they get packed really easily and with no reservations…it’s a looooonggg wait AND all you can do is be tortured by other guests devouring Boucherie’s finest dishes.

Try it out, you’ll LOVE it!

NOLA (French Quarter, New Orleans)

chefsgirl — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 04:07:00 +0000

Of all of Emeril Lagasse’s New Orleans restaurants, NOLA is the most casual and laid back but still very nice. Great for a night out with the family or just a casual date night with your significant other. The restaurant is very warehouse district. There are approximately 3 stories…just my guess since I’ve only been on the first and second floor, but the see-through elevators are constantly taking guests up and down between floors.

View from my seat..

Table with a view!

Casual dining at its best!

Enough pictures of the restaurant..let’s get to the food! When “the chef” and I looked at the menu, many of the appetizers stood out to us much more than the actual entrees so we created our very own tasting menu…

Complimentary Ciabatta bread and Cornbread.

Miss Hay’s Stuffed Chicken Wings. Homemade Hoisin Dipping Sauce.

LOVED this dish…I’m typically not a fan of “fusion” types of food, but here, American + Asian = DIVINE! The authentic Vietnamese egg roll stuffing inside a juicy deep fried chicken wing was interesting and leaves you wanting more…

Duck Confit and Fried Egg Pizza. Parmesan Cheese. Truffle Oil. Baby Arugula.

Although it appears large, it’s light and savory…

Aged Allen Benton’s Country Ham Salad. Moonshine Spiked Watermelon. Arugula. Feta Cheese. Citrus-Herb Vinaigrette.

Gumbo of the Day: Cochon and Andouille Gumbo.

New Orleans Style Crab Cake. Spicy Corn Relish. Crystal-Butter Sauce.

Good but not my favorite. The corn relish balanced the heavily seasoned crab cake and gave it a refreshing kick with the Crystal-Butter sauce.

Crispy Smoked Duck and Mushroom Boudin Balls. Tomato-Bacon Jam. Creole Mustard.

NOLA Banana Pudding Layer Cake. Graham Cracker Crust. Vanilla Wafers. Fudge Sauce.

One thing I’ve learned is when you’re craving a good ol’ homemade banana pudding, you won’t get it at these upper echelon restaurants…but what you will get is an overly decadent yet still so delicious version. Not too far from the original homemade kind…fresh slices of banana, light pudding cream, graham cracker crust…loved it!

Great experience at NOLA in Nola! Great service. Cool and casual vibe. Great place for a laid back night but very good food. Props to Mr. Emeril Lagasse!