French Quarter Festival has to be one of favorite food festivals of the year. This year, the weather wasn’t as optimal since it rained most of the weekend. Regardless, my cousin and I decided to trek our way through the wet, muggy weather for delicious food. Luckily, it wasn’t crowded and there were no lines…
Jacques-Imo’s Cafe: Slow Roasted Duck Poboy
This was the first thing that caught my eye as we approached the park in front of the St. Louis Cathedral. There’s usually more food tents setup near Woldenburg Park for the rest of the festival, but it was a Sunday and the rain was just unrelenting. I love Jacques-Imo’s Duck Poboys. It’s messy. It’s sloppy. But oh so good! They also have another restaurant called Crabby Jack’s, which falls under he Jacques-Imo’s family, that offers the same poboy in a more casual setting and in an industrial part of town.
GW Fins: Ponchatoula Strawberry Shortcake.
GW Fins is one of my top 10 seafood restaurants in New Orleans. However, on this Sunday afternoon at the FQF, they only had dessert options. Their desserts are always very classic and exactly what you’re looking for. They’re never “deconstructing” anything or trying to revamp any old classic recipes, which I love and miss. Too many places are “trying something different/new”.
Haydel’s Bakery: White Chocolate Kingcake Bread Pudding.
Oh my, what can I say about this except phenomenal! It doesn’t look like much, but it’s so moist and flavorful. My cousin and I shared this small little bowl no larger than the size of my palm. We should have each gotten our own. Good job Haydel! I’ll definitely be back and order a whole tray of this!
Tujague’s Restaurant: Chicken & Andouille Jambalaya
I’ve never actually been to Tujague’s, but I’ve heard great things. Unfortunately, this jambalaya was just OK. There was just too much “flavor” but not enough depth. I could taste all the wonderful herbs thrown into the mix, but possibly not the right proportion. I’d give this jambalaya 2.5/5 spoons because it was almost there. It just needs some improvement…
Mrs. Wheat’s Louisiana Foods: Crawfish Pie & Meat Pie
This was probably one of my favorite items at the Food Fest. Anything empanada-like or meat pie like just attracts me and this one in particular has the perfect flaky crust. It’s not too greasy and the filling is so well-seasoned. Other meat pies that you usually find in small convenience stores or gas stations tend to be dry with subpar filling, but this was amazing. Another plus is that I decided to order some to-go and it reheats very well. Where can you actually find it’s brick and mortar? It’s located in the St. Roch area of New Orleans, but the website isn’t working and there aren’t any photos on Yelp and I couldn’t find info on Urbanspoon. I’m speculating the place is very new, but I’ll come back for more and keep you posted!