1. Cravings: Recipes for All the Food You Want to Eat by Chrissy Tiegen. Not only am I fan of this spunky lady, but I admire her for her passion for food. If you happen to follow her on SnapChat, you’ll see what I mean. One of my favorites in the book have to be her Creamy Potato Salad with Bacon!

2. Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller. Thomas Keller is my Chef hubby’s idol. He’s world-renowned and deserves every bit of notoriety. I’ve been to 3 of his restaurants: 1. The French Laundry 2. Ad Hoc 3. Per Se. I remember every bite from each restaurant. Each restaurant has shared their own cookbook, however, we can’t always prepare a Michelin-rated dinner for the family, so this book shares more family-friendly meals very much like Ad Hoc’s menu.

3. Besh Big Easy: 101 Home Cooked New Orleans Recipes. Besides “The Chef” hubby himself, Chef John Besh is my next chef crush! Not only has he created a restaurants empire in New Orleans, but he’s philanthropic and has a great heart. For refined New Orleans’ homestyle recipes, this is your resource:

3. I’ve attached the links to check them out for yourself. What are your favorite books at the moment?
5. Stay tuned for some new, up-and-coming restaurant reviews in New Orleans!
8. Upcoming posts:
9. Bar Frances
10. Nomiya
11. Restaurant Des Familles

Beef Barbacoa Flautas. Guacomole. Crema. Valentina. Queso Fresco.

My flautas were great and flavorful, but I will say they are pricey for what they are. Every dish I’ve ordered here including the Plato de Carnitas and Fajitas were all so-so that’s why I highly recommended eating family-style dining here. It’s fun to eat a little bit of everything and due to the deep flavor profiles, it’s easy to get bored of your one dish. I wouldn’t call this authentic Mexican, but more of a modern take. It’s great for large groups and very family friendly. Service was wonderful and accommodating!

What to LOVE: Happy hour is 3-6 PM with $2 tacos and half off drinks!

What NOT to LOVE: $$$ Tacos are definitely pricier when it’s not HH. Small plates and appetizers are more tasty! Sharing entrées or family-style dining is recommended.

Rating: 4/5 spoons

Happy Hour: BBQ Sliders. Pulled Pork BBQ. Fried Onion Strings.

Meat Pie. Ground Beef. Trinity. Spicy Mayo.

Excuse the blurry photo..I just wanted it in my mouth already!

Notice the flaky dough..Love it! Meat pie…basically an empanada and you know I feel about empanadas!

5 Spiced Braised Pork Belly Ramen. Noodles. Bok Choy.

Smoked Sea Scallops. Baby beets. Market Greens. Cane Syrup.

Overall, it was a great mid-day stop! Great small bites, however, I was slightly disappointed by the size of the scallop in the salad. The ramen was a little too deep and dark in broth flavor for my taste. My favorites had to be the Pork Belly sliders and the empanadas (of course!). There’s something about small bites that tickles my tastes buds and the hominess of the dish didn’t hurt!

I would definitely recommend visiting for lunch or dinner as the main dishes are pretty good. The American Sector is very kid friendly and have  a good selection of some tasty-looking ice cream shakes.

Other notable dishes: Fried Gulf Oyster Salad, Gulf Shrimp Po-boy

Rating: 3/5 spoons

Chop Salad. Little gem lettuce. Prosciutto Cotto. Garbanza beans. Tomatoes. Anchovies. Spring Onion. Parmigiano.

Shaved Brussel Sprouts. Golden raisins. Toasted almonds. Creole mustard.

Whole cauliflower. Whipped goat feta.

Wood Roasted Octopus. Potatoes, Jalapeno, Tomatoes.

Wild Mushroom Pizza.

Other notable pizzas: Tutto Carne and Margherita

Pizza Domenica is mainly counter service, but I’ve noticed that they also do table service depending on how busy they are. It’s family friendly, but is great for meetings and get togethers. The pizzas are delicious..warm, flaky, and buttery. Almost like the consistency of a buttery croissant. I love it! The reason why I love Pizza Domenica over it’s mother restaurant is the chewy, yet crunchy  texture, and the main restaurant hasn’t been very consistent with the pizzas.

I also loved the Cauliflower and the whipped goat cheese…the complimented each other very well. Trust me…you’d be surprised how delicious this seemingly simple dish is!

So many pizza choices down Magazine St. and to be honest, they’re all unique to each restaurant and all very delicious!

Here are some other reviews on other Magazine St. pizza options:

Theo’s Pizza

Reginelli’s

Pate and Chips. 

3 Little Frenchies. Beef, Duck Confit, and Foie Gras Butter Slider.

Stuffed Jumbo Lump Crab “Shells”. Baked with Garlic and Lemon Fondue.

Now, when we ordered this dish, we were expecting actual crab shells, but enjoyed the play on words AND the overflowing amounts of crabmeat stuffed within the pasta “shells”.

Baked Oysters.

Bibb Salad. Butermilk Blue Cheese Dressing. Spiced Pecans. Added Benton’s Bacon.

Slow Cooked “Blade” Steak. Added Crabmeat..I could never get enough of this stuff. I could honestly top anything off with crabmeat…even dessert lol.

I was very surprised with this restaurant! The dishes were simple, delicious, and exactly what I had hoped for in a Besh steakhouse. Each of John Besh’s restaurants have character…this restaurants embodies a true New Orleans steakhouse. Great steak, delicious appetizers, fun environment…I was actually surprised by a few reviews on the meals not being “worth it”, but honestly I think some may have spent more than they had hoped at Harrah’s.

My favorite dishes had to be the Crab Stuffed “Shells and the Blade Steak. The shells were literally stuffed with crabmeat…no extra fillers, just pure crabmeat. It was a great dish that left you wanting more. The steak was perfectly cooked to med-rare and well seasoned!

I’m normally not a fan of “steakhouses”, but this one definitely surprised me! If you happen to pass by during your trip to Harrah’s or you’re just looking for a great place for steak, I highly recommend Besh Steak.

Grilled Watermelon. Dried Cherry Compote. 14-month Tejano Ham. Arugula, Fried Goat Cheese. 

Cup of Gumbo.

Crispy Slow Cooked Pork. Green Beans. Toasted Almonds. Poached Egg. Spicy Butter Dressing. 

Baked Texas Coast Oysters on the Half Shell, Shrimp, and Crab Gratin. 

Hanger Steak. Steak-Frites. Garlic and Herb Butter.  I know, it looks like a teaser, but I actually split this dish with the boyfriend so there’s more than appears on this plate!

*NOTE: not pictured are the raw oysters (which were inhaled immediately)… large, fresh, and delicious!

The food was delicious! Although we ordered a feast of food, everything was refreshing and very flavorful. The only downside is the cost  $$$-$$$$. It’s an experience, regardless! Luke is one of my favorite restaurants in New Orleans so I had very high expectations for this location. San Antonio is a beautiful city…very scenic hills, beautiful riverwalk and luckily for me, John Besh brought this delicious gem to the city! 

Panoramic restaurant view.

Early for lunch…

Charbroiled Oysters. 

Duck Poppers. Jalapeno. Bacon.

Slow Smoked Pork Empanadas. White BBQ Sauce.

Sopa Ajo (Garlic Soup). Garlic Soup. Idiazabal Cheese. Cured Egg Yolk. 

Honeysuckle Hotty. Cathead Honeysuckle Vodka. Hot Chamomile Tea. (Missing: Sugar Candy pop)

Marinated Crab Fingers. Bread Salad. Torn Herbs.

Ragout of Louisiana Rabbit (Lunch Special). Orecchiette Pasta. Garlic. Tomatoes. Rapini. Reminds me a lot of the Spicy Lamb Meatball dish at Domenica’s except with rabbit! 

Fried P&J Oysters Amandine. Grilled Mushrooms. Wilted Spinach. Oh..the delicious Oysters Amandine…Delicious and LOADED with cornmeal crusted oysters!

Seared Jumbo Shrimp. Brandade Ravioli. Shrimp Chorizo Consomme. Brussel Sprouts. Pumpkin. Chick Peas. 

Pecan Praline Beignets. 

My favorite dishes had to be anything with oysters: Charbroiled oysters and Oysters Amandine. I also LOVED the Pork Empanadas...Honestly, I hadn’t known much about Spanish or Mexican food until I relocated to Texas and since then, I just LOVE it. It’s just so rich, but can be so refreshing at the same time. 

What didn’t I like? We had a grapefruit sorbet (not pictured) that was definitely homemade, but the fruit itself was not ripe and left a not-so-enjoyable bitter aftertaste. Another item I could’ve done without was the Honeysuckle Hotty. My girlfriend said the same about her cocktail so if anything, I would suggest grabbing a local beer like NOLA Brewing. I really like the blonde ale..it’s lighter and goes great with the food at Borgne.

Overall, good meal! I feel like Borgne’s menu is a boiling pot of Domenica and Luke…The rusticness of Luke together the Italian refinement of Domenica. If you’re in the CBD and looking for a fine lunch, Borgne is a great place to try! 

New Orleans foodies…

Acme’s Raw Oysters. 

Elizabeth’s Fried Oysters w/ Foie Gras and Truffle Aioli. 

Katie’s Restaurant: The Legend Poboy. BBQ Shrimp and Cochon de Lait. The Legend was definitely legendary. At first sight, I though this would be one of those poboys I’d eat and eventually get tired of because of it’s rich flavors, but boy was I surprised! The Legend was Legen….wait for it…wait for it..dary! *Quoting How I Met Your Mother, in case you didn’t know lol 

Andrea’s Crab Ravioli. I know we’re at Oyster Fest, but this ravioli was delicious. It’s such a casual event, yet Andrea’s pulled out their aprons and put out a great dish. Loved it!

Borgne’s Oyster Amandine. Borgne is a fairly new John Besh restaurant and I didn’t expect them to give me anything less than this…Beautiful presentation and wonderful flavors. Big props for such a hectic event…not to mention the scorching heat!

Superior Seafood Red Beans and Rice. Great flavor with a good kick. Only downside is the rice was under/overcooked, depending on how you look at it. I’d give them a second try, but when you’re cooking rice, you know when it’s bad so they shouldn’t have put out that rice. I’ll keep into consideration that this was an outdoors event so who knows what really went down out there.

Katie’s White Chocolate Bread Pudding. This was my favorite…great texture…creamy white chocolate flavor. Well done Katie’s! I’ll have to pay a visit really soon! =)

New Orleans Snowball

Believe it or not, “the chef” and I hit up the Oyster Fest in no longer than 1.5 hours. We were on a mission: to eat, eat, and eat! It was actually really great, because there were restaurants I’ve heard of but never had the chance to try, but now that I know what they offer, I’m definitely putting some of these restaurants on top of my “To Eat” list =)

UPCOMING ENTRIES

• Honeydeux
• Coquette

Baked P&J Oysters. Herbsaint, persillade crust.

Found a pearl in my oyster!

Fried Oyster, Bacon, Romaine & Avocado Salad. Could not get enough of the oysters. They’re coated in a seasoned cornmeal batter that is so delicately crispy…and then you bite into the fat, juicy oyster. The applewood bacon was nice and thick…great flavors all together!

Omelette of Local Crabmeat. My favorite brunch menu item! Filled with asparagus, crabmeat, and creme fraiche.

Gaufrettes. Light and crispy, perfect for the omelette!

Moules et Frites. I can’t get enough of these mussels…the buttery, herbacious (if  that’s a word!) bowl of mussels. It’s bigger than you think, so it’s definitely shareable. Save your bread for the oh so delicious sauce on the bottom!

Pommes Frites.

Even though the setting is more business, the dishes here make me feel at home… Besh really knows how to keep it simple, but still have the ability to make the food burst with flavor in your mouth! The flavors are so deep and rich…I don’t know how else to say it! Dinners are delicious as well, but I’ll save my thoughts for another day =)

You can check out Chef John Besh’s cookbook below: