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Refuel Cafe (Carrollton, New Orleans, LA)

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On a lazy Sunday morning, my cousin and I were looking for a good brunch spot. We noticed that Refuel Cafe was all the rage in the foodie brunchosphere and had to give it a shot! This cute spot is located at the end of Carrollton Street and is not too far from Carrollton Market, Dante’s Kitchen, Boucherie, and the like.

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Huevos Rancheros. Corn tortillas. Black beans. Melted Cheddar. Two over medium eggs. Red peppers.Onions. Avocado, Pico de Gallo. Crema.

 

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Breakfast Burrito. Scrambled eggs. Potatoes. Cheddar. Choice meat: chorizo (other options: applewood bacon, black forest ham, andouille sausage). Spicy Ranchero Sauce. Tomato Tortilla. Choice side: fruit

The restaurant was ridiculously clean with a modern minimalist decor. You wouldn’t even know it was a restaurant if it weren’t for the diners sitting down with their colorful and delicious looking plates. The restaurant is quite small and it setup to where you order first, then find a table. There’s very few places to stand and wait so definitely come early or come on a good weather day in case you have to wait outdoors. Luckily for us, we were able to find the last available table! We sat down and enjoyed the hustle and bustle of a Sunday morning at Refuel. It’s pretty loud and echoey, but we preferred the air conditioned room over the humidity so it was fine!

My cousin enjoyed her Breakfast Burrito, which was loaded with chorizo. I have a feeling they have a thing for high protein here. I ordered the Huevos Rancheros, which was definitely not-your-usual Huevos Rancheros. Usually there are a ton of potatoes, but Refuel replaced the usual “patatas” with a ton of beans. Funny thing is that I’m not in love with beans and I can’t really blame Refuel since I overlooked it on the menu. It was still good, but I really wished there were some potatoes, If you’re looking for a lighter and healthier take on the Huevos Rancheros, this is definitely it!

I’ve seen some other items on the menu that I would like to give a shot so I would definitely like to try it again!

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Rating: 3.5/5
Refuel Cafe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato



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



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




Rollin’ Fatties Food Truck (New Orleans, LA)

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I’ve been posting a lot of NYC reviews, but really wanted to show some NOLA love today…

I’ve been meaning to show Rollin Fatties some love for a while now. I’ve seen them at a lot of New Orleans Festivals and they sometimes park near Tulane Medical School. Their Twitter says the hours are 10 AM-2 PM on Tulane Ave Mon-Fri. They serve burritos, tacos, and other items but I’ve never had the chance to order them because the Loaded Nachos is all I ever need. What makes it so great? The chips are a thicker chip and makes it easy to scoop up the loads of meat, cheese, and whatever other goodness is in this heavenly concoction.

 

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If you happen to come across this local gem, you’ve got to order the Loaded Nachos. It’s filling and loaded with top notch ingredients!

 

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Rating: 5/5 spoons
Rollin Fatties Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato




Emeril’s New Orleans (Warehouse District)

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The “chef” and I had some friends come into town and Emeril’s was the perfect place to take them. We had a rather large group and figured it would be great if we ordered several different entrees and appetizers to create our own “little” feast.

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Amuse Bouche. Vietnamese BBQ

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“Emeril’s” New Orleans BBQ Shrimp. Petite Rosemary Biscuit and Fresh Chives.

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Charbroiled Oysters and Escargot in Butter.

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Steamy Buffalo Chappapeela Farms Duck Wings. Shaved Celery. REd grapes. Whippe Blue Cheese Creme Fraiche.

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Crisp -Point Judith Calamari. Olive Salad. Parmesan. Smoked Tomato Sauce

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Crisp – Point Judith Calamari. House Made Pepper Jelly. Crisp Okra. Black Pepper-Buttermilk Ranch

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Seared Scallops and Softshell Crab.

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Maple-Soy Lacquered Chapapella Farms Duck. Dirty Fried Rice. Pickled Local Vegetables.

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Shrimp and Linguini.

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Truffled Shrimp “Louis” Salad. Iceberg Wedge. Applewood Smoked Bacon. Chopped Eg. Asparagus. Tobiko.

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Canteloupe Sorbet.

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BAM! Bombarded with the whole dessert menu! Man, is it good to have friends in the industry. Being the foodies that we are, the chef and I have made friends in the industry and we were treated like kings and queens. To top it all off, they served us with a buffet of desserts:

Key Lime Ice Box Pie. Torched Cinnamon Meringue. Honey Graham Crust.

Emeril’s Banana Creme Pie. Graham Cracker Crust. Caramel Sauce. Chocolate Shavings

Chocolate-Sambuca Mousse Cake. Au Lait Semifreddo. Espresso Bean Bark

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie. Oreo Crust. Caramel Sauce.

Walnut Foster Bread Pudding. Cinnamon Candied Walnut. Bruleed Banana.

What a memorable meal! Tons of food and all with that Emeril’s flair! Great execution of every dish. Rich with flavor and leaving my mouth watering..even now.

Emeril's New Orleans on Urbanspoon

Brunch at La Petite Grocery (Magazine St., New Orleans)

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La Petite Grocery has to be one of my TOP 5 restaurants in New Orleans….so why I haven’t I tried brunch until now?

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Delicious sourdough bread…Good bread is always a sign of great food!

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Paneed Rabbit. Buttermilk Biscuit. Sunny-side up eggs. Braised Greens. Bearnaise.

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Pork Cheeks Benedict Jalapeno cornbread. Poached eggs. Collard greens. Smoke Hollandaise.

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Carmelized Brussel Sprouts.

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Hot Iron Buttermilk Waffle. Salted Peanuts. Caramel. (Chef’s selection of the day)

As expected, La Petite Grocery’s brunch was refreshing and delicious. Delicate and yet so rich! If you’re debating on what to eat for brunch or dinner, La Petite is the place. I’ve loved their dinner menu for years and finally had the chance to try brunch and I love it all. Great rendition of brunch with a French twist.

For La Petite Grocery’s dinner review, CLICK HERE.

La Petite Grocery on Urbanspoon

Bayou Hot Wings (Audubon, New Orleans)

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New Orleans is known for it’s boiling pot of great restaurants all around the city, but when it comes to fast food, where do you go? With the superbowl right around the corner, wings are a hot commodity and Bayou Hot Wings has to be one of the best wings around! It’s so good that the Travel Channel selected BHW to be one of three other restaurants in the city to be on Adam Richman’s special “Super Bowl Tailgate Takeover” airing January 30 9ET/8CT.  The owners are local New Orleans chefs that take pride in local flavors and homemade dishes. All the wings are 24+hr marinated and the sauces are made in house. They even offer local dishes: jambalaya, fried frog legs, and gator bites.  

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Sausage and Seafood Jambalaya. Tasso. Sausage. Shrimp. 

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Deep Fried Frog Legs. Excellent when paired with Remoulade sauce. 

 

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Thick Seasoned Onion Rings.  

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Caesar Wrap with a touch of Hotboy Sauce. 

 

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1/2 lb Burger with Hotboy Sauce. Steak fries. 

 

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Last but not least…WINGS: (left to right) Hotboy, Chipotle BBQ, Sweet, Lemon Pepper

I’ve basically tried the whole menu and I have to say it deserves more than the “best fast food” title…Every menu item comes out fully garnished, steaming hot, and packed with authentic chef-made flavors. I LOVE that their specialty is wings, but even the burgers are delicious…probably one of the best burgers I’ve had! 

My favorites: Chipotle BBQ wings, Hotboy wings, onion rings, coleslaw, and ALL of the burgers

Local favorites: Jambalaya, Fried Gator Bites, and Fried Frog Legs w/ Remoulade sauce

If you haven’t tried them yet, I HIGHLY recommend this local wing joint. Not into wings? No worries, because I enjoy their non-wing items just as much..if not more! Tell them chefsgirl sent you ^_^ 

Bayou Hot Wings on Urbanspoon

Borgne (CBD, New Orleans)

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Chef John Besh does it again! I’ve heard about Borgne by word of mouth, but what really inspired me to go try it out for myself was when I tried the Oyster Amandine at New Orleans Oyster Festival at Woldenburg Park 2012 (click for pictures). I swear, festival food is always the best..Have you ever heard of the law of Diminishing returns? Basically, when applied to food, it means serving food in small bites that leave your palate longing for more…so when I tried multiple miniscule oyster dishes at the festival, you can only imagine how I felt when I only got to enjoy a BITE of Oysters Amandine…After that experience, I’ve had high expectations for Borgne…

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Panoramic restaurant view.

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Early for lunch…

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Charbroiled Oysters. 

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Duck Poppers. Jalapeno. Bacon.

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Slow Smoked Pork Empanadas. White BBQ Sauce.

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

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

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Marinated Crab Fingers. Bread Salad. Torn Herbs.

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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! 

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

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

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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! 

Borgne (Hyatt Regency) on Urbanspoon