I went on a short trip to New Orleans back at the end of January last year (2023). Why did it take so long to start for me to start writing this up you ask? Procrastination! I figure that if I start writing about it I may eventually finish it. Since I have just mostly my notes to go on this report may be a bit short on details. This was my fourth trip to New Orleans, one of my favorite cities to visit, for the food, for the drinks, for the music, and for its unique culture and architecture.
Day 1
Patois
I arrived on a Friday evening. My hotel was in the Marigny just a short walk from Frenchmen Street, and my room was in a converted shotgun house. After checking in, I went to dinner at Patois in Uptown.
The Christine ($15)
Gin, St. Germain, Dry Vermouth, Orange Twist
This was like a martini flavored with St. Germain elderflower liquor, on the rocks.
Potato Gnocchi ($22)
Jumbo Lump Crab, Truffle Crab Butter, English Peas, Piave Cheese
I believe this is one of their signature dishes. Pillowy gnocchi that were browned a bit for a little color and flavor and texture. They were topped with chives, peas, and some thin slices of cheese. The rich sauce was slightly crabby and slightly truffle-y. There were some big chunks of sweet crab meat in there too. Delicious.
Catfish Special ($25)
I neglected to write down the components of this dish, but it was one of the night’s specials. This was fried catfish along with a crawfish étouffée. The catfish was nicely fried, with a cornmeal batter that was quite crunchy. It was dressed with a remoulade. The crawfish étouffée had lots of little crawfish tails and plain white rice. There was a square of cornbread that was moist and sweet. Maybe a little sweeter than a typical Southern cornbread. Also delicious!
King Cake Bread Pudding ($12)
This was another special. My visit was during Mardi Gras season and I had a few king cake or king cake like pastries during my trip. This was a bread pudding flavored like a king cake with cinnamon and brown sugar, with a whiskey sauce and the requisite purple, green, and gold icing on top. Very good.
More Pictures:
Outside
Inside
Menus
On my way back to my room to cap off the night I had a frozen Irish Coffee from Molly’s at the Market, a bar in the French Quarter open 24 hours. This came out of a slushy machine and I added a shot of Irish Whiskey (I think Jameson) for a little extra.