Food Field Trip: New Orleans Sips and Bites

Carousel Bar, Hotel Monteleone

What else but work could compel someone to visit New Orleans in August?  The heat is oppressive, but the dining scene is as always impressive!  My plan is to highlight some of my favorite sips and bites throughout the week.  And thanks to my new iPhone, I'll have better pictures.

First stop, the Carousel Bar at the historic Hotel Monteleone.  Dating to 1949, the bar is actually a rotating (albeit at a very slow speed) carousel.  A portion of the bar area is currently under construction, but the carousel is still spinning and the bartenders are still shaking.  The Hemingway ($12), a blend of rum, fresh lime and grapefruit juices is a perfect antidote for the summer heat.  And where else can you enjoy craft cocktails from a perch on a merry-go-round!

In the last few years John Besh has opened more restaurants than Emeril Lagasse.  Luke, his newest, has the feel of a German/French brasserie and marries Alsacean cuisine with New Orleans cooking.  The savories were solid, but the stand out was the decadent bread pudding ($8).  A sweet symphony of vanilla, bourbon, and caramel.  This hot and cold dessert is a temptress worth the indulgence.  I may return just for dessert.