Cake Cafe & Bakery

2440 Chartres Street
New Orleans, LA 70117
(504) 943-0010
Website

New Orleans is known for many different foods, but one of the best known pastries among locals and tourists alike is King cake. Synonymous with Mardi Gras, this cinnamon-spiked Danish is one of many stars at the Cake Cafe.

Although it was not Mardi Gras (I would not be eating King cake), I still wanted to get the NOLA bakery experience, and I was not disappointed. They also crush the casual breakfast realm.

The doughnut you see below may seem like an ordinary glazed breakfast treat, but the layers of pastry were so light, flaky, and delectable, that it was almost unbelievable. Even heavenly.

The biscuits and gravy shown below were no slough, with a spicy Andouille side. The biscuits ruled the roost, light and flaky, like I am unable to make them...

Boudin and eggs were also delicious, with a fresh sausage patty fried crispy over grits, and another biscuit PLUS some yolk. Yes please.

The croissant breakfast sandwich below is another of my go-to's and this did not disappoint. Note: if you go here, order ANYTHING that has a baked good with it.

The central American breakfast subbed the grits above with beans and rice, and added some pico and guac. An interesting take, but nothing too special.

Finally the lowly bagel with cream cheese, a barometer of breakfast in my book. This was a very decent bagel for the South. Believe me, I have had some AWFUL bagels all over the Southeastern US. Was it NY worthy? Or even good Philadelphia bagel worthy? No, it wasn't. Was it a great way to pack in the calories before drinking began again? Absolutely.

Coop's Place

1109 Decatur Street
New Orleans, LA 70116
(504) 525-9053
Website

Although I usually stay off the beaten path, sometimes you get a couple of recommendations for a place that is as touristy as they come, and you must investigate. Enter Coop's Place, a hole-in-the-wall French Quarter spot that has been around for ages.

Coop's showed promise, as the "kitchen" is shown here. Seriously. All questions of vermin aside, this looks like a down and dirty type place that would crank out some amazing fried chicken.

The fried chicken comes with a starch, and I chose my favorite, red beans and rice.

The chicken was not as crispy as I had expected, and lacked any kind of punch of flavor. Although it was passable, it left a lot to be desired. The red beans and rice were pretty tasty, but nothing better than average for the city.

The fried chicken with jambalaya presented the same chicken issue, but the rice side was also much better than the main.

The seafood gumbo, however, was the biggest loser of the bunch. A vapid broth, save for a tinge of fish, this was some of the worst gumbo I have had. Anywhere.

It was not helped by the large and way overcooked oysters milling about. Gross.

I can't really recommend you come here, what with the entire city teeming with delicious Cajun delights, but if you do, get a beer and some red beans and rice or jambalaya, and stay far away from the gumbo (and the kitchen).

Pizza Delicious

617 Piety Street
New Orleans, LA 70117
(504) 676-8482
Website

You may or may not have noticed that I spend A LOT of time in New Orleans. It's a great city, though the food options are predominately of one genre. I LOVE Cajun food, but sometimes you just want a slice of pizza. Well I was tipped off to Pizza Delicious, and figured it was worth a shot. Was it ever.

This place is located in the Bywater, and is run like a well-oiled machine.

I was feeling a bit heavy, largely due to the fact that most of my meals were fried or smothered (or both) for the past few days, so I started with a house salad.

All of the veggies were fresh, and the shaved prov was fantastic.

Next I decided it was time to try some of their signature rolls.

Surprisingly, the cauliflower roll was my absolute favorite. This was a perfectly spiced, well seasoned dough ball packed with cauliflower. Fantastic. On a return trip, they were sold out, which was disastrous for my morale.

The beautiful layering of meat in the pepperoni roll was not to be missed either. Just look at it.

This was one of the best pepperoni rolls I have ever eaten.

The spinach roll was also good, but it was hard to compete with the previous duo.

The Margherita pizza is only available in pie form (compared to slices for the rest), but it is certainly worth it. This was my favorite pie. The crust was even thinner than the rest (likely why it is whole pie only) and the flavorful sauce and creamy cheese did the trick. The crust was literally cracker thin. It was amazing.

Never one to back down from a tasting, I also tried the cheese, pepperoni, and two specialty slices.

The cheese and pepperoni were both good. Thin crust, nice amount of cheese, and a delicious sauce. I would definitely be happy with these for a "grab and go" situation.

Both of the special slices had roasted garlic, one was a white sauce, one a red with sopressata. Both were very tasty, but given one choice, I would rather eat an entire Margharita by myself.

It was a pleasure to find such an east coast-worthy pizza place smack dab in the middle of New Orleans. I will definitely be back, especially when I hit the gumbo wall and need something different to change it up.

Cochon Butcher

930 Tchoupitoulas Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 588-7675
Website

Last one from the Big Easy (until I am back there in a month or two). This place is the equivalent of Paesano's to Modo Mio.  Cochon is one of the most famous restaurants in New Orleans, though you wouldn't know of it because it is less touristy and a bit off the main strip. Their butcher cures a whole host of meats in-house, and makes some of the best food I have ever had.

They have a sleek, spartan interior, with some true gems on the shelves, from mustards to hot sauces.

Oh god, and that meat case.

Every sandwich is lovingly prepared to order, and the assembly is part of the show.

Although they have a variety of amazing small plates, this review is just about the muffuletta.

The meat is cured in-house, and the sandwich is lightly warmed to get the cheese melting. It is not traditional, and it is freaking unbelievable.

The olive salad has shredded carrots and I believe cabbage in it, and is tart, salty, and plenty moist to soak the inside bread a bit.

Look at that provolone just stringing along. Delicious.

The cured meats are warm, tender, and salty making for a fantastic take on the classic room temperature New Orleans original. I couldn't have been happier.

Mahony's Po Boy Shop

3454 Magazine Street
New Orleans, LA 70115
(504) 899-3374
Website

In a place overflowing with cheesesteaks po'boys, it's hard to stand out among the crowd. One way to do so is to offer a twist on the traditional. Mahony's is one of those places.

Located on the hip and affluent Magazine Street, on the southwest side of town, this place packs a blue collar charm mixed with some interesting variations on tradition.

Part bar, part restaurant, you will find a no-frills interior, with well positioned TV's to watch the game. Whatever game that may be.

The three standouts here are the "peacemaker," the fried chicken livers and slaw, and the root beer glazed Chisesi's ham and cheese. The peacemaker was so named because blues musicians, being men after my own heart, used to be out until all hours of the morning. So they would bring home one of these to appease their significant other. A splendid idea.

Oh, and the super thin onion rings. Hot damn these were addictive.

The beef and cheese fries didn't hurt either. My God I am fat.

We had a couple of people eating together, so they graciously brought out a sampler.

The "peacemaker" contained fried oysters, bacon, and cheddar cheese. Indulgent and delicious.

The fried chicken livers and slaw had . . . chicken livers and slaw.

However the grand champion of them all was undoubtedly the root beer ham. My lord. The glaze on the ham was sweet and deep, and the ham thinly sliced, tender, with just the right amount of salt.

This was such a unique combo, and would be my #1 go-to order for my next trip to Mahony's. Which should be in a couple months. I can't wait.