You do NOT put corn in Gumbo...EVER!

When I told some friends and acquaintances that I was coming to New Orleans for vacation this year, the overwhelming theme from each person I told was that I would EAT. There are no shortage of places in the Big Easy that have the most amazing dishes. I was given recommendations of places, by name, that I should visit, along with specific items of food that I should try. Now, I've been eating since I've been born, so I was ready to go!

Now, when I got here, I realized that the dishes and food items I was told to try are signature dishes of the entire city of New Orleans and this region in general. Mother's makes an incredible "po'boy", but po'boys can be found everywhere. Café du Monde is the birthplace of the beignet, but everywhere I traveled and looked, beignets were sold in every direction imaginable. Muffalettas, jambalaya, gumbo, etoufee, you name it... Cajun dishes abound. But while these dishes can be found anywhere, like my informal advisors told me, there are places that remain the gold standard for certain dishes.

So, with that in mind, let me add my recommendations to those of my predecessors. If you ever come to New Orleans, you MUST go to Café du Monde and have some beignets. They are always served in groups of three, with a ton of confectioner's sugar thrown across the top of them. Hot, fluffy, sweet, and chewy, they take you right in and make you feel right at home. Served with coffee and chicory (or the soda beverage of your choice), it is the perfect way to start your tour of the Historic French Quarter. There are lots of beignets in New Orleans, but no one tops the originators. Go to Café du Monde.

After you leave the café, if you want a meal that's down home but a little more full, then Mother's is your destination. Located at the boundary between the modern buildings of the downtown business district and the charming old buildings of the French Quarter, Mother's serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The bill themselves as having the world's best baked ham, but their Famous Ferdi po'boy sandwich is awesome. Made with roast beef and dressed with cabbage and other flavors, it's a great delight. They also make a mean jambalaya. Mother's is a great place to start walking around the city. It's also just a few blocks from the Superdome, where the New Orleans Saints play football (Who Dat? the Atlanta FALCONS, WE DAT! LOL)

This year, I learned a new word for "sandwich". It's called a "muffaletta". You can buy one from the Central Grocery on Decatur St. You take salami, ham, provolone cheese, tomatoes, and a LOT of olives, and put them in a sandwich. They sell them in wholes or halves, and always cut them in quarters. It was, perhaps, the best sandwich I have ever eaten. Pick your favorite soda to go with it and prepare for an explosion of flavor in your mouth!

And then there's gumbo. Now, everybody within a 90-mile radius of New Orleans can make gumbo, so I have no restaurants to recommend for this. My hosts made a big pot for me when we got here. In fact, gumbo is so popular that you can go to any butcher shop and by a gumbo pack, with all the meats and things you will need to make it. Now, I learned two things about gumbo during my stay. One, gumbo is best served over rice. Great flavor and texture that way. And second, you do NOT put corn in gumbo. Ever. Now, this was an honest mistake on my part. I've eaten gumbo in the past, mind you. My mom makes a mean version of the same. Being a lover of all things food like I am, I've often enjoyed my meals if they tasted good without being too concerned about what was in them. So I assumed that since gumbo was such a conglomeration of a lot of stuff, there would be corn in it. Well, when I mentioned that assumption to my host, you would have thought that I cussed at them! I was informed, in no uncertain terms, that corn in gumbo was a no-go. I even got jumped about this on facebook! It was a very funny moment, but a learning one as well. So when my host made the gumbo, I definitely tasted, chicken, shrimp, crab, turkey necks, hot sausage, and rice. But no corn. Because you do NOT put corn in gumbo. EVER. Now you know.

What they told me was true. New Orleans is a place to party, to relax, to marvel, and to EAT. You will have a great time if you come here. Tomorrow, which is the 4th of July, I hope to take the ferry across the river and drive my vehicle to the end of Algiers Point, right across from the river. That will be the perfect spot to watch the fireworks, with the city in the backdrop. I'm looking forward to it. And I'll probably be stuffed when I get there. Happy 4th of July!