Peaches-n-Cream

I have been incredibly absent lately, but I figured what better way to come back than with a city adventure.  I recently traveled to Atlanta, GA, my likely future home. 

Atlanta is the largest city in the Southeastern United States (excluding Miami, but like I said before, I don't consider FL a Southern state), a title once held by New Orleans, LA, and the gay capital of the South.  Atlanta has to be one of the most welcoming and diverse cities in America.  And it has everything you'd want in a large metropolis: great public transport, a diverse population, great restaurants, wonderful nightlife, and, best of all, Southern culture. 

While there, I experienced a couple different restaurants.  The first was The Flying Biscuit at 1001 Piedmont Ave.  Technically a chain, but it has all the charm Midtown Atlanta has to offer.  And great food.  I definitely recommend the Roasted Red Pepper Hummus appetizer and the Georgia Peaches-n-Cream for dessert.  And what better to eat Georgia?

The other restaurant we tried was Canton Cooks at 5984 Roswell Road Northeast.  We were actually looking for another Chinese restaurant that the Urban Spoon app on my phone gave us, but we couldn't find it.  We stumbled upon Canton Cooks and were pleasantly surprised by the hours.  While they're closed on Wednesdays, they're open until 2 am every other night of the week.  And the food is amazing.  They have a lot of the usual things you would expect at a Chinese restaurant, but in a less Americanized fashion.  And there are tons of authentic choices.  I would most definitely recommend it. And you can't beat the prices.  Very reasonable.  Not to mention, it's fun to relive the 1980's in the decor.  

Expect many more updates on Atlanta dining and attractions as it's one of my favorite cities and not but a couple hours from my current location. 

Boudin in Baton Rouge

Like I said, I was recently in Louisiana.  It's a beautiful state and I totally think I could live there.  While we spent most of our time in New Orleans, we did spend a day in Baton Rouge.  But since we really spent most of the day just hanging out with friends, I figure I'll save a post specifically about the city for another day.  Let me just say, they have some of the most beautiful Antebellum homes their along Highland St. if you're ever down that way.

What I really wanna talk about is food and hospitality.  Our friends, Jonathan and Corey are a gay couple living in Baton Rouge, LA.  Not only did they invite us over, they prepared a delicious meal.  And I use the term "friends" loosely here.  Jonathan is a friend of the family to some of my friends I took the trip with.  I had met Jonathan once or twice before, but had never met Corey.  And there were 9 of us!  But they couldn't have been more welcoming.  They met us at the door and introduced themselves to everyone on the way in.  Maybe that seems a weird to say, but it's such a dying tradition.  I can't even remember how many times I've gone to a party at someone's house and spent the whole night wondering who owned the place.  Or walked up to someone and introduced myself and they've looked at me like I was crazy.  And like me, they don't fit into the traditional mold, but they are both very much modern Southern gentlemen. 

Now, on to the food.  We had burgers, chips, regular grill-out food.  But there were a couple things we had that I think a lot of people have probably never tasted especially if they're not from the South.  The first was "Cracklins."  These aren't only seen in the South (they're actually seen all over the world), but they've become a Southern specialty.  It's the skin of an animal and a little fat, typically pork down here, that's just deep fried.  Simple, I know, but they're so good!  Pork rinds come from the same origin.

But the real treat, and on of my favorite Southern foods, is boudin (pronounced boo-daan).  It has a European origin, but like most things that are brought to the US from the places our ancestors hail from, we've made it uniquely our own.  Boudin is a combination of a few things.  It's a little bit of rice, Cajun spices, pork, and beef with chicken gizzards and hearts thrown in all in a sausage-like casing.  In days gone by, the intestine was used as casing, but you don't really see that much anymore.  There are different combinations of this, but this is the type we had and that I most enjoy.  It's all mined and ground together, so there aren't any big hunks of anything.  And the flavors compliment each other so well.  It's most readily available near Baton Rouge and to the south and west of there.  It's almost impossible to find anywhere else in the US, as far as I know.  Most people don't have a clue what I'm even talking about when I mention it.  I know it might sound a bit odd, but I definitely recommend giving it a try if you ever have a chance.  You'll be greatly rewarded!

Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez!!!

I've been gone for a few days and apparently the queue decided not to work while I was gone, so I'll fit in those posts in over the next few days.  I went down to the Big Easy...New Orleans, Louisiana.  New Orleans will be the topic for this post, but the trip in general will inspire a few days worth of material, I'm sure.
I guess I'll start with some history.  New Orleans was founded May 7, 1718 and named for Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, who was Regent of France at the time.  After some swapping between the French and Spanish, it landed in French hands.  These cultures meeting on the banks of the Mississippi River are what resulted in the distinct style of architecture that make New Orleans so unique today.  At one point, New Orleans was actually the largest city in the South, but has since been eclipsed by Houston, Dallas (I consider Texas part of the New South, not the traditional), Atlanta, and Miami (though I don't consider Florida a Southern state in any sense of the word, minus geography).
Today, New Orleans is a welcoming, progressive city, all while holding on to the distinctive Southern Charm.  The people of New Orleans are bright and smiling, a patchwork of various cultures, like the architecture of the city itself. New Orleans is an incredibly gay friendly city, especially it's downtown and French Quarter districts.  You can't throw a stone and not hit some kind of Gay Pride symbol of some sort in the latter.  Also the home of Jazz, you can't go anywhere downtown and not hear a random brass band.  While I was there, I stayed in a converted French rowhouse near the corner of Rue Saint-Philippe and Bourbon.  It was BEAUTIFUL!  Here are a few photos.  The first few are from my phone, so I apologize for the quality, but they get better!
Our Rowhouse

Our Front Door

The Bungalow

The Bungalow Ceiling

The Courtyard





The Courtyard Kitty

And like I said, Gay Pride is everywhere!  It was actually a bit odd to be the majority at times.  But I liked it, lol.  And got used to it quickly.  After getting home, I felt a bit out of place for a while.
We only went to one club while in New Orleans, but we had a blast.  "Oz" is a gay club on the corner of Rue Dumaine and Bourbon, just a block from where we were staying.  It was a lot of fun!  It was pretty much a top 40 dance club with a tiny bit of off the charts music.  There were go-go boys as well, if you're into that.  I'm not so much, but they were nice to look at.



My good friend (on the right) and I (on the left).


I would definitely recommend this club for a good time.  I'm not a huge club person, but I had a blast!  As always, the people were great and it's open until the wee hours of the morning.
As far as other eateries, for a nice meal I recommend the French Market Restaurant at the corner of Rue Saint-Philippe and Rue Decatur.  The wait staff couldn't have been a whole lot more professional or helpful.  The food was amazing and the chef has nightly specials.  They can be a bit pricey, but well worth it.  I had the most amazing seafood pasta dish I've ever had.

For a good diner meal or quick breakfast (with a wonderfully flamboyant staff) I The Clover Grill at the corner of Rue Bourbon and Rue Dumaine.  The jukebox was playing constantly, as if the banter of the staff wasn't entertaining enough.  And the food was great.  It's a small place, so there may be a little weight outside, but they get people in and out as quickly as possible.  I don't think we ever waited more than 5 minutes or so and we ate there a couple different times.  And it's  open 24 hours, you can get a little something to soak up the booze whatever time you may get done drinking...for the day.

A good Irish pub what you want?  Go to Flanagan's Pub on Rue Saint-Philippe, between Rue Royale and Rue Chartres.  It's open 24 hours, the staff was very friendly, and the drinks reasonable.
And of course, it's not a trip to New Orleans without beignets at Cafe du Monde on Rue Decatur near Rue Sainte-Anne. Those little French pastries get me every time!

One place I'd stay away from would be The Corner Oyster Bar & Grill on the corner of Decatur and Rue Saint-Peter just southwest of St. Louis Cathedral.  I had an fried oyster poboy there and it wasn't good.  I don't think the oysters were cleaned properly and the tomatoes on it were spoiled, they tried to tell a friend of mine that they couldn't make a frozen margarita with tequila in it, and our waitress was absentee.  When she wasn't, she was pretty much a bitch.
One of the interesting things about New Orleans is that, at least in The French Quarter, there is no anti-open container law.  You can walk around and drink to your heart's content.  That being said, there are open air bars where you can grab a giant daiquiri and keep on going.  Or do a few shots.



And last, but not least, here a few photos from our daily excursions.



St. Louis Cathedral

Joan d'Arc

The Simple Things

I've pretty well had to put this blog on hold due to finals, but I just couldn't make this wait.  It's kinda sad, in some ways.  I got off work tonight and ran by McDonald's cause we were slammed and I was hungry.  I sat in line for a while cause everyone was out grabbing study food.  As I got up to the window, the girl at the window got my card, ran it through, handed me my food, whatever,  I said, "Thanks, have a good night!", not really thinking a whole lot about it.  It was her response that got me.  The way she said thank you sounded as if she'd never heard it before.  I just don't get that.  How hard is it to say "please" or "thank you?"  What happened to manners?  Let's face it.  Working the Mickey D's window at 3am isn't exactly the highlight of anyone's life.  Throw a smile their way.  You never know how it might impact someone else.