Cafe Amelie

I wrote this back on August 30, 2009:

I went for brunch and got the Black and Blue Roast Beef sandwich. After eating this sandwich, I realized I'd never had good roast beef before. The meat was tender and easy to bite into, and cut well. The sauce was delicious, it had a healthy amount of blue cheese and was smooth and creamy, (I personally love the combination of blue cheese and beef). The fresh greens were good and tasted great with the sauce. The bread was delicious, it tasted fresh, it had a golden crust and the "mie" (or crumb) was soft and chewy (in a delicious way,not a gross way). I appreciated how every part of the sandwich was made well. Cafe Amelie has great ambiance, the outside courtyard is quite charming with their fountains and wrought iron benches and dining furniture. The inside has these sumptuous chaise lounges with luxurious fabrics draped over them and cozy wooden tables and chairs. The Cafe is tucked in on Royal Street.

La Divina Cafe e Gelateria (French Quarter)

I'm trying to consolidate the stuff I write about food. Here's a review of La Dvina I wrote in August:

I got half vanilla and half milk chocolate con panna (with whipped cream). I was a little sad that they didn't have the flavors I wanted to try when I read their menu online, I suppose I'll have to go again....but I absolutely loved the vanilla, it reminded me of vanilla ice cream I had in France and hadn't been able to find in the U.S. until now. The vanilla gelato has tiny black vanilla specks that pop in your mouth when you eat the ice cream. The whipped cream was a free addition and the server gave me a generous amount, it was delicious but too sweet for me when combined with the gelato, but I imagine that it would be absolutely perfect with espresso.La Divina lets you try samples with reusable metal spoons that they disinfect after you're done which I thought was a cool way to cut down on waste. Also, La Divina is in a cute area with a lot of antique shops which are nice to stroll through.

Shirley Valentine at the Milk Bar

So the Milk Bar is only open on weekdays and we haven't had time lately for a weekday meal. This Tuesday, we were expecting to meet Chef John Besh at Borders- unfortunately he had a previous engagement and wasn't able to make it. So what do we do when plans don't work out? Make better ones! The Milk Bar is practically right next to Borders, so a quick drive later, we were staring at the menu deciding which sandwich to get. We had already seen the menu earlier and had decided to eat everything on it, but what would be our first sandwich at the Milk Bar?

We settled on the Shirley Valentine. What makes Shirley Valentine so special? Let's count the ways:

Delicious bread that's lightly fried on the outside so it has a bit of crunch but a wonderful soft crumb
Fresh greens that haven't wilted
Artichoke hearts!
Feta cheese and a good amount of melted mozzarella cheese

Also, the sandwich was huge!!! We each only ate half and were completely full afterward. Of course, we did have some milkshakes to wash down the sandwich with. I (Charlene) got the Chocolate Thunder Down Under and Katie got the Strawberry Fields. Both were delicious. We also got chupa chup lollipops to go with our sandwich. Unfortunately I dropped mine outside my apartment before I went inside and did not feel so comfortable eating it, if you've smelled the area near my apartment, you know what I mean. Still, it was very nice to get a chupa chup lollipop.

We will definitely be visiting the Milk Bar again!

Willie Mae's Scotch House

After many thwarted events, we finally made it to the world famous Willie Mae's Scotch House. For scotch? No! In fact, alcohol is not even served here! What we were in the mood for was a classic southern home-style meal! (If you are interested in scotch, please try Ms. Mae's... a sneaky name to lure you in. But be warned, no food is served there)

Thanks to our coupon we found in The Gambit, (PS. I have recently obtained a new edition... and guess what I found in it! -KT)

We got 2 house salads... romaine lettuce, topped with crispy croutons!

2 entrees which both came with sides

We chose the world famous fried chicken and fried pork chops for out entrees, and red beans and rice(a Louisiana classic!) and potato salad with peas for our sides.

and 2 drinks, we both chose the homemade lemonade which was sweet and delicious
all for just 20 dollars!!

As always, we ended our lunch with dessert: the silky and smooth bread pudding, which was warm and comforting, and embodied all the subtle flavors of autumn!

Not only did the food remind you of being in your neighbor's kitchen, the friendliness of the staff made you feel like you were right at home! Thank you Willie Mae's! We will be back!

Sweet Gal's Crepe Suzette

It started at La Boulangerie

C is for Casamento's and Creole Creamery

Casamento's is a bright happy place. The whole place is tiled and hanging with Halloween decorations, reminding me of what dinner would look like if a child hosted it it in their bathroom (this is a compliment). At Casamento's, it is simply assumed that if you enter, oysters on the half shell will be consumed. After we sat down at our table and before we even looked at our menus, the waitress asked if we wanted oysters on the half shell and then left us to ponder the rest of our meal after it was determined we would go with the dozen.

They oysters were delicious, just very fresh and clean. After sprtizing them with lemon juice, we paired them with hot sauce or Worcestershire or horseradish and sometimes some of them together. I think I liked the horseradish best, partly because I had never thought of it as a companion to oysters. After the oysters were quickly consumed, I started to learn more about Katie's shellfish allergy.....fortunately, it turns out Katie is fine with oysters but clams are another story. The rest of our dinner was an absolutely fried and delicious shrimp dinner. The shrimp had this little extra flavor we couldn't put our finger on but we'll call it lemon for now.

After Casamentos, we went to Creole Creamery on Prytannia. After an exhaustive sampling of their flavors where we discovered
they're very good at making ice cream taste like other desserts (cheesecakes, cookies, cake batter), we settled on pumpkin pie and monster oatmeal raisin cookie. They complemented each other well, like a crime fighting duo. The monster oatmeal raisin cookie packs a flavor and spice punch with the pumpkin pie, it's more understated but still as delicious sidekick by it's side.

LATER THAT NIGHT...

(reported by Katie) After I took a shower and fell asleep. I woke up again around 12 with a very upset stomach. And then (to leave out the gory details) proceeded to vomit the contents of my stomach! I will not be eating shellfish for a while.... sad day.

Introduction

Two strangers from two separate lands came together on a fateful day in August 2009. From that moment on, they would set out in pursuit of culinary indulgences, cultural influences and festivities, endeavor to create pleasing culinary masterpieces, and the overall general enjoyment of food(and life). Was it fate that brought them together? Perhaps. Was is it the failing economy? I don’t have an answer to this one. Was is the mutual need for an imaginative and calming study break—in addition to an excuse to explore their new city? Ah. This is more like it! No matter the reason, we can be sure that if these two young ladies had not set out for The Land of Chew and Swallow (or Tulane University SPH&TM) to continue on their journey’s called “life,” they would not have had that fateful chance encounter.

Follow their adventures here.

The List

As the Land of Chew and Swallow is vast and wide, we've created an inventory of places still unexplored.

Return to read of our adventures in these undiscovered parts.

Acme Oyster
Angelo Brocato's (S. Carrollton)
Bacchanal Wine
Baru Bistro & Tapas
Boucherie
Bittersweet Confections
Blue Frog Chocolates
Café Amelie
Café Granada
Camelia's Grill (S. Carrollton)
Casamento's
Central Grocery
Cochon
Cochon Butcher
Commanders' Palace
Court of Two Sister's
Crazy Lobster
Creole Creamery (Prytania)
Deanie’s Seafood
Dooky Chase
Felipe’s Taqueria
Hana Sushi (Carrollton)
Ignatius Eatery-oysters
Jacque-Imo's Café
Jean Lafitte's Bistro
La Boulangerie
La Crepe Nanou
La Madeleine
Lola's
Magazine Poboy and Sandwich Shop
Mandina's (S. Carrollton)
Martinique Bistro (outdoor patio dinning)
Mikimoto
Mimi's Café
Mona’s Café (on Banks)
Mona's Cafe(French Quarter and Magazine
Mother’s Restaurant
Ninja Sushi
Oak St. Café
Parasol's
Parkway Bakery & Tavern
Plum Street Snoballs
Port of Call
Rum House
Slim Goody’s (Magazine)
St. Charles Japanese Sushi Buffet-Sushi Happy Hour
St. Joe's Bar
Sushi Brothers
restaurant with the giant skillet
Tastee Bones BBQ -- St. Roch
Vincent’s Italian Cuisine
Willie Mae's Scotch House (world famous fried Chicken
Zennia PoBoy (on Prytania near Jackson) -- I drive past this sometimes but I can't remember the exact name.


*Our list reserves the right to expand at any given time.