2010 New Orleans Roadfood Festival

As luck would have it, the trees are in bloom, too.

I've got Saturday, Mar 27th off - would love to meet everyone - is it too early to know if you have something specific planned, or are you free to do what you want during the day?  If so, let me know where you plan to meet up in the FQ .

 

 

Attention New Orleans Eat & Greeters: When you eat at the Camellia Grill (you WILL eat at the Camellia Grill), make sure to get Marvin to serve you.

Jim - so glad you got to the Grill!!

Everyone: I'm planning on going to breakfast there on Friday morning (the Roadfood Fest weekend), anyone is welcome to join us. I don't know what time, yet. Probably around 9 AM.

You can take the Uptown streetcar directly to the Grill. It's a lovely ride along St. Charles Ave.

BelleReve: I'll be around all day, and available for meeting up. I'll be on Royal probably around 10.00ish, and will be wandering the food booths after the checking out the World's Longest Po'Boy. 

DM me if you want my cell number, or if you want to give me yours. I'll have my netbook, so I can check messages, too. 

JRPfeff-
Great photo!  It sure looks like you are having fun and eating well down there.

X1 - I've got "Who Dat?" on the back of my shirt.  Look what you've done to me!

bb - We are having a great time.  Marvin even crooned Motown hits as we ate.  

We did the New Orleans Cooking School yesterday, and ate dinner at Brousard's.  This mornings we are going to a greasy spoon for biscuits and gravy.  We are meeting fun and friendly people everywhere.

Jim

Jim - WHO DAT is only proper right now. :)
I love new fans of New Orleans.
I'm interested in hearing more about the cooking school, but you can tell me later.

What "greasy spoon" are you eating at for breakfast? Have you stopped in for the classic beignets and cafe au lait at Cafe du Monde?

We met some Cheeseheads on the street yesterday and dined with them at Cafe du Monde.  They are ready to join us for a burger or fishfry when the make it down to Milwaukee from Crivitz sometime.

Today we had breakfast at the Dejavu Bar & Diner.  Emphasis on BAR.  I think it was a 2 drink minimum with breakfast (rimshot).

Christin,

We enjoyed our time at the New Orleans School of Cooking.  The class lasted a full three hours and was entertaining the entire time.  Our instructor was a Creole lady named Sandra, who gave a lot history of New Orleans, Creoles and Cajuns as she cooked.  We were also taught not to stay pray-lean and pee-can.  We were seated at a table of eight, and enjoyed chatting with the people we were with.  This is Sandra and her pots full of butter.



Sandra likes to vary her recipes, so that her cooking was quite a bit different than the printed recipes.  This really confused the class, which was also a lot of fun.  For the Thursday class, Sandra makes Crab & Corn Bisque, Shrimp Creole, Pralines, and Bread Pudding.  Everything was fantastic and the servings were plentiful.  We are making the Shrimp Creole tonight for dinner.



The class is on a first reserved-first seated basis, so we got a seat near the stage by reserving early. If you show a coupon the cost was $24 per person (coupons are everywhere, ours were on my street map).



These were Sandra's assistants.  The young man on the left is her son.



Jim

Looks and sounds great! 
Something I'll have to do one of these days. Even when I lived there, it was something I wanted to do and just never got around to.

The guy on the right look familiar to me, but can't place him.

I just found your site this morning while doing some online "dreaming" about my upcoming annual vacation in NOLA.  The event sounds like a fantastic time!  I will be in the city from April 8 - 19 for French Quarter Fest and to visit friends so won't be able to attend but I look forward to visiting here and keeping up with what is going on.  For any first timers this is a wonderful city and has so many hidden treasure.  The comments made by X1 are spot on.  And not sure if they were the one that mentioned the Coffee Pot or not...but that place is GREAT!  Good Bloody Mary's.  Anyway...ya'll please post some pictures while you're there!! It will help me make it through the last few days before I get there!!

Question(s):

I know not everyone is going (or can go) to the Friday night opening party (for whatever reason), but I'm thinking of stopping in for drinks at the Monteleone's Carousel Bar (a fantastic bar, btw)...just to see if any event-less Roadfooders are hanging out there. I'll probably stop in around 5 or so, stay a couple hours, and then find someplace for dinner and fun afterwards.

Any other event-less Roadfooders want to meet up there with me?

Also - breakfast at the Camellia Grill on Friday morning. I'm planning on being there by 10. It's quite the long streetcar ride up the entire Avenue, so plan accordingly - at least 1/2 hr. Anyone interested in joining us Friday morning?

OH!
OH! OH! OH!

I just saw a new addition on the Roadfood Fest website - Plum Street Snoballs!!

People, I'm telling you - you MUST have a snoball! MUST!

They even have sugar-free flavors!

Remember from my tips:

"Stuffed" means they stuff the snoball with a scoop of vanilla (sometimes chocolate) ice cream.
Get condensed milk as a topping - it makes the snoball creamy and delicious.
Try a flavor other than standard sno-cone flavors - Black Raspberry, Lemon, Spearmint (perfect if it's hot out), Chocolate, Tiger's Blood, Wedding Cake, Orchid Vanilla Cream, Almond, Hazelnut, Blueberries and Cream, Bubble Gum, Cotton Candy...the list is endless. 

I'm telling you all - do NOT miss a Plum Street Snoball!

Really?

Nobody wants to meet up at the Carousel bar or for breakfast at the Camellia Grill?

We're interested in breakfast at the Camellia Grill on Friday morning, but our schedule is still a bit fuzzy.

Roadfood event

Restaurant lined up is really unparalleled and I am going to the Roadfood event so I am very excited. I will share my experience surely. 

X1 - I won't be going to the opening party either. I was planning on Antoines for dinner Friday night, followed by a visit to the Old Absinthe House. I would be up for a drink at the Carousel Bar first though.

Mariaehlana - are you staying at the Monteleone? The Carousel Bar is in the hotel, which is why I picked it. 

I'll be there around 5. 

X1 - I am staying at the Monteleone. Five o'clock sounds good :)

PP and I are really not sure if we are going to make it. She has had a really rough winter with her emphysema.

Just found out - that new TV show, Food Wars, will be in New Orleans this week - the 23rd and 24th!!! ARGH! Gonna miss 'em by a day.
BUT..anyone that's there early:

It's PARKWAY BAKERY vs. DOMILISE'S!

Also on tap for this weekend:

The Tennessee Williams Festival, complete with STELLA YELLING contest on Sunday in Jackson Square http://www.tennesseewilliams.net/

And on Saturday, the search is on for...BEER! at the Easter Keg Hunt...a new event sponsored by NOLA Brewing Company. It's kind of a treasure hunt where you get to collect goodies and prizes and BEER! http://www.nola.com/drink...er_at_nola_brewin.html

What's the best way to contact other Roadfooders while we're there? I'm thinking of messages like "we're heading to XX, want to join us?"--i.e., messages that are only of interest to people there.

Posting to this thread?
Posting to the wall on the facebook page?

Ralph, I think the discussion forum is the best spot.  We are also going to have a booth at the street festival where people can get information etc.

I'll be Twittering, and I'm on Foursquare, which is linked to my Twitter, and I might link Foursquare to my Facebook for the weekend, too.
If you want to follow me on Twitter, it's @im_X1

I'll probably hashtag my Twitter posts with #Roadfoodfest, and I suggest that for others...that way we can follow the tag comments, instead of wading through all the other Twitter comments. 

I'm thinking of doing this culinary tour on Thursday: http://www.noculinarytours.com/ 

Anyone have information on whether the foods this offers will have a lot of overlap with the festival? 

Ralph, I think you can get just about all those things at the Festival.  Save your appetite for the weekend!

I am well advised. Thank you!

(In fact, that need to maintain my appetite was what led me to do the search that led me to that tour. The thought process went "I should make sure to get some exercise to maintain my appetite" to "walking tours could be a good touristy way to get some gentle exercise" to "Mm, this culinary tour looks like a tour about topics near and dear to me."

Ah well. I'm sure that I'm not the only Roadfooder likely to follow this chain of thought.)

Are you on Twitter, Ralph?  I think Twitter will be very useful over the weekend if folks are using it.  I'm on Twitter @KatherineCurry

I'm not on Twitter currently.

The first monkey wrench has dropped into our plans: our connecting flight from Dallas to New Orleans was cancelled.
This could be worse; we have a flight tomorrow, and this provides a chance to meet up with my parents for a little while tomorrow before the flight.
Still, it knocks our plans for tomorrow morning into a cocked hat.

Any recommendations for breakfast near DFW airport? 

Ralph, don't bother with breakfast, and build up an appetite.  You have two dinners ahead of you for Friday night!

I am so excited!  Will be leaving in the morning by car - see you all tomorrow afternoon.  Looking forward to the Friday night event!  And everything else!

Friday is going to be a unique event - I am looking forward to it, and I think it will be one of the highlights of the weekend.

We're now in a position to make some plans that involve New Orleans.

For Thursday:
French Tour Ghosts & Legends at 6pm
Galatoire's afterwards, probably around 8:15
After that, Preservation Hall for jazz

We'd be happy for any of y'all to join us for any of these; call me at 412-580-5644 if you want to connect.

X1


Question(s):

I know not everyone is going (or can go) to the Friday night opening party (for whatever reason), but I'm thinking of stopping in for drinks at the Monteleone's Carousel Bar (a fantastic bar, btw)...just to see if any event-less Roadfooders are hanging out there. I'll probably stop in around 5 or so, stay a couple hours, and then find someplace for dinner and fun afterwards.

Any other event-less Roadfooders want to meet up there with me?

Also - breakfast at the Camellia Grill on Friday morning. I'm planning on being there by 10. It's quite the long streetcar ride up the entire Avenue, so plan accordingly - at least 1/2 hr. Anyone interested in joining us Friday morning?

Hi X1 - We are not going to the Friday night opener and would love to hook up with other Roadfood folks. However, I don't think we are going to roll in until ~6:30 pm. Wanna exchange cell phone numbers and we will try to catch you for dinner and/or fun afterwards?

Mariaehlana


X1 - I won't be going to the opening party either. I was planning on Antoines for dinner Friday night, followed by a visit to the Old Absinthe House. I would be up for a drink at the Carousel Bar first though.

Mariaehlana,

My DH and I are also not going to the opening party. We roll into NOLA about 6:30 pm and are staying on Bourbon Street. My hubby is a bit of an Absinthe connoisseur and I think he would love visiting the Old Absinthe House. Want company?

Stephen Rushmore Jr.


Friday is going to be a unique event - I am looking forward to it, and I think it will be one of the highlights of the weekend.

My number is 281-300-0057 and we would like to hook up with some other Roadfooders. My thoughts for Friday night are a good dinner, good company and some good drinks and fun afterwards.

Are you guys all going to the Saturday night shin-dig?

Leslie

I'm not attending the Sat shindig, either.

I'm planning on being at the Carousel Bar tomorrow (Fri) around 5, and I'm sure I'll stay for a couple hrs. I don't know where I'm going afterwards; I have dinner plans w/friends but we haven't decided where.

Cell is 414.758.6422
Christin

We think that we're going to have to go to Camellia Grill earlier than 9am tomorrow, because our class at New Orleans School of Cooking got rescheduled because of the flight delay.

We plan to arrive there 8:15-8:30.

We'll be there 10ish, not 9.
Sorry to miss anyone.

Ralph - have fun! JRPfeff and Bobbi loved the class!

It's at least a half hour (and a bit more, really) from the Quarter to the Camellia, just so you know. It's not a straight ride, obviously....the streetcar stops to pick up and let off, which takes time. Enjoy the scenery on the way.

If you don't want to wander up to strangers asking them if they're with Roadfood, just call my cell - the number is in an above post.

If we miss you at Camellia this morning, hope to meet some of you at Carousel Bar in the Monteleone tonight around 5ish.

A clarification... I think I am supposed to use my PayPal receipt to get me in to the Saturday night crawfish boil/party, correct?

Sorry if we missed anyone at the Carousel Bar..I was there from 5 til 7, and didn't meet up with any Roafooders, so that was disappointing. I did meet K. Curry at Camellia Grill, though!

Day 1 of the Fest was awesome. My legs and feet hurt from all the walking,  but I'm prepared to do it again today!