AARC International Congress starts this week. Here is some more information gleaned by seven AARC members that made a preview visit a couple weeks ago.
New Orleans has lots of famous places to eat. Commander's Palace, Emeril's, Galatoires, Brennan's, KPaul's and more all have a long history of incredible service and creative New Orleans dishes. But what about something quick and reasonable?
Po'Boys are one of the two sandwiches that New Orleans is known for. These start with a crusty french loaf that gets stuffed with everything from fried oysters to roast beef to lobster. The filling is a matter of personal taste. The real star is the bread. It has to be crisp on the outside and cloud soft on the inside. And it needs to be delivered daily.
One of the closest po'boy emporiums has been a personal favorite for over 30 years. Johnny's is at 511 St Louis, just 5 blocks beyond Canal. Perfect bread and many filling options.
The other iconic New Orleans sandwich is the muffaletta. This starts with a round italian loaf, includes a chopped olive salad spread liberally on it, then gets topped with meats and cheeses. The original version is served at Central Grocery at 923 Decatur, a quick trolley ride from the Convention Center. The grocery store itself is interesting enough for a visit even if you don't get a sandwich, but that would just be sad.
The last sandwich option is only for when you are stuck at the Convention Center and there is a long line at the Atrium restaurants. Walk out the door in front of the Atrium and look just a bit to the left across Conv Center Blvd. You will see a familiar green and yellow Subway sign right across the street.
One of the oddest sounding things we found was the seafood cheesecake at Crescent City Brewing, 527 Decatur. It is an appetizer large enough for 2 that is stuffed with shrimp, crawfish and crab. It is worth a trip for that alone! The rest of the items we ordered were all great. Like the sign says, "Come for the beer, stay for the food."
For a breakfast that will hold you through the day, stop at Mother's, Poydras at Tchoupitoulas. It's right on the way if you are walking from the hotels to the Convention Center. Everything comes with grits, which still confuse me. They also have good lunch options, including po'boys. One of our group ended up having the filé gumbo 4 times during the 5 days we were there. It must be good.