deliciousmagazine.co.uk 133hungry traveller.
NewOrleans’
reputationprecedes
it.It’sknownas
theBigEasyand
so-calledforits
laid-backattitude,
wherethere’sgood
foodandgoodmusiconevery
corner,andfamouslythehomeof
jazz,gumboandsazeracs.I arrived,
likeeveryoneelsearrives,greedy
andexcited.I wasn’tdisappointed.
It wasmyhoneymoonand
I wasinthemoodtocelebrate.
Fortunately,nowherecelebrates
likeNewOrleans– whetherthe
occasionis MardiGras,theannual
JazzFestinApril,a wedding,a
funeral– orjusta monthlypay
cheque.And,ofcourse,everyNew
Orleanscelebrationcallsfora feast.
Theterm‘meltingpot’is applied
indiscriminatelyinthefoodworld,
butinthiscitybytheMississippi
Riverit ringstrue.NewOrleans is
fiercelyproudofitsculinary
diversity– ofCreoleshrimpand
Cajunspice,ofSouthernfried
chicken,Frenchhautecuisine,
GermanbreadsandVietnamese
pastries.It deservestobe.SURVIVINGKATRINA
BackinAugust2005,naturedidits
besttodampentheBigEasy’shigh
spirits.HurricaneKatrinaflooded
80 percentofNewOrleansand
claimedmorethan1,800lives,
destroyingthousandsofhomes,
businessesandcommunity
buildings.Eventoday,abandoned
housesandmuddytidelinesare
remindersofthedevastation.
Intheaftermath,NewOrleans’
800 restaurantsalmostbecame
a barometerofitsrecovery.Most
reopenedwithinthreemonths,
usingbottledwateranddisposable
cupsandplates.Nowthereare
some1,400restaurantsinthecity- anastonishingrebirth,although
onenotwithoutconsequencesfor
thecity’spoorestresidents,who
havebeensqueezedoutofthe
newlygentrifiedneighbourhoods
(astorytoldbytheNewOrleans
restaurant critic Tom Fitzmorris→
CLOCKWISEFROMLEFTBourbonStreet,thelivelyheartofthecity;Marjie’sGrill,
co-ownedbyrisingstarchefMarcusJacobs(withbeard);Leah’sPralinessatisfies
the city’s sweet tooth (and below); Gulf shrimps at party venue Bacchanal Wine