Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Fleurdelicious Has Moved!

Hello dear friends and followers of Fleurdelicious! I wanted to let y'all know that I have purchased my own domain, so please check out my new and improved website: www.fleurdelicious-nola.com

I am still learning a lot about using the website, so bear with me while I work on making it pretty and user-friendly.

As always, thanks for being a part of my life through my culinary adventures! Your support means the world to me :)

-XOXO-
Emily

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Cinco de Mayo


If you're like me, you believe Cinco de Mayo is a holiday worth celebrating, but not always on May 5th. The inevitable long restaurant waits and crowded bars are a huge deterrent in my willingness to go out and join the party. Instead, I like to think of it as a week-long celebration, which is honestly just a way for me to justify having frozen margaritas for a longer period of time. My mom and I celebrated Cinco de Mayo at Superior Grill a few days early this year, and it was still delicious and fun.

Superior Grill on St. Charles Avenue has been serving up Mexican food for over 10 years and it still remains as my favorite place for frozen margaritas, chips and salsa, and sizzling hot fajitas. I've never really been a huge fan of enchiladas, and I prefer the tacos at other places, but Superior's fajitas always hit the spot. They come out on a super hot cast iron skillet with onions, bell pepper, tomato, your choice of chicken or steak (or both) and a plate of all the other fixings (cheese, sour cream, pico de gallo etc.) Paired with some queso dip and the best frozen margarita Uptown has to offer, and you've got yourself a Cinco de Mayo feast any day of the year.


Lunch fajitas with steak and chicken


A small glass of frozen goodness :)


One of the busiest bars on the Avenue, and the best place to get a drink during the Mardi Gras parades


Take your drinks to "geaux"

Monday, May 3, 2010

Free Sippin'


There are few things that excite me as much as finding a restaurant that doesn't charge a corking fee. And even though I've happily shelled out over $100 in corking fees here, I'm glad there are places where I can enjoy wine with my meal at no additional cost. Chef John Besh has the right idea by not charging a corking fee at his restaurants. Alcohol, after all, is merely an afterthought to great food. No one ever says "The food was terrible but the wine was so great, I'll definitely be back!" Point made? Good.

Needless to say, I've become increasingly interested in finding restaurants that charge little to nothing to cork a bottle of vino. But right now I only know of one restaurant that doesn't charge a fee at all, and that's Lebanon's Cafe on South Carrollton Avenue. Since ethnic food is something I'm often craving, I love that a trip to Lebanon is both delicious and cost-friendly (two people can easily fill up for under $30). We always start the meal with the Musaha, which is sautéed eggplant, roasted garlic, red, yellow & jalapeño peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, onions, and celery that is marinated with olive oil and white vinegar. No tasteless veggies here! These vegetables are incredibly flavorful, and I especially like the combination of textures from the crunchy celery and soft eggplant. I spread mine on hot pita bread, sometimes with some Labna or Hummus, and it could easily become my entire meal. As far as entrees go, I particularly like the Chicken Shawarma because you get a generous amount of chicken, salad, and hummus (which you can substitute for rice if you want) for around $12. The dinner sandwiches are also great, especially the Luna Kabob (lamb), and they all cost between $6 and $7. With quick and friendly service, a menu full of variety, and no corking fee, Lebanon's Cafe makes a great dinner spot for first dates and big groups alike.

Can any of you suggest places that charge a small corking fee, or nothing at all?


Musaha: Sautéed eggplant, roasted garlic, red, yellow & jalapeño peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, onions, and celery marinated with olive oil and white vinegar


Vegetarian grape leaves with hummus


Sautéed Vegetable Plate: Basmati rice topped with eggplant, onions, carrots, tomatoes, squash, cauliflower, broccoli, red, yellow & green peppers and a layer feta and mozzarella cheese, then baked to a golden brown in the oven