Fleurdelicious: Fast Food, Nawlin's Style

I love being a tourist in my own city. Sometimes spending a day perusing the shops in the French Quarter, going for a ride on the streetcar, or making a trip to Cafe Du Monde for beignets is as necessary for us New Orleanians as it is enjoyable. Doing these things reminds us how different and special our city is and, for me, puts into perspective just how lucky I am to live here.

So in order to kick off our Easter weekend, my boyfriend and I woke up early on Friday morning and waited in the 50+ person line at the Audubon Zoo. And after spending two hours walking around (dedicating most of our time to watching the hilarious monkeys), sharing some strawberry Roman Candy, and visiting the "Embraceable Zoo", we decided that we had officially worked up an appetite. As soon as I suggested a trip to Bud's, my boyfriend's eyes lit up and an enthusiastic "yes!" was given.

Bud's Broiler has been serving up fast-food burgers since 1952 and with eight locations spread around the city, most New Orleanians consider it the one and only choice for a no-fuss, great tasting burger. First of all, it's cheap. I treated both of us to a burger with all the fixings, cheese fries, and a drink and it ran me a mere 17 bucks. Second of all, it's local. So if you're willing to wait in lines at McDonald's or Wendy's, then you should be more than willing to sit at the picnic benches inside Bud's and wait for your number to be called. Money spent locally is money spent wisely!

The burgers at Bud's are a far cry from those at Lüke, Port of Call, or even GB's, but the smokey charcoal flavor and house-made hickory sauce definitely sets them apart from all the others. I especially love how their hot dogs are butterflied and served on hamburger buns... it has always made choosing between a #6 with onions or a #9 with cheese difficult!

In a city like New Orleans, where history and food are so important, it's hard to deny just how awesome it is to have a place like Bud's. Everyday they prove that food doesn't have to be pretentious in order to be delicious, and, well, I'm down with that.