New Orleans, LA

Despite my deep and abiding love for New Orleans, I tried to stay out of the city as much as possible--I am on a budget, after all. And a girl who loves food and wine and Abita beer cannot remain on a budget in NOLA. Speaking of which, I went on the Abita brewery tour on Wednesday. The tour was boring, but the beer was great. The best part about going to Abita Springs, LA, is that all the businesses start with Abita. Heh. I stopped into the nearby Abita Brew Pub for lunch, and afterwards I loaded up the car with several different kinds. It's hard finding Abita beer outside Louisiana--they seriously need a better distributor.

I also got to drive all the way across Lake Pontchartrain. It's about a twenty-minute drive, with nothing but water as far as the eye can see. It's a little like driving between the Florida Keys. It's also a little creepy, driving so long over open water.

That night Betsy and I discovered Biker Night at one of the local marina bars. I haven't had such good people-watching in quite a while, even in New York. As you might expect, there were dozens of tricked-out Harleys, thousands of visible tattoos, and several examples of creative facial hair. Oh, plus multiple people wearing assless chaps. And drinks were 2-for-1. Good times. Several large, burly men chatted us up, and then gave us a ride on their bikes back to the car (which was all of 25 feet away). But the bikes were lovely, and made me want to learn how to drive one.

Yesterday I explored Cajun country; I drove to Lafayette, LA, then down to Houma on old 182. The interstate to Lafayette stretches for 30 miles across the Atchafalaya Swamp; more evidence of Louisiana's fascination with building bridges across vast, open stretches of water. ("Great...tracts of land!") I had crawfish enchiladas at Prejean's. Highlights of the drive down 182 included several deserted foundries, approximately nine metric tons of Spanish moss, and the "Dacquiri Drivethrough" in Jeanerette. (No, I didn't.) I had considered a swamp tour, or shrimp boat excursion, or Swim with the Alligators, or some such purportedly "Cajun" activity, but I think that will have to wait until I'm not on a budget.

Then last night came the Abita tasting dinner at Ralph's on the Park, a four-course dinner with Abita pairings. The menu:

Appetizer: terrine of wild boar with hazelnuts and black currants, served with summer peach and citrus chutney and pea shoots
Abita: Satsuma

First course: saffron-braised lamb shank with preserved lemon and golden raisins over creamy polenta
Abita: IPA

Second course: cold pecan-smoked veal flank steak served with morel mushroom saute and English peas in a red wine marrow sauce, with roasted marrow bone
Abita: Amber

Dessert: Chambord Bavarian cream bombe with root beer hard candy brittle
Abita: Purple Haze

All very lovely. Turbodog is still my favorite.