Nirvana, in more ways than one.....

I haven't posted in a spell-been super busy at the office. My apologies.

It's now been nearly 9 weeks that I've been living in the Big Easy, and I've come to discover that the culture here is remarkably different than that of Atlanta. So much of city life surrounds food; folks talk about what they're gonna eat for lunch at 9am, and as soon as lunch is over, talk of supper begins. For the first couple of weeks, it struck me as odd that all anyone every talks about (and I'm using "all" in a very liberal context here) here is what's on the menu. It wasn't until I started trying some of the restaurants that I discovered there's certainly a reason why the culture revolves around food-THERE'S JUST TOO MUCH GOOD FOOD TO PASS UP!!

I live Uptown, right off Magazine....one of the most eclectic and favorite streets in the city. There are countless blocks of retailers and eateries all within walking distance. About a month ago, I made the conscious decision that I would try a new place on Magazine every week. I mean, I AM single now; what the hell else am I gonna do on a Saturday night other than go out? So far, I've tried: Byblos, a lovely Greek place w/very good food, although the humus needed more garlic; Theo's, a pizza place I wasn't overly impressed with, but their beer was super cold, though, so it wasn't a total loss; Sake Cafe, excellent sushi; WOW Wingery, and WOW were the wings salty; and finally Nirvana, a remarkable Indian place.

If you're like me, and most people aren't, whenever I hear the word Nirvana, a tiny chorus of angels sings out a lovely blended note....much like the sound I imagine when the gates of Heaven open............Getting back on track, I'd originally intended to try this Middle Eastern restaurant that fateful Saturday night, but when I drove by at nearly 9PM and only saw three tables of people at said Middle Eastern joint, something told me to keep driving. Nirvana was bustling, which is a clear and obvious sign that that restaurant is where I wanted to be.

I waited 10 minutes or so in the line at the door before the host came and asked me to sit at the bar and have a glass of wine while I waited for a table. 5 minutes and one glass of white wine later, a table was made available. Now, never in my life having tried Indian, and, having a distaste for any and all things curry, you'd think I'd have a difficult time choosing something to eat at Nirvana. SO not the case here! Their menu was vast and complex. You could choose any kind of preparation with chicken, seafood, lamb, or vegetarian. I opted to start with a cup of lentil mulligatawny (I figured if it was good enough for the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld, it was good enough for me!) and followed with chicken tikka masala with garlic naan.

Mere words alone will never be able to do this food justice. The soup was so spicy and so flavorful. When I want something spicy, it better make me sweat. This wasn't spicy like a habenero chili is spicy-this hit on a different part of your tongue. The soup made me sweat, but in an OH so good way! The chicken tikka was this dish composed of white meat chicken, garlic, peppers, onions in some kind of tomato pureed gravy....I'm struggling with the exact words to describe the consistency. Masala scooped up on some of the naan (unleavened bread), and boy howdy was Chappy happy! I could barely make a dent in the food, but thankfully, it made great leftovers.

As if I couldn't be ANY more glutinous, I decided "Why not top the night off w/a delicious piece of cheesecake?". There's a place on St Charles called Copeland's (it's a chain, I'm sure you've heard of it). I walked in, ordered a coffee, and told the waitress I wanted chocolate. She started asking me what kind, yadayadayada. "Surprise me," I said. HOLY TOLEDO Batgirl! She brought out a slice of chocolate cheesecake covered in a dolce de leche pecan praline sauce. Never, in my life, did I think a desert could make me happy-orgasmic, contented, full, yes....but happy? I must have looked like a complete idiot sitting there, surrounded by couples, on a Saturday night, looking fly, smiling from ear to ear eating this cheesecake. Much like my dinner at Nirvana, I couldn't finish all of the cheesecake either. I did, however, manage to take the praline piece shoved in the top home as a leftover..... and the happiness began all over the next day.