Amy was a sight for sore eyes. I don't think anyone can realize exactly how much you miss the people you love until you up and leave 'em all and are separated for several months. After being late to the airport because of traffic, I met up w/Ames at the curb of Louis Armstrong International around 9:30am, loaded her 60lb suitcase into the car, and we were off.
On our way back to my apartment, I HAD to stop at Maurice's Bakery in Metairie for a keuglehoff. A keuglehoff is a cake, made in a bundt pan, kinda similar to angle food, but much more moist, a completely different texture, and infinitely sweeter. Maurice's makes every flavor of keuglehoff you can imagine, but on this occasion, chocolate chip was our poison. Mmmmm....chocolate.
After Maurice's, I drove down Carrollton to the famous Camellia Grill. The atmosphere is, hhmmmm, unique (think Waffle House w/out the booths), and the food is superb, w/omelets that stretch from one end of the plate to the next. Since it was still brunch, Amy and I each had an omelet, and by the time we got done and we got back to the house (after a dash to the store for booze), we were both ready for a nap!
Naps were had and then it was time to party! 2 hours of showering & grooming later, and we were off to Dickie Brennan's Steak House down in the Quarter. We ordered a "barbecue shrimp" appetizer along w/steaks, some sides to share, and salads. I think Ames was a little leery of ordering the barbecue shrimp, but we did anyway and I just smiled to myself. I knew she was leery because, for most of the rest of the world, "barbecue" implies a thick, tomato and molasses based sauce usually poured over chicken or ribs. That's not the case in New Orleans. Here, the term "barbecue shrimp" means "shrimp cooked in butter, Worcestershire sauce, LOTS of garlic, and spices." The shrimp are usually cooked w/the heads and shells on, and when they're cooked correctly, are some of the best things you'll EVER put in your mouth!
When they brought the appetizer out, Amy gave me this look like "what in the sam-hill is this?!?!?" I'm sure that look mostly had to do w/the fact that they served the shrimp w/the heads and whiskers looking up and out at you, but the expression was nonetheless, priceless. The food at Dickie Brennan's, although pricey, was phenomenal. She and I both were so full afterward that I wasn't sure whether we'd enjoy the Quarter that night....silly me!
Once dinner was over, we ventured out into the night. Frivolity was rampant and the Quarter was hopping, even on a Thursday night. We stopped at the Famous Door and that is where we stayed until around 3AM. I'll get into my love for all things at the FD in later posts, but let me just say, I've never had such a good time. Even if I look like a tourist every, single, time I go down there, I will NOT care. The guys in the house band have SO much energy and charisma that one cannot help but party like a rock star (for lack of a more descriptive phrase).
Friday was spent napping (you have to build up to the lifestyle down here w/drinking and partying all night and then getting back up after only a few hours sleep) and shopping at the mall.
Saturday was Jazz Fest! I'm told that it almost always rains during JF, but when we went, it was hotter than the sun. W/no place to escape from the heat, you can quickly reach critical status if you don't stay hydrated. We sat through Ivan Neville and the Dumpstafunk, and I'm sure got a contact high from all the folks blazin' up around us. The food was okay, but honestly, I was a bit disappointed. In addition to daiquiris, beer, and water, Ames had a shrimp po-boy, some strawberry lemonade, and shrimp taquitos (I think), while I had some fried boudin balls and crawfish monica. The only act I REALLY wanted to see was James Taylor and we could get absolutely NOWHERE near the stage. We couldn't even get close to the jumbo-tron. We ended up getting James Taylor coming at us from the front, and Erykah Badu coming at us from the back, and that was just wrong.
Once James Taylor's set was over, that was it for the day, so we left among a throng of people. Trying to get a cab would have taken at least two hours, so we started walking down Esplanade. Thank God for GPS on Amy's phone! We finally got to a gas station on a corner and took a rest, all the while I was frantically calling and trying to reach Omar the cabbie (who has taken quite a shine to me, but that's another story for MUCH later). There were some cops in the parking lot and one of them jokingly asked me if I had a license to use the phone. My response, albeit a bit paraphrased here, went something like this: "Well, officer, now that you mention it, I don't. BUT, my friend and I could REALLY use a ride. I'm new in town, my friend is visiting for Jazz Fest and we can't get a cab. I don't suppose you could drop us off Uptown, could you? We'll even ride in the back!" ......You're shocked, I know. Don't be.
The officer thought about my proposal for a couple of seconds, and then declined, but it was right about then that I was able to reach Omar. We had to split a cab w/4 other people, Amy and I in the front seat. The folks we shared the cab w/said something about Omar telling them that his "girlfriend" was getting in the cab.....ummmm, no. Amy and I were so thankful to get a ride home, though, that I let the comment slide w/out checking him.
Saturday night, more partying. Once we got home, we showered, dressed, dined and headed back down to the Quarter. We checked out a few other places (one of which lead to my meeting Casey....), but, ultimately, we ended up back at the Famous Door. We closed down Bourbon Street that night, my friends, and ended up back at the house around 5:00-5:3030ish. Amy's flight left around 6pm, and when I dropped her off at the terminal, I said goodbye to my dear, hungover friend, and closed the chapter on another adventure in the life of Chappy.
Jazz Fest, groovin out to the sweet sounds of James Taylor
Chillin w/the Dumpstafunk
Behind the stoners at the 'Funk (notice what's in the foreground...)
Munchin on some tasty grindage
More w/the 'Funk...
Ames and Me lookin like clones before we head down to the Quarter on the first night
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