Yesterday before the in-laws returned to Texas, we took them to do a little wandering on Magazine street. We took them by the Occassional Housewife and, of course, ended up buying a few things ourselves- an old copy of The Dreamer inscribed "Albert S. Hurley, Yale 1929" (I collect pre-1955 vintage books, I'm obsessed!) and a butterfly-shaped hamper for Shelby. We also stopped into an art gallery and antique store called Berta's and Mina's Antiquities. Inside was a plethora of huge, folk-artsy paintings in New Orleans style. Lots of dancing and music, and a lot of religious scenes like nativities and Madonna & Child portraits, many with comments or titles painted around the edges. Created on doors, shutters and all kinds of other seemingly found canvases, it made for quite the colorful collection. I didn't really notice much furniture or many antiques, but we were starving so didn't make it to the back room of the shop. There were some other pieces by other people near the door, as well as some prints, and Dustin spotted a framed print of a cat he liked for his mother. After she went outside he inquired about the price: $4,000. For a print. Of a cat with a chair. I get that art is super-duper expensive, and a lot is well worth it. But that wasn't a $4,000 cat. I'm just sayin'.

It was raining, so we hurried back to the car, past St. Henry's and their cute little nativity scene made of 2x4's. Momee wanted a po-boy, so we took her over to Guy's. Two po-boys was morethan enough to feed all five of us. The shrimp was grand as always. Last time we had Guy's, Dustin had gone to pick it up and brought it home, so it was the first time I had been inside. Space is limited, to say the least, and you order at the counter, next to the giant chess piece (what is it, the one that looks like a horse?). Some of the menu is posted on the chalk board, as well as the Saint's current win/loss ratio (which has had a minor slip in the last two weeks, unfortunatly, but hey, all streaks come to an end at some point... they're still in the play-offs, though! Who Dat!). And did I mention that on the sides section of the menu, they also have fried pork chops listed? So they have poboys, potatoes, and pork chops. Sounds good to me.

Antique Triumphantly!

My mother-in-law and her mom, Momee (Moh-mee), came into town to visit us and bring Shelby back to Texas (she's quite the hot commodity since moving out of arm's reach). It was fun because Momee hadn't been to New Orleans since the 70's when one of her sons was playing ball against LSU. She's actually from here, right outside the city, so it was fun to take her and show her around a bit. As we rode around she told us it was here in a bar that she saw her very first TV set. When she was 17, her family was visiting an aunt in the city and, being good Catholics, her mother took her to a nearby bar to fetch a bottle of wine. There it was, an ultra modern, black and white television set, right there behind the bar. The future had arrived.

After driving from Houston to Port Arthur, then Port Arthur to New Orleans, we thought what they needed most was more time in the car, so we took them riding around, and made our way to the Quarter. Not the best idea. And not because they ran screaming at the prospect of spending another second in my MIL's PT Cruiser, but because of all the out-of-towner madness going on in the streets. None of us realized the Sugar Bowl was approaching and that one of the ways people prepare for it is by having 20 year old girls get drunk at 10 am and stagger into the middle of traffic, then smiling and laughing like you totally won't run them over. I know this scenario- with the girls replaced by other tourists- sounds familiar, but I've never had it happen on Decatur before. Once we got past the college football crazies, we went the the French Market. Neither of our guests had ever been and we thought they'd enjoy looking around. And Shelby needed a new $1 Chinese paper fan (we splurged and went with the $2 fabric fan this time, since it probably wouldn't break before we got back to the car). We underestimated how freakishly cold it was, so we made it quick and headed to Greg's on the other side of Decatur.

I totally <3 this store. It's got the coolest antique furniture and ridiculous prices. There's also a lot of art, chandeliers and other random things. They completely turn over their entire inventory every month, so if you see something you can't live without, you better snatch it up. Being the ultra cool antique insiders that we are (and being in the e-mail list) we knew they were unloading a new shipment from Europe that very day. We scored the most awesome Queen Anne sewing bench straight from France for $50. The lid is reversible, with one side a smooth parquet and the other a plush burgundy cushion. It makes the perfect piano bench for our old upright Baldwin. Bonus: when Shelby starts practicing to become the next world's greatest pianist of our time, she can put her sheet music in the seat for safe (and clutter free) keeping. I'm still going to get one of those Mexican sugar molds they have, as soon as I find a place for it. They also just got a bunch of art from Mexico this past week, so if you want some, you better get to it, because it will be gone 15 minutes after you read this (so finish reading first, then hurry on over there!).

After our triumphant antiquing, we came home and had some of the chicken and Manda sausage gumbo I slaved over all day. (I'll admit, as long as you don't tell my mom- I used a jarred roux. Just to try it out. It's Kary's brand, made in Ville Platte, LA. I like it, but I must admit I prefer my own. Or my mama's, of course.)

I wanted to call this entry "Is That Roux Or Poop?" but I thought that might put people off. When I was making the gumbo, I had roux on the back of my hand and didn't realize. I started doing other things around the house, and Shelby pointed it out ot me. I smiled and said, "Hmm, is that roux, or poop?" She kind of laughed and said, "Um, I think it's just roux probably, Mom." She didn't get the Baby Mama reference, but I got quite a laugh out of it.

Bustin' Out at the House of Blues

I can't tell you how anticipated Friday night was. For over a month, I'd had tickets to Bustout Burlesque at the House of Blues- an anniversary present- hiding under the laundry detergent in the wash room, counting down the days to the 18th. After f-i-n-a-l-l-y finding a wonderful sitter for Shelby (I called some churches after the agencies were all booked up and one recommended a woman that they have teaching there), we headed out for a pre-event drink at, where else, the Avenue, our favorite little bar. I handed Dustin the tickets in a sweet little anny card across the smokey table and watched his eyes light up. Bingo.

After a gin and tonic on St. Charles, we proceeded down to the French Quarter an hour early to find some parking, no small feat on a Friday night. Luckily, we were able to find a spot in a lot about 3 blocks away. I don't often have an occasion to wear heels these days, so the less walking, the better. We waited in the serpentine line for about 10 minutes before I got a call from Rick, the manager of the burlesque troupe. I'd been driving him nuts for the last month to get reserved seating (in actuality, I only called a few times, but that was a lot for me, as I hate to impose), it being a special occasion and all. He actually came out and got us, leading us to the front of the line and through the doors. Can I just say how bad ass it felt to do that? I promise I didn't give anyone any snotty looks. Then he took us to the seating area and let us choose one of the limited tables. We decided on a bar top behind the floor seating, which turned out to be the perfect perch to enjoy the show. We thanked the most awesome manager in the world, ordered drinks and settled in to see the long-awaited performance.

It really was great. I loved the troupe's band, the Bustout Burlesque Jazz Band. The Emcee, Dante, was a funny little guy in a top hat and vintage pastel tailed coat. I'm quite glad we decided against the table right in front of the stage, as he called the girl sitting there up to the stage to be his straight man (or woman, as it were). The first performer was Kitty Twist, a Southern Belle who decided to show off her little southern tush. Very sweet. Then was the fabulous Praline DuPree. She was hands down our favorite. Her facial expressions were the best (though with a body like that, I doubt the male members of the audience noticed). She was dressed as a girl on a jungle safari. Who forgot to wear pants. Her work with the whip would have certainly had Dr. Jones intrigued. Then the lovely Athena sang Santa Baby, followed by more schtick from Dante. There was even a special appearance by Wild Cherry, a "real live" dancer from back in the day. I was really excited to see her up there, as I've seen her included in documentaries on TV and read about her on the Internet. And, as it turns out, Dustin's grandparents saw here back in her prime on Bourbon Street. It was a nice surprise. But don't worry, she stayed fully clothed the whole time, even though she showed she's still got the attitude. There was a special performance by guest star Michelle L'Amour, and she was wonderful. Her milky white skin and pageboy-cut dark hair made for a wonderful contrast. She did a routine with the big feathered fans (my favorite burlesque prop of all time) in a nude, sequined pastie-and-panty combination and performed beautifully. I believe the next girl was Roxie LaRouge, but to be honest, I wasn't paying attention to her name. Let's just say, she was much more top heavy than the other girls. A bit thicker, too, but certainly hot. It was really awesome to see a slightly meatier girl get up there and shake her pasties. More singing from Athena, then the last act, Foxy Flambeaux. Dressed as the original Barbie, she definitely looked the part. Though she seemed a bit less enthused to be up there (maybe due to already having preformed earlier in the evening) hers was still a lovely act. The finale was a chorus line-type production by all the ladies dressed in what Mrs. Clause probably wore on her wedding night. Lots of fun, I must say.

All in all, it was a great show. I highly recommend going if you have a taste for jazzy big band music and beautiful women taking off their clothes (except the pasties, of course!).

After the show, I scored an autographed photo of Cherry and we headed to Bourbon street. It's nice to walk down the street looking nice every once in a while. We grabbed a beer from Huge Ass Beers, classy drinks for our classy night, then headed home. Don't worry, there were no laws broken, although we did consider trying to trick the lot gate into letting us out for free. Which we didn't do. Because it would be wrong. And stupid.

It was our first burlesque show (but certainly not the last), the first night we'd gotten to really go out on the town and enjoy ourselves in forever, and the very first time we've ever hired a sitter. We've never had a better anniversary date. I can't wait to see what we come up with next year.

Hunting for Treasure on Magazine Street

Dustin needed a haircut and got a recommendation for a place on Magazine Street, so Shelby and I decided to walk around while he was getting a snip. I've wanted to go into the Occasional Housewife ever since we drove by it the first time. I love the retro housewife in their logo that takes up most of the window. She's quite sassy. They specialize in household organization, offer consulting services and have a large selection of fun and functional things to help make your life easier (or at least your desk a little more interesting). There was some welding or grinding going on in the back room, I saw sparks flying before one of the sales ladies closed the door. I don't know what was going on back there, but I think I like it. They also have an adjoining storefront filled with things they've 'decluttered' out of clients homes. Score! They may not have wanted that old ceramic peacock or Kitchenaid microwave cookbook from 1984, but someone does. And that someone is me. While I didn't get either of those little gems, I did get a nice demitasse cup and saucer and a tiny vintage spoon, to make my faux cafe' au lait, as well as a candy thermometer and a big speckled gumbo pot for Dustin. It only cost $5 for the lot. While the spanking new organizational tools are more pricey, the other-woman's-trash is super cheap, which makes it that much more fun.

After our errands, and walking by one of the many mobile movie sets out and about right now (no one was there, they weren't going to resume shooting until that night- I don't know what movie they were shooting, but I am going to see Ryan Reynolds while he's here...), we went for supper at Joey K's. My favorite food host, Guy Fieri, ate there on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives once, though I don't remember the episode. The seat-yourself place is covered in those colorful hand-painted "Be Nice or Leave" signs with different sayings. The waitstaff was friendly and the atmosphere good, nice and relaxed. Shelby and I shared the seafood platter (shrimp, lots of catfish, oysters and fries) and Dustin got the shrimp platter & a beer. French bread is available to those who ask. It was very good. I usually don't like catfish due to the dark slimy belly section, but there was none of that on our plate, which I loved. It was a good deal, we both got stuffed for $15. I can't remember how much Dustin's was, but it was less than mine and Shelby's. Very worth it. I can't wait to go back and give the Fried artichoke hearts and Shrimp Magazine. They sounded splendid.

Photos coming, as soon as I learn how to upload them from my fancy new phone...

Just Out & About

Last night on a whim, we decided to go to the mall. Even in Beaumont, with the mall less than 10 minutes away from our house, we hardly ever went. But with all the shopping cheer out there, we decided to give it a look. Last week I went to a huge mall (complete with three-story Macy's and Dillards- I know, Shelby made me ride the escelators several times), Lakeside Shopping Center, with our next door neighbor. But after driving around some, I couldn't find it again. (How we missed it, I'll never know.) We ended up going to the smaller Clearview Mall which has a monterous Target. It's two stories, with an escelator and seperate little escalators for the baskets. It was very cool. Other than the Super Targe', there were several standard shops and a nice AMC movie theatre. While I didn't get to the stores I was hoping to visit, we did load up on soap at Bath & Body Works and find out where to catch the Princess and the Frog when it comes out.

After shopping for a while, it was time to grab some grub and go to bed. We stopped at China Orchid and Dustin ran in so us girls didn't have to get out in the frigid air. We'vce ordered take out from there once before, and the food was great. I usually get sweet and sour chicken anywhere we go, and it's what I've gotten both times, each time with white meat. The first time it was awesome- a huge chicken breast, fried and sliced on a bed of vegetable chunks with plenty of shrimp fried rice and an eggroll. Last night, even though I ordered white meat, they gave me dark. An easy mistake, but dark meat comes with more fat and gristle and that makes me gag, so needless to say, I wasn't impressed. The dinners cost more but don't come with eggrolls, so it was more expensive, too. Dustin's General Tso's was great, just like last time. The girl who took Dustin's order and his cash was rude, but other than the chicken mishap, while a major issue for me, the food wasn't bad. To be honest, though, if we hadn't had a previous good experience, I probably wouldn't go back. Nothing personal. There are just plenty of Koi in the sea.

Simple is Good

Yesterday Dustin spent the day running errands solo. When he was finished he had only two hours before he had to be at work, so in the interest of speedy eats he brought home two shrimp po-boys from Guy's Po-boys. It was a good choice.

I've never eaten anything from Guy's, but now I'm glad I have. The menu is simple: po-boys and potato salad or fries. They only do a little, but they do it very well. It took a little longer than he thought to get his order, but that's just because he watched them get fresh shrimp from the cooler and fry them up right then, as they do with every order. The sandwiches were huge! Over a foot. There were plenty of crunchy shrimp in 'em, too. Dustin had them dressed, although when you get it dressed at Guy's that means Crystal hotsauce, so mine just had lettuce, tomato, pickles and mayo (since shelby and I share). I was a little bummed, as Crystal is the only hot sauce (or really, the only source of heat) I like, and I do like it so. And we were out at the house. But the sandwich was no less super. The po-boys are $10 a piece, and while they don't offer my favorite, oyster- they're worth it.

Just another little local treasure discovered.

What Is Something That's Not Your Mother's?

Nacho Mama's, boom!

Alright, alright. That was lame. But you know what's totally not lame? The food at Nacho Mama's on Magazine Street. Last night Shelby and I went there to grab a bite. We got a table off to the side of the bar (she wanted to sit at the bar, I promised her in 17 years we would). The sweet little waitress gave Shelby some cool triangular crayons and a big color sheet, so dinner was off to a good start. We ordered chips (served in a little galvanized bucket) and quacamole, then Mama's taco plate for me and a beef taco for Shelby. Sooooo good. When ordering Mama's tacos, you choose the outside (hard or soft corn, flour or wheat tortilla) and the inside (beef, chicken, steak, shrimp, etc with cheese). It comes wrapped in foil on a plate full of goodies: black olives, jalapenos, pico de gallo, lettuce, rice and either black or refried beans. Yum, yum, yum. Shelby just had a plain beef taco (the way she likes it) and some of my beans and rice. The ground beef is that special, good Mexican restaurant beef that just has black pepper, salt and love in it. You know what I'm talking about. We had water to drink and bootleg lemonade (you know, where you get lemon in your water and use the sugar on the table to make lemonade, rather than pay$1.50 for it). The Polar Express happened to be on the TV closest to our table, so we enjoyed watching that, with me occassionally reading the subtitles to Shelby, while we dined. With tip it came to $19. A very stisfactory price for a great meal. Without guacamole, it would have been about $14 with tax and tip, which we may do next time, as we had a lot of food left over. It made a great breakfast this morning.

Dustin and I went there last week (I just forgot to write about it) and had a similarly fine experience. The margarita's were on special, so Dustin had several, while I drank my weight in Coke (it was the "morning after" for me, I'm never drinking again, BTW). We sat in a corner table/booth and watched all the people with dogs walk by. At the table outside the window, sat a young white guy in a business suit with a Grizzly Adams beard and a huge head of blonde dread locks. There were a few stripes of green, and a pair of sunglasses were lodged near the back. I wondered if he knew they were in there. He was having lunch with a guy in a bike (as in bicycle) outfit, another business man and a guy in normal jeans-and-chucks attire. I love random New Orleans people on the street. But back to the food. We got the three dips- guacamole, queso blanco and salsa- with chips to start. Good stuff. Dustin got the jerk chicken baked burrito which was super grande (and super tasty he said), and I got the taco salad with steak. It was really good. The steak was good but too spicy for me, so I picked it out and gave it to Dustin. Of course, we had plenty to pack into a to-go box (again, tasty breakfast for me!). I think it came to about $40 or so. I'm pretty sure it was because of the 28 margaritas Dustin had. But I was very well pleased with our meal.

If for no other reason, eat there so when people ask "Where'd you go for lunch?" you can say "Nacho Mama's!"

That would be much funnier if you could convey inflection on a computer screen.

Tarrying in Treme

Today we ran some errands of EMS importance (namely, picking up Dustin's regulation weekend polo for work). We girls were starving so we headed down Canal and to Decatur to find Napoleon House, a restaurant I was very excited to try after reading about on Urban Spoon. But, being me, I couldn't remember the address and our GPS, Francesca, is no mind reader. So, we tried another place Dustin has wanted to visit for some time- Willie Mae's Scotch House.

We'd looked for it before to no avail. This time around we found it. It's in a neighborhood in the Treme (treMAY) area of New Orleans, not terribly far from I-10. On the inside it's the classic little hole in the wall, white-washed walls and random wall hangings, with a limited menu and a devout local following. The fried chicken is the specialty of the house, and has been voted Best Fried Chicken by several entities, both local and nationwide.

Now, I don't want to step on any toes. Far be it from me to discredit a time-honored New Orleans tradition, especially one founded by a cute little old lady that opened her doors immediately after Katrina and served sandwiches to passers-by. But. I was not impressed. The chicken was not awful. The crust was, I'd say, unique, and a bit spicy. But it was kind of.... I'm not sure. I do know it was greasy. Very. So if you like that kind of chicken, by all means patronize Willie Mae's. For three pieces of chicken (of the kitchen's choosing) and one side it's $10 (plus a $1 fee to share a plate, if you're so inclined). I got fries and Dustin got red beans and rice. He said it was very good. He also got a plate with a breast and two wings, I a thigh, wing and drumstick. For $20.81, I feel it wasn't that great (even though the girl didn't charge us the $1 split plate fee). After picking off all the crust- my favorite part, very sad about that- there wasn't much chicken left. Shelby and I were still hungry when we left, so we went to Creole Creamery to fill in the gap (I got the black & gold crunch again, but tried the lavender honey and am so getting that next time).

Also, if you find yourself at Willie Mae's and are planning on getting your grub on, be sure to bring cash. It's all they take. Good to know. Dustin had to run and find an ATM as they swept and put up chairs with us sitting there feeling slightly awkward (they close at 3pm). But the servers were nice, so they didn't say anything about it.

Next time, I hope we can find Napoleon's.

To view people talking about their experiences- good and bad- at Willie Mae's, click here.

And of course, this is not the chicken I had for lunch (at least I don't think so...). Luckily, our friends put my camera in the mail this week, and I'll be able to post actual photos of our adventures taken by me, not random, somewhat-related images from Photobucket, very soon.