Staycation: Part I (Sazeracs and Swamp Thang)

After a rough bout with sweet tea vodka and The Bulldog the night before, our First Annual Staycation was finally here. It was our anniversary weekend and since we hadn’t taken a vacation this year, we decided to play tourists in our own town. We’ve eaten a lot in New Orleans, but this weekend we didn’t want to cut any corners. The objective: eat, drink, and then eat some more. We arrived at the Sheraton on Canal to find that we were eligible for an upgrade to a club level room. We excitedly rushed up to the 42nd floor to check out the room (and the view) like we were 7 year olds on our first vacation.

Following a few ooohs and ahhhs as we gazed over Canal and the French Quarter, we remembered that our main mission was to eat, and that our first stop on the tour was only a few short blocks from the hotel.

It was only 3:30 in the afternoon, and we stormed into Domenica like we were Starvin Marvin. We were greeted at the door with the smell of a wood burning oven, and the sight of the largest concentration of cured meats. Domenica, located inside of the historic Roosevelt Hotel, was running a happy hour that included half priced pizzas, so we decided to, in the words of my mammaws, “not spoil our supper”, and enjoy the humid afternoon over a prosciutto, bufala mozzarella & arugula pizza. The prosciutto was so fresh, and thinly sliced that it practically melted in your mouth.

We decided after a few French 75s and Sazeracs that our appetite had been suppressed enough to make our way down Decatur towards our next watering hole and feed trough.

As we turned off of bustling Decatur onto a much calmer and quieter Dutch Alley, we ran into one of the major casualties of the Red Dress Run.

We made sure the guy was still amongst the living and continued down Dutch Alley to our next Staycation destination, Galvez. We were shown to our table by a very energetic Spanish man with tattoos (not t.a.t.u.s) all over his neck, and were immediately taken aback by the view of the Mississippi River from our table.

Again, there were some oohs and ahhs, but this time they weren’t just because of the view. We decided to go with the tasting menu, a Portuguese inspired 4 course menu, each paired with its own wine. Each course tasted like some little old Spanish or Portuguese woman had been slaving away in a kitchen all day. As we took our first bites of each course, the tat’d up guy, who we later just called Mr. Galvez, explained each pairing in detail. As Mr. Galvez was explaining the history of one of the wines, I happened to catch a glimpse of the chef peering out of the kitchen. My assumptions were correct; the chef was in fact a little old Spanish lady who Mr. Galvez stated, “just likes to make sure everything is running smoothly”.

Gambas al Ajillo - Gulf shrimp, chorizo, and garlic

Paired with: Lancers Rose

Championes Rellenos - Mushrooms, chorizo, bacon, Spanish rice

Paired with: Perquita Reserva

Aleta de Ternera Rellena- filet, pork, demi glace, Portuguese vegetables
Paired with: Domini

Manchego and Quince

Paired with: Osborne Port

As we were were about to wrap up dinner, Mr. Galvez continued our royal treatment by allowing us, and a few other guests, to enjoy the best view in the city on the restaurant’s impressive columned balcony with a complimentary glass of house made sangria.

We continued upriver and played tourists on Bourbon Street, doing the things that most people do when they're on Bourbon, and ended up grabbing a seat to catch some pretty good jazz by Jamil Sharif at Maison Bourbon.

After a few Abita Ambers, some bad dance moves, and watching a big boned girl ride the mechanical whale at The Beach, we were back on Bourbon Street headed back to our Staycation headquarters, and ended up having a close encounter with swamp thang.