New Orleans

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CHAPTER 4 . WHERE TO DINE
and best of all, your 3am pick-me-up. What’s a beignet? (Say benyay,
by the way.) A square French doughnut–type object, hot and
covered in powdered sugar. At three for about $1.75, they’re a hell
of a deal. Wash them down with chicory coffee, listen to the nearby
buskers, ignore people trying to get your table, and try to figure out
how many more stops you can squeeze in during your visit.
In the French Market, 800 Decatur St. & 504/525-4544. www.cafedumonde.com.
3 beignets for $1.75. No credit cards. Daily 24 hr. Closed Christmas. Additional location
at Riverwalk Mall.
Creole Creamery ICE CREAM Locals were already
justly fond of this local ice-cream parlor, where innovative flavors
are made fresh every day, but when it reopened about 3 weeks after
Katrina, in a neighborhood (and city) where little else was available
commercially, it earned a near fanatic loyal following. Thick, luscious
ice cream with a rotating list of flavors from lavender-honey to
red velvet cake, with stops at tiramisu, pepper, and more along the
way. Completely refreshing, maybe even mandatory on a hot day,
and with late enough hours to make it an option for a snack on the
way to or from a club or bar Uptown.
4924 Prytania St. & 504/894-8680. Everything under $10. Cash only, no credit
cards. Sun–Thurs noon–10pm; Fri–Sat noon–11pm.
EnVie COFFEE/BAKERY/SANDWICHES A Euro-style coffeehouse,
very handsome, with a nice selection of drinks and pastries,
some bagels and cream cheese, and even free Wi-Fi access. The staff
is surly, but the location is excellent if you are waiting for the clubs
on Frenchmen to get cranking.
1241 Decatur St.&504/524-3689. Everything under $10. MC,V. Daily 7am–midnight.
La Boulangerie BAKERY This bakery would be a jewel
even if it were in a major bread city. Perhaps the only authentic
baguettes in the city, the loaves are crusty on the outside, soft and
flavorful on the inside. But we forget about the baguettes, perfect
though they may be, because of the olive bread, an oval loaf studded
with olives, and just slightly greasy (in a good way) with olive
oil. Heaven. And, oh, the bleu-cheese bread they make only on
weekends. Or the apple-bacon-onion loaves you have to order a day
in advance. They also do marvelous croissants, chocolate-filled
croissants, and other pastries, and even have savory sandwiches.
Olive bread—and for that matter, many products—sells out early,
so here is one (perhaps the only) reason to be an early bird in New
Orleans. No coffee, though.