The best BLT in New Orleans

It was a gloomy day in New Orleans

As I am sure I've mentioned before, there are some people who spend their whole visit to New Orleans in the French Quarter.  There isn't anything wrong with that, per se, just as there isn't anything wrong with spending a week in the Garden District, in Carrollton, on Frenchman Street, or on Esplanade Avenue.

One of our guests is spending most of his visit in the Bywater, a neighborhood that is just a short way away from our New Orleans bed and breakfast inn.  We just learned this morning, that he's been eating lunch every day at Elizabeth's.  "I love the praline bacon," he told us.  "Is that a local specialty or is it specific to there?" he asked.  

"I think you can only get that bacon at Elizabeth's," Frau Schmitt answered.  She is usually right about these things.  

The front door at Elizabeth's

I mentioned that I enjoy the BLT at Elizabeth's.  At the sound of the 'B' in BLT, our guest licked his lips like Pavlov's dog.  "I bet a BLT is delicious with that praline bacon," he said dreamily.

I had to correct him.  The BLT at Elizabeth's is a BLT in name only.  It has the same colors as a BLT that you can order at other places, but the colors are more vibrant, as is the flavor.  Instead of pale and hard supermarket tomatoes, they use juicy red creole tomatoes.  Instead of iceberg lettuce, they use spinach.  No actual bacon is used in the creation of this sandwich.  Instead, they use crisped hog jowls, and that, dear reader, is where the magic happens.  The sandwich is served open faced on ciabatta dressed in vinaigrette. 

Don't wrinkle your nose at crisped hog jowls until you've tried them.

"I know what I'm having for lunch today," our guest said.  He was going to have lunch at the same place for a fourth day in a row.  He's the kind of man who knows what he likes, and he sticks with it.  He has already made another reservation for when he's coming down for a convention in June.  It seems we are becoming New Orleans' premier convention bed and breakfast.  

"I bet that BLT is the best sandwich in town," our guest said.  I was going to agree, but I stopped short.  I recalled the corner of Paris Avenue and Gentilly Road, just a short way away from our address.  I remembered what Jimmy says:

Truth in advertising

"I'm not about to argue with Jimmy," was all I could say in reply.

A votre sante.