Why people love New Orleans

A tree in City Park, New Orleans

It looks like there's a mountain in the distance in the lower right corner of that photo.  I don't know what it is, but it certainly isn't a mountain.  There are no mountains, and, really, there aren't any hills to speak of in New Orleans.

Now it's time for my most favorite recurring feature.  Let's open up the old mailbag, shall we?

Today, we received a letter from an avid reader of this blog who was in New Orleans during French Quarter Festival.  We didn't have anything available, unfortunately, so they stayed in a hotel in the city's Central Business District (CBD).  As our correspondent says, it was okay.  She would rather they stayed on picturesque Esplanade Avenue but we only have five suites and we tend to fill up early if something is going on in the city.  Of course, there is always something going on in New Orleans, officially or not.

There's a lesson here: make a reservation with us early.  Unless it's July or August.  We have plenty of room in July and August.  Few people visit New Orleans in the summer but I think it's the best time of the year.  There aren't any lines, the price for everything goes down, and you'll have the run of the city.  It's nice if you can take the humidity.

On to the part of the letter that tickled me:

"...the first thing we did was go to Dickie Brennan's Bourbon House for oysters. (see pic attached).  This advice I got from your blog of course!  You were right!  There was a line at the Acme and a line at Felix's, but not at the Bourbon House and the oysters were huge and delicious!  We went back a second time later in the week."

I did write a blog post about the best oysters in New Orleans in January, but that's not the one she was referring to.  That was the time I ran into the chap from Sedgley, England and I directed him to Casamento's.  That's not the advice our correspondent followed.

She was talking about a more recent entry in the archives, in which your humble narrator dined on oysters with caviar!  That's the blog post about the best oysters in the French Quarter.  There is a difference.  No offense intended to the Bourbon House, but Casamento's really does have the best oysters in town.  'nuff said.

I wasn't going to tell you this, but I've been back to the Bourbon House, myself, a second time.  For the exact same meal.  In five years, I haven't been to Acme or Felix's yet.  There is always too long a line.  I hope nobody learns about the oyster bar at the Bourbon House because there will be a line there, too.

So why do I write about it here?  Because nobody reads this blog.  The secret is safe.

How empty is the Bourbon House oyster bar?  Let's take a look at that attached pic mentioned in the letter:

A man walks into an oyster bar

You might think that guy was pretty lonely sitting all by himself.  I wish I was there that day but I was riding my motor scooter in the Lower 9th Ward investigating a bakery that's opened up down there. Don't worry.  I have it on good authority that he was in very good company, the best kind.  He was with his wife.  

When you order a dozen raw oysters at the Bourbon House, you get a shucker's dozen.  You get thirteen.

Remember, if you are thinking of staying with us, make a reservation early.

À votre santé,
La Belle Esplanade bed and breakfast.