Delve On Vacation: New Orleans

There is one great town that shares, maybe even rivals, Chicago’s passion for indulgent food and intoxicating beverages and that’s New Orleans. Delve headed down to the delta of the mighty Mississippi for a gluttonous getaway in Nawlins.

Here are the highlights:

DELVE EATS:

Cochon (930 Tchoupitoulas St., Warehouse District)
This Southern style meal wowed us yankees. Located in NOLA’s Warehouse District, Cochon is a James Beard award winning Cajun style resto with an in-house boucherie. The food was decadent, the service was downright charming and the atmosphere was comfy, cool.

We love the:

• mac and cheese, creamy gooey inside with a crunchy, salty topping
• wood-fired oysters with cayenne pepper, chili, garlic and anchovy paste
• broccoli rice casserole with pecans – comfort food at its best
• restaurant’s namesake, Cochon, a Louisiana style slow roasted pork dish served with turnips and cracklins.

To finish off the meal, icebox lime pie and some moonshine, flavored with vanilla and nutmeg liqueurs – I mean, Les Bon Temps Roule, mon cheri!

Jacque Imo’s (8324 Oak St., Uptown)
This little Uptown restaurant is the place for true New Orlean’s Creole Soul Food.

We love the:

• fried green tomatoes with shrimp remoulade, a true southern classic
• crab-stuffed shrimp with magnolia sauce, seriously wowed the table
• blackened redfish with a crab chili hollandaise
• shrimp etouffee with rice

Domenica (123 Baronne St., French Quarter)
The true measure the great cities of the world is not local cuisine, nor local custom. It is not the art, nor architecture of the city. And while a signature cocktail and a thriving nightlife will go a long way toward establishing the greatness of a city in a Delve girl’s heart, it still falls short of Delve’s one true metropolitan litmus test: Pizza.

So while in the throbbing heart of Cajun country, we moseyed on over to local celebrity chef John Besh’s gourmet pizza restaurant, Domenica, in the beautiful Roosevelt Hotel.

We love the:

• margarita pizza - simple, straightforward, downright delicious
• pesto and roasted red pepper pizza with goat cheese

Chef Alon Shaya of Domenica takes pizza very seriously (as anyone should) with fresh ingredients from his own garden, fresh meat from his own livestock and a crust made in a specialty oven made with a giant rotating stone.

Be sure to check out the Domenica Happy Hour (1/2 priced pizzas and wine).

DELVE DRINKS:

Three Muses (536 Frenchmen St., Marigny)
Go for the drinks and apps, stay for the music and then order their house-made ice cream.

Le Bon Temps Roule (4801 Magazine St., Uptown)
This is the perfect Uptown dive bar to wash down your hangover with a bloody mary or two. The bloodys are filled with accoutrement like pickled okra, string beans, pickles and pearl onions. Do not miss the chance to examine the floor in this rickety old haunt; it’s nearly as much fun to oogle as the people you’ll find filling the bar. Best people watching in New Orleans.

Column’s Hotel (3811 Saint Charles Ave., Garden District)
This Garden District hotel has an unbelievable front patio that’s perfect for sipping on a Sazerac or French 75 and watching the streetcars roll by. It’s like stepping back in time. After a cocktail or two, step inside, and check out the cool stained glass decorating the skylight at the top of the staircase behind the registration desk.