We had an evening reservation at Brennans Restaurant on Royal St in the French Quarter which we made a week in advance.
Our Dining Room in Brennan's, one of seven.
The Banana's Foster was invented by Owen Brennan back in the 1950s to honor his friend Richard Foster. Owen's Father, John Brennan, owned a produce company that had an excess of bananas. Owen had his chef at the time, Paul Blange' create a dessert dish using bananas. Breakfast at Brennans with Foster's became a signature dessert.
Needless to say, the meal was delicious but more was to come. We just had to have a Banana's Foster for dessert in the restaurant that invented the dessert.
Our Waiter prepares our Banana's Foster table-side. This is quite a show (movie below)
Our dessert tonight
Brennan's recipe for this dessert:
1 Ounce Butter
1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar
1/4 Tsp Cinnamon
1 1/2 Ounces Banana Liqueur
1 1/2 Ounces Aged Rum
1/2 Banana Per Customer
Combine butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a flambe´ pan.
As the butter melts under medium heat, add the banana liquor and stir to combine.
As the sauce starts to cook, peel and add the bananas to the pan.
Cook the bananas until they begin to soften (about 1-2 minutes)
Tilt back the pan to slightly heat the far edge. Once hot carefully add the rum, and tilt the pan toward the flame, to ignite the rum.
Stir the sauce to ensure that all of the alcohol cooks out.
Serve cooked bananas over ice cream and top with the sauce in the pan.
Feb 23, 2017
We had breakfast with Blaise & Cathy, a couple who also traveled to New Orleans a few days ahead of the group from Raleigh. Thanks to Lyft we got a ride to Andreas restaurant in Metaire to meet the group who had flew in this morning. While waiting at Andreas we admired the very nice wood carved bar.
Carved Bar at Andreas in Metaire
While there we picked up our tickets for the Mardi Gras Endymion Ball at the superdome. These tickets apparently are hard to get but Sharon & Darryl managed to get enough tickets for the group.
Endymion Extravaganza Tickets
After lunch Sharon managed to demonstrate the march/dance she choreographed for the Second Line Parade tomorrow.
Dancing to the Bus leaving for the Blake Hotel, New Orleans
Feb 23, 2017
After having lunch with the Raleigh group at Andreas we rode the bus back with them to the Hotel Blake on the corner of St Charles and Poydras St outside the French Quarter. We decided to take a walk down to the Mississippi River and stroll towards the French Market.
Poydras St is a 4 lane wide city street with a landscaped median. Art installations adorn the median at various intervals. New Orleans truly supports the arts.
Poydras St Median
Even though it was late February we passed a hotel front entrance where the beautiful landscaping of mostly azaleas was in full bloom.
The streetscapes are also nicely landscaped with a variety of plants. Here a mass of Palm Trees serves as relief from the architecture of the concrete and steel buildings of the city.
Once we reached Decatur it's a short walk along the Mississippi River to the French Market. The River serves as the Eastern border of the French Quarter, Facing the river are many colorful buildings, colorful in the paint that coats them and colorful in the many music venues inside some of these buildings.
Eventually we arrived at the Cafe Du Monde which marks the start of the French market. As usual there was a large crowd standing in line waiting to get covered with powdered sugar as they enjoy Beignets and Coffee.
I was a little surprised to see how the Cafe Du Monde has expanded their merchandising with Cafe du Monde logo-ed products sold in several stores in the French Market.
Feb 24 Morning
The cultural heritage of New Orleans includes the Second Line parade. When clubs, small groups or organizations get together for any kind of celebration it usually includes a Second Line. Weddings and funerals are common venues for a Second Line. My first exposure to the whole Second Line Parade culture was the James Bond film "Live and Let Die" in 1973 which featured a funeral Second Line somberly marching down Dumaine St in the French Quarter. The lead brass band was followed by a coffin and then a group of people with parasols and handkerchiefs. At a trumpet cue the somber group breaks out into marching and dancing. All this happened 2 minutes into the film and left me wanting more.
Fast forward 44 years later and we had our own Second Line marching through the French Quarter. It was a long time coming, but I was going to be part of a New Orleans Second Line Parade. With parade permit in hand, a police escort, 36 willing dancers from North Carolina and an 8 piece brass band, the "Third Line", we were ready. The Cast of Characters
"We are the parade today"
.
Libbie painted and beaded up
The BOT crew assembling
Ladies instructional meeting
Sharon going over the details
Libbie and Anne ready to go
Our Mardi Gras Leaders and New Orleans natives, now Raleigh residents,
Darryl and Sharon
Some of the BOT ladies
When all were assembled the band began playing our Second Line marching songs and practice commenced. During practice our Second Line New Orleans Police Department escort arrived. We were honored to have a uniformed motorcycle office leading the parade with flashing blue lights and a New Orleans squad car following the parade, also with Blue Lights flashing.
After a little practice on the sidewalk it was showtime. We marched down the street with band playing, parasols twirling and handkerchiefs waving, dancing to the tunes of our own brass band.
We went to the first of 3 bar stops in New Orleans Second Line tradition. Our first stop was the "Chart Room" on the corner of Chartres and Bienville in the French Quarter.
Our first stop for Bloody Mary's at 9:30 AM
Our band hydrates at the Chart Room
New Orleans PD patiently wait for the parade to resume
Group pic - The Second Line Dancers and 3rd Line Band
Once sufficiently hydrated with Mimosas and Bloody Mary's, the BOT gang continued down Chartres to Jackson Square where the Cafe Pontalba on the Square advertises "Cocktails to Go". Another round for the band and the dancers before marching past St Louis Cathedral and around the Square.
"Cocktails to Go"
Some of our BOT Krew enjoying beverages outside of Cafe Pontalba
Outside the Cafe Pontalba on Jackson Square the band hydrates again
Blaise and Kathy practicing & resting outside Cafe Pontalba
After an appropriate rest and a drink or two it was time to march around Jackson Square under the Mardi Gras Bead trees on to Cafe Du Monde and turn left.
Marching under the Mardi Gras Bead Trees on Jackson Square
Our next parade segment - on to "Tu Jagues" for more refreshments
From the Balcony of Tu Jagues, ladies tossed beads
Our band entertained on the street outside of Tu Jagues
After Tu Jagues, it was time to march on! Our final stop and the end of the parade was lunch at Jackson Brewery.
Food and Brew time for Anne
From our table upstairs in the brewery we can see riverboats going by on the Mississippi
Natchez docks outside the Jackson Brewery at the Toulouse Street Wharf
A tradition on Mississippi River steamboats since the 1800s is the Steam Calliope. In the early days of river boating, a shrieking whistle signaled the arrival or departure of a Steamboat. In 1855 inventor Joshua C. Stoddard assembled a grouping of steam whistles controlled by a keyboard mechanism. He named his invention a Calliope. It wasn't long before the Steamboats adopted his invention as accompaniment on their river journeys, entertaining both passengers and passersby on shore. These Steam Calliopes had anywhere between 25 and 67 pipes. Today there are only 4 Steam Calliopes left on boats operating on the Mississippi. The Natchez has a Steam Calliope with 32 notes.
We were delighted that good fortune had us in the vicinity of the Natchez when the Calliope was operated.
Feb 24, 2017 Afternoon
After a lunch of Po' Boys, Jambalaya and Beer at the Jackson Brewery we strolled through the 6 blocks that make up the French Market along the Mississippi River. This is the oldest market in the United States and had it's origins as a Native American Indian trading post before Europeans began colonizing the region. It was established as a market for the colonists in 1791. During the years of the Great Depression of the 1900s the buildings were restored by the WPA.
One of my favorites, BBQ Sauces
I like Oysters, but I'm not sure about Raw.
Hats for everyone
Chatchki!
Why there are beads for sale during Mardi Gras is a mystery!
In our journey through the buildings of the French Market we encountered this lady with dollar bills (and more). I had to ask..... It's a birthday tradition. The birthday girl gets money pinned to her along with a kiss.
Happy Birthday Anonymous Lady
Mardi Gras Mask Market
"Always the weekend before Mardi Gras"
We walked though the Mask Market and admired the colorful hand made masks but did not partake. Some folks pay significant amounts of $$$ for these beautiful pieces of handcraft.
Feb 24 Friday evening Balcony Night Parade Viewing
Tonight we had tickets to the balcony of the Blake Hotel. These tickets cost $250 each for the whole evening but also include an open bar and buffet. The viewing was worth it although there were no seats, we stand along the rail and watch the floats and catch the throws (mostly beads). We could order a cocktail and go to the railing and enjoy both the drink and the parade.
Parade Float viewed from the Balcony
I was impressed by the large number of adult dance teams in all the parades. New Orleans seems to have a lot of dance clubs, many of them with over 100 members. One of them was an all men team wearing denim hot pants. They were the "610 Stompers". Other lady dance teams had some provocative names such as the Camel Toe Lady Steppers, The Pussy Footers and the Cherry Bombs. Here's a video from the balcony of one of the lady dance teams wearing corsets and dancing to non stop choreography:
While standing on the balcony with camera running in my left hand I managed to catch a strand of beads flying from one of the floats with my other hand and caught it on the video as well.
All in a night's work! Catching beads while balancing a drink in your hand takes skill.
