NOLA-ing: 2 of My Favorite Things

 

Last Saturday, after visiting Velvet, we made the trip back to Palmer Park to visit the Arts Market. We parked by Stuart Hall and walked to the market. Normally, we would go nuts at a market like this. I wanted to buy the swamp scene painting, the serving boards, and the silly little stuff that goes around the house. I know Cristina was thinking the same thing. Only one thing was stopping us: our upcoming wedding. That and the fair was about to close and we had noticed that they had food. Art could wait for the next fair at the end of the next month; today our taste buds and stomachs had to come first.

 

 

I had a pocketful of lactose pills ready to work if called upon. And called upon they were. I had to have a crepe from Crepe A La Carte. More specifically, I had to have a bacon and cheddar crepe. I had eaten lunch just a short while earlier, but my body was telling me I had to have this. While watching the guys make my crepe, I kept thinking that Curtis Stone and Bobby Flay could have saved NBC a lot of money by just choosing this as the next big thing. Crepe drive thru restaurants  would replace Taco Bell’s across the land as the go to meal after a night out of partying.

 

The crepe didn’t disappoint. Nice and savory, it was the perfect food on this perfect of afternoons. The only problem was that I was really full and couldn’t eat a sweet one.  Well, I could have, but I promised myself I wouldn’t commit the deadly sin of gluttony in 2011 as much as I did in 2010 However, I did need something to wash it down. So I turned around and ordered a watermelon lemonade from the juice stand behind me. I’m not sure I could do that job. They make the lemonade fresh right in front of you. They crush the watermelon and leave the seeds in. I’ve had more expensive drinks in my life but I’ve never had a mixoligist work as hard as these guys did.

 

 

Cristina, meanwhile, opted for the fish plate. As a side, she went with the rosemary, parmesan, and garlic  fries from The Fry Bar. The fries were amazing.  They told Cristina they were  only doing markets and other events until they can find a place to suit their needs.  Here’s hoping they find a place soon.   Cristina was sharing but it was the kind of sharing that lets the other person know that while they are welcomed to as many fries they want they better watch the number of fries they take. Eric and Vinnie, starving from their moonlighting as baristas at Velvet, met us next to the food booths. They ordered the same thing as Cristina but also a Couchon de Lait poboy from another stand. Lucky for me, they ordered two order of fries and it was too much for them. I, being the helpful soul I am, took on the burden of relieving them of their fries. The watermelon lemonade was long gone now so I needed something else to wash the fries down. The Plum Street snowball booth came to the rescue.

 

We parted ways to head out to Caesar. I’m that rare exception of a native south Louisianan who doesn’t really care for Mardi Gras. I don’t have a problem with it except the crowds. However, I do like to go to a couple every year. It also helps that I teach at a local high school and our kids were marching in the parade. We were meeting friends for supper after so we caught the parade in the beginning. Unfortunately, our school had three groups marching, and they were all marching separately. Why? God only knows. It was worth it though to see some of our students faces when we were screaming out their names. It’s always the little things, you know.