{"id":3521,"date":"2012-03-27T22:39:01","date_gmt":"2012-03-28T05:39:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/?p=3521"},"modified":"2018-10-13T22:50:18","modified_gmt":"2018-10-14T05:50:18","slug":"beignets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/2012\/03\/27\/beignets\/","title":{"rendered":"Beignets"},"content":{"rendered":"

When it comes to food and travel, whenever possible I like to eat where the locals eat, tourist traps rarely have the best food.\u00a0I have also come to believe that Alton Brown<\/a> will never steer me wrong when it comes to food.\u00a0Both of those rules turned out to be true on this my trip to New Orleans.<\/p>\n

I didn’t have a big list of things to do in New Orleans because I was bringing my homework along with me (yeah, this girl knows how to par-tay<\/em>), but I was not going to leave that city without tasting a beignet.<\/p>\n

World famous fried dough, topped with powdered sugar, and served up with cafe au lait? Carbs on top of \u00a0deep-fried carbs? Served with coffee? What’s not to love? \u00a0That was definitely first on my list.<\/p>\n

The first name in beignets, is Cafe du Monde<\/a>. It’s world famous. Mention New Orleans, and people who have never set foot in Louisiana will tell you to go to Cafe du Monde. \u00a0I was going to Cafe du Monde if it was the only thing I did in New Orleans.<\/p>\n

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Luckily it wasn’t the only thing I did in New Orleans.<\/p>\n

My friend, Jen, did her homework before our trip, including watching The Best Think I Ever Ate: New Orleans.\u00a0“We have to go to Cafe Beignet<\/a>!”<\/em> She insisted. “Alton said it was the best thing he ate in New Orleans.”<\/em><\/p>\n

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How lucky I am to travel with someone like Jen who can straighten me out on these things – I might have missed Cafe Beignet altogether.<\/p>\n

Hidden away amongst antique shops and art galleries in the French Quarter, I might have stumbled across this little gem, but I might have also been saving up my caloric allowance for the beignets at a shop with more name recognition. How sad that would have been.<\/p>\n

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I would have missed this lovely french cafe, with it’s menu that goes well beyond pastries, jazz from the street musicians wafting in on the breeze, the cobblestone floors, and the charming little birds that flitted around as we ate.<\/p>\n

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I would have missed the subtle flavor and delicate texture of these little pillows of heaven.<\/p>\n

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I fully intended to get a shot of these as they were delivered – both times we visited – but it just didn’t happen. I dug in. Yum.<\/p>\n

We hadn’t even finished the first beignet when we decided we needed to hit Cafe du Monde as well – same day – so we could do a little comparison.\u00a0Also, so we could have more beignets and coffee (but lets just keep that between us, ok?)<\/p>\n

We had to walk several blocks farther, through Jackson Square, to get to Cafe du Monde. Surely that was enough walking to burn off all those carbs… No?<\/p>\n

Cafe du Monde was a completely different environment.<\/p>\n

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It was packed, there were street musicians as well, right next to the table seating, but the music that pulsed in was more aggressive and in your face (perhaps intended to keep customers from lingering too long?). \u00a0Pigeons dive-bombed tables, and snacked fearlessly from tables in the middle of this crowded restaurant.\"beignets\"<\/p>\n

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The food the server plopped down in front of us was a little different as well.<\/p>\n

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The beignets were hard, and flavorless.<\/p>\n

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But at least they had sugar. A lot of sugar.<\/p>\n

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Once we finished eating the beignets, there was a good 4 ounces of sugar still left on the plate. Thank goodness we decided to share that order.<\/p>\n

I will say in Cafe du Monde’s favor, that I preferred their coffee.<\/p>\n

\"beignets-and-coffee\"<\/a><\/p>\n

But for beignets, (and other foods, we found out at later visits), and ambiance, I’d recommend Cafe Beignet over and over again.<\/p>\n

Alton Brown was right. So was the Concierge. Thanks, Jen.<\/p>\n

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