A few weeks ago I took a (very) brief weekend
trip down to the Mississippi Gulf Coast area. One of my planned stops was a side trip to New
Orleans (my first visit in well over seven years). I had originally
planned a trip down to N.O. back in January but I decided to postpone
it. At the time I was going 'meatless' for the month of January
(something I do at the beginning of every new year). There was no
way I was going to New Orleans under any dietary restrictions! My plan was to eat whatever I wanted without a care
about sugar, carbs, fat, or calories before buckling
down and staying focused on my diet.
I decided not to venture to the French
Quarter this time (I didn't have much time and to be honest I wasn't
in the mood to go). I wanted to check out a couple of spots outside
of the downtown area. After checking into my hotel in Biloxi I
made the one hour drive to Metairie to visit Deanie's Seafood.
Because I arrived later than I'd planned I didn't stay for a meal in
the restaurant (it was Sunday evening and the place was packed). One
of my missions on this trip was to load up on fresh shrimp to take
home so I picked up a couple of pounds at the adjacent seafood market
along with some remoulade sauce, crawfish etoufee, crab stuffing and
a pound of boiled shrimp. My first regret: I didn't try the boiled
shrimp until after I had arrived back home. If I had known
how good these shrimp were I would have loaded up! These shrimp were
perfectly cooked and the seasoning was spot on; the best boiled
shrimp I've had in a while and certainly worth the drive. The other
items were just as good and the service was friendly.
The following morning I headed to New
Orleans East to visit Dong Phuong Bakery before making the drive back
to Atlanta. This place had been on my 'to-do' list not only for the
banh mi but for the assorted baked goods as well. The Vietnamese
sausage banh mi I tried did not disappoint. Even though they have several
banh mi options I have yet to sample I'm confident that this particular
sandwich will be the one I always order on subsequent visits. Regret #2: I didn't load up on
Banh Mi/Po Boy rolls to take home with me. The bread was crusty on the outside with a light, airy
interior; the homemade sausage, aioli and
pickled veggies combined to make a great banh mi. I also sampled the grilled pork (which was pretty good) and the toasted shrimp patty banh mi (just 'OK'). I couldn't help but compare them to
the banh mi at my favorite local spot here in Atlanta (Quoc Huong).
I think I prefer Dong Phuong's rolls and prefer Quoc Huong's veggies and aioli (they
put just the right amount of both on each sandwich). You really can't go wrong at either place.
 |
| Vietnamese Sausage Banh Mi lunch in the car before hitting the highway |
I couldn't leave without picking up
some baked goodies to take home. I had to try the Pate Chaud (Pate
So); I opted for the char-siu pork and pork & onion. They were
quite rich but very tasty and a bargain at $1.50 each. I also picked
up a package of sweet little pandan flavored rice cakes and a
pineapple cake bar which I loved. I wish I had time to have lunch in
the adjacent restaurant but I was behind schedule and had to head
home to Georgia. I will definitely make time to dine in on my next
visit.
 |
| Pork & Onion (top) and Char Siu Pork Pate Chaud. So good! |
Before I sign off I have to give a quick plug to Desportes & Sons Seafood Market & Deli in Biloxi, MS. I stopped by to load up my cooler with more shrimp before heading to Dong Phuong. I picked up about three pounds of fresh large head-on shrimp for around $25. The nice young man behind the counter was even kind enough to give me a nice large bag of extra ice for my cooler. If you're ever in the Biloxi area and looking for reasonably priced fresh seafood to take home this is the place to go. They also serve lunch in their restaurant Tuesday-Saturday. I polished off the last of my shrimp haul during my birthday weekend and they were such a treat.
Deanie's Seafood (Bucktown)
1713 Lake Avenue
Metairie, LA 70005
(504)831-4141
Dong Phuong Bakery & Restaurant
14207 Chef Menteur Hwy
New Orleans, LA 70129
(504)254-0214
Desportes & Sons Seafood Market & Deli
1075 Division St
Biloxi, MS 39530
(228)432-1018
No comments:
Post a Comment