Friday, September 2, 2016
Rode Lyft Line to SFO. Southern Decadence vacation with Danny, Romy, Drew, Phil, Paul, Wayne, Peter, and Charles begins. Pre-breakfast at home: one Granny Smith apple. Rode Lyft Line to SFO: $44.32 which seemed expensive I'm guessing due to it being Labor Day weekend. Breakfast at Extra Virgin Olive Oil: egg and cheese croissant, tap water: $8.90. SFO to IAH (Houston) on UA flight 540. Before the flight left we were warned that they expected the overhead bin space to fill completely and that some carry-on bags would need to be checked. I had chosen an aisle seat, and I think that's why I was in the last boarding group, so I ended up needing to check my bag. At the gate I sadly left my bag, fully expecting it to get lost in the system. We arrived in Houston a little early, so I had about a 2-hour layover. I wanted a slushie and browsed restaurants for slushie machines behind the counter. At La Salsa Pronto I asked what flavor they had, and the woman (my receipt said Rosa A.) responded with a smile, "That's not a slushie," to which I responded with a smile, "That's even better." 12-ounce frozen margarita to go: $6.48. MSY (New Orleans) on UA flight 1131. During travel I watched Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (which I had recently found on iTunes for $6.99 for HD—a steal for this underrated film) and Blade Runner 30th Anniversary Edition, and portions of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Trek (2009), and Star Trek: Into Darkness. No nap while traveling. At MSY I successfully retrieved my bag from baggage claim, then found the Transportation Center across from baggage claim 7 where I ordered an Uber ride. What's not clear about using Uber or Lyft at MSY is that when meeting your ride you must walk about a minute to the parking lot area beyond the Transportation Center. This parking lot area might be partially obscured by large buses or shuttles parked adjacent to the Transportation Center; just walk past them. Uber from MSY to the French Quarter was $33. Because of crowds, I got dropped a block or two from my destination, which was fine. I met the others at the house, then settled, refreshed, and unpacked a bit. Dinner at Muriel's Jackson Square with Paul, Wayne, Peter, Charles, and Romy. We all did the prix fixe menu. Charles had New Orleans seafood gumbo, double-cut pork chop (wood grilled and topped with a Louisiana sugar cane apple glaze, served with pecan candied sweet potatoes and southern style greens), and pain perdu bread pudding (with candied pecans and rum sauce). Peter had New Orleans seafood gumbo, double-cut pork chop (wood grilled and topped with a Louisiana sugar cane apple glaze, served with pecan candied sweet potatoes and southern style greens), and flourless chocolate cake (with crème anglaise and raspberry coulis). Wayne had shrimp and goat cheese crepes (goat-cheese-filled crepes topped with Louisiana Gulf shrimp in a butter cream sauce of chardonnay, onion, tomato and bell pepper), bayoubaisse (shrimp, mussels, jumbo lump crab meat and seafood meatballs tossed with andouille sausage and orzo pasta in a sweet vermouth-tomato broth), and pain perdu bread pudding (with candied pecans and rum sauce). Paul had turtle soup au sherry, bayoubaisse (shrimp, mussels, jumbo lump crab meat and seafood meatballs tossed with andouille sausage and orzo pasta in a sweet vermouth-tomato broth), and flourless chocolate cake (with crème anglaise and raspberry coulis). Romy had a pan-seared crab cake (served with a spring mix, fried capers, and a gazpacho vinaigrette), a side of duck confit fried rice, pan-sauteed salmon (Faroe Islands salmon served on a field pea succotash and topped with Tabasco onion rings), and pain perdu bread pudding (with candied pecans and rum sauce). I had the table d'hôte: New Orleans seafood gumbo, wood-grilled chicken (citrus-brined half chicken served with red bliss potato and tass hash with crispy chick peas and topped with a tomato relish) with a glass of one of the wine pairings (Graffigna Centenario Reserve 2014 Malbec, Argentina), and pain perdu. Everyone loved this meal. Service was very, very good. Six-way split: $76 each after a 20% tip. Separately, Phil, Danny, and Drew visited Sake Cafe with about 22 others to celebrate Lauren's recent graduation. They had sushi, seafood fried rice, squid steak, and chocolate cake. Afterwards we returned to the house. A small parade passed, and many of us received beads and other freebies. We walked Bourbon Street to barhop. Paul stopped at Bourbon Pub and Parade to use his $50 weekend pass while we waited for him outside. Later we found ourselves at Napoleon's Itch because (a) there was no cover, (b) there was almost no line for the bar, (c) they had a great DJ, and (d) they had a fetching bartender named Geoffrey. I met Derek and David. Near midnight everyone got tired and we returned home. To bed by 12:30 am.