After Endymion, we had dinner at Crescent City Brewhouse with the intention of a foray into the French Quarter, just for the sake of the thing.\u00a0 Once we neared the end of the meal, the travel exhaustion caught up with us, and the adrenaline from the parade wore off, and we decided to head bedward.\u00a0 Needless to say, we all slept like the dead.<\/p>\n
The next morning we woke, nibbled on some breakfast and chatted for a bit, then headed out for some lunch at R&O’s in Bucktown.\u00a0 After starting life as a pizza joint, they eventually blossomed into a fully fledged Italian restaurant, then expanded into poboys, seafood, and other local staples.\u00a0 R&O’s is by far my favorite seafood\/sammich shop in NOLA, with a consistently yummy seafood gumbo — and true to their eclectic form — dynamite tamales.<\/p>\n
After lunch, we did a little shopping for local supplies not easily obtained in Austin: tasso (nobody’s even heard of it here), andouille (a nice hot, but not so hot you can’t taste anything else variety — a concept that seems to escape andouille makers everywhere but in Louisiana), Crystal hot sauce, and honest to goodness King Cakes (12 in all).\u00a0 After stowing it all back with our gear at the house, we left to attend Bacchus.<\/p>\n
Surprisingly, we managed to park about 6 blocks away from Napoleon Ave., and we hoofed it down to meet Lisa, Slinky and relations.\u00a0 We were met there by Scarlett and Nightshade, and Sancho joined in as well.\u00a0 A good time was had by all.\u00a0 Bacchus is still my favorite downtown parade.<\/p>\n
We retreated to our car after the parade, and made a beeline for Lola\u2019s in hopes that they were still open for dinner.\u00a0 Lola\u2019s is a mix of Spanish\/Creole cooking, and they have the best paella dishes EVAR!\u00a0 If you avoid garlic, avoid Lola\u2019s at all costs.\u00a0 It’s a small place, but the food is always consistently wonderful, and any wait to be seated is well worth it.<\/p>\n After dinner, we gathered up our gear, groceries and selves, and got on the road back to Austin.\u00a0 Again, we had a mercifully uneventful drive home.\u00a0 Dropped off the rental car and we all crashed like coma victims in our respective beds.<\/p>\n All in all, it was a good, if short trip, and it scratched the Mardi Gras itch for another year.\u00a0 Until then, I leave you with this gem.<\/p>\n<\/a>
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