Every year my husband and I tack a couple days onto his annual convention and make a little vacation out of it.
The highlight of the trip was our morning coffee at Rouler. I’m pretty sure my IQ is 20 points lower pre-coffee so an excellent Americano can make or break a vacation for me. They made the mornings great, and their incredible buttery pastries were a bonus.
We were full-on tourists our first night and ate at Emeril’s. I had a grape and mushroom salad that was a bit short on grapes (I love roasted grapes, so boo!) and swordfish. Hubby had a craw fish appetizer, and a pork chop. I do not normally take photos of my food when I’m out, but I did this time because I thought this chop was shockingly large.
Neither of us were blown away by the food, but the service was exceptional though. We got help ordering wine (the list was longer than War and Peace) and our waiter was the perfect balance of attentive and unobtrusive.
The next night we found a place called Cellardoor. Hubby had nachos (which turned out to be pork rinds and beans), mussels, a hurricane and bread pudding. I had gumbo, two local beers, and strawberry shortcake. The food was tasty, the room comfortably intimate, and the service friendly. I ended up stuffed and a wee bit giddy from the beer.
We then left New Orleans and headed to Thibodaux where we had a lovely meal at Fremins. I had onion soup, and Red Fish Belle River with pecan wild rice. There were two large lively groups of happy locals that we 
assumed were celebrating Mardi Gras, which I enjoyed being a spectator to. Our waiter was an attentive and friendly young man. The food was good.
After one night in Thibodaux we headed to Oak Alley Plantation. By the second morning my waiter had figured out that I wanted a one egg omelet with no ham, which to me is always a sign that a server cares. We ordered in one night – I had beans and rice, and a salad. 
The true selling point for Oak Alley was the beautiful location though, both as a point from which we explored the area and as the place we relaxed in the evenings.
I picked up two cookbooks at Laura Plantation. At least two of the recipes will get a pass but I really bought them for the history behind the recipes.
Louisiana and New Orleans were a nice visit, but not the foodie heaven I anticipated. We’ve skipped beans since we came home because too many legumes was too, too shocking to our systems. We’ve been back to weeks now though and my upcoming meal plan includes my cheater version of red beans and rice:
Cheaters Red Beans and Rice
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cooked white rice
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1 can kidney beans
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diced onion, celery and carrot
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bacon
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Bullseye chipotle BBQ sauce
Fry the veggies with the bacon. Add the beans and BBQ sauce. Cook until the beans are soft, squish a few. Serve over the rice.
Next year the convention is in Seattle. They have an excellent food scene so I will be reporting on that trip for sure.
Make me eat my words. 