The Big Easy.

Ahhh, New Orleans.

It's been a good trip. I got a chance to spend time with the hubs and my big bro. Took in some interesting (and some not-so-interesting) panels/lectures at the ASA, enjoyed the (unexpectedly chilly) New Orleans weather, did some shopping...and ate.....a lot.

My brother and I are planners. Big time. I suppose that's why we both went into anesthesiology. So when we decided to go to this conference together, we took the time to research the food/restaurants in New Orleans...and we made plenty of reservations. Here's a quick recap of what I ate:

Sat night:
late dinner at Cafe Adelaide - Crab & leek bisque, louisiana black drum, some kind of buttermilk-white chocolate bread pudding
Sunday:
Jazz brunch at Commander's Palace - garlic toast, duck and wild mushroom gumbo, eggs couchon de lait (like an eggs benedict over pork), creole bread pudding souffle
Afternoon Tea at the Windsor Court Hotel - this was the absolute highlight of the trip gastronomically for me - tea sandwiches, strawberry walnut scones served with raspberry preserves/lemon curd/clotted cream/vanilla whipped cream, chocolate truffles, dark chocolate dipped strawberries, pecan tarts, fruit tarts, and earl grey tea
Dinner at GW Fins - lobster dumplings, golden beet and arugula salad, chilean sea bass with enoki mushrooms & baby bok choy in hot/sour broth, warm apple pie with vanilla bean ice cream
Monday:
Breakfast buffet at Cafe Adelaide - pretty standard fare
Lunch at Subway - nice change of pace
Dinner at Cochon - fried alligator in chili aioli sauce, paneed pork cheeks, arugula salad with pumpkin calas, ham hock, cochon (that was in a broth with cabbage that made it taste like kimchee-chigae), pineapple upside down cake (cornmeal cake) with coconut-lime sorbet, root beer float (we shared all of that)
Tuesday:
Breakfast at conference
Lunch at August - absolutely amazing. Seriously. Warm bread, heirloom tomato and mozz salad over sweet pea pesto (the mozz was infused with the tomato -- it was unreal), potato gnocchi, louisiana sushi (which I didn't eat, but it looked amazing), jumbo gulf shrimp and okra stew over parmesan risotto, filet of beef with beets, soft shell crab tempura dish, dark chocolate pastry fritters (so yummy) served over plum/blackberry sauce, some sort of orange marmelade and apple butter, trio of sorbets (blood orange, plum and blueberry)
Snack - Beignets and cafe au lait from Cafe du Monde
Dinner - Chicken sandwiches and burgers at Gordon Biersch, which was a welcome change after tons of buttery, heavenly Creole-influenced food

Being pregnant for this trip has had its ups and downs. Ups include eating whatever I want and as much as I want and having an excuse for it. Downs include running to the bathroom every 10 minutes and watching wistfully as everyone else enjoys wonderfully, refreshing looking cocktails.

And now it's back to reality. Sigh.