Vietnamese New Year!

In honor of the Vietnamese New Year I wanted to post quite a few photos of incredible Vietnamese cuisine from all over the city!

Above is a beautiful bowl of pho from Singleton's (a spectacular corner store in the Black Pearl). Their Pho is a bit on the peppery side, but still phenomenal (or shall I say pho-nomenal! sorry...had to!).

 

This fabulous beverage is from Pho Orcid in Metairie. This Egg-Cream-esque drink is an exquisite combo of condensed milk and soda water. Stir it all together and viola! delicious drink!

Aside from their large list of fantastic drinks, Pho Orchid serves up a lot more than just pho!

Their egg rolls and Banh Mi were good, but not as fabulous as what you'll find in the East or on the West Bank, but great Vietnamese fare for Metairie. The pork itself in both was delicious, but the Banh Mi was very under-dressed, leaving pat'e and aioli to be desired. 

Last, but certainly not least is one of my absolute favorite places to get pho (Aside from Pho Danh 4 and Pho Nola of course!). Below is a photo of probably the best pho broth I have ever had. Granted, I was a bit inebriated at the time, but I remember it being out of this world! You can get this alluring bowl of soup late into the evening down the Street from Mimi's in the Marigny at the Lost Love Lounge Vietnamese Kitchen. I originally was obsessed with going here because they used to be called "Pho King" (say that one 3 times fast)! 

Though I am quite disappointed with the name change, their pho more than made up for it (plus the karaoke... oh ya, karaoke! Its awesome). 

Like Pho Orchid, their pho was not nearly as mind blowing (or cheap) as what you'll find in the East or in the Wank, but still pretty good (and definitely awesome in the middle of the night).

So in summation, Tet (the Vietnamese New Year) was yesterday, Vietnamese food is incredible (and my favorite), and its Tuesday- So go get yourself some pho/banh mi/ and spring rolls and celebrate the Year of the Dragon!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Underdogs

It's day 4 of Po Boy week and the heat is on. After much anticipation I will finally share my secret spot for cheap, delicious, ENORMOUS po boys! Get ready for it... Louisiana Discount Market, located on the corner of Louisiana and Carondolet, this joint is only blocks from me and fantabulous. The Hot Sausage po boy pictured below literally was about a foot and a half and cost me $4.45, FOR REAL! These babies are not only super cheap and HUGE, but also really tasty!

New Orleans is one of the few places where you can not only find edible food at Convenient Stores, but also some really spectacular grub sometimes. Stores like Verti Mart are well respected in the quarter as New Orleans staples, serving up all the local authentic cuisine with a tiny price tag attached. However, many of these gems don't get the kind respect they deserve (like Louisiana Discount Market). Their food is fresh and delicious and always made to order. It took almost twenty minutes to get the po boy pictured below because they fried the fresh (raw) catfish right when we ordered it.

One of my favorite po boys to get at my neighborhood market is the shrimp po boy. This baby is under 5 bucks and comes piled high with tons of crispy fried shrimp. Of course, with the lower price comes cheaper, smaller shrimp, but it still makes for a fabulous sandwich (especially when they pour on some Crystal hot sauce, which they always do).

Of course, I must admit that it is not my favorite fried shrimp po boy in the city. I've been hearing a ton of feedback about where to get the best po boy in town, and a bunch of folks have said Guy's (for their fried shrimp/catfish in particular).

I would have to agree with that opinion. Guy's really does make a phenomenal shrimp po boy. You couldn't feed an army with it like the one above, but it can make one lucky person VERY VERY happy.

I do also have to mention another corner store that is truly out of this world. Singleton's Mini Mart located in the Riverbend area is tucked away behind houses and yards, but is truly a diamond in the rough. This corner store serves up po boys and vietnamese food on saturdays, with a lovely selection of messy, asian style pork po boys.
Smothered in delicious sweet asian sauces, this pork is truly heavenly. They have a chinese style pork as well as a vietnamese style, and I honestly don't know which I like better. Definitely one of the best corner stores I have ever been too. Finger lickin good po boys and super friendly service.

Definitely check it out if you haven't already!