It was our first trip, so it was a touristy trip. We tried the things you see on tv over and over instead of trying to find hidden gems. Especially shocking was how good SO MANY of the classics turned out to be. Only twice was I disappointed, and by disappointed I mean the place was only good. Much more often I was surprised by how much better the place was than expected, a rare treat repeated and repeated in the Crescent City. If you are from our neck of the wood, or anywhere else than NOLA, it is a completely different world, and one worth experiencing for multitudinous reasons. Vegas is a different world but it is a calculated and manufactured experience, New Orleans has evolved in a storied and historic manner into what it is, you can feel it everywhere you go. Nothing like it.      True Dat.
 

Lüke
 New Orleans, Louisiana        Date of Visit  12/15/15            http://www.lukeneworleans.com

Our second Besh experience was for breakfast. Located downtown in the business district, it is filled with suits and is suited for that crowd in adornment and service. It’s professional, southern, mildly paced and friendly. We ordered the fried chicken biscuit sandwich, the omelet of local crab and the shrimp and grits. The biscuit didn’t seem special in anyway and the chicken was dry. Meh.
 

It was served with a Tabasco honey which made everything taste better and added a little moisture. It was served with McEwen grits, which were a glorious example of the use of butter and the skill required to create southern staples. I’ve had grits here and there, but only at the hands of someone with a drawl have they ever been something I would try again. I would always order them at Lüke, textured corniness studded with high fat butter and a little salt, they are beautiful.
 

I’ve never had a crab omelet, didn’t think you would taste much crab, but even with the house made cheese and the wild mushrooms you could taste the sweet crustacean. The eggs themselves were the perfect French omelet (except they were stuffed instead of sliced and filled) thin, rolled, without a speck of brown blemishing the creamy yellow surface. It was served with a mixed green salad with the lightest dressing of vinaigrette, a perfect accompaniment.
 

I ordered the serious gut bomb of the trio, shrimp and grits. Heavy like cassoulet is heavy. A heavy paste of jalapeno cheese grits are topped with a seriously luscious brown gravy studded with big chunks of andoulille sausage and huge Louisiana shrimp and then topped with two runny eggs. I thought I had tried good shrimp and grits before, I didn’t know they could be elevated into something like this, extraordinary.
 

I had heard Sean Brock talk about the smokiness of Allan Benton's Bacon, it was available and to call it simply smoky is an understatement. Leave the bellies in the smokehouse 3X as long and then take deep drags on an unfiltered Lucky Strike while chewing and you’d be close. It is unique bacon that works, even at that level of intensity. We got a serving of hot and crispy thinly cut pommes frites. Don’t know why. Didn’t seem to come with any of our dishes according to the menu. Every table seemed to have them. New advertisement…Come to Lüke, every breakfast now comes with French fries. What’s wrong with that? They go great with the gravy from the top of the glorious shrimp and grits.