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Instead of our typical trip to Vegas to celebrate our delayed Anniversary, Mother Dear gave us the chance to explore a long dreamed of locale, NOLA. We had an almost perfect trip and New Orleans is all it’s purported to be. All of the downsides to any large city exist, but are clearly outmatched by the upsides. And then there is the food, my GOD, the food. We ate ourselves stupid, and regretted it a couple of times immediately afterward. But looking back, I wouldn’t have skipped anything.
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. |
Having had a real Muffaletta, it was time to experience a Po’boy, or
some of them. We thought we were going to create a back-to-back
direct taste test between two shops, one in which we could pick a
favorite. We ordered the specialty of the house at both and they
were so different, there is just no comparing them, there is no
favorite, maybe a load more po’ boys at each place would allow
someone to pick. |
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You can’t throw a stick without hitting a place serving po’ boys, but we stuck with our two original touristy options, Domilise’s and Mother’s. Still tasting Domilise’s we got to Mother’s. It’s right downtown, is much larger and more active than Domilise’s. We saw a shrimp po’ boy at Mother’s and it looked fantastic, but like I said, we were here for their signature sammitch (or 2) and instead ordered the Ferdi special and the debris. They’re similar, the debris has debris, the Ferdi is also topped with debris but has layers of ham and roast beef. Both are dressed. Domilise’s: lettuce, pickle, mayo, hot sauce and ketchup. Mother’s: shredded cabbage, pickles, mayo, Creole mustard and yellow mustard.
So different, but both are clearly born from decades of perfecting
the medium and so both are excellent.
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The sign hanging outside claims the world’s best ham. I pulled some
out of the Ferdi, I’m going to disagree. Doesn’t matter, it has
debris. First off, if you’re from other parts of the world, you
aren’t pronouncing it correctly. It’s called dāy-brēē. It is your
grandmother’s slow roasted beef hacked apart and returned to it’s
own cooking juices. Season right up to the line of salty and pile
onto Leidenheimer’s which does an even more incredible job absorbing
but somehow containing the rich juicy fabulousness. Crunchy cabbage,
both mustards, a little sharp pickle, incredible. Po’ boys all
around, I wish I’d had a month just to try different options. |
Day-Bree, Day,ya,ya Bree, Sammitch Come & Me Gotta Go Eat |
These Ribbons Are Delicious |
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Ratings | |||||||
Food |
Service |
Ambiance |
What's Best |
What's Worst |
Overall |
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A- | B | B | A | N/A | A- | ||
Debris |