Vintage Treasure Hunting in the Big Easy
Cafe Du Monde is a New Orleans classic with hickory coffee & beignets
Right after Super Bowl LIX, I took a trip to New Orleans, to discover my own vintage treasures along the Bayou. Mardi Gras season was just beginning, and back home my vintage wares shop was doing well. On this trip, not only would I make some great Vintage Finds, but I also made some rather surprising food discoveries.
my first plate of piping hot Gumbo: tasty and promising
It started off with dining at the Cocheron Restaurant and eating some authentic Gumbo, I also took a Food Tour in the French Quarter, with some rather fun travelers, all who were searching for their own favorite tastes and imbibements from the Crescent City. To top my trip off, I was in the hunt to find my favorite Sazerac, in the city that invented that cocktail.
After doing a lot of research and talking to some friends who’d said I would love the photo taking opportunities in New Orleans, I set myself up with 3 nights at my wife’s and my favorite hotel chain, The Hampton Inn - - in the Warehouse district, perfectly located, between the Garden District and the French Quarter, where I would take a food tour, and get to try several amazing foods.
right out the front door of the Hampton Inn
French Quarter Food Tour
Since there are so many types of foods to try in New Orleans, a great way to sample a bunch of them in a short amount of time, is to take a food tour, learn what you can, and then go back to try some of the restaurants suggested, and take deeper cuts with what you liked.
A friend had recommended the French Quarters Best Food Tour: Signature Flavors of New Orleans, which worked out great. We had a superb guide, Kim, who used to be a restaurateur in San Francisco, so we hit it off swell. He and his wife work in the food services here in New Orleans, and really he was just a ham! Fun to follow, told great stories, and provided deeper insights into the history and culinary culture of New Orleans. My tour mates were quite fun also, from all over the country, and we bonded as we ate & walked. Dee & Lizzie hope you guys enjoyed that Blueberry Hill cocktail from Coronet !
Vintage Treasure Hunting
Sophie B. Wright Park: right in the middle of Magazine Street
Coming back to Magazine st, in the Garden district, was like a home coming, I’d been here before, and loved the vintage & boutique vibe here, but then I always feel most at home, amongst artisans, artists, entrepreneurs, and creative people alike. I was looking for inspirations for bags, apparel, even retail themes for my own vintage shop presence in San Francisco.
Century Girl Vintage on Magazine st.
And on my second day of exploring New Orleans, I’d made this all about vintage shopping and trying to locate the specialized fabrics and the sewing part of town. I’d walked all around the Garden District, beginning from my new favorite shop: Chateau Sew & Sew, and hiking over to Mojo Coffee on Magazine st, by way of Coliseum Square Park. Mojo Coffee is run by a spirited bunch who’ll treat you right, with all that Southern Hospitality..
A great way to get around the different districts of New Olreans, is on foot, then you get to see the Antebellum houses, the expansive city parks & luscious tree canopies, distinctive of the American South.
NOLA Vintage Finds: Putting it All Together
I’d discovered Lost and Found in the French Quarter, during the food tour: was so impressed with their vibrant apparel, dresses, hats, bags, sun glasses, you name it.. and the hip ‘Pretty in Pink’ lady working there, loved her job so much, she’s just keeps workin there, she says.. but it made me want to take a piece back of the NOLA vintage & retro experience.. and welcome in the Mardi Gras season as well.
I had been quite lucky on this trip to New Orleans, since I’d found plenty of vintage and Mardi Gras vintage wares to sell at my own Franks Vintage Camera at the Emporium, back home. And Chateau Sew & Sew had set me up with some wonderfully themed New Orleans fabrics, that I’m excited to start constructing some fanny packs, also for my shop. 🧵🪡
Sazerac Quest
The historic Sazerac House on Canal street
Taking the Sazerac Tour at centrally located Sazerac House, really gave me a great background and history on how this cocktail was created, and how it became to be such a staple in the coffee houses of 1850’s New Orleans. The bartender who gave me a sample of her Sazerac mix, also gave me some hints on amounts of using either simple syrup or sugar cubes (which is prefered, since it gives it a richer flavor mixed in with the Rye, and also gives it a more zesty brown color)
The Napoleon House, opened in circa-1914, also has a cozy bar
As I’ve suggested earlier, this whole trip to New Orleans, was taken in the spirit of one big Vintage Treasure Hunt, and that’s included culinary and cocktail treasures as well. It’s always been a desire of mine to travel to New Orleans and explore the city where the Sazerac got its start, and to see how one of America’s earliest cocktail cultures operated. Even during the Food Tour, I was always trying different Sazeracs at every restaurant our amazing guide took us. Kim said.. ‘Awe! I see Sr, you are taking the comparison and contrast approach, and focusing on a single cocktail.’ And he was right, I found my favorite Sazerac at the Napoleon House.
Napoleon House: offical favorite Sazerac
So as with any great trip, I got to come home, and try out many of the things I had sampled and discovered. First order of business: Make my own best version of the Sazerac cocktail in my home bar in San Francisco. Cheers!
