A few weeks ago, Air Tran sent me an email offering me a $64 fare (each way) to New Orleans. I had wanted to visit my brother all summer, but each time I checked, the fares in the $400 range. As soon as the email hit my inbox, I was on the phone with my brother, who was happy to have me, just worried about feeding me as he doesn't keep a kosher home.
He need not have worried. We dined very well in New Orleans, a city that prides itself on its cuisine - a very Jewish attitude. My first day, we went to lunch at the Kosher Cajun New York Deli. Kosher Cajun is a bookstore, deli, and kosher grocery under one roof. The atmosphere is grocery store with tables, but if you're hungry, you're hungry.
I ordered a Ruben Sandwich (hot corned beef on rye with Russian dressing and sauerkraut). My brother had just corned beef, and his friend Edmund had a Grilled Boneless Chicken Breast. The corned beef was sliced just right and arrived warm and fragrant. The sandwich wasn't as thick as you get in New York, but, hey, it must cost them a fortune to bring the corned beef down there. The chicken sandwich was moist and tender, and everyone was happy.
Kosher Cajun also had an extensive wine and kosher liquor section, including a $180 bottle of imported French brandy I'd never seen before. And be assured, New York is only the name of the place. This is New Orleans, and the decor is pure LSU purple and gold. You can pick up Saints and Hornets kippot by the register. My husband was thrilled because I picked up kosher beef jerky made by RJ's Kosher Jerky in California. He's been longing for it for years, and I had to go to New Orleans to find it.
The only disappointment was they only prepare authentic New Orleans dishes - gumbo, jumbalaya, red beans and rice - for special orders and for a minimum of 20 people for $120. My brother promised that the next time I visit, he'll have a party and order in.
In the evening we went to Casablanca, a higher end Moroccan restaurant. People on koshernola.com complain that Casablanca is expensive, but it was not any higher than nice places in other cities and way less than we paid in New York. Edmund began his meal with mushroom soup, which was a brown, clear broth filled with mushrooms. My brother has had a phobia about mushrooms since he was a small child, but he no longer cries and pitches a fit when they appear on the table. He was patient while Edmund enjoyed his soup and relieved when they took the bowl away. Philip and I both had Chicken Marrakech - a boneless breast marinated in herbs and grilled. Edmund had Fish Tangine. The meals came with a salad. Philip and I had mixed vegetables as a side dish, and Edmund had Moroccan rice, which was rice with middle eastern spices. The portions were large, and everything was fresh. We all enjoyed our meal. Our young Russian waitress was attentive and friendly. But everyone I met in New Orleans was friendly. Maybe all the grouchy people left during Katrina and didn't come back.
Both restaurants were clean and not the kind of places I had to cringe when I went in with people who didn't have to eat at a kosher restaurant. In fact, Philip said that after eating there a few months ago with my brother-in-law, he went back to Casablanca himself just because he liked the food.
Next time, it'll be home in Philadelphia.
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