New Orleans.

[Daso]

Apologies if a bit out of the reason for the boards, but I'm down in New Orleans for a few days and wondered if anyone knew of any antique stores that deal with swords. Long shot but thought I'd ask. Thanks, Darius

[Ed]

There are not any shops which deal specifically in Japanese swords, though you might run across the occasional Gunto in some of the antique shops.  Royal St. and Magazine St. both are lined with antique shops. Royal St. is in the French Quarter and runs parallel to Bourbon St. There you will find Keil's Antique shop which was founded in 1899.  Cohens & Sons is a shop you might like, they sell rare weapons, coins, jewelry, etc.. They mostly have antique firearms, but they will likely have some European, French and Spanish swords.  Maybe something Japanese ??  Royal St. is easily walked but Magazine street is several miles long with a hodge podge of shops, some high end some junk. Best to drive Magazine St..

 

Couple of places you must eat, The Acme Oyster House serves of course Oyster's on the half shell, but the best oyster or soft shelled crab Po-Boy you will ever eat.  It is located on Iberville St., located between Bourbon and Royal st..  When you go down Bourbon from Canal St., it is the first cross street, take a right and it is about mid block on the right.  Next for breakfast try "Mother's" on the corner of Poydras and Tchoupitoulas St.  It is where the "Po-Boy" originated.  They serve the best breakfast in town eggs, ham, homemade biscuits and grits.  I know you are from the NY, but don't turn your nose up at grits, order them, try them !!  Salted and full of butter, guarantee you will like them !  The other spot for breakfast or a anytime snack is the world famous Cafe Du Monde.  Coffee Latte and Beignets are there speciality since 1862.  It is located on Decatur St. across from Jackson Square.

 

If you go down Bourbon St. go nearly to the end, at the corner of St. Phillip, visit the pirate Jean Lafitte's Bar.  

 

A word of caution, after dark, stay on the beaten path, do not wander aimlessly about.  Within a few blocks of Bourbon st. are large dangerous housing projects where they will eat your liver !  While in the French Quarter at night keep your wallet in your front pocket, leave purses and jewelry at the hotel.  The Quarter is fun but full of predators, ie; thieves, pickpockets, prostitutes, drug addicts, drag queens, drug dealers.  They are pro's at spotting the inebriated and unaware for their next victim.

[Rich S]

New Orleans is nice, but remember it is also a tourist trap. Antiques prices are sky high (at least were a few years ago). Enjoy the music!

 

Rich

[Jean]

In all cases, try to avoid the one they call the house of the rising sun

[Mark S.]

LOVE N.O.!

 

I will second Cohen's on Royal. I have seen Japanese swords there in the past. Quality and availability is hit or miss. Still a neat shop to look through.

 

Now to food, a muffuletta sandwich from Central Grocery... don't get it anywhere else!!! Get there early before they run out. And the jambalaya at Coop's is to die for!!! Get the one that has 'everything'... with the Tasso and rabbit... The place is a little out of the way (further down the street from Central Grocery) but oh so worth it. Trust me, the place looks like a dive bar, but you WILL go back again and again...

[Mark S.]

Forgot... If you want a fancy dinner, Bayona's on Dauphine is outstanding.

[Mark S.]

Assuming this is your first trip to N.O., when the kids bet you they "can tell you where you got your shoes"... don't take that bet. The answer is "You got your shoes on Bourbon Street" and technically they are right... you got your shoes on Bourbon St right now.

[Ed]

Ha, ha, yeah I forgot to add con artist's.   

 

There are so many good places to eat in NOLA that you could spend a lifetime there just eating.  I will second Central Grocery for Muffuletta.

 

If you want to try Creole try Mandinas.  Some of the best food is found in places you would be scared to go in, but that's NOLA.  

 

If you want to go fancy there is Emeril's Delmonico and Brennans.  Brennan's is world famous and very classy, nice place to take the wife.

[Daso]

Hi All, greatly appreciate the advice. I'm actually visiting a friend in Mandeville right over the ponchratrain bridge. I totally agree anything would likely be a ripoff if it was in an antique store but I figured I'd ask in case there was something interesting lurking about. Advice on food, location and safety greatly appreciated. For a NYC boy, I'm heading to Mississippi tomorrow for a pontoon boat party, talk about being out of my element. Not much on Nihonto but looking forward to the food. Regards, Darius

[JonnyO]

  On 8/27/2016 at 7:32 PM, Ed said:

 It is where the "Po-Boy" originated.  They serve the best breakfast in town eggs, ham, homemade biscuits and grits.

No Central Market mention for a Muffaletta?

[Mark S.]

5 posts up...

[Daso]

  On 9/7/2016 at 7:07 PM, SuriageMachiOkuri said:

No Central Market mention for a Muffaletta?

 

 

Had a bit of a stomach ache due to eating the whole thing, my brother in law lives there. 

[Ken-Hawaii]

Man, if you ate the whole muffaletta, you deserve to have a stomach ache! Those things are huge! Hope you sucked down a brew or two.

 

Just wish we could get them out here in Hawaii.

 

Ken

 

[Brian]

Can someone tell those of us outside of the US what a muffaletta is?

My favorite sandwich ever (and sometimes I think it's the whole reason I went to NY) is a lobster roll from Luke's Lobster in NYC.
We don't get lobster here, and crayfish is crazy expensive here. Second is the King Crab roll.

I love food!

[Ken-Hawaii]

Sure, Brian. Here's central Grocery's recipe:

 

Muffuletta

1 10″ round loaf Italian bread with Sesame seeds My Recipe
1 Recipe Olive Salad
1/4 lb Genoa Salami (Oldani is the best)
1/4 lb Hot Capiccola (you can use regular Ham.)
1/4 lb Mortadella (San Danielle)
1/8 lb Sliced Mozzarella
1/8 lb Provolone

Assembly:
Cut the bread in half length wise.
Brush both sides with the oil from your 1 week old Olive Salad, go a little heavier on the bottom.
Layer half of the Oldani on the bottom half of the bread. Then the Mortadella. Then the Mozzarella, then the Capicola, Provolone, and the remainder of salami. Top this with the olive salad. Put the lid on and press it down without smashing the bread. Quarter it. You’ve just created pure heaven.

Serves: 4 light eaters, 2 hungry hangovers or one bad to the bone eating machine!

 

Very, very tasty!

 

Ken

 

[Ken-Hawaii]

Oh, yeah, here's the recipe for the olive salad, which is a key ingredient:

 

Muffuletta Olive Salad Recipe

1 1/2 Cups Green Olives, Pitted
1/2 Cup Calamatta Olives (or Black) Pitted
1 Cup Gardiniera (Pickled Cauliflower, Carrots, Celery, Pepperoncini)
1 Tbsp. Capers
3 each Fresh Garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/8 Cup Celery, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. Italian Parsley, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. Fresh Oregano or 2 tsp. dried
1 tsp. Crushed red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 Cup Pimientos (Roasted red peppers) Recipe follows
1 Tbsp. Green Onions, thinly sliced
Kosher Salt & Freshly Ground pepper To Taste (salt may not be necessary)

Crush each olive on a cutting board with your hand. Combine all ingredients. Cover with:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil about 1 - 1 1/2 Cups

Put into a bowl or jar, cover and let the flavors marry for about one week.

 

Ken

 

[Mark S.]

  On 9/14/2016 at 9:16 PM, Daso said:

Had a bit of a stomach ache due to eating the whole thing, my brother in law lives there.

Oh... By the way... Never eat a whole one by yourself!

 

Ohhhh... sorry about that... I guess timing is everything.

 

Anyway, I'm extremely jealous and hungry. Nothing better than having a late flight home and bringing one of those on the airplane. The entire plane can smell it.........

[Ed]

Man !  Just saw this and my stomach is growling and mouth watering for one.  Couple of local shops which make a good one, but none seem to touch those from Central Market..

 

My cousin owns a seafood market in NOLA, might be time for a visit.

[Daso]

  On 9/15/2016 at 6:40 PM, Brian said:

Can someone tell those of us outside of the US what a muffaletta is?

My favorite sandwich ever (and sometimes I think it's the whole reason I went to NY) is a lobster roll from Luke's Lobster in NYC.

We don't get lobster here, and crayfish is crazy expensive here. Second is the King Crab roll.

I love food!

Brian,

 

Lukes has an amazing Lobster Roll, but you must visit "Mary's Fish Camp" next time and have theirs,  It's a must have in the NYC Lobster Roll hall of fame

[Daso]

I also Have to say that I miss that Muffuletta,  I just haven't been able to find a truly comparable on here in NYC, but I haven't really tried either.  I've re-learned my lesson, Max half sandwich, no more

[Ken-Hawaii]

Hey, Darius, did you ever find a shop there that sold Nihonto? I lived in NOLA for 10 years, but don't remember any sword shops. And, yeah, I also miss muffulettas! Central Grocery used to ship them via Fedex, but they stopped that a few years ago.

 

Ken

 

[Daso]

  On 9/20/2016 at 6:54 AM, Ken-Hawaii said:

Hey, Darius, did you ever find a shop there that sold Nihonto? I lived in NOLA for 10 years, but don't remember any sword shops. And, yeah, I also miss muffulettas! Central Grocery used to ship them via Fedex, but they stopped that a few years ago.

 

Ken

Hi Ken, I never did and actually stayed with my wife's brother in Mandeville across the pontchartrain causeway. So with limited time in city and vacation mode decided to eschew the sword hunt and just drink and be merryly full of NOLA food ????

[Ken-Hawaii]

Well, you sure picked the right place for food & drink! My wife & I don't miss the weather or the people, but we sure miss the music & the food!

 

Ken