The Carousel, New Orleans

16-07-201515-07-2015 Local Black Bookbar, cocktails, luxury, New Orleans, quirky, review, The Carousel, USA6 Comments

Cocktails were definitely on the list when in New Orleans. We had a few obligatory Hurricanes, but when we tasted one of those vile grape-flavoured Voodoo-slushie thing, we realised it was time to up our cocktail game.

And that (and my obsession for Pinterest) is how we found the prettiest bar on Earth.
A classy carousel for adults, where you can sit, drink the best cocktails and see the world (or at least the bar) unfold in front of your eyes. It was everything I was longing for.
I could have just stayed there in the doorway staring at this spinning carousel for hours.
Good thing it was rather busy so I get plenty of time to do so! Soon enough, a couple of seats became available and jumped on them!The cocktails are the perfect mix of classic and local. Vieux Carré, Old Fashioned, Sazerac… Taking their roots in old-school, traditional American cocktails, they’re mixed to perfection by the ace bar team. A classy hotel bar without being too stuffy, The Carousel bar was the perfect start to our evening, before we tumbled down to The Preservation Hall for the best of jazz concerts. I don’t have any pictures or videos, but take my word on it and go, go, GO!!

What’s your favourite cocktail bar? Any I should add to my list?

New Orleans Day 2 – Muffuletta, Voodoo and more pretty houses

15-07-201514-07-2015 Local Black BookCentral Grocery, French Quarter, K Paul's restaurant, Muffuletta, New Orleans, pralines, Presbytere museum, travel, travel guide, USA, voodoo museum8 Comments

The best days start with sandwiches. Which in New Orleans means a trip to Central Grocery, home of the original Muffuletta. Italian ciabatta, stuffed with layers upon layers of ham, salami, cheese and olive salad.There are a few seats at the back of the store, from where you can eat your Muffuletta while reading messages left by those before you who did the exact same thing.If you look closely enough, I garantee you’ll find something you can relate to!After this, we were stuffed, but this did not stop us from trying the pralines at the French Market… I mean, we have a different stomach for fudge, don’t we? Wandering back into the French Quarter, we spotted a few more pretty houses, and loads of tiny horses!We made a pit-stop at the Presbytere museum, which had a fascinating exibition on hurricanes and other natural disasters. As well as an entire floor dedicated to the Carnival and associated traditions.After hours roaming the museum, we were back on the (very pretty) street and starting to get hungry…Luckily, we made to K Paul’s right in time!If dinner there can be a rather pricy affair, lunch is a lot more casual and affordable. And very filling indeed!

Having had more than our fair share of fried chicken, gumbo and bread pudding, we were in the mood for some more cultural discoveries so headed to the Voodoo museum.Being just a few rooms big, it’s a fairly small affair, but I discovered a completely new world, full of ghosts and spirits. Spooky!

We topped the day off with more wandering around in the lookout for yet more pretty houses/doors/streets…
We might have considered getting some cake, but settled for cocktails in the most beautiful bar EVER instead… but more on this tomorrow!

Arriving in New Orleans – Beignets, Cocktails and Jazz on Frenchman Street

13-07-201513-07-2015 Local Black BookCafé du Monde, jazz, lafitte, Louisiana, New Orleans, St Louis Cathedral, travel, travel guide, USA6 Comments

We had just arrived in NYC and it was already time for us to pack our bags and head to our next adventure…

Which was all fine by me as we were heading to New Orleans with the firm intention to try all the Creole & Cajun food, drink the best cocktails the city had to offer and listen to the best jazz concerts. Which is pretty much exactly what we did!

We jumped off the plane and onto a bus, and off to Café du Monde we went! Everyone raves about it and I can definitely see why! There isn’t any place better for beignets and café au lait!After dusting the sugar off our clothes, we carried on our way to explore more of the city.Passing by hundred of houses, each as stunning as the next. Stopping by Jackson Square to take a look at St Louis Cathedral…Doesn’t it look like something straight out of a fairytale? The same goes for pretty much every balcony…And the art galleries are not bad either!Having wandered for a little while, we made our way to Bourbon Street, which is the centre of New Orleans’ nightlife. Boozy nightlife, that is. It would just have been rude not to, wouldn’t it?Before staggering (those cocktails are STRONG!) to a night of jazz on Frenchman Street… Not a bad day, New Orleans, not a bad day!