EIGHT GREAT THINGS

We’ve all done it. We’ve all hated it. We love visiting New Orleans, but that drive home is the worst. That five-hour drive each way can now be replaced by a 58-minute non-stop flight on GLO from Shreveport Regional Airport to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. From the airport in New Orleans, you’re a quick shuttle or cab ride to the French Quarter, Magazine Street, Frenchman Street, the Garden District or anyone else in the Crescent City. GLO offers twice daily flights Monday – Friday and one daily on Saturday and Sunday. No charge for bag fees, no charge for seat selection, GLO is the perfect way to get to New Orleans.

When you go: FlyGlo.com

Dauphine Orleans Hotel This boutique hotel features buildings that date back to the early 19th century with classic New Orleans architecture where guests can take advantage of a quiet and relaxing stay, all while being just a short walk to the New Orleans streetcar lines, Bourbon Street and the Mississippi riverfront. The hotel is within easy reach to major New Orleans attractions, Central Business District, Mercedes Benz Superdome and Morial Convention Center. Guests are welcomed to the Dauphine Orleans Hotel with a complimentary beverage at the bar, May Baily’s Place, once a bordello in the former Storyville district of New Orleans. There have even been a few reports of supernatural guests stopping by for a visit. Guests enjoy complimentary deluxe continental breakfast, Wi-Fi access, inroom bottled water and local calls during their stay.

When planning your next trip, visit neworleanshotelcollection.com/big for special pricing discounts.

SALON by Sucré This relatively new French Quarter restaurant is tucked away above Sucré’s sweet boutique on Conti Street. The elegant furnishings provide a modern look in a historic building. The atmosphere here is sophisticated and very inviting. The menu offers savory and sweet options, all available to be paired with wine from their extensive wine collection, or with a crafted cocktail from the bar. We dined on the prime flat iron steak, served with confit fingerlings, chimichurri hollandaise, along with the grouper, served with couscous, sweet potato, and brussels. For dessert, we had the molten chocolate soufflé. As with any soufflé, plenty of notice had to be given of our selection, but the wait was absolutely worth it. The best soufflé I’ve ever enjoyed.

When you go: RestaurantSalon.com

Napoleon House This restaurant is a 200-year-old landmark in that it’s as casual and unique as its French Quarter surroundings. The building’s first occupant, Nicholas Girod, was mayor of New Orleans from 1812 to 1815. He offered his residence to Napoleon in 1821 as a refuge during his exile. Napoleon never made it, but the name stuck, and since then, the Napoleon House has become one of the most famous bars in America, serving some of the best food you can find anywhere. Famous for many items on their menu, the muffuletta is a Napoleon House signature that pays homage to the Italian immigrants who first opened grocery and deli stores along the riverfront of the French Market in New Orleans. Nearly a dozen different type of po’boy sandwiches are on the menu including grilled alligator sausage and fried shrimp. There’s also a nice collection of desserts. A visit to Napoleon House wouldn’t be complete without a Pimm’s Cup. It’s done right there every time, as it’s been on the menu since the 1940s. If you’d like a tour of the historic building when you visit, ask for the manager, Chris Montero. He’ll be happy to show you around this gem in the French Quarter.

When you visit: napoleonhouse.com

Antoine’s Celebrating their 175th anniversary, that makes Antoine’s the oldest French-Creole fine dining restaurant in New Orleans and the country’s oldest family-run restaurant. Knowing that, it’s no surprise how well

taken care of guests are while dining in one of their ten dining rooms. From appetizers like Huitres en coquille a la Rockefeller – Louisiana Gulf Oysters baked on the half shell with the original Rockefeller sauce created by Antoine’s in 1889 to entrees like Chateaubriand – grilled center cut tenderloin of beef for two, served with potatoes, sauteed mushrooms, and Antoine’s Marchand de Vin and bearnaise sauces to their world famous dessert Omelette Alaska Antoine – their very special signature dessert, filled with vanilla ice cream with pound cake on the bottom and egg white meringue on top flambéed on the outside to perfection, there really is something for everyone on their menu.

When you go: antoines.com

Brennan’s Celebrating their 70th anniversary this year, Brennan’s is a New Orleans institution. The original Brennan’s, opened in 1946, and has recently emerged from an extensive renovation that spared no effort or expense by new co-owners Terry White and Ralph Brennan. The updated space features eight glamorous dining rooms, each steeped in New Orleans architecture and ambiance, celebrate the opulence of dining in a city where breakfast revelry is taken as seriously as a decadent dinner.

Acclaimed Chef Slade Rushing’s menus are rooted in Creole traditions and are bolstered with contemporary New Orleans influences. Brunch offerings include Eggs Hussarde, which is a Brennan’s original, housemade English muffins, coffee cured Canadian bacon, hollandaise, marchand de vin sauce and Rabbit Rushing which is fried Mississippi rabbit, creamed collards, eggs over easy, pickled pork jus. You can’t have breakfast at Brennan’s without enjoying an order of Banana’s Foster. Created at Brennan’s in the 1950s, this version of the popular dessert is the best around and the signature dessert for brunch or dinner.

When you go: brennansneworleans.

com

Court of Two Sisters The legendary jazz brunch hosts an

extensive selection of hot and cold dishes available each day. Only the freshest ingredients are used, so the buffet’s selections change according to season and time of day. Eggs any style, made to order omelets, Eggs Benedict and turtle soup are served all day. In the morning, you can expect hot selections like sausage, ham, bacon, hash browns and grits and grillades. The afternoon sampling includes Creole jambalaya, duck a l’orange, shrimp etouffee, barbecue pork ribs, chicken and andouille gumbo, catfish roulade and a collection of vegetables and side dishes.

The cold buffet is a creative sampling of boiled shrimp with choices of traditional cocktail or Creole remoulade sauces, seafood and pasta salads, ceviche, pâtés, cheeses and a variety of fresh fruit. Even with breakfast, you need dessert, and there are plenty from which to choose: pecan pie, homemade French vanilla ice cream, king cake, Bananas Foster and their famous Courtyard Bread Pudding with whiskey sauce. Enjoy these delectable offerings all while enjoying the sounds of a live jazz trio. You have the option of dining inside or outside in their French Quarter courtyard.

When you go: courtoftwosisters.com

Haunted History Tours Whether you believe in ghosts or not, the tours offered by Haunted History Tours are perfect for anyone who wants to learn more about the spectacular history of the Crescent City. They offer a variety of tours like a Cemetery History Tour, French Quarter Ghost & Legends Tour, Vampire Tour, Garden District Ghost Tour, New Orleans Scandal Tour and the New Orleans Voodoo History Tour. With so many options, everyone can find a reason to take one of these great tours. Even if you’ve taken one of these tours before, different historic stories are told on each tour, so you’re likely to learn something new each time.

When you go: hauntedhistorytours.

com