Part two of our New Orleans trip (including best New Orleans restaurants–Take 2)

After we had brunch at The Court of Two Sisters, we walked around for a bit and then headed back to the hotel for a nap.  Andrew told me to be ready to go by 5:00, he had another surprise for me before dinner.  Once we were ready to go, we got in a cab and headed to Jackson Square.  There, we got on a horse and carriage (Andrew knows I LOVE horses), and did a quick little tour of the French Quarter.

After the tour, we walked into Jackson Square and that’s where Andrew proposed to me!!

It was very romantic and SO unexpected!! There was a group of women behind us that squealed when they saw him go down to one knee.  They took pictures of us while Andrew proposed, then came by afterwards to congratulate us and we asked them to send us the pictures! Little do I know my brother had been stalking us and taking pictures, until he popped out of a bush with his camera and came to hug us after the proposal.  We were all so excited, and agreed we needed a cocktail before heading to dinner.

Andrew said he knew the best place to go. We ended up going to Arnaud’s French 75 Bar (my favorite cocktail), who coincidentally was just nominated as a semi-finalist for a James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar Program. Another surprise was lined up for me there: not only were my parents there, but his parents were there too!! It was a very emotional and exciting reunion for all of us.

After more celebrating, we walked over to dinner at K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen.  If you want to enjoy high end traditional cajun food, this is the place to go.  Andrew and I decided to share the surf and turf (our first meal as an engaged couple!), served with blackened Louisiana Drum stuffed with crab, and a delicious and juicy steak.

We had the best time at dinner, then headed to the casino to meet up with the rest of the friends that came along on the trip.  It was such a fun and memorable night filled with many congratulations and a lot of love and laughs.

The next morning we ventured to Cafe Du Monde.  I didn’t realize how popular it is and how long the lines are!! Luckily the line doesn’t take long and we were able to enjoy some pillowy soft, powdered sugar coated beignets and some incredible coffee.  I think my favorite thing was to dunk the beignet into my coffee and then shove the beignet into my drooling mouth.

After breakfast, we walked around the French Quarter for a while and checked out stores and little bars while we enjoyed some hand grenades.

We then took a cab over to St. Charles Avenue to check out some of the historic homes.  Unfortunately, the trolley or street car route was under renovation or construction, so we weren’t able to do the tour that way, but we were able to walk around which was nice.  After looking at homes for a while, we decided to go to the aquarium before getting ready for dinner.

For dinner, we went to SoBou, rated as One of the 25 Most Important Restaurants of 2013 by Zagat. It’s a “Louisiana-centric and street food inspired restaurant with a beverage focus,” and it was awesome. Walking into the restaurant is a treat, with all the clear apothecary bottles lit up and down the walls of the restaurant.

Andrew and I started by sharing the Shrimp & Tasso Pinchos, served atop grilled pineapple and pickled ghost pepper jelly.  My mom ordered the Sweet Potato Beignets, served with foie gras fondue, duck debris, and chicory coffee ganache.  They were incredible!

During this whole weekend, I took every opportunity I could to enjoy some gumbo or jambalaya.  The gumbo here at SoBou was probably the best I had this weekend, served with fluffy smashed Creole new potatoes.

One of the more memorable dishes at SoBou was the Zwolle Hog’s Head Tamale.  Think slow smoked Louisiana hog over soft tamale made from the smokehouse renderings, and topped with chicharrón or pork crackling.  Don’t knock it till you try it, it was truly delicious.

One of the other highlights of the night was the SoBou Surf n Turf.  It includes 24 hour smoked cochon de lait (suckling pig), Louisiana crispy oysters, pickled vegetables & grilled tortillas. Imagine build your own tacos, with the perfect amount of crunch, and surprisingly, the pork and oysters paired together goes really well!

Lastly, Andrew and I shared one of their nightly specials, Black Drum (we were on a kick) served with a flavorful broth along with mushrooms and kale.  It was light and delicious, a perfect way to end a day (or I guess weekend) packed with food and alcohol!

I couldn’t have asked for a more special/memorable way to get engaged and celebrate my 30th birthday.  I really can’t wait to go back to New Orleans to see what else the city has to offer.