When in Nola...

by Sydney Blanchard

Looking back, 2015 was a big year for Bite and Booze. Jay nearly won season 11 of Food Network Star. I became the third member of the team. We all had the chance to travel, eat, and drink all over the country. Not too shabby, right?

Some of the best things we got to eat (and some of the best times we had) were in New Orleans. From sipping cocktails at Compère Lapin to watching Food Network Star at Sac-A-Lait to jamming out at Jazz Fest, we owe New Orleans for some fond 2015 memories.

I've compiled a list of my favorite New Orleans-centric posts from the past year. Hopefully 2016 will bring plenty more New Orleans blogspiration.

Happy Hour at Johnny Sánchez

Al Pastor taco at Johnny Sanchez

"The restaurant, situated in the CBD, resulted from the combined efforts of Chefs Aarón Sánchez and John Besh. Together, the two established a Mexican-style taqueria utilizing the amazing local ingredients available in New Orleans."

Getting festive at Jazz Fest

Crawfish at Jazz Fest in New Orleans

"Thanks to the festival gods, we find ourselves in the midst of crawfish season during Jazz Fest. There's no smell as tantalizing as a fresh pot of boiled crawfish. It's not a five pound tray of crawfish, but it's enough to get a taste."

It's in the stars at Ursa Major

Tuna and peach slice at Ursa Major in New Orleans

"Ursa Major was opened recently by the same people who opened Booty's Street Foods, one of my favorite New Orleans restaurants. But Ursa Major is astrological themed – with each rotation of the zodiac calendar, they switch up their drink list and their menu to items inspired by that zodiac sign."

Not the scary kind of spider at Araña

Queso Fundido at Araña in New Orleans

"Araña is everything I want in a Mexican restaurant. Their presentation is beautiful, the flavors are on fleek, and it’s simply built for a good time."

 Brunch with your buddy Lüke

Tomato salad at Lüke in New Orleans

"Lüke's heirloom tomato salad consists of sliced heirloom tomatoes, garden herbs, burrata, and country ham. Heirloom tomatoes just taste better. In recent years, this non-hybrid tomato has become more readily available, and I can't get enough of them."