New Orleans Cuisine: Stanley, Vom Fass, and La Divina Gelateria

Seldom do I post to Clearly Delicious about foods that are not of my own cooking.  But there are those spectacular times when I run across cuisine, or restaurants that are so noteworthy, I cannot help but be stunned by their quality and their extraordinary culinary sights.  During a wonderful 24 hour visit to New Orleans, I experienced one of the most delicious, sensational experiences I've ever had in a city--rich, southern breakfast food, hand crafted gelato, imported and infused olive oils and vinegars.  A really incredible trip.

Below are photo highlights that I took along the way in all of my touristy glamour.  Many thanks go out to Mike Agan and John Browning for being such unbelievable hosts and whose enthusiasm and willingness to act as tour guides could not be more appreciated!

After going to the "Bourbon and Burlesque" fundraiser for the Contemporary Arts Saturday night, John, Mike, Bruno, Lydia, Jeramey, and me were in desperate need of delicious New Orleans hangover food.

First stop: Brunch @ Stanley: 

We gorged on eggs benedict and "eggs stanley"....

 but perhaps best of all was Mike's banana french toast...yum, yum.

During a not-so-quick visit to The Kitchen Witch--a bookstore that specializes in used cookbooks and opened after Hurrican Katrina as a way to "help the city rebuild"--I found an out of print copy of the 1971 edition of River Road Recipes, a regional cookbook on Louisiana cuisine.  Everyone should have a copy of this book.

THEN...oh THEN...my favorite and very possibly most ridiculously spent visit to this incredible business called Vom Fass.  There are only 4 in America (1 of which is in New Orleans), 250 worldwide, and the business specializes in handcrafting vinegars and oils ("fruit vinegars and exquisite oils").  Mike took me there as a surprise, and boy was it.  After dropping a little too much money on fancy jars and fancy oils and vinegars--see upcoming recipes for "extra virgin olive oil with basil" and with "orange," "truffle oil" and "waldburg balsam with Honey" and "balsamic vinegar with dates"--I made new friends and took these fantastic photos:

And finally, the last and possibly second-favorite stop: gelato at La Divina, a Gelateria on Magazine St.  Here, they make hand-crafted gelato with the craziest flavors--"Chocolate Azteca" (a chocolate gelato with cayenne), "Blueberry Basil," "Sorbetto di Limone" (a coconut lime gelato), "Honey Sesame Goat's Milk," and "Strawberry Balsamic Sorbet" were some notable flavors.

I said it before and I'll say it again: I cannot thank Mike Agan and John Browning for being such wonderful hosts during a very quick, but fantastic 24 hour visit to New Orleans.  I felt like a spoiled girl of 14 eating delicious food and going to specialty shops.  It was just too much fun!

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