The Blind Pelican, New Orleans

Chargrilled Oysters

The Blind Pelican- New Orleans

We hopped on the St. Charles streetcar and headed for the Garden District. After touring the beautiful estates, we discovered The Blind Pelican while in search of oysters! The Blind Pelican is located at 1628 St Charles Avenue. Walk up the steps into a lively environment with a large bar in the middle of the restaurant and patio seating with a view of St. Charles Avenue. We opted for the open-air patio seating, partly because we are a loud group. Stopping in just for a snack before dinner, we got a little excited about the menu. Never before have I seen alligator hash on a menu! We ordered truffle fries, fried green tomatoes, chargrilled oysters and raw oysters. For some in our group, it was the first time eating a raw oyster. My advice, put lots of sauces on it to ensure it slides down!

Truffle fries

The Blind Pelican has Happy Hour from 4-8 p.m. where you can find $7.50 chargrilled oysters and $3 raw oysters. Nothing goes better with oysters than a beer! The Blind Pelican offers over 30 beers on tap. I recommend the local brew, Abita.

How to eat an oyster~ Oysters should always be served on crushed ice. Hold the shell level so that the juices remain inside and face the smooth part of the shell towards you. You don’t want to put the sharp end in your mouth. Tip the shell and let the oyster and juices slide into your mouth.  Some prefer to chew the oysters while others like to let it slide right down.

Raw oysters

Why eat oysters? Oysters are consumed all over the world. They are organic and super healthy, loaded with minerals, vitamins and nutrients! The benefits of eating oysters are endless. To name a few, oysters can assist with weight loss, boost metabolic activity, increase tissue repair and growth, lower cholesterol levels, reduce blood pressure, improve immune functions, aid in wound healing, improve blood circulation, and increase bone strength to reduce osteoporosis. Did you know that some minerals varieties are in their highest content in oysters?  This is true for zinc, iron, copper, manganese, and selenium. Oysters contain 1500% of the daily requirements of zinc in a single serving. Oysters also have high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which are good forms of cholesterol. Oysters are also a powerful aphrodisiac, but we won’t go into that….

The face right before they go down

It’s All About the Hurricane…

Big East Daiquiris

In planning a trip to New Orleans, I had a list of things to do, foods to eat and sights to see. Of course, everyone mentioned the hurricane! Hurricanes are a sweet, popular alcoholic drink served in New Orleans. You can walk down any street in the French Quarter and see people roaming around with a tall plastic hurricane cup in hand filled with a bright colored slushy drink. Hurricanes are similar to daiquiris and made with rum, fruit juice, and syrup or grenadine. In New Orleans is it legal to walk around with a drink in hand as long as you have a plastic cup or container. The hurricane was created by Pat O’Briens tavern owner in New Orleans back in the 1940’s and became popular with sailors. The name came about from serving the drink in a hurricane-lamp shaped glass.

Big Easy Daiquiris~ The Big Easy Daiquiris have 6 locations in the French Quarter with multiple locations on Canal, Bourbon and Decatur.  Offering 14 flavors, choose from 190 Antifreeze, Margarita, Hurricane, Appletini, Banana, Grape, Jungle Juice, Peach Bellini, Pina Colada, Virgin Peach Bellini, Strawberry, Virgin Strawberry, White Russian, and Sangria. For those of you who aren’t up for the extra sweet drink, The Big Easy Daiquiris also offers a local beer called Abita which is brewed in Abita Springs, Louisiana located 30 minutes outside of New Orleans.

Remember to take fun photos and watch out for the photobombers!

Big Easy Daiquiris