WHAT’S IN A NAME? According to one tour guide, New Orleans is known as “The Big Easy” because the cobblestone streets were built on soft earth that bulges and dips. Like the buckled and bent streets, the New Orleans traveler can get the most out of the city by going with the flow.
Best Dinner: Oysters at Borgne Borgne, a specialty seafood establishment by James Beard Awardwinning chef John Besh and chef Brian Landry, can be found on the ground floor of the Hyatt Regency, just a skybridge walk from the Hyatt House. It may seem odd to claim that when put to the pallet, Borgne’s oysters outperform those of Vitascope Hall or Peche—after all, they are locally sourced from the same ocean a few miles away, right? True, but the Oysters at Borgne are grown on raised platforms, which gives them cleaner, BORGNE 601 Loyola Ave New Orleans, LA 70113 504.613.3860 www.borgnerestaurant.com 126 LOCALE MAGAZINE
higher-quality meat than oysters harvested from the sea floor. These “upper class” oysters are prepared in at least eight different styles at Borgne, including broiled with spicy garlic butter, in a vermouth cream stew, fried in bacon marmalade and of course, raw. And even if you stray from the oyster options and try the turkey necks with pepper jelly, black drum or stuffed flounder you can’t go wrong—or forget about the oysters, as the support beams inside Borgne are encased with oyster shells from ceiling to floor.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: 1. Cauliflower Soup With roasted garlic and manchego, the Cauliflower Soup will give you all of the warm feels. 2. Hanger Steak This juicy steak is served with croquetas, mushrooms, and glazed green beans to create a delectable dish. 3. Duck Poppers Give your mouth a pop of excitement with the Duck Poppers— stuffed with jalapeño and wrapped in bacon. ¡Ay Chihuahua!
EYE ON THE BALL: The Mercedes-Benz Superdome, home of the NFL Saints, and the Smoothie King Center, which has hosted the New Orleans VooDoo and the NBA Hornets in the past and has been the home court of the NBA Pelicans since 2002, is a quarter-mile beeline from the Hyatt House. MERCEDES-BENZ SUPERDOME 1500 Sugar Bowl Dr New Orleans, LA 70112 504.587.3663 mbsuperdome.com