NOLA, NOLA

Today (well, tomorrow for me as I write this... today for you if you read this when it's newly up :) ) I am headed out of town on a short business trip. I have a conference to attend, one I am actually looking forward to, because the subject matter is both relevant to my job and, well, interesting. (Not all such things are.) The downside is that the conference is in the US and, being that it's in the US, they hold little regard for Canadian holidays. So I'm essentially working when I should be at home with my family eating pie.

On the bright side, my trip (which will only have me away until Wednesday night) is to NOLA - New Orleans, Louisiana. I've never been to New Orleans before. As I usually do when work takes me someplace interesting, I've been reading travel guides and maps and picking out what I'd like to see and do during my whirlwind time there.

To compensate for the fact that there will be no pumpkin pie for me this Thanksgiving Monday, I made myself a dinner reservation several weeks ago at a restaurant called, conveniently enough, NOLA. It's an Emeril Lagasse restaurant, which I thought was befitting of a trip to the Big Easy. So while the rest of you are stuffing yourselves with turkey, I think I'm going to be stuffing myself with the Shrimp & Grits - Sautéed Gulf Shrimp, Grilled Green Onions, Smoked Cheddar Grits, Apple Smoked Bacon, Crimini Mushrooms, Creole Tomato Glaze and Red Chili-Abita Butter Sauce. Followed, if I can handle it, by NOLA Banana Pudding Layer Cake with a Graham Cracker Crust, Homemade Vanilla Wafers and a Warm Fudge Drizzle. (Yes, I downloaded the restaurant's menu in advance.)

Then, I'm going to head over to Pat O'Brien's, drink a Hurricane, and stop in at Preservation Hall on my way home. I'm not much of a nightlife person normally, but when in Rome...