Here and there in Louisiana and environs in 2011

Partly due to the downturn in the economy, but more to our pragmatic decision to explore our "neighborhood," we've been taking shorter road trips the past couple of years.

Working in reverse chronological order, we closed 2011 with an anniversary trip to New Orleans, courtesy of a Living Social voucher for half off a garrett room at the Degas House B&B, which sounded like a cozy, intimate place to celebrate. When we arrived, Julie offered to upgrade us to the Estelle Room (aka the Bridal Suite) for a small fee, and after seeing the room, there was no question. We would have been quite happy in the garret room, but we were ecstatic in Estelle. It really is more of a suite, with a king-sized four poster, a daybed in an alcove and exclusive use of the front balcony -- oh, and a decanter of port in the room as well. Julie also offered us each a complementary glass of wine, which we sipped while rocking on the balcony and enjoying the view of this grand old neighborhood. The house was made even more elegant with the holiday decorations, including a massive tree illuminated with thousands of lights in the front parlor. Breakfast was served in a well-appointed room just off of the kitchen -- probably the original butler's pantry. We had planned on the tour, but Mike had a cold, so we decided to head straight home and do the tour the next time. 

Breakfast was good, but not exceptional (the Judge Porter House really raised the bar! See below). Coffee, tea, and fixings were on a sideboard and orange juice was on the table. We were offered waffles, sausage and eggs. Mike asked for everything. I asked for waffles and sausage. We both got half of a waffle and one small patty of sausage; he, of course, got eggs. I mistakenly assumed that "waffles" meant more than one waffle or that I would at least get a whole one. We were not asked if we wanted seconds, and I didn't want to wait while another waffle was cooked. I filled up on a store-bought pastry from the sideboard; it was fresh, at least. Fruit was a wedge of watermelon and a few grapes. We both ordered bloody Marys. They were typical New Orleans-style drinks, extremely spicy, with a pickled okra and pickle juice. I took one sip, and passed it on to Mike, who drank them both right up. 

Going along with the theme of Degas, we made a reservation at the Cafe Degas, a moderate stroll up Esplanade from the Degas House. The onion soup is reason enough to visit the Cafe, and more than made up for that abomination at the Brick House Grill in Hot Springs (below). It is rich and dark, with carmelized onions and bits of bacon, topped with beautifully browned swiss cheese. The escargot, which Mike ordered, were acceptable, but they had been removed from their shells and cooked in an escargot dish, which makes me wonder if they were frozen. However, the yellow fin tuna in the Salade Nicoise had been crusted with so much pepper and salt that it was nearly inedible. I didn't send it back because I did not want to wait for another entree to be prepared, but I had to mix it with the other ingredients in order to eat it. There is nothing on the menu to indicate that the tuna would be prepared in this way, and I seriously wonder why anyone would do that to ahi tuna. The dressing was perfectly balanced, and the other ingredients cooked perfectly.

Mike ordered the parmesan crusted veal medallion, but what he got was clearly a veal cutlet, which was overcooked and dry. It looked like a sort of French version of veal parmesan. The caper burre blanc was also well-balanced and the vegetables were just crisp-tender.

I ordered the creme brulee, but it was burned black. I had to lift the sugar off and just eat the creme, which was smooth, creamy, and nicely chilled, but I have had better. Mike ordered the chocolate mousse and refused to let me have even one bite of it.

The "environs" included a road trip to Hot Springs, Arkansas for Fall Break in October. We decided to take the "scenic route," both for the scenery and to avoid the traffic on the freeways. Once was enough. We came back via the freeway, and realized that, in this neck of the woods, the freeway is nearly as scenic as the "scenic route," with more services. There are long, long stretches on the old state highways that have literally nothing other than cotton fields. No gas stations -- no food -- no rest stops. 

Hot Springs includes the Hot Springs National Park, so that's another one off our list. The Promenade divides the Park from the town, so that you are literally in the Park on one side and in the town on the other. The town itself is charm personified. The Fordyce Bathhouse Visitor's Center, which, like all of the historic bathhouses, is on the main street of the town, has been beautifully and lovingly restored by the National Park Service. The self-guided tour was extremely informative, and since we were allowed to move through at our own pace, we were free to tailor it to our interests. I had no idea there were so many variations on a simple bath! Hot mineral bath, steam bath, stiz bath, cold needle shower -- all in one visit. Mike and I particularly enjoyed imagining the Edwardian ladies and gentlemen congregating in the lounges upstairs after having "taken the waters" earlier.

We opted for a more modern spa experience at the Quapaw Baths and Spa. The building is a beautifully restored historic bathhouse with a nice cafe inside. We selected the Couples private thermal bath with added foaming therapy. We got our own private room with a two-person Jacuzzi (yes, they use that brand). The water was the perfect temperature and the arnica foamed beautifully and smelled wonderful. We were, however, somewhat cramped, as we are both taller than average. Also, the $45 price tag for just 20 minutes is steep enough that we probably won't do it again. We'd recommend either forking over the additional cash for a full spa experience or sticking with the the $18 unlimited ticket. You'd have to wear swimming suits and share the pools, but you can stay as long as you like, and even be able to buy drinks and food at the cafe to enjoy pool-side.

Next time, we'll probably brave the Buckstaff for the traditional bathhouse experience, although this modern woman has a hard time with the idea of paying someone to scrub her back.

We stayed at the quirky and homey B Inn. It's definitely not the Park or the Arlington, but it doesn't try to be. The B Inn is exactly as it describes itself on its website. We reserved the Literature Suite, and our only surprise was at the amount of room we got for the price we paid and the number and variety of books. It's clearly two adjoining rooms now rented as one -- one of them a suite and one a single room. We had a kitchen with full-sized appliances, an adjoining living room, a dining room that was the original bedroom, a bathroom, and a bedroom in what was an adjoining room. Everything was clean and most everything worked. The furniture is a melange of styles and quality collected from a variety of sources. We found it charming and interesting and homey. As Mike said, "It's like staying at your grandma's or great auntie's." It really is walking distance to everywhere in Hot Springs, which meant that I got a relaxing vacation, as well, once we arrived.

We found the Gangster Museum of America interesting and informative, if overpriced. The owners have amassed a decent collection of original photos, news stories and other archival documents, as well as video taped interviews with the few surviving gangsters and lawmen or some of their descendants. The only negative thing I can say is that, because it is a guided tour, you are not given nearly enough time to read through the material. Some of the videos are a bit repetitive, as well.

The only disappointment was in the quality of the restaurants. We had taken some frozen meals with us, as well as food for sandwiches, etc., both to economize and so that we could just relax in the evenings, so we only ate out twice, and cannot recommend either place. We ate lunch at Rolando's because of the menu. While the food is certainly acceptable, it is not memorable or exciting. The pickled red onion and cucumber relish was the highlight of the meal. The taquito appetizer was really a quesadilla made with a corn tortilla rather than white flour. We had to hunt for the chorizo. My pollo bohemiano was a chicken breast that had been pounded flat, breaded and fried, then covered with a mild sauce that tasted primarily of lime. It was served over white rice that had not been seasoned with anything and with a side of black beans with a sprinkling of white cheese (not sure what kind) and sour cream. The rum cake was quite nice, but when will restaurants stop reheating desserts in the microwave?

At that, it was far superior to our other lunch outing, the Brick House Grill. I should have known better than to order the onion soup, although if I hadn't, we'd never have believed it. I was served a bowl of canned beef broth, with a few bits of sauteed onion and half a dozen soggy croutons floating in it and a slice of processed Swiss cheese on top. The club sandwich wasn't too bad, but the turkey and ham were both processed. Mike's catfish was supposed to come with his choice of fries or cole slaw, but he wasn't given a choice. The catfish was definitely the breaded frozen kind, and looked dry. The fries, on the other hand, were limp and soggy. We also ordered the bourbon pecan pie. Someone forgot the bourbon. Our waitress didn't stop by once to ask if we needed anything, and at one point, seemed to forget we were there. We waited a good 10 minutes after she brought the check for her to come back for it, then finally paid at the front register. They do have local art on the walls, and the burgers did look good.

As part of our goal to visit all of the National Parks before we drove up to Natchitoches (pronounced "Nack-a-tish")  to the Cane River Creole National Park over Spring Break in April. The park includes both Magnolia and Oakland Plantations, but the Magnolia plantation house is not open to the public, so we chose to visit Oakland. The house itself is unique among the plantation homes in Louisiana (at least) in that it was not restored back to its 19th century look, so visitors can see the remodeling which was done by the family during the different periods since then and get a sense of the entire history of the house. The kitchen, for instance, is a trip back to the 1950s, with an overlay of the 1970s; the bathrooms were also "modernized" in the 1930s and 40s. Other areas of the house were not "updated" by the owners, so you get a picture of how the family lived, generation after generation, surrounded by its own history, as well as modern conveniences. The tour guide was a volunteer docent and could have been more informed. She repeated two myths -- the "closet tax" and the "stair tax" -- which have no basis whatsoever in fact; it made me doubt everything she said. I expected more of the National Park Service. I'd say do your own research before going, if you want to be certain of your facts.

Oakland Plantation, by the way, was used as a location in the John Wayne film, "The Horse Soldiers."

While there, we stayed at the Judge Porter House Bed and Breakfast. If it weren't a four hour drive, we'd have gone back just to stay there. There is a reason this is one of the top-rated B&Bs in Natchitoches, which boasts many excellent establishments. The food is absolutely amazing! Yes, the house is beautifully restored; the furnishings and decor are high-quality; the beds are comfortable, but what sets this apart from other B&Bs we've stayed at is the food. It is all prepared fresh on the premises as you are eating, and served to each individual -- no buffets here. It is the "full multi-course gourmet breakfast" promised on their website. I am embarrassed to admit that I've forgotten the name of the host/chef, but he was delightful. Very friendly, welcoming, informative, and professional. And the two-person jacuzzi tub really does accommodate two comfortably. 

We liked the Pioneer Pub for its "biker bar-lite" atmosphere, but were underwhelmed by the Landing Restaurant. The food at the Pioneer pub is good-quality bar food -- burgers, sandwiches, po' boys, etc. The atmosphere is quirky and fun, the prices are great, but the service is godawful. Slow, inattentive, bordering on rude. Never having been there before, we waited to be seated. Several of the staff simply stared at us or walked around us; we finally stopped one and asked. We were told to "Sit anywhere." Then we wondered if the table we'd picked was available because the server hadn't shown up for work. We did eventually get drinks, but had to almost trip her to get her to take our food order. I wouldn't say don't go there, but don't go hungry. 

The Landing was one of the few places in town that was open on the Sunday morning when we arrived, so we had the Sunday brunch buffet. It was adequate, but overpriced for what it is. The food was kept warm on steam tables, so it hardly warranted the $20/per person price. Service was slow and spotty. As others have noted, the decor isn't up to their hype, either. We opted not to eat dinner there. I would guess that they get by on the tourist trade.