New Orleans Off Season

Relaxing into a Crescent City weekend

by Pableaux Johnson

If you listen real close during a New Orleans winter, you can almost hear the city breathe. The traditional tourist trade slows down for a spell, and the whole town settles into a restorative lull before the high-energy carnival season. Crowds in the French Quarter thin out. Seating at the top restaurants opens up a bit. And the city's romantic atmosphere of the city takes on a vaguely mystical air. During this magical window, you can walk beneath stately oaks and through serene neighborhoods, all the while feeling like you have the town all to yourself.

With the holiday flurry of Christmas behind you and the prospect of a long winter ahead, January may be the perfect time to schedule an impromptu visit while New Orleans is at its seasonal peak. The beginning of the year is the perfect time to explore the Crescent City, since January represent the lull between the bookend bacchanals of New Years/Sugar Bowl season and high-energy Mardi Gras. While a visit to New Orleans during the traditional "off-season" won't get you total seclusion, it will give you a chance to experience this distinctive historical city (and its phenomenal restaurants) during its mild tripocal wintertime. And even in the most extreme cold snaps, little more than a light jacket is required.

In a town known for its multi-layered and decadent cuisine, it's only appropriate to see the town through a few of its well-regarded local restaurants. So come along for a few memorable feasts in one of America's great food cities -- with a few between-meal interludes thrown in for good measure.

Mixing Creole and Bourbon
There's no better place to start a New Orleans tour than at one of its revered old line Creole institutions. And there's not better bet than Galatoire's, located right on New Orleans' most notorious tourist strip. Though Galatoire's front door opens on Bourbon Street (reknowned for alcolholic excess and other less-than-wholesome activities) its traditionally upscalse and sophisticated atmosphere sets it apart from the walk-up bars and "burlesque clubs" a few blocks down. Even though Galatoire's is onBourbon Street, it is definitely not of Bourbon Street.

This recently-renovated mainstay of the New Orleans restaurant scene serves up exemplary examples of New Orleans Creole cuisine -- the refined and butter-rich seafood creations based on continental French tradition and adapted to this vital port city. Most dishes make the most of fresh local seafood pulled from the nearby Gulf of Mexico. Their classic take on Shrimp Remoulade teams meaty chilled shrimp with a tangy tomato-based sauce spiked with sinus-cleansing horseradish. The somewhat misleading (but completely glorious) Seafood Stuffed Eggplant is more animal than vegetable, with sweet lump crabmeat and shrimp as its primary ingredients. And there are always petit loaves of piping hot French bread ready to be torn with the hands and liberally slathered with sweet butter. (Don’t be shy about digging in with both fists. Local custom dictates a "damn the crumbs, full speed ahead" approach, even in tonier establishments.)

The house dress code still leans toward the old school -- "jackets required for gentlemen" -- but a little formality never hurt anybody, even on vacation. And whether you're indulging in a leisurely three-hour lunch or a romantic evening meal, the gracious waitstaff (usually career waiters dressed to the nines) will guide you through a dense menu that's light on dish descriptions. Can't tell your Crabmeat Maison from your sauteed Trout Muniere? Ask the professionals. There's really no way to lose.

Galatoire's 209 BourbonStreet at Iberville, 504.525-2021. Closed Monday. Hours: 11:30am-9pm Tues-Sat noon-9pm Sunday.

Into the Quarter
If you've visited in New Orleans before, you've probably seen the typical sights of the French Quarter. Jackson Square with its horsedrawn carriages and portrait artists. Café au lait at the bustling Café du Monde. The Mighty Mississippi from the scenic riverside "Moon Walk." But when the weather turns to the chilly side and a light rain falls on the Vieux Carre (Old Square) the architecture of the historic quarter takes on a different distinctly wander-friendly feel.

After a long meal at Galatoire's, meander through the Quarter, making sure to get off Bourbon as soon as possible. Away from the perpetually congested "neon zone," you'll see the colonial remnants of the city's first settlement.

Expansive three-level balconies show off intricate cast iron railings and wooden shutters. Brightly painted woodwork contrasts with weathered brick facades. A quick turn down Royal Street will take you past antique shops housed in equally preserved structures. Wander around the streets with, in the words of Mr. Berry, "no particular place to go."

Winter showers come and go, leaving the stone walkways of Jackson Square shining and nearly deserted. With a sturdy umbrella to keep away the drizzle,a new near-hidden near-hidden world opens up between the riverfront and Rampart Street. In the coming weeks, the streets will swell with the Mardi Gras' swirling crowds of masked partygoers. But for now, the Vieux Carre is a place of leisure. Even if you've seen the Quarter before, you haven't seen it like this…

Lunchtime at Uglesich's
Even though this off-the-track standby is cramped, frantic, and in a dicey quasi-industrial neighborhood, no trip to New Orleans is complete without a meal at Uglesich's. The house specialty is seafood of all kinds -- from the standard (fried oyster po-boys and fries) to the inventive (Paul's Fantasy - a pan-sateed speckled trout fille scattered with sweet grilled shrimp and buttery griddle-fried potatoes). Anthony Uglesich, the current proprietor of the family-owned dynasty, is revered as a demi-god of the deep-fryer by other chefs in the region. A single crunch should show you why the room is packed.

Uglesich's no-frills dining room is beyond tiny, and since it's a favorite of the locals, it packs early, even in the off season. As a "weekday lunch only" joint, they pack in workers from downtown, visiting dignitaries and local chefs looking for inspiration. Arrive as early as possible for a shot at lunchtime seating, but even if the it's standing room only, you can belly up to their tiny raw bar for a dozen fresh-shucked oysters (washed down with a cold beer, of course). During the off season, the sturdy shellfish are at their most flavorful -- plump, salty and plucked fresh from the Gulf hours before shucking. The banter-friendly oystermen discuss about the local conditions as they whip through the rocky delicacies with blunt-bladed knives and quick wit. There's no better way to while away an otherwise bothersome wait.

Uglesich's 1238 Baronne St. at Erato, 504.523-8571. Hours: (Weekday lunch only.)Mon -Fri 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Cash Only. Taxi advised.

Reading Magazine
After a jaunt to Mr. Anthony's -- or any large lunch, for that matter -- it's time for a little treasure hunt along Magazine Street. Running from Canal Street in the Quarter to the placid neighborhood of Riverbend, Magazine Street is one of the city's secondary drags known for its funky boutiques and reasonably-priced antique shops. Over the course of a few miles, Magazine connects the workaday sections of both the Garden District (where New Orleans' first "Americans" settled after the Louisiana Purchase) and largely residential neighborhood known as "Uptown near the river."

Even if you're not shopping for anything specific, a walk along Magazine will usually yield a surprising purchase from the untouristy second hand shops or offbeat storefronts that specialize in everything from antiquarian books to working neighborhood seafood markets. Less consistently developed than the centralized French Quarter, Magazine Street changes in atmosphere from block to block, with fussy high-dollar antique shops giving way to residential stretches and their attendant corner grocery stores. Duck into the shops that strike your fancy or open your stride for a tree-lined hike to work off your lunch.

The Garden District stretch of Magazine between the Louisiana and Washington Avenues is home to its share of funky resale shops, neighborhood restaurants and the Rue de La Course, one of the city's outstanding coffee shops. Housed in an airy single room, Rue de la Course is the perfect place to take a break, rest the feet and recaffeinate. The huge room is filled with comfortably spacious wooden tables and fields of spindle-back chairs. Rue de la Course is popular with students from the nearby universities (Tulane and Loyola) for its study-friendly atmosphere, strong coffee, and pleasantly distracting floor-to-tall-ceiling windows. A "quick coffee" here can easily turn into a few hours of watching the world go by at New Orleans comfortably slow pace.

Rue de la Course 31280 Magazine between 8th and Harmony (504. 899-0242)

Up and Down the Streetcar Line
The St. Charles Avenue streetcar isn't just a New Orleans institution, it's a journey back in time. Back to a time when the moneyed families of the city built rambling mansion along this gently-arcing thoroughfare. Back to a time before public transportation needed air conditioning. And back to one of the great surviving experiences of American diner culture. But first things first…

A simple fare on the last surviving streetcar line will cost you a little over a dollar -- a bargain at five times the price and one of the city's everyday historical treasures. The dark green cars have been in constant use since the 1920s, plying a route that runs from downtown along St. Charles, with a sharp turn at Carrolton Avenue before ending at the neighborhood border of Mid-City. The straight-line route runs past the stately mansions of the Garden District, the gothic façades of Loyola and Tulane Universities, and the groves of Audubon Park. From your vantage point on the streetcar's worn wooden seats, rambling turn-of-the-last-century manors glide by the window in near silence. A nonstop canopy of moss-draped oaks shade St. Charles from sun and rain, standing sentinel against the elements and adding their own otherworldly character to the neighborhood atmosphere. An hour-long trip from downtown takes you to a different world from the historical urbanity of the Quarter to the huge estates of New Orleans' first monied suburbanites.

At the corner of St. Charles and Carrolton, the streetcar takes a dogleg turn bound for Mid-City, and that's your key to disembark. (After all, it may have been hours since your last meal, and you must be famished…) The Camellia Grill, your destination, looks very much like the columned estates along St. Charles, with the possible exception of the line of diners trailing out the door. Welcome to the Camellia Grill, one of New Orleans' great diner experiences.

Another local institution, the Camellia opened in 1946 and has been more or less packed ever since. Swivel-stool seating lines the diner's curved counter and once you sit down, be prepared for dinner AND a show. The traditional short-order menu (breakfast dishes, burgers, simple sandwiches) couldn't be more straightforward, but the delivery is a sight to behold. The entire galley-style kitchen is visible from every seat in the house, and the bow-tied waitstaff floats gracefully among the thirty-odd seats in the house providing smooth service during the perpetual crush. Order an overstuffed omelet (breakfast served anytime, of course), a classic hamburger, or a now-endangered BLT and watch the order prepared before your eyes at breakneck speed. Omelets are whipped up in a dedicated milkshake machine, spilled onto the griddle in seconds, and served piping hot with an amazingly offhanded grace. High traffic is the rule at the Camellia, but somehow in all the activity, you never feel lost or rushed. Have another coffee to take away the chill. Once you pay the bill and hit the street, you'll be energized and stuffed to the gills. A perfect way to go through New Orleans winter.

Nightcap at the Columns
On the streetcar home, make a stop at the corner of St. Charles and General Taylor Street and prepare for the nightcap of your dreams. During the wamer months, the classic veranda of the Columns Hotel always draws a crowd of leisurely drinkers. And what's not to love? The towering columns of the hotel's façade give way to the canopy of oaks and a relaxed view of St. Charles. It's a gathering point for travelers in search of nineteenth-century Uptown ambiance and locals looking for the perfect Sunday morning Bloody Mary.

But during the colder months, the preferred venu is inside the hotel's dimly-lit barroom. Soaring ceilings disappear into darkness. Romantic nooks and crannies -- including an intimate alcove lined with facing church pews-- are lit with slow-flickering candles. Overstuffed parlor space and leatherbound seats near the bar complete the warm quasi-bordello feel straight out of Pretty Baby (which was, not to coincidentally, filmed at the Columns). A nice warming nightcap (name your poison) with leisurely conversation are a perfect way to end an evening or weekend of off-season exploration.

Within weeks, as the weather warms and Mardi Gras approaches, the relaxed tenor of this classic barroom -- and all of New Orleans, for that matter -- will give way to the more purposeful, energetic, and festival-driven crowds. The tramp of dancing feet, blare of brass bands, and the city's high-season revelry will begin again. The quiet time will be over, and if you're lucky, you'll be there to experience New Orleans in her rare time of calm.