In order to see some new territory and because of Grier's new-found love of Abita beer, we decided to take Hwy. 12 instead of I-10 and drive to New Orleans via the town of Abita Springs, which is located on the north side of Lake Ponchartrain. The Abita Brewing Company was established as a microbrewery in 1986 and brews with water from the artesian wells in Abita Springs. The brewery was closed to visitors the day we were there, but we did have lunch at the Abita Brew Pub, which they added in 1994. We sampled several of the brews and had an awesome lunch. I highly recommend the Gyros and Greek salad if you go. The owner's wife is Greek and definitely knows what she's doing. Grier had a shrimp and oyster po'boy and he'll have to run down all the brews later. At the advice of our bartender, we stopped at the UCM Museum (pronounced "you see 'em") on the way out of Abita Springs. The UCM, also known as the "Abita Mystery House," is a tourist attraction of sorts that features an eclectic collection of antiques (particularly electronics and arcade games) and dozens of examples of proprietor John Preble's folk art, which ranges from the whimsical to the macabre. I thought it was kind of a fun kitschy little place, but I don't think Grier dug it all that much because I finally found him sitting in the car when I was ready to head out. Abita Springs was pretty cool on the whole; it reminded us both of an artist community similar to Wimberly. After our "cultural experience," we drove across the causeway and into New Orleans, which, to be perfectly honest, didn't look as jacked up as we expected. Sure I know there are areas that are still in recover/rebuild mode, but the city seemed to be thriving and gearing up for Mardi Gras. We did a little shopping at the French Market and stopped by Cafe du Monde for the requisite coffee and beignets until it was time to check in at our hotel. I actually had hot chocolate instead of coffee and Grier said the coffee actually kind of, well, sucked. It was kind of cold that day, so it was nice to be inside enjoying a warm beverage anyway. I also loved that there was powdered sugar all over the place. We checked into the Hotel St. Marie and rested before it was time to head out for dinner. I absolutely loved our hotel. It was a block off of Bourbon Street and surprisingly inexpensive. We had a nice big room with a view of the courtyard, and they have continental breakfast for us each morning since the cafe/bar was being renovated. There is also a little grocery store right across Dauphine—The Toulouse House Grocery—which is great for picking up beverages and such for the room. We bundled up and headed back out for dinner at Nola, but stopped for a drink since we were running a little bit early. We found a little bar called Touche attached to the Omni Hotel. Awesome bartender and cozy atmosphere with lots of dark brick and gas lanterns along the walls. We liked it so much we went back after dinner for a night cap. On to Nola... AMAZING! AMAZING! AMAZING! We opted for the more casual of Emeril Lagasse's three New Orleans restaurants on the advice of our foodie friends. The food, the service, the entire experience was wonderful. The website bills it as "a funky, informal restaurant whose menu features the fresh adaptations of New Orleans Creole and Acadian Cajun for which Lagasse is renowned." It was a great place to have a gourmet meal without it feeling stuffy or snobby. We started with Roasted Garlic-Reggiano Parmesan Bisque with Basil Pesto (me) and the Seafood Gumbo (Grier). Grier acknowledged that the gumbo was "a little bit better than" his, which amused our server to no end. My entree was the Shrimp & Grits and Terry had the Garlic Crusted Texas Redfish Cooked in the Wood Burning Oven with Brabant Potatoes, Wild Mushrooms, Bacon and Sauce Beurre Rouge . Both entrees were insanely good. If we go back I'd like to try the Hickory-Roasted Duck with Whiskey-Caramel Glaze, Buttermilk Cornbread Pudding, Haricot Verts-Fire Roasted Corn Salad, Natural Jus and Candied Pecans. I don't think you can go wrong with anything on the menu though. I wish I could remember the name of the wine we had. It was perfect too. As was the Banana Pudding Layer Cake with a Graham Cracker Crust, Homemade Vanilla Wafers and a Warm Fudge Drizzle, which traveled back to the hotel with us to be eaten in our jammies—as all desserts should be!