Bird Shit Couldn't Wreck Tonight

I have to say, when a bird takes a dump on my head, it usually wrecks my day. But not tonight.

The Lovely Wife and I are in New Orleans celebrating our silver wedding anniversary, and went out for the big dinner tonight.

I decided on Cafe Adelaide, a member of the Commanders Palace family of restaurants, and couldn't have been more pleased. The staff was incredible, and the food better. Every course made you want more of it, and anticipate the next.

First, I want them to start selling their shrimp 'corn dogs' in Chicago. A huge gulf shrimp in a well seasoned corn dog batter with a sauce that had just enough heat to tell you there was pepper in it, but not so much that you wanted a drink after a bite. A pile of them with a six pack would be great eats for a football game.

The soup portions were almost too generous. Blue Crab Bisque with saffron and popcorn (yes, popcorn) was my choice. If it weren't for the fact that in a fancy restaurant they frown on it, I would have stuck my face in the bowl and licked it clean. The Lovely One had turtle soup au sherry, and possibly an orgasm while eating it. She's loved turtle soup since her youth, and claims this is the best ever. It is a tried and true one, since it's the original from Commander's Palace.

For entree's I tried the Ahi Tuna with a cayenne and five spice blend, she had the crispy shrimp with grits. The idea of cayenne with ahi kind of scared me. Many places let the sauce, rub or crust overpower the tuna, and hot peppers would be an easy way to do it. Their preparation was just the opposite. The pepper and five spice were subtle and complimentary, not overpowering. The blue crab fried rice was a perfect side with it, acting as a palate cleanser between bites of tuna so you never missed the subtleties of the dish.

Her shrimp were ginormous; which I think is a technical size for shrimp; whole gulf shrimp and had a light batter with a perfect seasoning. She gave me one bite, and I had thoughts of stealing the plate. The grits were stone ground, firm and wonderful, definitely not the stuff you buy in a box. A great pairing with the shrimp, and a wonderful take on a southern classic. The only problem was that there was so much she couldn't finish it and have room for dessert, which I insisted we have.

For dessert I had a peach cobbler with candied ginger ice cream and white chocolate. Never thought of that grouping, but who ever did is a genious. The peach and ginger were awesome together!

The wife ordered a cheesecake that would rival anything you can find in New York or Chicago (sorry Eli). Creamy, smooth and light, with just enough chocolate to taste good and not overpower.

As for the staff, excellent is an understatement. I spend a lot of time in restaurants due to work, and can't think of many that rivaled this group. They wanted to know everyone's name, where you were from, what brought you to town, etc. If you sat for too long with a blank stare, (usually from trying to understand how the food could be so good), one of the staff was there to make sure everything was okay.

Within minutes of saying were were in town celebrating our anniversary the bar sent over two mini-cocktails (Adelaide Swizzle) that I could drink for a week (and not walk for two). When dessert came out, the cheesecake plate had "Happy Anniversary" written on it in chocolate sauce.

As for the bird shit, after dinner we decided to make a quick trip back to Bourbon Street. When I parked the truck I walked under a tree, and a resident decided my hair needed some work, and redecorated my head. It didn't matter, we'd had such a great night even bird shit couldn't wreck it.