Ace Hotel - New Orleans

With an ambiance like no other, the Ace Hotel celebrates the best of NOLA culture. The ten-story art deco building is nestled in the heart of the Central Business District (CBD), and despite being removed from the older parts of the city, the Ace still manages to enumerate that classic New Orleans vibe with its food, music & décor.

The rooftop pool is the main attraction. We suspected the roof would be something special since our local Ace in Los Angles is outfitted with a lush green patio complete with a full bar & DJ booth. But the pool was a nice surprise & the perfect way to cool off during the dog days of summer. Open to the public, the traffic was steady but subdued making for a light & relaxing atmosphere. In contrast, our private room down below was designed with dark hues & heavy furniture. It had an old school vibe complete with a record player & acoustic guitar. Black shutters covered a large window at the end of the room. When opened, they offered an incredible view of the city’s architecture, but when closed they totally blocked the natural light allowing us to sleep in if needed. Which was often needed after a night on Frenchman.

My personal favorite part of the hotel was the small venue adjacent to the lobby called “Three Keys.” There they host a myriad of weekly events including live music, film screenings & game nights. Candace & I pulled up for “Too Trill Trivia” which focused on black pop culture & history. We walked in pretty confident, but turned out to be not as black as we thought? Our competitors were PhD candidates at Hillman College and we were basically Denise Huxtable – obsolete after round one. But we somehow managed to team up with two trivia savants and ended up winning thanks to their smarts & some bonus points we earned by springing for a couple rounds of shots.

Loretta's Kiss

On the other side of the lobby is the in-house restaurant, Josephine Estelle. We quickly discovered that it was one of the “it” places to dine in CBD and agree that its worth the hype. The menu offers simple, consistent Italian food made with clean ingredients and served in health portions. The cocktail menu is perfectly complimentary, but the bartenders are able to whip up something original at your request. My go to drink was called “Loretta’s Kiss”, a citrusy blend with a mezcal base. While the food & drink were amazing, the real cherry on top was the music. A vinyl player connected to a larger sound system poured out the sweetest songs. A mix of soul, blues & funk ranging from Earth, Wind and Fire to Jolene Mitchell to set the mood morning, noon & night. A small detail to some, but it made all the difference for us. Weaving together food, music, love & laughter is a hallmark of New Orleans and The Ace does it with ease & style.

Josehphine Estelle "Lunch" Menu

Willa Jean

The first thing I ordered after being seated at nice window seat, was a rich and tasty "Bloody Mary"  and "Poutine Fries". Now this was when I knew I'd found something special, the fries are filled with braised short ribs, cheddar cheese, and gravy they were the best appetizer I'd tasted thus far.

B.B.Q. Shrimp Toast

While we quickly polished off the fries, I ordered the B.B.Q. Shrimp toast and decided to peruse the cocktail list. Settling on the Jam & Jean as Candace did a Pinky Up Mimosa. Enjoying both, I was pleasantly surprised when the waiter turned the corner with the beautifully plated "toast", which is by far an understatement.

It was a great brunch all and all, even though Candace got flipped off by a toddler, we still came back two days later just for the fries.

Nestled only a few blocks from the Ace Hotel, I found this place to be the perfect way to start our second week in the "Big Easy". I'd exhausted all but a few of the best southern cooking brunch spots throughout Marigny and the French Quarters, so after looking up a few Yelp reviews we were on our way.

Bloody Mary & Poutine Fries

Jam & Jean

Peachy Queen & Pinky Up Mimosa

Willa Jean
611 O'Keefe Ave, New Orleans, LA 70113

Celebrate Until Further Notice

I concluded this summer of hard work the best way I knew; my lady and I headed to the city where the party never stops.  New Orleans, Louisiana.

What makes a place special? Some would say the music, others perhaps the food. I have found both to be true, but rarely have I found a place that encompasses both if not more than these attributes.

New Orleans is that place, so enriched in culture that it was impossible to capture and document this city in one week. My Queen and I decided to do it for two.
Beginning our first week in Marigny, a community adjacent to Frenchmen St., we quickly learned that Candace had chosen the best spot to stay in.  What I enjoyed most of all was the feeling of being apart of the community and not just a visitor.
 
One of the things I found most intriguing about the community was the street art or graffiti.  This was my first introduction to how strong the mural movement was do here. Even being from Mobile, Alabama just two states over I never knew.

If New Orleans is the heart and soul of the south, then Frenchmen St. is the pulse. Lined with restaurants and bars, I watched a beautiful Sunday afternoon turn into a soulful Sunday night. My favorite hangout was The Maison. Every night, except Friday and Saturday, live cover bands perform all the old school hits. Almost a journey back in time, I imagine my parents falling in love swaying to these same songs. With free entry and decent drink prices, it’s the perfect place for a chill date or just a break from the debauchery that is often found on Bourbon St.  The street has become a bit more popular due to the HBO Original "Treme" . The shows primary film location "The Spotted Cat" is here on Frenchmen. I caught a few tunes in passing, but each time it was packed. Though the music moved your feet to at least peak at who was performing inside.