NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Cafe Degas is just one of dozens of French restaurants, bistros and bakeries in New Orleans. If you’re looking to add some French flair to your game-day menu for the Saints game in Paris this weekend, Joe Eastman suggests escargot, or snails.
“They’re little buttery balls of greatness, lots of shallots, garlic, just drenched in butter. They come out sizzling and give yourself a little side of bread to dip it in,” said Joe Eastman.
Eastman was once a regular at Cafe Degas. He now works there as a bartender and waiter. As far as he’s concerned, the cozy cafe on Esplanade Avenue offers a French experience without leaving New Orleans.
“I think the French food in New Orleans is a little different than what Cafe Degas does. They try to elevate a little bit, they try to do the new French or French American or modern French. I like the rustic approach of this place,” said Eastman.
Michael O’Connor had French onion soup at the cafe Friday afternoon.
“It was so French that i thought somebody hit me over the side of the head with a baguette,” quipped Michael O’Connor.
O’Connor has lived in New Orleans for seven years but has visited Paris several times. He says the food and atmosphere in the two cities aren’t quite the same, but you can’t go wrong with either.
“I think that nothing compares to New Orleans, and I’d rather be in New Orleans than in Paris, but Paris is absolutely beautiful,” said O’Connor.
A fresh order ready to be served at Cafe Degas.
A fresh order ready to be served at Cafe Degas.(WVUE-TV)
For Nathalie Cabili, Cafe Degas’ offerings remind her of France, where she once lived in Lyon.
“You have a number of things I have never seen in our 24 years in the United States. These are things that are typical French. I haven’t tasted them yet, but they definitely serve a French inspired menu,” said Nathalie Cabili.
French influence also shows up in New Orleans’ French Quarter. At Croissant D’Or Patisserie on Chartres Street, it’s a family affair. Thu Nguyen is a co-owner. Her husband makes the croissants, while she handles the French pastries, a craft she has practiced for 35 years. Nguyen says French recipes require a lot of patience.
“French pastries are really hard to make. You learn it’s easy to melt. If you don’t do something well, it’s not going to taste the same,” said Thu Nguyen, co-owner of Croissant D’Or Patisserie.
When the Saints go marching into Paris on Sunday, most of us will watch and eat in the familiar setting of New Orleans. For French native Nathalie Cabili, the city has something few other places do.
“The atmosphere is just so much more relaxed than where we live in the Bay Area. I can’t say it brings me back to Lyon, to where I was, but there is a way of being more spontaneous here. People greet you more easily. it’s easier to talk to people and I’d says that’s quite French,” said Cabili.
Wherever you may be watching the game this weekend, bon appetit.
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