NOLA style

I just got back from a culinary whirlwind of New Orleans and, amazingly, am still hungry. So now that I’m back in Sac, how can I satisfy my Crescent City cravings?

First, I’ll go to Celestin’s Restaurant (1815 K Street), a Creole and Haitian place with a slew of gumbo varieties. You can get single-item stews or a classic combo like shrimp (in lieu of crayfish) and chicken. They also serve po’ boys and jambalaya.

Another good bet for a shrimp po’ boy sandwich and fried chicken is Shady Lady Saloon (1409 R Street). They can also fix you up with a traditional Sazerac cocktail of rye, anise liqueur and bitters.

Uptown Cafe (1121 Del Paso Boulevard) has sweet beignets, which are classic NOLA, served piping hot with a pile of confectioners’ sugar on top (rather than savory crab as some do it). To cook my own versions, Morant’s (5001 Franklin Boulevard) makes andouille sausage for gumbo, while Corti Brothers grocery (5810 Folsom Boulevard) has all the makings for that olive salad I’ll need to make a muffuletta.