Thursday, April 17, 2008

favorite places ... Acme Oyster House, New Orleans


I thought that from time to time, it might be fun to write about and reflect on some of my favorite places. With that in mind, I'm beginning today by heading east across the Texas border into Louisiana.

Simply put, I love the Acme Oyster House in the Quarter on Iberville. It probably doesn't hurt my memories of the place that the first time I ever went was on a weekend trip with my two sisters and my Daddy. It was fantastic, and probably the first time we all hung out together as four adults, rather than three kids with their dad. We drank Bloody Marys early in the morning, smoked cigars while walking along the river, and bonded together at a time when we really needed it.

Back to Acme. We drank beer and ate the best oysters I've ever had. Period. And the horseradish was so freakin' hot, it literally took my breath away -- coughing fits galore. Even my Texas-bred Daddy, who has a particular passion for all things hot and spicy, had to chug down water after every bite. It was excellent. There's just something about chowing on oysters in the Quarter with jazz music hanging in the air that makes it the quintessential New Orleans experience.

To this day, whenever spring time rolls around and the weather starts to warm up, every oyster and cold beer I consume is compared to those I had at Acme. So far, they've all fallen short.

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