Beignets at Ritz Carlton, New Orleans
When people hear New Orleans, they think of many things and one of them is beignets. What are beignets? A beignet is a square piece of dough, fried and covered with powdered sugar. This week I spent a week in New Orleans, and the first thing I ate was a beignet.
Café du Monde is globally known as the place to get warm beignets with a café au lait. They have multiple locations in New Orleans, but the best place to get them is at the original café on Decatur Street near St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square. They are open 24-7 and, believe it or not, you’ll see folks there in the wee hours of the morning. The Riverwalk Outlets also has a Café du Monde but you may get cold beignets – not the best way to have them.
The newly opened Trinity Restaurant in the French Quarter makes a delicious variation of the beignet. Trinity’s are made with crawfish and fontina served with tarragon aioli. Dense pieces of dough, with a hint of crawfish, these will fill you up so share them with others if you’re dining at the restaurant.
The best beignets I’ve had in New Orleans goes to the Davenport Lounge at the Ritz Carlton. My bartender, Chris, asked if I ever had a beignet, and I mentioned the above and told him I’ve eaten enough during my trip that my body couldn’t afford to have more. Then after a few minutes of persuasion, I obliged and on a plate came three warm beignets topped with powdered sugar, accompanied with three dipping sauces – vanilla, caramel, and chocolate (shown, top). With no shame, I turned my napkin into a bib (I was wearing black that evening) and savored each bite of pillowy-soft beignets. My favorite of the trio of sauces was the vanilla. Yes, creamy vanilla sauce speckled with vanilla bean seeds. Mind. Blown.
What is your favorite place to get beignets?
Photo credit: Ritz Carlton
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