24 Hours in New Orleans

I put together this tour for a small group of six, which included a private jet from Midway Airport, direct to New Orleans. We hit the ground running: lunch at Cochon Butcher with the Restaurant Critic at The Times Picayune, a walkabout the Quarter, including oysters and Abita on tap plus cafe au lait and beignets at Cafe du Monde; a private, one-hour, hands-on cocktail lesson at Bellocq followed by a behind-the-scenes dinner at Commander’s Palace (part of which took place in the kitchen with the chef) then a nightcap at Preservation Hall to see live jazz.

Breakfast the next morning was a cocktail-fueled party at Brennan’s, including a chat with Ralph Brennan, then private cooking classes for each participant to make Bananas Foster tableside. We stopped at Cochon Butcher to pick up boudin, andouille and other goodies, then picked up po’boys from Parkway Tavern on the way out of town, for a feast on the plane ride home.