A drive Northeast into the suburbs of New Orleans is like a drive into most suburbs of major cities around the country. Long stretches of highway take you out of a concentrated hub of cultural vibrancy and into a mundane wasteland of strip malls. Think: Home Depot, Lowe's Home Improvement, rundown super marts and fast food chains aplenty. The Louisiana backdrop consists of grassy swamplands and dilapidated wooden shacks. Nothing like a romantic Mark Twain fantasy, but eerily quiet stretches of depressed homes a world away from the colorful brass bands that parade through the nearby French Quarter.
If you pull off the I-10 East at just the right time you'll find yourself in the small town of Slidell. It's worth the trip just to discover Palmettos Restaurant; an unexpectedly fine dining experience nestled in the heart of the bayou. It's situated in between three national wildlife refuges under a canopy of banana trees, palms and moss-covered oaks. The surroundings provide a picturesque view into the seductively entangled tropics of the Mississippi. The menu offers up the creamiest, butteriest, most indulgent Louisiana classics prepared with culinary expertise.
On Sundays for an astonishingly affordable $20.00, they whip up the type of brunch you might expect to find at a five star hotel. The buffet offers perfected renditions of New Orleans' favorites including a savory grits and grillades, crawfish etouffe, buckets of fresh oysters chargrilled to order and a carving station with a slab of juicy prime rib.
It's more than a meal, it's a getaway. By the time you leave, you'll feel as though you've been on vacation for days.
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How exciting!!! This sounds like a gem waiting to be discovered. I'm putting it on my agenda for my trip to New Orleans in December. Cool post of the jazz!!
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