As I look back to February and whip out all the fun nights we’ve shared with friends, I had almost forgotten this one.  After returning from NOLA, we invited our sweeties Taruan and Chioke for a sweet night.  And from the looks of the photos we took, you would think there was no dinner served….but I just cannot recall.   Although, here is evidence that I made some fresh tortilla chips.

Mmmm, Fresh Chips!

You all know how to do this, right?  Take a stack of small tortillas, cut them in half and half them again.  Fry in hot oil, scoop out and sprinkle with kosher salt. Devour.

Almost too easy – and so much better than store bought.

But the main event was the opening of one very special parcel, wrapped beautifully and ready to be opened with great friends. Chioke has been making fig bourbon(!!) and brought over all the fixings for a very special martini. A Chioke Figtini! Super yummy.

Everything One Needs for a Proper Figtini

After eating – did we actually have dinner? Anyhoo, after fig martinis it was time to crack open a bottle of bubbly and get to it.

It's Almost Time!

And then we opened them. More like unveiled them, they are such beauties. Like little jewels. But these are the incredible chocolates from Sucre.

A Box Full of Wonder and Surprise

Aren’t they divine? Just looking at them again makes me feel pampered. Everyone got a little bite of each one, with all of us picking our favorites. I could tell by this photo we picked the right friends to share them with.

Chioke, Enjoying The Treats

And then, there were none.

Nothing Left But Lovely Smelling Paper

What are you sharing today? I would love to hear.

xoxo, Patti

Day three in New Orleans was the greatest and….it was my actual birthday, so even better!

Eric and I arose fairly early and caught the trolley to The Trolley Stop Cafe for brunch.  And since it was my birthday and I could do anything I wanted, I ordered a blueberry waffle and a crab cake. Both delicious. Eric ordered the eggs, toast and bacon. Also yummy.

After brunch we wandered around the Garden District and enjoyed all the beautiful homes. The architecture in New Orleans really is fantastic and refreshingly without a whit of snobbery.  Then we hit Magazine Street for some shopping. Such fun.

First Stop - Brunch At The Trolley Stop

Shopping on Magazine Street on a very sunny, warm birthday Saturday was truly a treat. First stop – Sucre. Sucre is one of the country’s premier sweet shoppes. We spent a good amount of time with the darling general manager, Hali, who happily allowed us to sample some of their amazing chocolates. Take a look:

The Vast Array of Most Unusual Chocolates

There were absinthe chocolates, port wine chocolates, orange chocolates, even wedding cake chocolates (see the white candies just above?).  They were all tiny treasures that left us very happy indeed.

Sweet Hali

We had the best time with Hali and brought home a gorgeous assortment – which are all gone now.   I guess I will have to call Miss Hali and order some more. Not only were they the tastiest things ever, each one was gorgeously decorated. Honestly, they looked like jewels. I felt like a princess indulging in these treats. Thank you, Hali!!

A Jewel Box of Treats, Just For You!

Ok, that photo comes from their website, but I wanted you to see how special they are. See the fourth row over? Those are hand painted chocolates. Ridiculous, Fabulous, Life Changing. Wild for them.

And look at these macaron cakes! They are the stuff dreams are made of! I’m sure Helen at Tartelette would approve!

How Beautiful Are These?

I just adored spending time at Sucre and can’t wait to order more chocolates from them. They would make any woman swoon (hint, hint, fellas!)

Next door to Sucre, more treasures awaited me at As You Like It Silver Shop.  Nothing but the finest silver and silver plated items for your table. My husband indulged me as I picked out the sweetest silver plated deep soup spoons for my collection.  You know I now always shop with the motto, “what would Eddie Ross buy”. Eddie, of course, being my shopping guru. Well, I think Eddie would be pleased with my find. At $8 each, I bought all 6 in stock.  Duncan, the owner and I discussed Eddie and his fab shopping tours and agreed that his shop must be a stop for Eddie. You would love this place, my friend!

Shopping For Silver

By now, we were parched and of course, there is no shortage of places to imbibe in New Orleans so we headed over to The Bulldog for a couple of brews. As the weather was so stellar, there were no seats on the patio, so we perched ourselves on stools inside. This was where the fun was. We met a group of stuntmen in town to shoot “The Green Lantern” and boy, were they a wild bunch.  Shot glasses and beer bottles were broken, the petite bartender had to put them in their place more than once. But, hey, they were stuntmen and it was my birthday and they wanted to party. So party we did. We met everyone in that bar and it was a blast.

Getting Silly At The Bulldog With My Sweetie

Me With New Friend, Stuntman Lee From London

No Shortage of Beers Here!

But we didn’t want to get too wild, we had to get to dinner. But first, some photos of our hotel lobby.

Among The Hanging Crystals in the Lobby's Chandelier

Alack and alas, the wild had caught up with us so we ordered a pizza from room service. But you know what? I love room service and was happy to relax in our luxe room for the evening.

Tomorrow, classic cocktails and hanging out with an old friend.

xoxo, Patti