Cafe Du Monde (New Orleans)

Cafe Du Monde
French Market, 800 Decatur Street
New Orleans, La, 70116
504-525-4544



While visiting New Orleans over Memorial Day weekend, Warren, Jiro (age 4) & I took a little bike ride on my cousins' trikes. Our first stop was Cafe Du Monde in the French Quarter. I don't usually like to do touristy things like that, but I was taking one for the team. Team Oster.

I'm glad I did.

The Original Cafe Du Monde was established in 1862 and is still open! Twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. (It closes only on Christmas Day and on the day an occasional Hurricane passes too close to New Orleans.) Turns out, Tuesday morning after a holiday weekend is the perfect time to check it out. No line, no waiting.

The menu consists of dark roasted coffee and chicory, beignets, white and chocolate milk, and fresh squeezed orange juice. The coffee is served black or au lait. Beignets are square French-style doughnuts, lavishly covered with powdered sugar. Twenty years ago, Iced Coffee and Soft drinks were added to the menu.

Warren got a Cafe Au Lait, I got a frozen Cafe Au Lait, and Jiro got fresh squeezed orange juice. We decided to share two orders of beignets.



Jiro had been very much looking forward to eating "doughnuts." However, the beignets did not look like his notion of a doughnut. When I explained that the white stuff on top was sugar, he politely agreed to take a bite.



He licked each of his fingers and said, "I'm done."



Done?

Done.

I couldn't believe it.

A few minutes later he informed us that his OJ was yuck.

Yuck?

Yuck.

I suppose the pulp made it yuck. Should have gone with the chocolate milk!

Despite his disapproval of the menu items, Jiro kept a smile on his face and seemed to be enjoying himself. He even agreed to have his picture taken in the paper hat that a friendly busboy gave him.



Warren and I happily polished off the beignets--all six of them--after agreeing that taking one home to Satchel probably wouldn't be good. (Little did we know that at that very moment he was at the Riverwalk* Cafe Du Mode with my mom scarfing down a full order of his own.)

There was one thing that Jiro liked. My frozen Cafe Au Lait. It was delicious. But definitely not the best drink for a four-year-old.

He also liked the guitarist who had set up shop just a few feet away from us. He played the entire soundtrack from "Fiddler on the Roof" before busting out several Beatles' tunes. Jiro asked to get a closer look and went over with Warren to put a dollar in the guy's hat.

As we were finishing up, Warren noted that most of the waitresses were Asian. Along with the hot weather, outdoor seating, and ceiling fans he commented that he felt like he was in Saigon. From the smile on his face, I took this to be a compliment.


*Cafe Du Monde, Riverwalk Marketplace, One Poydras, Suite 27