Cool Up Town--New Orleans

While we were in New Orleans, my most awesome mom and most awesome second cousin, Nancy, were kind enough to take the monkeys and their two cousins out to dinner while Warren and I went out to eat with a friend.

I couldn't believe my mom didn't record every detail of their dinner at the Louisiana Pizza Kitchen! (Which oddly doesn't list their uptown location on the website.) But she did provide me with details of dessert.

Thanks, Gigi!

Cool Up Town
8108 Hampson
New Orleans, LA 70118

"Snow BALLS -- not snow CONES," scolded cousin Nancy.

After braving dinner at the yummy Louisiana Pizza Kitchen with four monkeys while Stacey & Warren had a night on the town, Nancy and I decided to take them across Claiborne Ave. for ice cream. On the way, I spotted the snow ball sign and wondered if a New Orleans treat would be more to the kids' liking.

The squeals were unanimous – snow balls it was!

Why snow balls (usually sno-balls) rather than snow cones, you ask? In New Orleans the Hansen family developed a machine that went one step beyond crushed ice. It shaves the ice and creates a delicacy that literally melts in your mouth. In today’s world, you can get just about anything on a snow ball – whipped cream, sauces, milk, cherries, nuts, candy, etc. – and according to Nancy, some places now make the snow balls surrounding a scoop of ice cream!

Nancy and I grew up on messy, yummy snow balls, and the trip to this shop caused Nancy to go into a litany on the many versions of the chocolate snow ball – her favorite – that she had encountered over the years. I personally was always hooked on nectar, the glorious bubble-gum-pink colored sweet flavor that you had to pay an extra nickel for (purportedly it had milk or cream or something in it to make it more expensive). Nectar has gone away and chocolate wasn’t for our group.

Satchel and Sutton wanted Rainbow – two or more colors. With more than twenty flavors to choose from, they both selected as one of their favorites – blue – who cares what it tastes like. I find that today’s kids really get off on the horrible color their mouths are stained from this illusive treat. Branch wanted a large Pina Colada and he went off to a side table to devour it – lest anyone get the idea that he might want to share!

Jiro, the traditionalist, decided on a pink ice cream cone. Maybe I should have told him about the snow cone with the ice cream in the middle – but I didn’t want to start a stampede. (Naturally all snow ball stands that are worth their salt have ice cream, too. Some also have yogurt – a sign of the times.) Jiro seemed quite happy to lick away until he brought the remains of the drippy mess to me to do away with. Jiro is not a fan of the cone and I usually get to eat that part.

This was a fun experience and both Nancy and I were happy that the bench (see picture) held up through the slurping and enjoying.