Tag: Hurricane

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Cane & Table: Top Culinary and Cocktail Destination in NOLA

Cane & Table came highly recommended for their rum-focused cocktail program, but we really enjoyed the Caribbean-inspired dining options as well. Located in the French Quarter on Decatur Street just past the French Market, the venue’s organic feel includes a relaxing patio and plenty of space in the main dining room and bar. My grilled coulotte steak was truly outstanding, featuring avocado puree and fried yucca, and the service here was friendly, efficient, and knowledgable.

Hurricane & Table

But certainly the cocktails are the highlight here, seemingly the best in town. I thoroughly enjoyed the well-balanced Hurricane & Table that is made with house-made Fassionola, easily the best Hurricane that I tried during our visit. Our entire table enjoyed the cocktails.

Cane & Table Mai Tai

There’s a Classic Mai Tai on the menu but I went bold and had the upscale Cane & Table Mai Tai that includes three rums which were Appleton 12 Jamaica rum, Rivers Antoine from Grenada, and Paranubes aged from Mexico at the time of our visit. I didn’t miss the Martinque rhum that’s supposed to be in here at all, since there’s still a ton of sugar cane juice rum flavors to work with. If you love a bold rum blend, it is hard to beat this monster combo and the rest of the cocktail was expertly prepared to highlight the incredible flavors. One of the best Mai Tais of the 2024 and possibly the best Mai Tai in New Orleans.

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Pat O’Brien’s – Great Fun but Skip the Hurricane

After lunch we decided to see if the hype was worth it by visiting New Orleans institution Pat O’Brien’s. This place is famous for popularizing the Hurricane in the 1940s (a Ronrico Rum recipe predates it, though) and features a main bar, piano bar, and a large courtyard with bar. The place was packed and we sought refuge in the quiet piano bar room only to find we were a few minutes early for the 1 pm show start, and the room was quickly packed.

David and Amy enjoying a Hurricane

The older lady played to the crowd and opened with a Taylor Swift song but soon stated taking requests. Some of these were really fun, but others were kind of ruined by a bad arrangement and an unfamiliar pace. Later a young man joined and the two took turns, but I thought his shtick was wildly uneven and he kind of had a “I hate my job” expression. A mixed bag but fun if you’re in the mood.

Does the Hurricane live up to the hype? No, it’s actually pretty terrible no thanks to the artificial Hurricane mix, though David and Amy seemed to enjoy theirs. I had a much better time with the Mint Julep, made with fresh mint and very refreshing. Service here was pretty friendly, including the outdoor bar and wait service inside the piano bars. It’s nice to visit these historic places and see them still pulling in the crowds.

Mint Julep
Hurricane
Main Bar
Indoor Mint Julep
Patio
Patio Bar
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Orinda’s Boo Loo Lounge Now Serving Bar Bites

Had a great time in downtown Orinda to revisit the Boo Loo Lounge for the first time in a couple months. The strong bar program is still going strong with a menu of a dozen or so cocktails. This little bar next to the Orinda Theater is now serving a selection of fryer style bar bites, similar to Forbidden Island in Alameda. Don’t expect these to be gourmet but may hit the spot if you’re trying to stay in the venue longer. There are several nearby restaurants if like us you want to work off your buzz with a full service dining option.

Coconut Shrimp with Mai Tai in mug brought by the author

The Mai Tai’s orange liqueur has been switched to the Hamilton Petite Canne Shrubb, a Rhum Agricole-based liqueur. Along with a rum base that includes Rhum Agricole I found this to lean too far in the grassy flavor profile. Regular readers may remember that Smuggler’s Cove briefly used this liqueur in their Mai Tais, with similar not great results. Feedback was provided, with DeKuyper suggested as an alternative in a similar cost range.

Thankfully, the Hurricane I had was truly fantastic, a wild blend of Fassionola, juices, and rum. This cocktail met the high expectations I’ve grown accustomed to at the Boo Loo Lounge. Similarly, Mrs. Mai Tai’s Lady of Singapore and Saturn were excellent.

Hurricane

The crowd was having a great time, as we were with our friends. Boo Loo Lounge is so small they’ll really benefit from sunny skies and the use of their patio seating out front. By layering on bar bites onto the small venue with modest staffing, I wonder if they’re biting off more than they can chew but there’s nothing wrong with trying something to see how it goes. I hear there are plans for something else new to whet the appetite of guests, coming soon – so stay tuned.

Patio waiting for sunny skies
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Blue Bayou Hurricane

This is the restaurant in New Orleans Square at Disneyland, in the same building as Pirates of the Caribbean. The advanced reservations always book up fast but we approached the entrance about 15 mins before they opened and were able to score a table off the waitlist. We were seated about ten minutes after opening in the middle/back of the restaurant, so no dockside view of the Pirates boats but plenty nice anyway.

I had a great and pretty large winter salad and the Brioche bread was delicious. I also had the Hurricane, an option for the last couple years where the sit down restaurants do serve beer, wine, and a specialty cocktail. This seems appropriate considering the New Orleans theme, where the Hurricane was (likely) invented.

The Hurricane is very fruity and very easy to drink. Not too sugary though. It uses light and dark rums and these aren’t challenging or overly potent but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Really great time at Blue Bayou, with excellent service. We also got some branded coupe glasses as a nice takeaway and a birthday present for Mrs Mai Tai.