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Psst. Perhaps you didn’t notice, because of the green awnings and all, but this is not Starbucks. This is Café Du Monde. You don’t get it how you want it here, you get it how they bring it.
They’re known for two things: beignets and café au lait. So just get that, okay? Because that’s basically all they have. There might be some water in bottles, and I think they have some juice or something, but you can buy juice at the gas station, right? Order your café au lait iced if you’re feeling fancy, but don’t get the juice or the bottled water, because the café au lait is their specialty. It goes perfectly with the beignets, and it’s what you want, whether you know it or not.
So, your coffee–iced or hot–will be perfect, and it will arrive with three golden pillowy beignets, adrift in powdered sugar. And since powdered sugar is thirsty work, your courteous server will bring you a short glass of water. You don’t have to order the water; it just comes with the beignets. Every time.
Finally, there are three beignets to an order. Not two. Not one. But three. Stop making an ass of yourself asking if they can bring you some other number, because they can’t, and they won’t. Believe it or not, once you start eating you will want all three, and you won’t want to share. Or–nevermind. Go ahead and get a single order, and when you finish that, order another. Think of me when you do it.
So, remember, when they say, “What can I get for you?” your line is, “Two beignets and two café au laits.”
Good luck.
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July 15th, 2007 at 5:16 pm
I have never been to New Orleans, much to my sadness, but my paternal grandmother was born there to 2 Italian immigrants. My great-grandfather was a jeweler, but unfortunately was also a compulsive gambler who lost everything. My great-grandmother told him she was moving with the 2 kids to Michigan and he could come or not - but he had to stop gambling. He did and he spent the rest of his life working in car factories.
Someday I will make it there and thanks to this post I know where I would stop first. I won’t even think of asking for anything else than what you have on your table. Oh my God it looks amazing.
Oh yeah thanks for your book tip. We will definitely get those books.
July 16th, 2007 at 2:48 am
Ahhhhhhhh, memories. My mouth is really watering right now– have some for me!
July 18th, 2007 at 2:11 am
I visited New Orleans for a long weekend 17 years ago (oh my god, how is that possible?) and remember going to Cafe du Monde. That coffee–with chicory, right?, and about a thousand teaspoons of sugar?–was like nothing I’d experienced before. I also remember the unbelievably thick heat (it was June), and how the maid at the B&B walked in on my boyfriend and me having sex.
July 20th, 2007 at 5:41 am
While in NO for my bachlorette party, we went to Cafe du Monde at like 4am and I left the penis sippy cup I had been carrying all nite there. I still remember that sippy cup fondly. Oh, and the beignets too.
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