Bayona, New Orleans… how can I even start this post? Last year in September we arrived in New Orleans the night after getting married in Vermont. It was a whirlwind 3 day weekend and we were so excited to just be on our own. Not to mention, in one of our favorite cities. The first night there our dinner plans did not work out as expected, so we ended up incredibly discouraged and began to wander down Dauphine Street. The food gods must have been looking out for us that because from a distance we saw the lights on at Bayona. At first we weren’t sure if it was actually a restaurant, but upon further inspection we realized that we had stumbled across quite the local gem. They took us in late, and served us a meal that would end up inspiring our entire trip.
The expérience from start to finish was fantastic. From the service to the food, to the whole atmosphere in the dining room. The meal was so amazing we actually ended up going back to Bayona on our last night in town. When we decided to book our trip for my 30th bday in May, we knew where our first stop would be. Here’s a look at what we had this time around!
Our choices included:
Goat Cheese Crouton
Sweet Potato Brioche
Grilled Shrimp
Veal Sweetbreads
Grilled Niman Ranch Pork Chop
Stuffed Rabbit
We also had two amazing bottles of wine, and the Bayona crew surprised me with a special birthday dessert. I know it sounds cheesy to say, but we feel like family when we go in there now. Our favorite waitress (Jess) was there to greet us and a few of the other team members remembered us as well. It was just such a nice way to start our trip, and we make sure to tell everybody we know to go there on their next NOLA trip.
Thanks to the Bayona family for another fantastic evening. We can’t wait to visit again!
