Back at Acme Oyster House in the French Quarter during an April 2024 trip to New Orleans.
Acme has been a New Orleans institution since 1910 and is best known for raw and chargrilled oysters, along with po’ boys, gumbo and fried seafood. The photos show some of the dishes from this visit.
The original restaurant is on Iberville Street, just off Bourbon Street. Lines can be long at peak times, but they usually move quickly.
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A week in London in March 2024, from a Delta One flight out of Seattle to a flight home over the ice of Greenland. In between we had pizza near Petticoat Lane, a full English, steak in Spitalfields, seafood at Smith’s in Wapping, a day around Borough Market and the Thames, and a Scotch egg at Fortnum & Mason.
Flying in: Delta One to Heathrow
The trip started with an overnight Delta One flight from Seattle: drinks and warm nuts, then a dinner tray and an ice cream sundae. There’s more in our Heading to LHR post.
East London: pizza, a full English and steak
Our first full day ended with a wood-fired pizza near Petticoat Lane. The next morning was a proper full English breakfast, and that evening we had steak and a brownie sundae in Spitalfields.
Smith’s in Wapping
Dinner at Smith’s, the “Famous for Fish” restaurant on Wapping High Street by the river: a prawn cocktail, a grilled lobster gratin and a chocolate dessert.
Tower Bridge, Borough Market and the Imperial War Museum
On a grey Friday we walked across London Bridge for the classic view of Tower Bridge, HMS Belfast and the Shard, then went into Borough Market for oysters and a salt beef sandwich. Afterwards we walked south to the Imperial War Museum.
Piccadilly and Fortnum & Mason
We finished the day at Piccadilly Circus and Fortnum & Mason, which claims to have invented the Scotch egg.
Heathrow and the Virgin Clubhouse
Our last night was at the hotel next to Heathrow, and we spent time in the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse in Terminal 3 before flying home: a burger, a latte, a giant cookie, a green juice and some pastries, with a big view of the apron.
Flying home over Greenland
The flight home followed the polar route. We had sparkling wine after takeoff, and a few hours later the ice and snow of Greenland stretched out under a deep blue sky.
Where to stay
We stayed at The Hoxton in Shoreditch, a short walk from Spitalfields and Petticoat Lane, then spent the last night at the Hilton London Heathrow Airport before the flight home.
Waiting for a flight at the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse in Heathrow Terminal 3, London.
The Heathrow Clubhouse is Virgin Atlantic’s flagship lounge, known for its full à la carte dining menu, cocktail bar and runway views. The photos show some of the food from this visit, including a pizza.
It’s a great way to start a long-haul flight, so it’s worth arriving at the airport with time to spare if you have access.
The Clubhouse has a big view of the Terminal 3 apron. See the flight home over Greenland in A Week in London.
A Scotch egg at Fortnum & Mason on Piccadilly, London.
Fortnum & Mason, which has been trading since 1707, claims to have invented the Scotch egg in 1738 as a portable snack for travellers. The photo shows the version served in its restaurant.
The Piccadilly store is a short walk from Green Park and Piccadilly Circus stations and is worth a visit for its food halls and famous tea and hampers.
We stopped at Piccadilly Circus on the way. See the rest of the trip in A Week in London.
A morning at Borough Market, one of London’s oldest and best-known food markets, next to London Bridge in Southwark.
The market is packed with stalls selling everything from fresh produce, cheese and bread to hot street food from around the world. The photos show the market hall and some of the food on offer.
It’s busiest around lunchtime and on Saturdays, so arriving early makes it much easier to get around. Southwark Cathedral and the Thames riverside walk are right next door.
Before the market we walked across London Bridge for this view of Tower Bridge. See the whole day in A Week in London.
Dinner at Smith’s, a seafood restaurant whose sign promises it’s “Famous for Fish”, during a March 2024 trip to London.
The photos show the restaurant’s sign and some of the seafood dishes from the meal.
Fish is a big part of British cuisine, from classic fish and chips to more upmarket seafood restaurants like this one.
Smith’s is on Wapping High Street, right by the Thames. This was one of the highlights of our March 2024 trip, which you can read about in A Week in London.
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Four days in Washington, DC at the end of February 2024 turned into a seafood-heavy eating tour: oysters by the Potomac, a sushi dinner near the White House, Levantine small plates in Dupont Circle, a seafood tower in Penn Quarter and a basket of fried oysters at an Arlington crab house. Here is where we ate, in order.
Views from Pentagon City
We stayed on the Virginia side, which comes with a great skyline view across the river: the Washington Monument, the Capitol dome and the highways that feed into the city. (More on that traffic in DC traffic is serious.)
Water Bar, National Landing (Crystal City)
Our first proper meal was at Water Bar in National Landing, a short walk from Pentagon City. A bright cucumber cocktail, a fresh salad with wrapped breadsticks and a plate of oysters on ice set the tone for the trip.
Toryumon Japanese House, West End
Dinner that night was Toryumon at 1901 Pennsylvania Ave NW, a few blocks from the White House. Highlights were a cabbage salad heaped with bonito flakes, a long board of nigiri and a nigiri plate served with a little bonsai.
The White House at night
Toryumon is close enough to walk over to Lafayette Square afterward. The White House looks great lit up at night. See also our post The White House.
Ala, Dupont Circle
Ala is a Levantine restaurant in Dupont Circle and the best spot for sharing. We started with a spread of dips and bread, then worked through salads, shrimp in a herby pepper sauce and kebabs with rice.
Café Riggs, Penn Quarter
Café Riggs is the all-day brasserie inside the Riggs hotel, set in a grand old bank building. We had a pink cocktail, bread service, a chilled seafood platter and steak tartare with an egg yolk.
Quarterdeck, Arlington
Our last seafood stop was Quarterdeck, a casual Arlington crab house. Order fried oysters in a red-checked basket, peel-and-eat shrimp and hush puppies.
Where to stay
We stayed at the Crowne Plaza Crystal City, a short walk from Water Bar and the Crystal City Metro station, with quick trains into DC.
In February 2024 we went to ilani Brewfest at ilani Resort in La Center, Washington, about 30 minutes north of Portland. The day combined a Grand Tasting full of food and beer with live cooking demos from two celebrity chefs, Antonia Lofaso and Gregory Gourdet.
The Grand Tasting
The Grand Tasting filled one of ilani’s ballrooms. Chefs served small plates at stations around the room, alongside the beer the festival is named for.
What we ate
The standout was Antonia Lofaso’s crab cake with jammy quail eggs and a frisée lardon salad. We also had a plate of thick-cut bacon, roast beef and cured salmon, and gnocchi in a cream sauce with braised beef.
Celebrity chef demos
The best part of the day was the kitchen stage. Antonia Lofaso, known from Top Chef and her Los Angeles restaurants, cooked live and talked the crowd through each step. Later, Portland chef Gregory Gourdet took the stage with his cookbook Everyone’s Table on the counter.
Tips for ilani Brewfest
Buy tickets early. The chef demos are the main draw and fill up fast.
Go to the demos early to get a seat near the stage.
Pace yourself at the Grand Tasting, since there are a lot of stations.
ilani has free parking and is easy to reach from Portland or Vancouver, WA.
We’ve been to ilani for food events before. See our post on the ilani BBQ festival.
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