Did Someone Say Beignet?!?

When in Rome, do as the Romans. Yes, it’s cliché, but the formulaic way of thinking tends to work. On a recent trip to New Orleans, I was on a mission to indulge in a perennial food favorite of the French Quarter: beignets. While not a beignet virgin, never before had I had the official doughnut for the state of Louisiana while in Louisiana.

To fulfill my quest for the perfect beignet, two French Quarter establishments were on my list of places to visit: Café Beignet and the famed Café du Monde.

The Royal Street location of Café Beignet was my first stop. While beignets make the perfect sweet treat for breakfast, we went for a late afternoon lunch—after all, there’s no rule that says a beignet is restricted to mornings. We sat in the courtyard that Café Beignet shares with the New Orleans Police Department.

The Chicken Salad sandwich that I munched on was a precursor to the real deal. While my attentions were diverted to the powder sugar covered pastries, my mind snapped to attention when I took a bite of the sandwich. Universally, chicken salad is chicken salad is chicken salad . . . right?

Wrong.

Yes, this salad had all of the requisite ingredients: chicken, mayo, onion and celery. But there was something else to this sandwich. Admittedly, the toasted wheat bread was crisp and buttery and didn’t turn to mush by the weight of the salad, but that wasn’t the “it” factor. Whatever Café Beignet’s secret is, I want it.

When it was time to dig into a beignet, I was primed, pumped and ready. There was glaring evidence that many beignets had been devoured in the courtyard that day. Powdered sugar was everywhere: on the tables, chairs, cobblestone deck, in the trees and, eventually, encircling my lips, on my forehead and in my hair. By the time we had finished eating the three beignets, we looked like a couple of crack addicts.

Two days later, I made a solo pilgrimage to the place that started it all. Established in 1862, Café du Monde is located on the upper end of the French Market District. I decided not to stand in the long line and instead grabbed one of the few open tables on the large outdoor patio.

From the live jazz band playing “When The Saints Go Marching In” with a frenzied fervor to the wait staff scurrying around in a form of controlled mayhem to the pièce de résistance: the warm, powdery, sweet beignets. Ooooh, these things were enchanting. They were beyond good. How could something as simple as a square of light and puffy fried dough topped with a heavy-handed dose of confectioner’s sugar cause my eyes to cross in sheer delight?

Although another menu staple, I declined to have a cup of café au lait. I didn’t want anything to interfere with the sweetness that was rolling around on my tongue. My little piece of heaven lasted only fifteen minutes or so, but it was 900 seconds well spent. People watching; three terrific beignets; gorgeous weather; live music—it all came together right there in the heart of New Orleans.

Do I now have a favorite place for beignets? Well, the purpose of this article isn’t meant to pit one establishment against the other. I will say, however, that Café du Monde has a long-standing history and a great location on its side. The bottom line is this: both serve airy beignets that positively melt in your mouth.

Café Beignet
334-B Royal Street
New Orleans, LA 70116 
504-524-5530
ON THE WEB: http://www.cafebeignet.com/ 
Café Beignet is open from 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 pm.; the Bourbon Street location is open until midnight Friday & Saturday, when they have live jazz.

Café du Monde
800 Decatur Street
New Orleans, LA 70116
504-525-4544
ON THE WEB: http://www.cafedumonde.com/history.html

Café du Monde is open every day, 24-hours a day except they close on Dec. 24 at 6:00 p.m. and reopen at 6:00 a.m. on Dec. 26.