Packing for a Work Trip

When I travel for work, it's usually with my boss- who hates to waste time waiting for checked luggage to come off the plane. For that reason, I've become adept at fitting my laptop, flat iron, clothes, and toiletries into only a large purse and a small carry on. I've managed to fit outfits for two days, plus workout clothes and shoes into the bags shown here when necessary, but my most recent trip was less complicated. I needed a set of work clothes, plus clothes to go out to dinner in Houston at a local restaurant called Cyclone Anaya's (which was really good) with my boss, our colleague, and his wife.
I though it would be fun to document what I wore, because this is pretty typical for a work trip. In the summer in Houston, I have to consider two factors- that I will be miserably hot the second I set foot outside, and that I will be freezing indoors. So the business clothes I wore on the plane and to work on day one were charcoal dress pants, black flats, a black tank top and a pull over light weight sweater. (Excuse my death glare, I tend to look fairly evil when I'm not smiling- really I'm just concentrating. Also, my hair is usually a lot nicer, but I have to get up really early during my work trips so I wash my hair the night before and just haphazardly flat iron it while chugging coffee the next morning.) For dinner that evening, I kept the tank top and topped it with a knit dress. I wore black flip flops (had the restaurant been dressier, I would have worn the flats instead and maybe packed a dressier dress), and brought along a khaki jacket. (Does the jacket look familiar :), Amanda?)
Finally, for work the next day, I wore the same charcoal pants and black flats, topped with a short sleeved sweater. I also wore the khaki jacket most of the day because it was cold inside the office.
As for where I put everything- my laptop, flat iron, clothes (which I rolled), and flip flops fit easily into my carry on. My wallet, toiletries, a notepad, and a book fit into my red purse. However, on trips when I bring workout clothes, I usually keep my laptop in my purse to make room for my running shoes.
These outfits actually represent pretty typical work clothes for me. I tend to live in black, charcoal, and brown dress pants, topped with dressy sweater or knit shirts (button downs don't fit me very well.) I tend to wear small pieces of jewelry as well because I think big bright accessories overwhelm me. And I almost always wear flats, even though I sit at a desk most of the day and could probably wear heels pretty comfortably.
What are you work staples? How do you pack for a trip?

Brevity

Sorry for the silence, dear readers. I'm actually working on a post about packing for a work trip, so expect something servicey (and lengthy) with pictures (albeit ones taken with my lousy blackberry camera) soon.
So for now I'm quickly going to post about the nice time I had on Monday evening. I got to see my good friend Kathleen, who was in town for a conference. I was lovely to catch up. I don't get to see my friends from high school as often as I would like, so it's always a treat when they come down to New Orleans!
We had an excellent meal at Dragos, which, by the way, still offers their famous chargrilled oysters. I'm so happy that their oyster beds have thus far been spared!
Before dinner, Kathleen was kind enough to accompany me on another fruitless search for a reception dress. This BCBG dress looked so amazing online, but is only flattering on a stick person in real life.
I'm not even kidding when I tell you that the skirt is secretly sticking out about 6 inches on either side of her hips. (Also, does anyone else notice the weird lighting angle and that her shadow only has 1 leg? Photoshoperiffic!)
It's a pity because the fabric was amazing- a slightly metallic ecru with a waffle texture. I also really loved the black ribbon at the waist- I think it was such a sophisticated touch. *Sigh*
This dress, on the other hand, was adorable in white, but more along the lines of something I would wear to someone else's reception (though not in white, obviously).
I also re-tried on the White House Black Market dress I had my eye on. It's now on sale for $80, but I swear it gets more shear every time I try it on. So the search continues!

Confessions

So I failed to eat at least 5 servings of vegetables three times last week. (And once, already, this week.) So what have we learned? Mainly that I suck at eating veggies during the weekend. The only time I slipped up during the week, I actually ate 4 servings of vegetables, so at least I was close. My weekend servings (I messed up last Sunday, this past Saturday, and this Sunday) were a lot lower (think 2). I do eat vegetables at dinner, but I am 100% more likely to eat a sandwich or an egg and call it lunch on the weekend. I don't really plan ahead for my meal on the weekend and I also am prone to eating a big meal out, then eating like a bird the rest of the weekend because I am full. I also tend to shop on Sundays so by Saturday, even if I *should* down a green monster to make up my veggies- I'm often out of spinach. Never fear, the challenge is still on, and I am still maintaining my spreadsheet. However, I need to have a plan in place to get my veggies on the weekends! I'll let you know when I think of something! :)
The good news is that fitness wise, last week outstanding! I worked out a total of 5 times- 2 days of weight lifting, 1 day on the treadmill (at 15% incline and 4 Km/hr pace- try it, you'll like it!) and 2 runs!!!! It feels so good to be active again!
My runs were great, especially my 4 mile run on Sunday. I was feeling kind of anxious about it since I had a pretty hard time on my runs last week, but I told myself to just get out there and run around the park. It didn't matter how long it took or if I needed to walk- all I had to do was go outside, enjoy the weather, run to the park, run the loop around the park, and come home. Ultimately, I didn't walk at all, and even though I didn't push myself, my pace was 9:20- not bad! The best part was that I had a great time. I literally had a smile on my face for the entire run! It was wonderful and gave me a lot of much needed confidence. The Crescent City Classic is on April 3, and I do feel like I'll be ready in time. (Also, a note to people who want to run this race- tickets are $25 until March 15- after that, they are $30.)
This weekend was very nice all around. Of course, the gorgeous weather put me in a wonderful mood! On Friday, I ran errands after work, then ran 3 miles. That evening, we went to a friend's house for dinner. I brought this Kale Slaw (with buttermilk blue cheese dressing and walnuts) that was a big hit. (Now I just need to decide what to do with the leftover buttermilk I have- cornbread, perhaps?)
On Saturday, I had brunch at the Ruby Slipper with some of my sorority sisters (we're active in our local alumni club), went to the mall for a watch battery (and ended up buying a shirt for myself, and one for my darling fiance), got my hair cut and colored, and took my darling fiance to Squeal to have some yummy BBQ for dinner.
On Sunday, I spent most of the day cleaning our house (aka up to my neck in pet hair), but I did manage to get groceries and go for the 4 mile run I wrote about above. I also went to my friend Ashley's house to watch the Oscar's. I left before most of the awards were given out though because I was tired and I really only care about the fashion. :)

Great Day

I ran 5K this afternoon! I have been more than ready to get back into the swing of things and I'm finally feeling well enough to do it! I'm also running three miles with my marathon running friends on Sunday to help encourage them. I'm really looking forward to that. Running puts me in such a good mood! Of course I'm pooped now, which is kind of lousy- I remember when I thought 5K was too short for a short run. Oh well, I'll get my stamina back!
Other upcoming highlights include dinner at Coquette with my darling fiance tonight, brunch at the Ruby Slipper followed by a trip to the art museum to see the Disney Exhibit tomorrow, and Alvin Ailey at the ballet tomorrow night. We also went to the LPO's performance of Pictures at an Exhibition last night. It was beautiful!
On the vegetable front, things have been going really well. I've been averaging 6 servings of veggies and 2 of fruit a day (and never fewer than 5 servings of veggies). My biggest observation is that I am eating a huge volume of food! My second observation is that I hate carrot juice. Haha!
This week my darling fiance and I have gone through a bag of spinach, a bunch of kale, 2 sweet potatoes (topped with Amy's Organic Veggie Chili-yum!!) and a plastic box of salad. We've also nearly finished off a small raw veggie tray. We've also eaten a lot of other assorted veggies (we grilled burgers and had kabobs with tomato, squash, and zucchini one night, for example) and frozen veggies. As for fruit, we've gone through 3 blood oranges, most of a bag of apple slices (plus about a quarter of a bag of apple slices from last week), 2 frozen bananas, and a lot of frozen blackberries and cherries. (I've eaten most of the fruit.)
Things that have worked really well include the green monsters, the sweet potatoes with vegetarian chili (it's also low salt, which is a big plus), the grocery store salad bar, and of course the kale. :) I got a little tired of the salad by the end of the week because the frisee made it kind of bitter. The veggie tray has been as good as veggies can be as an afternoon snack (I dipped the carrots in cashew butter one day and was a huge fan), but I don't know if it's going to stick as a habit. I do like my greek yogurt ranch dip though.
So anyway, so far, so good!
Health wise, the other healthy thing I did this week was order a swimsuit. I'm going to start swimming at the gym with my running buddy Margee (who's training for a sprint tri, not to mention running in the Mardi Gras Marathon on Sunday- she's awesome!) and I needed a suit that would stay on a little better than my standard bikinis. Fortunately, Margee sent me a site that sells swimsuits at a pretty nice discount. I ordered this speedo in Navy. I think that it's pretty cute, actually. Hopefully it fits because I don't want to deal with sending it back and getting a different size. Some of the suits are hilariously garish- like this one, this one, and this one. (I kinda like the wonder woman suit though....)
I used to swim (recreationally) all the time when I was growing up because we had a huge pool, so I'm eager to get back in the habit!
Okay, I need to go walk the dogs, dry my hair, and pick out something to wear for tonight. Have a great weekend!

Having a Ball

I will technically be going to three balls this Mardi Gras Season. The first, on Friday, is not actually associated with a krewe. It is the Cripple Creek Theater's Masked Mardi Gras Ball. They are also performing Ubu Roi. So I get to dress up, wear a mask, have wine and cheese and enjoy a play all in one evening! :)
Next weekend I have two balls. I'm going to Arthurians again, and I'm also going to the Bacchus ball this year. Arthurians is Friday and Bacchus is Sunday. I am going to feel seriously awful on Monday! Fortunately (or unfortunately) I am going to take Monday off instead of Fat Tuesday (an office holiday)- because I have to fly to Houston for work on Mardi Gras day! (I still think this is an injustice, although I am bending it to my advantage.)
The other big event for New Orleans coming up is, obviously, the Superbowl. I'm not sure what I'm going to do on Sunday night. I don't have TV in the apartment, and I've only watched one game this year (I may not be a fan of football, but at least I'm not a fair-weather fan either!) but I think I would like to watch the game on Sunday. I don't want to go downtown though. I may go watch it in Metairie with my friend Steph and her game watching group. We'll see. I'm also going to go to the Barkus parade on Sunday afternoon. I think I'll be leaving my dogs at home though- they are a handful around other doggies.
Prior to the Masked Ball tomorrow, I am going to check out Calcasieu because I want to have our rehearsal dinner there. I don't have a lot planned for Saturday, but I do want to go to Magazine St. to find a Valentine's gift for my darling fiance. This could be dangerous b/c I am really good at finding things for myself on Magazine St. :)

Rather Busy

This is the time of year in which I live by my to do list! I am pooped and am staying in tonight. :) I must say that I have accomplished a ton this week- both in terms of socializing and in terms of getting important tasks out of the way.
On the social front, I went to book club. We read The Help, which was really good. It's been my favorite book so far. Up next is Cleopatra's Daughter. I also went to a holiday happy hour hosted by my local sorority alumni club (Kappa Alpha Theta, if anyone is curious, and I'm actually the treasurer of our club this year) at the Swizzle Stick Bar (one of my favorite places for creative cocktails), and I had dinner with my friend Heather last night at Il Posto Cafe.
On the task front, one of the most notable things I did this week was get two of the four remaining outside cats fixed at the Southern Animal Foundation. Trapping the cats was actually kind of scary because they went nuts when the trap door closed and I had to wear work gloves to move the boxes because I was afraid that they would bite or scratch me through their cages. However, I am really glad I got it done because the two cats I caught were actually both girls. I'm so glad I prevented two more litters from being born this year! The remaining two cats are boys and I have an appointment to trap them and have them fixed in January.
In other news, I am psyched to say that I got a pair of Spyder ski pants for $30 yesterday! They are actually little girl's pants- my current ski pants (which fit but are old and kind of out of date looking) are a girl's XL (ski clothes run really big!) and I looked at the measurements and realized that I could totally fit into the Spyder girl's size 18. They were marked down to $80 from $100 on Amazon.com. I also knew that my mom had gotten me an Amazon gift card for Christmas. I thought it was for $25, but when I called her to get the number, she said it was for $50. Score!! My pants should be arriving Monday. :)
Today I was as busy as can be. I'm facing a big deadline at work, and I had a bunch of errands to run afterward. I actually trapped the cats last night and took them to the vet this morning. After work, I first dropped by Massey's for waterproofing spray for my new snow boots (Amazon sales have been good to me this fall), then I stopped and looked at the bridal shop (Pearl's Place) down the street. It recently occurred to me that since I want a fitted dress and I don't want a train, a good option for me might be to order a Bridesmaid's dress in white. A lot of bridesmaid's gowns were too shiny, but I really liked this one. It's significantly less expensive than a standard wedding gown, but what I really like is that it weighs so much less than a wedding gown! I know it's a weird thing to be excited about, but I was walking through the store trying to get a better look at some of the wedding dresses, and whenever I would even move one on the rack, all I noticed was how heavy they were! It made them very unappealing to me. Anyway, I think that the dress is really cute on me too. I love the single shoulder strap and the horizontal pleating. I took a picture on my camera phone (please ignore the weird face I'm making and my strange hair)- what do y'all think? You have to picture it in white, of course. After that I went to Symmetry and priced wedding bands (because we have been working out our budget this week- fun stuff), and was pleasantly surprised that my initial guess for that part of the budget was too high. :)
After that I picked up a couple of Christmas presents (I'm officially DONE!) and then went and got the cats from the vet.
Tonight I still need to finish wrapping presents and then wash the dogs because tomorrow is my family's Christmas party in Gulfport. I don't think I've mentioned it on the blog but for the past few years I've gone skiing in Switzerland with my darling fiance and his family during the actual Christmas holiday (hence the snow boots and ski pants), so I celebrate with my family early. I'm looking forward to tomorrow because I got everyone some great presents and I can't wait for them to open them.
Okay, less blogging, more work! Have a good weekend everyone!

Foodie Week and a Great Weekend

I wanted to share a few recipes I tried out this week that were really good. I mixed things up for breakfast by replacing my standard Greek yogurt/honey/fruit/and granola with baked oatmeal. I made a big casserole dish of baked oatmeal with blueberries, almonds, coconut, cinnamon and vanilla and it lasted me for 3 days. It was really good- my advice is to use a lot of spice because otherwise it can end up tasting a little bland.
My dinners this week have been especially tasty. I tried out this recipe for spaghetti with Kale and my dear boyfriend and I both loved it! I also adapted this recipe for shrimp scampi by using scallops and adding broccoli. (I've also actually used it to make some fantastic shrimp scampi too.)
I also made a couple recipe free dishes that turned out very well. I made artichoke hummus by combining 1 can of chick peas and 2 cans of artichoke bottoms (drained) in my food processor with a couple of cloves of garlic, a little lemon juice, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.
For lunch, I made a baked bean bowl by putting a can of baked beans over brown rice and topping it with chopped tomato, chopped green onion, cilantro, sprouts, and a little BBQ sauce. It was really good! I find beans and rice to be very filling, but you can always beef it up with some shredded cooked chicken if you want more protein.
This weekend has been absolutely wonderful. Friday night, my dear boyfriend and I saw Opus at the Southern Rep Theater. We both thought it was a great play. The tagline is "Sex, Drugs, and Chamber Music." It's about the dynamic between the members of a string quartet as they get ready to play Beethoven's Opus 131 at the White House shortly after adding a new member (a young woman) to their group of middle aged men.
Before the play, we went to Iris and had drinks and appetizers. Iris is officially my favorite place to go before a play because it is within walking distance of both the Southern Rep and Le Petite Theaters. The bartender is also known for amazing, creative cocktails. My first cocktail, for example, contained elderflower liqueur, basil, and a pineapple balsamic reduction. My second one contained bourbon, vanilla, ginger liqueur, and Thai tea. My dear boyfriend had one drink that contained scotch, gin, and a plum/cardomom syrup. His other cocktail contained Rye, bitters, beet juice and apple juice. They were all amazing. As for food- we split a cheese plate, 1/2 a dozen oysters, and some short rib rolls that were wrapped in lettuce. It was all delicious!
I also got to wear the purple ruffled shirt that I bought last week. I paired it with black pumps and a pencil skirt. I'm glad I got to wear it because a cold front finally rolled in on Saturday.
On Saturday, I started the day off in a terrible mood because the chance of rain was 75% on and off all day. However, it never really rained! I really wanted to go for a run, but was convinced that the second I got out there, the bottom would fall out. Finally, I decided to just go for it. (I brought my phone with me so I could call home for a ride if I got trapped by rain.) I am so glad I did because I had the best run ever! I was a little nervous because of my horrible 8 mile run, but I shouldn't have been. Clearly, the 78 degree weather played a big part- but I had tons of energy and had a great time! I was also thrilled with my pace. I ran a 9 minute mile pace all the way through mile 6 (54 minutes, compared, for example, to my Crescent City Classic time of 62 minutes), and didn't slow up very much for my last 3 miles. I finished the run in 84:16!
On Saturday evening, we were supposed to have a picnic in the park and listen to the LPO, but that got cancelled due to rain (although it never rained!), so instead my dear boyfriend and I grilled out. We had chicken kabobs, mango chili chicken sausage, and sweet Italian turkey sausage (we cooked a ton of meat so we'd have leftovers to eat this week) along with a side salad. I had blue cheese on multi-grain bread for dessert as well. I really love the amablu Gorgonzola. It is a fairly mild blue cheese that is really creamy. It's great spread on bread or alongside a sliced pear.
Today I have been being pretty lazy. I am about to get up, clean the kitchen, and wash the dogs. Later, I am going to go over to Sarah's house to carve pumpkins, eat pizza, and watch Hocus Pocus. I loved that movie when I was a kid!
All in all this weekend has been just what I needed. It's been so nice to relax and spend some quality time with my dear boyfriend. :)

Looking Forward

I have a lot of things to look forward to in the next few weeks. This coming weekend, I have a haircut, and then a Coolinary dinner at The Pelican Club on Friday.
On Saturday, a group of us are going to Monroe, La to our friend Jon's family's farm. We're going to swim, barbecue, ride 4 wheelers (and maybe horses), and do some serious relaxing.
The next weekend I am attending a secret event for a family member who shall remain nameless, then running in the Crescent Connection Road Race on Sunday. It's 4 miles across the Crescent City Connection Bridge, which spans the Mississippi River and connects New Orleans to the West Bank. This will likely be the last time I race in my current running shoes b/c they are getting pretty old.
Finally, my friends and I are starting a book club! Our first book is going to be "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie." I plan to post my thoughts on all of the books I read for the club, so feel free to follow along and let me know what you think of the books!

Wonderful Birthday

I have certainly been a negligent blogger this week- given that my birthday was Sat. and I haven't blogged in nearly a week. Oops!
I was planning to download some pictures of everything, but I keep putting it off- so I will go ahead and write the entry then hopefully put some pictures up soon. (Edited to add- here's a picture of my birthday breakfast! I'll spare you the ones of me with both presents and terrible bed hair!) I've just been lazy this week!
My birthday weekend was awesome.
Friday night, my dear boyfriend and I met our friends Jon and Sarah at Dos Jefes Cigar Bar. Besides having lots of cigars, Dos Jefes features tasty drinks, live music on the weekends, and a very nice patio. We sat outside and I drank Prosecco, which I love. At midnight, everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to me. :)
I woke up several times Saturday morning, starting at about 6:30 but kept making myself go back to sleep since I went to bed a 2 am. I finally got out of bed around 9:30. I'd noticed on Friday that there were two presents in the fridge, so I was eager to find out what they were. The first present was a bottle of Prosecco and 3 fresh white peaches. My dear boyfriend proceeded to puree a peach and make bellini's with it! The second present in the fridge was a delicious chocolate cake from Sucre. Best. Breakfast. Ever.
Of course, I had even more presents to open from my dear boyfriend and from his and my family members- because I am such a lucky girl!
My parents gave me lots of books and some beautiful navy blue woven placemats for my table.
My aunt sent me a really pretty copper wind chime that is shaped like a butterfly for my porch.
My dear boyfriend's brother (and his girlfriend) sent me a beautiful Le Creuset Petit Pear Casserole Dish.
My dear boyfriend's parents gave me a watermeter cover necklace (the watermeter cover is my favorite New Orleans symbol) and the Patagonia trench coat I blogged about last month!
My dear boyfriend also gave me two lovely bottles of Pinot Noir from Hopper's, my favorite Wine Shop (I'm currently enjoying the Frederic Magnien Pinot Noir- it's very tasty!), a pair of Lululemon yoga pants, and a Garmin Forerunner 305!
Like I said, I am a lucky, lucky girl. :)
After breakfast, I went to lunch at Little Tokyo with my girlfriends- Sarah, Steph, Ashley and Anne. We then went to the mall. I got some fairly mundane necessities- a bra, a polo shirt, and soap- but I also got a very cute top by Charlotte Ronson and a wide brown belt to wear over it at JC Penney's of all places. The I heart Ronson colaboration she's doing with Penney's is super cute and *very* affordable.
After shopping, I went home and got all dressed up to go out to dinner. My dear boyfriend and I went to Gautreau's and it was delicious! I had the gnocci with jumbo lump crab appetizer, the strawberry and spinach salad, the crisp duck breast, and the Creme Sophia. It was so good- especially the gnocci and the Creme Sophia.
After dinner we met up with Sarah, Jon, Steph, Ashley, and Anne at The Columns for drinks. Bedtime was again around 2am.
On Sunday, it was time to actually get organized. I tidied the house, bought groceries, and went to visit my friend Bonnie who is moving to California this week. She gave me lots of fresh rosemary, basil, eggplants, and jalapeno peppers from her garden. (Thus far this week I've made pesto, dried the rosemary, baked the eggplants, and used some of the jalapeno in cornbread.) It was nice to see Bonnie and her hubby Gabe before they move because I am really going to miss them!
All in all my birthday weekend was spent having fun with the people I care about and that made it really wonderful! It was a great way to start out my 28th year.

10 Days

I am turning 28 next Saturday. My birthday plans include an afternoon of sushi and shopping with my girlfriends then dinner at Gautreau's with my dear boyfriend. Now all I have to do is decide what dress I want to wear to dinner! (That may be decided while shopping, actually. Hehe!)

In car news, I'm waiting for my title to arrive in the mail. After that, because I now plan to buy my Forester through a dealer in Alabama, I have to wait until my registration has been issued for a year (that would be on August 11), despite the fact that my registration says I've owned my car since 2003. I can't blame the dealer though, for wanting to make sure all the i's are dotted and t's are crossed before submitting to Cash to Clunkers to make sure they'll get their money back from the government. So since it looks like CtC will be funded again this week (go, Senate, go!) I am planning/hoping/praying to get a new vehicle sometime next week. I'll keep you all posted.

Norma's Sweets Bakery

Yesterday, as I was having my hair colored, my colorist mentioned that her cousin works at a Honduran Bakery in Kenner. Since my office is basically on the line that divides Kenner from Metairie, I was intrigued. I was even more intrigued when she mentioned that they have savory items like sandwiches and empanadas. It turns out that Norma's Sweets Bakery is about a 5 minute drive from work, and so I had to check it out. Especially since it had a nice review on Nola.com a couple months ago. I was actually feeling pretty blah at work today, so I thought that picking up some lunch from there would be a nice pick me up and a great chance to get out of the office for at least a little while.
I walked into the bakery and everything smelled wonderful! I ordered a cuban sandwhich and allowed myself to be talked into a tres leches cake as well. They also gave me a free guava and cream cheese fruit turnover.
The cuban sandwich was excellent and big enough for two meals (which bodes well for my lunch tomorrow). The bread was crunchy and buttery and pressed flat. It had roast pork, ham, swiss cheese, mustard and pickles. The roast pork was my favorite part of the sandwich because it was so tender.
The guava and cream cheese turnover was also very good. I've never had guava before- to me it tasted like a cross between strawberry and melon. It was very fruity and good, and the cream cheese made it very rich. It was encased in a warm, buttery, flaky puff pastry crust. I only ate half because I had to save room for a couple bites of tres leches cake.
I happen to particularly love tres leches cake, and this one did not disappoint. The sponge cake was soaked in a mixture of evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream that oozed out of the cake after I'd scooped out a bite with my spoon, and topped with whipped cream. It was wonderful and rich, and I only managed to take a couple bites before I was stuffed!
The bakery was full of other items I would like to try- empanadas, tamales, pastries, and breads; plus a great deal of Central American groceries. I will definitely be going back. Although I may have to wait until my arteries unclog. Haha!

Where to eat in New Orleans for a special occasion

This subject is near and dear to my heart. My absolute favorite way to celebrate a special occasion- a birthday, a holiday, good news, etc.... is to get dressed up and go out to an upscale restaurant for a great dinner. I've been to a lot of great restaurants in New Orleans, but some really stand out.
Restaurant August- Chef John Besh is, in my opinion, one of the best in New Orleans and August is a wonderful restaurant. I ate at August for my 26th birthday and I still remember the wonderful duck with duck confit, foie gras, and tempura cherries that I had as an entree. The service was wonderful, and they actually mailed me a thank you card for coming to their restaurant. (I also love Besh's newer restaurant, Luke, for a slightly more casual experience. And if you go there, do try combining an order of the truffled pate with a dozen fried oysters. It sounds strange, but you won't be sorry! It is decadent!)
Lilette- I actually took my dear boyfriend here for his 27th birthday, which we celebrated on the same day that I defended my Master's thesis. I was amazed by the yellowfin tuna, which was served with beets, ginger, basil and mint. The combination looks strange in print, but the taste was amazing!
Bistro Daisy- Bistro Daisy is fairly new- my boyfriend and I celebrated out anniversary there this year. Bistro Daisy combines great food with a lovely, intimate environment and wonderful service. I particularly remember my excellent appetizer (the special)- foie gras with rhubarb compote. It was just wonderful.
Cochon- Cochon is more casual than the places listed above, but Donald Link is another of my favorite local chefs and so far I've loved all of the restaurants he's had a hand in (Herbsaint, Cochon, and Cochon Butcher/sWine Bar- I have yet to try his catering at Calcasieu). Cochon shines because of its menu- an upscale twist on traditional southern food. And Cochon's cornmeal pineapple upside down cake is my all time favorite dessert.