Dante's Kitchen

I mentioned last week I would be adding new features to my blog. The first is "NOLA Baybee." I am relatively new to New Orleans and am in constantly falling more in love with this city. I find gems all the time and I want to share my finds here on my blog ... afterall, my time in the city is clearly adding to the stories of DaVida Chanel right?

So w/o further ado, my first find is Dante's Kitchen. I am a fan of food. I love to eat. One issue I had in L.A. was the lack of really good food. True enough, I did have fav restaurants there but it was different - here people appreciate food. It is a big deal - good food, good friends and good fun are staples of many activities in New Orleans whereas dinner in L.A. was more of a backdrop. Portions were small and much less affordable. I went to Dante's w/my friend and his girlfriend for brunch on Sunday was most pleased.

We arrived around 1:45ish and brunch ends at 2. The hostess was super kind and let us know that we'd have a table soon. We went to the small bar which had a host of cutesy cocktail choices. I stuck w/the mimosa - what else to order on Sunday at brunch right? Upon viewing the menu, I made the decision that I would go all out! No worries here about calories. I ordered the shrimp and grits as well as the breadpudding French toast. My friend's girl ordered eggs Benedict and he got the shrimp and grits as well. We were a happy bunch! LOL! I ate ALL of my food and was well pleased. I think Dante's offers an amazing brunch and from the way my friend's spoke, it has an awesome dinner menu as well. If you ever find yourself in search of a great brunch, Dante's is a must try. The only thing not so great is that due to the weather eating outside was not an option.

Look at this beautiful courtyard, too bad it was too humid to even consider. (I guess that's what I miss most about L.A. - outside dining makes me smile!)