New Orleans Marriott
555 Canal Street | (504) 581-1000 | www.marriott.com
When we arrived in New Orleans, our surroundings weren’t quite what we had expected from previous visits to say the least—it was really cold! Our recent trip coincided with their worst winter storm in years, which left the town covered in a thin sheet of very rare ice that practically shut the otherwise bustling, colorful and pleasantly noisy city completely down. However, right when we got there we were welcomed with warmth and hospitality by the wonderful staff at the New Orleans Marriott. This majestic hotel is in the perfect location, ideally situated just steps away from the French Quarter to the west and the splendor of the Riverfront to the east, and just two blocks away from New Orleans’ own historic landmark and iconic attraction, Bourbon Street. Located at 555 Canal Street, the New Orleans Marriott is an older hotel that offers an abundance of beauty, culture and tradition. In line with all other Marriott hotels, they offer outrageously comfortable beds too! We made this our home away from home for the evening, and stayed warm and cozy while enjoying great food and drinks as well as all of the other wonderful amenities.
5 FIFTY5
Restaurant Located Inside New Orleans Marriott
(504) 553-5555 | www.555canal.com
One of the absolutely best parts of our stay at the New Orleans Marriott was our dinner and breakfast at their restaurant, 5FIFTY5. When we say the food was amazing, we truly mean it. In light of the fact that New Orleans is well known for their culinary flair and boasts a wealth of highly acclaimed and well established restaurants, one often wouldn’t think of the hotel restaurant when deciding where to dine. However, we were pleasantly surprised with the high quality and freshness of their food, their menu selection, and the phenomenal service they offer to their patrons. New Orleans offers signature cuisine with a Southern flare mixed with high quality seafood straight from the Gulf, and 5 FIFTY 5 definitely capitalizes on this while making each dish their own. We started out with their Fried Green Tomatoes, which had a very unique and somewhat tart flavor but were delicious nonetheless. The crumbled goat cheese, crawfish poppers and remoulade served with the dish were equally appeasing and the perfect finishing touch. We also tried the Charbroiled Oysters, and they were incredible! After the starters, we tried the Seafood Gumbo and the Louisiana Cobb Salad. Both were traditional items that were done quite well. The Seafood Gumbo was a true Southern delicacy that was flavorful and hearty, and the Louisiana Cobb Salad offered the perfect mixture of shrimp remoulade, lump crab, bleu cheese, bacon, eggs and buttermilk ranch—we would go back in a second just for that salad! When selecting entrees, we couldn’t resist the Louisiana Shrimp & Oyster Po-Boy and it was certainly everything we hoped it would be and more. We also tried the Seared Scallops, which were cooked to perfection and served with a rainbow potato hash and herbsaint butter sauce that completed the entrée quite nicely. We saved a little room for desert, which was perfect for their Beignets (similar to doughnuts) and dessert “shooters” that came in varieties such as Crème Brûlée, cheesecake, and a homemade ice cream with caramel which was simply divine. Overall, our dinner experience was worthy of the highest praise and we were impressed to say the least…and very full!
We thought that breakfast might be a little simpler than our extravagant dinner, but we were definitely wrong as it was equally impressive. 5 FIFTY 5 does offer a selection of breakfast items on their menu, and we couldn’t pass up the NOLA Benedict. This is a twist on eggs benedict that includes a mix of Louisiana crab cake, poached egg, spinach, Creole mustard hollandaise and hash browns. Definitely two thumbs up, but the only bad part about ordering off of the menu is that you miss out on the opportunity to try their amazing breakfast buffet. In fact, we highly recommend trying the breakfast buffet because it is a feast that can be rivaled by very few places we’ve ever visited. This includes made-to-order omelets, many different kinds of sausages, classic breakfast items, and an awesome array of choices that are sure to please even the pickiest of eaters. Though our service was great during our entire stay, we especially enjoyed our server during breakfast. Her name was Natalie, and she had recently moved to New Orleans only a few weeks before our visit from Tver, Russia. She was such a sweet girl, made sure we had anything we requested and everything we needed, and was very knowledgeable for only working there for such a short time.
To sum it all up, our stay at New Orleans Marriott was brief but we enjoyed every minute of it! Our meals at 5 FIFTY 5 were spectacular–the ambiance of the restaurant was warm and inviting and the presentation of the food, quality and selection of the dishes, and the excellent service were definitely the highlight of our visit. While the weather was far from normal, we still had a great time thanks to the New Orleans Marriott and can’t wait to go back. Until next time, New Orleans!