The Life and Times of a Beignet

A beignet (say ben-yay) is fried square of dough covered in powdered sugar. It's also the French word for donut and the official state donut of Lousiana. They're also addictive. Hotrod will probably marry a beignet when I pass.

Cafe Du Monde is the place to get your beignets in New Orleans - and has been since 1862. Fortunately for Hotrod, they're open 24/7, which means his unnatural craving can be assuaged at any hour. How fabulous. Here are some shots from our most recent trip. Those cups are full of hot chocolate, not cafe au lait, although the coffee is equally good. And at a $1.82 for 3 beignets, you can't beat the price.

Here's where the beignets and hot chocolate get whipped up: the infamous Cafe Du Monde server line (we were there during a slow period, normally it's like a battle station in full attack):
Our order. Each person gets water without asking for it. Personally, I think it's to help with any clean-up that might be necessary. I always end up using mine to wipe off some article of Hotrod's clothing. The powdered sugar gets EVERYWHERE.The inside of a beignet - deliciously airy with just the right amout of chewiness.The aftermath. Amazingly enough, we kept ourselves pretty clean this time.The inside of Cafe Du Monde. Usually the place is packed and usually those green "walls" you see are rolled up to open the place to the air, but it was on the chilly side, so the tarps have been down. I can only imagine what an errant gust of wind would do with all that powdered sugar.
We never made it to the aquarium yesterday, so we might do that today or some shopping. I vote for both, but there's a store having a great purse sale here so...