Well, here we go! January was the first of our monthly dates and it was my turn to plan. I spent about a week thinking about where I wanted to go and watching the weather forecast – it was going to be rainy and chilly so I knew my energy and desire to leave my house was going to be low so it had to be something that I was really excited about.
The only place I was certain that I wanted to see was The Quarter, after hearing great things about it from friends and seeing photos on social media for the past year. After looking on Google Maps to see what was nearby it was a no-brainer that we would check out Boxcar, which is right next door and also a place I’d never been before but heard a lot about.
We headed downtown around 3 and parked in the Greene St. deck, which would be about halfway between where we would start and where we would finish. Bonus points that it is free on the weekends!
We walked first to Boxcar Bar + Arcade, about a 5 minute walk. We got $20 in tokens and got a couple of drinks and started to explore/play games. We enjoyed the Ninja Turtles game, Skee-ball, basketball, the air hockey table, pinball, and a couple others. It was loud in there, and there were kids around, but it was a nice way to spend about an hour. We actually didn’t even use all of our tokens, so we have a good reason to go back (and probably bring our kids). I believe the sign said that kids aren’t allowed in after 7pm. We loved it!
The next stop was literally NEXT DOOR – The Quarter! This is a New Orleans styled and themed bar, offering NOLA classic cocktails as well as their own, and a few draft beer selections. It was such a neat space inside. We were one of only 3 or 4 other parties, so it was very chill (probably because it was like 4:30!). We enjoyed a cocktail in the cozy vibe, both of ours were delicious, if a little pricey. For 2 drinks it was around $30, but the atmosphere made it totally worth it.
Next, we were hungry! We walked up Elm St to Inka Grill Peruvian Cuisine. This place was pretty full but someone had just left so we were lucky to grab a table! The servers were friendly and every dish that we saw go past us looked amazing. We are mostly vegetarian, with the exception of the occasional fish or shrimp bite. I had read the menu thoroughly and thought there were a good amount of vegetarian options but once we got there I realized that some of the words on the menu that I didn’t know actually meant meat, so I had a little more trouble finding something. I am super sensitive to spicy things, so any international food can be tricky for me as my barometer for heat is so much lower than what others think is spicy.
I ordered Bistec a lo Pobre, which was rice and beans, fried plantains, fried egg, and a large steak. I subbed the steak for chicken, and it was grilled perfectly. More than I could or wanted to eat, but I ate everything else and it was awesome. Ian ordered the Paella and enjoyed it, but when he saw this tower of fried seafood come by, he wished he had ordered that! That dish is called Jalea de Mariscos, which is crispy deep fried seafood mix with salsa criolla, fried yucca and homemade tartar sauce. It is pictured over there –>
Sufficiently full, we couldn’t be downtown and NOT stop off for a slice of cheesecake from Cheesecakes by Alex! I got Key Lime and Ian ordered blueberry and lemon cake, bananas foster, and bourbon butter pecan (yes, he REALLY loves dessert!). We took it all home.
That was it! From start to finish, we were out from 3-8pm, spent about $35 at Boxcar, $36 at the Quarter, $60 at Inka Grill, and $30 at Cheesecakes by Alex (total of ~$150). I highly recommend all of the businesses, and more info on each is mentioned below.
