New Orleans: Cafe du Monde (September 2000)

My spouse and I enjoyed a snack at Cafe du Monde in September of 2000. Cafe du Monde is a coffee shop on Decatur Street in the French Quarter in New Orleans. It is best known for its cafe au lait and its French-style beignets. The New Orleans-style coffee is blended with chicory. The French brought coffee with them as they began to settle along the Gulf Coast and the Mississippi River, circa 1700. During the American Civil War, the New Orleans Creoles developed the chicory-blended coffee (as there was a coffee shortage) — which has continued to be served at Café du Monde and other New Orleans restaurants. Chicory adds a chocolate-like flavor to café au lait. The Acadians (Cajuns) from Nova Scotia brought other French customs, such as the beignet, to Louisiana in the 18th century. Unlike most doughnuts, beignets are squared pieces of dough with no hole in the middle and are most often covered with powdered sugar. Sometimes they are seen served with fruit, jam, maple syrup, or even savory items. At Cafe du Monde, the beignets are served traditionally, with a thick covering of powdered sugar, in orders of three. The menu at Café du Monde is simple, as it only includes dark-roasted coffee with chicory, beignets, white and chocolate milk, and fresh-squeezed orange juice. The coffee is served black or au lait. According to the Cafe du Monde’s Vice President, Burton E. Benrud, Jr., the beignets remain the only food item on the French Market location's menu; and Café du Monde is committed to “keeping things the way they’ve always been: recipes have gone relatively unchanged.” Cafe du Monde is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except for Christmas Day and days when "the occasional hurricane passes too close to New Orleans".