Café Du Monde
The original Cafe du Monde coffee stand was established in 1862 at the upper end of the French Market (now the French Quarter) in New Orleans. The shop has a limited menu of coffee, hot chocolate, sodas and beignets.
Beignets are deep-fried dough balls which are then doused with icing sugar…not the best thing for your waist line but OMG are they delicious and really, a trip to New Orleans isn’t complete unless you’ve stopped and enjoyed the fair at Cafe Du Monde. Their coffee is laced with chicory. During the Civil War, when coffee demand was high but supplies were low, the people of New Orleans experimented with different fillers in order to stretch their dwindling supply. They found that chicory worked best as the taste was pleasing and it cut some of the bitterness from the coffee. I must say, as a coffee addict, enthusiast I was quite taken by the coffee. Oh and my son had the hot chocolate and remarked that it was the best he’s ever had. I took a sip…he’s right.
Cafe du Monde is open 24 hours a day 7 days a week, closing only on Christmas day. The place was forced to close for 7 weeks after hurricane Katrina due to water damage, power outages and the relocation of some of their staff.
Being out before sunrise to photograph the French Quarter this intrepid photographer was mighty grateful to slip into Cafe du Monde at the wee hours of the morning for some delicious, piping hit coffee and beignets.
Click on the image to enlarge (it really does look better) or to Purchase a Print.
This image is quite good, almost Norman Rockwell-ish! Love the real life going on! Soudns like a great place too! Very cool!
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 8:16 am
Thanks Jimmy.
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 5:06 pm
I loved too, you did so nice image… Thank you dear Edith Levy, have a nice week, love, nia
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 8:19 am
Thank you so much Nia.
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 5:08 pm
That dude on the right has one killer hat, and I want it. I also want a milkshake now!
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 8:59 am
Nice work on this image! Good one!
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 9:12 am
Thank you very much Alex.
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 5:10 pm
You are very welcome! Do come by my blog soon~
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 8:34 pm
I did Alex…it’s terrific.
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 10:55 pm
Thanks!!! Do follow if you like!
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 11:17 pm
Love their beignets, wish I had one to go with my morning coffee. Love what you did with that photo
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 9:31 am
Thank you for your kind comments. I know I think I could have used a beignet today as well.
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 5:10 pm
The editing technique on your top photo is interesting and the beignets sound fabulous!
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 9:39 am
Thank you 🙂
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 5:11 pm
Great shot and love the processing Edith.
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 9:44 am
Thanks Mark.
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 5:11 pm
Great image, Edith. Really has an artful feel and look to it.
I actually visited that shop while there. It looks even better here today. 🙂
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 10:00 am
Thanks so much Jimi. It really is a terrific place.
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 5:12 pm
What a great summary of a fun part of New Orleans! I think what really stuck with me as I sat there last spring enjoying my beignet was how amazing it was that the place had done NOTHING to evolve its menu in decades and remained such a busy place. Phenomenal for US business in this day and age!
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 10:09 am
Thank you and I know what you mean. This picture was taken at about 7am after I had finished shooting but we were back in the afternoon with the kids and it was packed. It just goes to show you if you have a good product people will come.
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 5:13 pm
This reminds me of Rick Sammons’ style. Very cool processing.
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 10:15 am
Wow that’s a compliment, I love Rick’s work. Thank you.
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 5:14 pm
Very nicely done Edith, this really pops.
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 10:26 am
Thanks so much Phil.
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 5:14 pm
Really liking the way you processed this image Edith.
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 12:34 pm
Thanks Steven.
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 5:15 pm
I love the way this has been processed Edith. Is it an HDR image? Really very nice indeed. 🙂
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 1:36 pm
Thank you! It is an HDR but after tone mapping in Photomatix I brought it into Photoshop for some level adjustments and then ran it through Lucis to give it this final look.
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 5:17 pm
excellent le traitement des couleurs
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 1:41 pm
Merci 🙂
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 5:18 pm
I like the way you have processed this image, Edith. There is a lovely warm welcoming tone to this shot making it almost sepia-like.
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 1:45 pm
Thank you so much Mark.
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 5:18 pm
What a wonderfully processed and composed scene Edith. I have been there and you have captured it wonderfully. I am sure that it will be a little more crowded this week with the Super Bowl being held in the Big Easy.
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 3:21 pm
Thanks Len and yes…I think you’re right.
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 5:19 pm
Love the photo and your treatment of it.
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 3:46 pm
Thanks Maralee.
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 5:19 pm
This is a place I’d love for sure; and you captured it pretty well.
Beautiful light and nice composition!
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 7:24 pm
Thanks Pablo. I appreciate it.
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 10:53 pm
Edith, beautifully captured sense of place, and nice treatment of this photo now I have a sweet tooth 🙂
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 7:53 pm
Thanks so much Stacy.
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 10:53 pm
You make me want to go racing back to New Orleans !! YUM !!
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 9:31 pm
I know what you mean. I want to go back too!
LikeLike
January 28, 2013 at 10:55 pm
I’ve been there, Edith. Your photo makes it look so much better than I remember, though. Well done. And yes, the beignets were pretty good also.
LikeLike
January 29, 2013 at 7:36 am
Thanks Victor.
LikeLike
January 29, 2013 at 3:14 pm
Nice work Edith!
LikeLike
January 29, 2013 at 7:37 am
Thanks so much Denise.
LikeLike
January 29, 2013 at 3:15 pm
Me encanta esta toma, ¡maravillosa!, ¡que me gustarÃa poder visitar este sitio!!
LikeLike
January 29, 2013 at 9:49 am
Gracias. Es un lugar estupendo.
LikeLike
January 29, 2013 at 11:28 pm
You find the coolest places, nice work
LikeLike
January 29, 2013 at 12:07 pm
Thanks Mike.
LikeLike
January 29, 2013 at 3:15 pm
I love that place Edith, having been many times over the years – nicely done!
LikeLike
January 29, 2013 at 3:27 pm
Wow I love everything about this image. The subject, composition, and processing. It really amazing!
LikeLike
January 29, 2013 at 7:19 pm
Thanks very much Phillip. I appreciate the visit and the lovely comments.
________________________________
LikeLike
January 29, 2013 at 11:32 pm
Wow Edith, this is beautiful! I love the feel of the shot and the processing is awesome!
LikeLike
January 29, 2013 at 8:33 pm
Thanks so much Michael.
LikeLike
January 29, 2013 at 11:34 pm
Oh my gosh, Edith, you’ve captured my mind and heart with this picture! How absolutely lovely! We simply must get to NOLA ourselves one day (we’ve got some old, old friends down there I believe) and now after seeing some of your images from your adventures, this yearning is growing. Fabulous work, my good friend!
LikeLike
January 30, 2013 at 7:18 pm
Thank you so much Toad for your kind comments.
LikeLike
January 31, 2013 at 12:03 am
Pingback: Roundup of Amazing Recent Photography Links and Photos