I have never been to New Orleans, but I have experienced the tastes of the city. I have always imagined walking along the French Quarter, a cup of chicory coffee in my hand, taking in the sites and architecture. Never did I think I could experience this in Kansas City.
Beignet is located in the River Market district of Kansas City, Missouri. It’s a fun atmosphere on a Saturday when everything is open. There are fresh fruits, produce, spices and various ethnic restaurants to pick from. You can browse all of the stalls while listening to live acoustic music. It’s not New Orleans, but it will have to do until I make it there someday.
Beignet offers sweet crepes with flavors like Lemon Berry Cream, Nutty Nana, Campfire, and Peanut Butter and Jelly to name a few. They are served with a side of Sabayon cream, which is a sweet white cream sauce.
Beignet also offers savory cornbread crepes with flavors like Benjamin Buford Blue (crispy shrimp), Daddy Duke (spicy Cajun Andouille sausage) or try the signature savory crepe – the Muffalleta crepe. This one comes with Genoa salami, Mortadella ham, provolone, mozzarella and olive salad. I think next time I go, I’m going to order this one!
New Orleans French style donuts are on the menu, but so are loaded donuts. How does Chocolate Truffle, Bavarian Cream or Caramelized Peach sound? Maybe the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup is more your style. It’s hard to pick just one and I think they know that because you can get a mix and match dozen. I think I can feel my waistline expanding just thinking about it. We chose to try the traditional style since we ordered the Lemon Berry Crepe.
Traditional French Style Donuts
Of course, it’s not all about my sweet tooth so my husband and I ordered two savory beignets to share. He ordered The Bronx (Italian sausage, pepperoni, meatballs and smoked mozzarella). I got The Cajun (spicy Andouille sausage, crawfish, chicken, candied jalapenos and olive tapenade). You guessed it, it was pretty spicy. So spicy, I thought about stopping in the middle of it and eating a donut just to balance it out.
After being forced to eat all of this, I thought I would order a Chicory coffee to go. I tried Chicory coffee once before when a co-worker brought some back from New Orleans. I had no idea what to expect and I kept thinking it was going to get better, but after about 8 sips I gave up.
It was pretty gross and I have no idea how to even describe the taste. After doing some research, I found that a lot of places in New Orleans mix it with regular coffee. The result was still nasty and I ended up throwing out the rest of the bag. I only tell you this to paint the picture of how hesitant I was to try Chicory coffee again. Reluctantly, I gave it a try…and it was good. They use a chicory/regular coffee blend and mix in spices. I would definitely have this again. I guess the trick is to leave it to the professionals.
Chicory coffee
I would recommend Beignet to anyone wanting to enjoy a taste of New Orleans. As you enjoy your loaded donuts, crepes and savory beignets, enjoy the quirky artwork found on the walls. You can almost hear the jazz…
Beignet artwork
Valerie is a born and bred Midwesterner who loves to travel and explore other cultures through food. She enjoyes learning about this small world we live in and wants to enjoy life on her terms. Valerie is a freelance travel writer and writes for her blog, Trips or Treats.
