Guest Author - Karon Warren

A little more than two years after Hurricane Katrina left behind a decimated Mississippi Gulf Coast and a devastated city of New Orleans, I finally returned to the Crescent City for a visit. During my stay, I had the pleasure to call Harrah’s New Orleans Casino & Hotel home, one I was reluctant to leave at the end of my stay.

Located one block off Canal Street at the corner of Poydras and S. Peters streets, Harrah’s Hotel is conveniently situated to all things New Orleans: the French Quarter, Jackson Square, RiverWalk, Superdome and Saint Charles Avenue. For me, it is the perfect place to park the car for the duration of your stay, because everything you could want to visit is within walking distance.

Accommodations

Of course, that’s only if you decide to leave your room, which I found difficult to do at times. My room contained two double beds, a table with two chairs and a flat-panel TV ensconced in a wall cabinet flush with the wall. But my favorite amenity was the panoramic view of the Mississippi River out my floor-to-ceiling window. My room overlooked Harrah’s Casino, straight out to the river and, if I looked a bit to the left, into the French Quarter.

The bathroom was equally spacious, with a separate walk-in shower, soaking tub and water closet. The bath towels from Israel were some of the softest I’ve ever had the pleasure to use. While I could have used a little more lighting for makeup application, overall I was quite happy with the facilities.

Since I was working during this trip, I also was pleased to find my room had wireless high-speed Internet service. It was great climbing on top of my comfortable bed and working on my laptop without the constraints of an Ethernet or telephone cord.

Dining

When it came to dining, Harrah’s satisfied my palate at every turn. For breakfast, I enjoyed a small meal of cheese Danish and cranberry juice via room service. For lunch, I headed over to the casino and grabbed a sandwich at McAlister’s Deli. For dinner, I sampled four of Harrah’s offerings: Riche, The Besh Steakhouse, Bambu and The Buffet.

The only restaurant located within the hotel, Riche, a French brasserie, offers a selection of steak, seafood, chicken and more. During my visit, I enjoyed the steak frites, a 12-oz. New York strip with a roasted garlic and herb demi glace accompanied by French fries. The meal was further enhanced by the warm décor and the impeccable service.

At The Besh Steakhouse, I actually skipped the steak and went for the seafood instead, opting for sautéed sea scallops. They were perfectly seasoned and satisfied my craving for something on the lighter side. Meat lovers, though, definitely should try their luck with the Cowboy Steak, a 38-oz. piece of beef sure to challenge any carnivore.

Over at Bambu, the menu consists of Asian-fusion dishes drawn from Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Vietnamese influences. I had a taste of several dishes, and each one was scrumptious. More on the casual side, this is the perfect place to “drop in” for dinner.

Of course, you cannot go to Harrah’s and not try the buffet at least once during your stay. I hit it during dinner hours, so it was outfitted with everything from salad fixings and fried chicken to boiled crawfish and steamed crab. But the one station that had everyone drooling was the “Sweet Treats” dessert bar. Cakes, pies, ice cream, pastries–you name it, and it probably was on display. It was all I could do to keep my sweet tooth in check!

Although the accommodations and dining were exceptional, I believe my favorite aspect of Harrah’s was the service and courtesy I received from the staff. From the parking valets out front to the front desk clerks to the room service wait staff, everyone was very pleasant and seemed happy to help–something that seems more and more rare these days in the customer service arena.

So the next time you plan a trip to New Orleans, consider a stay at Harrah’s. You won’t be disappointed!

For more information, visit www.harrahsneworleans.com.