Episode 93: Eating with Cait – New Orleans Food Scene & Content Creation

Scott Vicknair, injury attorneys, we fight for the win.

All right, hello everybody, welcome to the Overruled podcast, brought to you by the Scott Vicknair Law Firm. I am your host, David Vicknair, excited to be chatting today with a very interesting guest, somebody we’ve gotten to know doing some social media collaborations, a local content creator, Cait Minshew.
Cait, welcome to the Overruled podcast.

Thank you for having me, I’m super excited to be here.

Thanks so much for chatting with us today, Cait. I was hoping first you could tell our listeners a little about you, your journey, and how you got into this whole world of content creation.

Yeah, so I am born and raised New Orleans, I grew up in Lakeview, went to Ursuline Academy, went to UNO and got my bachelor’s degree in marketing, then started working in the marketing field, always loved the photography and videography side of everything. And what was it, like four years ago, maybe four years in November, I started my blog, I just wanted to do something with myself, and I was like, let me combine two things I love, I love going out to eat and getting dressed up, and I love videography and photography, so that’s kind of how Eating With Cait was born, I guess you could say.

Nice, and so it started as a blog, not straight on social media, and what was the blog about, was a lot of the content about restaurants and going out to eat?

Yeah, a little of both, whenever I first started it was so bad, my page, I went and looked the other day and I was like, oh my gosh, I did not know what I was doing, it just wasn’t good. But yeah, I’d say blog, but it was mostly photos, I guess I could say, wasn’t really videos yet, I hadn’t tapped into that yet, but it’s grown really great over the past four years and I’m loving what I do.

I was hoping you could talk a bit about, it’s interesting you said when you look back at where it started, how bad it was, when I look back at some of the things the law firm did back when we started I’m like, holy crap, mortified, right, but I’m always reminded that you just have to act and do, and the content and things you do evolve, iterate, and get better over time as you grow. Could you talk a little about how much better you’ve seen yourself grow as a person doing marketing and content creation, from when you started to right now, and what do you encourage other people who are thinking about doing that kind of thing?

Yeah, it’s funny, if I would have, back then I didn’t think it was bad, but as you constantly get a lot of inspiration from people, I feel like that’s how people grow, and that’s how I’ve grown, I have certain content creators, a couple in different states, that I really admire, I love the way they film, that’s kind of how I improved myself, seeing what other people are doing. But I say it was bad, I’m happy to see where I’ve grown now. Some advice I could give anyone wanting to start a food blog or whatever is, just stay consistent, you’ll get there, it’s not going to happen overnight, just keep practicing, practice makes perfect, I guess you could say.

I think the interesting thing too about what you just said is, looking at some of the content creators locally in New Orleans, they’re all different, every single one is unique and special, everybody’s got their own things about them as a person. I think it’s cool how you mentioned you look to different influencers or blogs you related to and wanted to emulate. What advice do you give people about just being themselves? Because watching your channel, it’s very authentic, it’s very you, it’s different than all the other content creators, but that’s maybe the greatest thing about all of y’all’s stuff, that it’s all different and unique.

Yeah, you have to really show your personality, and that’s really hard, because putting yourself out there is tough, I was very shy growing up, if you’d told me at 20 this is what I’d be doing, I’d be like, no, I’m never going to do that, ever be in front of a camera, talking, being a podcast panelist, whatever it is. But it is important to just embrace yourself and not try to be like someone else, because that’s what people like to see, they see authentic people online.

And don’t you think they can see through it, if you were trying to play a role as opposed to just being who Cait Minshew is now, who you are in five years, because we’re all changing, it doesn’t really resonate or hit with the audience the same way, and it’s really hard to keep up a persona that’s not you for a while. Some people, you have a lot of critics out there, I’m sure you run into that a lot, but you really can’t let that get to you, it’s like, what are they doing with their life. You’re doing something, putting yourself out there, that’s a big risk, and at the end of the day it’s fine, that’s what I like to tell people, it can get a little crazy but at the end of the day it’s fun, just be yourself and everything will fall into place.

Yeah, I think it’s okay, sometimes, I’m a bit sensitive, kind of wear my heart on my sleeve, and some of that criticism can just jab me, really, but I think it’s okay, every time it comes it bothers you less and less, and the line I always go back to is, people are going to have stuff to say about you no matter what you do, so you might as well do what you want to do.

That’s exactly what my dad says too, truly, my dad’s like, don’t worry about anybody, and you can hear that all day every day, but truly it has to happen enough to you that you’re like, just dust off your shoulder, it really doesn’t matter. I kind of find it flattering if someone’s really mad or upset about my work, it’s like, but why, why do you want to invest so much energy in what I’m doing, how is it affecting you? So you’ve got to let those things slide off sometimes.

Absolutely. Before we shift gears and ask specifics about some restaurants, the last question I wanted to ask about where you’ve come as a content producer, have you noticed the more you do this, you get better and better at it, in your confidence? Can you talk me through that process, from when you first started looking into a video screen, to the person people are seeing today, they’re looking at you right now, how have you changed along that process?

I think obviously I’ve gained a lot more confidence in myself, and like I said, practice makes perfect, you have to just do it over and over again, it kind of becomes nothing to you, it becomes easy at the end of the day. I never forget the first time I spoke on a panel, probably two and a half years ago, I forgot what it was for, but I was so nervous, now I’m still nervous regardless, I’m always a little nervous, but I was shaking, so nervous, and I’m like, why am I so nervous, everyone else is relaxed, fine, I should be the one who’s not nervous. But fast forward now, I do get a little nervous but I think it’s fun, so I’ve definitely, I want to do more of them.

I think the nerves kind of shift, right, to where it’s a nervousness of caring and being prepared.

For sure, and wanting to do your best, and I don’t like the element of surprise at all, that’s kind of where, just in life, I like to know what’s going to happen, that’s why I rewatch all my shows, because I don’t want to get into something and not know what’s going to happen, I like to know the questions before, but you can’t control everything, that’s what I’ve had to learn.

So, okay, shifting gears here, we’re in one of the best food cities in the world, very lucky for that, you grew up here, you’re a native New Orleanian. Tell us about some of the really cool things you’ve done maybe in the last couple months, cool places you’ve gone and filmed content at that might be a little unique, different, that our listeners should know about and give a shot. I’m not asking your favorite places yet, that’s a sensitive subject, but maybe one or two spots that are unique and cool to check out.

Well, I have to think, I swear when people ask me this my brain shuts off because I always have so much going on. We were just talking about the chicken nuggets at the Hotel Monteleone, I went to the Carousel Bar today, they had chicken nuggets and caviar, the Veuve collaboration they’re doing, that was really cool. There’s a place on Magazine called Nanami, this new sushi spot, opened last year, it’s very relaxed, not your over-the-top sushi spot, but it’s so good, one of those things, don’t judge a book by its cover, because it’s fabulous, I mean sushi, I love sushi all the way around, but that was definitely memorable, I always tell people that because it was easy, wasn’t in your face, and everything was super good. I have to think, I can’t, it’ll come to me.

So I want to do some round robin with you, hit some different segments, and I don’t want you to have to name your favorites, every, I can’t do that, I won’t make you do it, because you go to so many different places, but I just want to run through some segments, some bars, some restaurants, different types, and see some of your go-tos or places that are top of mind for you. So bars, when you’re going to get cocktails with friends, what are maybe two or three of your top places right now that you’ve regularly been going to in the last three to six months?

I love wine bars, so like Trèma Bar is really great, really nice wines, really great. I love going to Cure, I’ve recently picked up an obsession with white Negronis.

Oh, love a white Negroni, not everybody can make them though, some people just don’t have the ingredients.

Cure always does, and they’re very good, of course, I love going to Chloe and the Columns, I don’t really go out to clubs like that anymore, I feel like we don’t have a club scene anyway, at least not anymore, but I like cocktail bars, it’s not Bar Marilou anymore, what is it, Salon, I think it’s Salon now, right over there, I enjoy going there, that’s a cool place. I do like the lounge-y cocktail vibe, and I also love going to nice cool unique hotels too.

Yeah, it’s really, Cure’s cocktails are just so good, I love it there, and I feel like, to be honest, I can get away with saying this because they won’t be mad at me, they probably won’t listen to this, but I feel like when I was in law school, the bar had a bit more of a, maybe not intentionally, a snooty vibe, and now the vibe is way different than what I remembered it, it’s much more welcoming with the same high level of cocktails and food.

And it’s funny you say that, because I feel like New Orleans, when you say snooty, I feel like sometimes bars here, newer places, try to be like New York, where it’s super exclusive, and that doesn’t work here, it will never work here, we don’t have a city designed for that, which I love, I love New York, but you don’t want to feel like that here, you want to feel welcome everywhere.

Absolutely. I also just think, when you talk about a place like Cure, there are a lot of great cocktail bars in the city, but there are some that are clearly trying to do cocktails on a much more elevated sense, and it’s a bit pricier and more difficult to get into, but man, Jewel of the South is just amazing.

Jewel of the South is really good, especially with their caviar service, I love going there, every time I go they’re slammed, so I rarely go as much, but I do like going in there, it’s nice.

What are some of your favorite relaxed, maybe not-super-dressed-up restaurants, at least over the last three to six months, I’m not going to say favorites, some go-tos you’ve been gravitating toward?

Well, kind of shifting back to one of my newer favorites, I don’t know how I forgot this, my friends just opened up a spot on Freret called Dolce, it’s from the Basque region, very, very good, I really enjoyed it, I went like two weeks ago, it was really good, it’s right where High Hat used to be, right, well, it’s next to High Hat.

I’ve heard of it.

It used to be where in Cora was, I think it was called like the pizza spot, but it’s right next to High Hat, people have been getting confused thinking it was there, but High Hat’s still there, thankfully. Some places I gravitate toward, one of my favorites I’ve been going to since I was a kid, we go every single Christmas Eve, I’m going to say it wrong, but Venezia’s, in Carrollton, love it there, then always going to Angelo Brocato’s next door, grabbing some gelato. I do like to go to Butcher a lot because I live across the street from it, they have really great food, they just made the Michelin guide and all that. But those are two spots we really enjoy going to, I have to think what other spots, for sushi I like going to BC Toro, it’s just kind of where I, what’s around me.

And we’re the same way, and the great thing about Butcher is it’s just so quick, and the sandwiches are so amazing, and there’s always a line though.

There’s a reason for it, it really is good, they pump the people in and out though.

I’m sure they get a lot of conference business because they’re right by the convention center.

Oh, for sure.

Okay, so Michelin, you just brought it up, and I saw you doing the special where you’re trying a lot of, are you going to all the Michelin ones?

I’m going to try, my goal this year, I don’t think I’m going to be able to get it done this year, because I was doing the math the other day and I was like, oh my god, I’m going to have to knock out like three or four a month, and I just don’t see myself being able to do that, but yeah, I really want to try them all, I’ve been to a majority already, but there are some I haven’t gone to, so I’m excited for that.

And you’re going to do the ones that got the stars, the ones that were recommended, everything, right?

Chef Eric Cook was on the show a couple guests ago, and he’s a hoot, because he’s the chef at Gris-Gris, he just goes on rants and tells you what he thinks, and he had a really strong perspective on Michelin I hadn’t thought of before, that he’s not necessarily a huge fan of it, because he feels it shifts restaurants away from actually focusing on producing great food and more toward delivering tasting menus and other things to impress these random Michelin guests who appear. What are your thoughts and perspective on Michelin coming here, obviously it’s going to expand and there’ll be more restaurants on the list?

Right, and I get both sides, look, I’m not a chef, I’m not a restaurant owner, so I really can’t speak on that, but I can see, I was very happy to see Michelin come here, because we truly deserve it, I feel like New Orleans gets the short end of the stick, we’re always the last one for everything, now it could be for a couple of reasons, we just don’t want it, we don’t want change, or we don’t have that restaurant life, which obviously we do. But I think it’s a great way, all the restaurants that made the guide, the ones that got stars, I feel are well deserved, and having that outside of their restaurant is going to help bring business in, and that’s going to be great for anybody. So I can see Chef Cook’s side of it, but I think it’s cool, it’s newer for us so it’s more exciting, other cities have had this for a while, but I just want to do the series to show maybe restaurants people haven’t heard of, oh, why did they make the guide, they made the guide because of this.

And there was obviously, there’s some restaurants that got left off that I’m like, I don’t know how you recommended these and didn’t recommend these, I don’t want you to say the restaurants, but there were some places grossly left off the list that should have been on there.

I even did my research before, while it was coming out, I was like, what makes, how do you even get on the guide, how do you even get a star, there are a couple of things you have to hit, I can’t remember exactly what, so when I saw who made the guide I was thinking back to what I read and all the marks they had to check, I was like, okay, that makes sense, obviously Emeril’s, that’s the best fine dining restaurant in the city, and I can say that, not even questionable, I’ve been to quite a few, as many as I can think of down here, and when you go to Emeril’s it’s a completely different, it’s unbelievable, unmatchable.

Yeah, and I’m sure you’re going to pay a pretty penny, but that’s kind of what you have to expect going into something like that.

Now it has two stars, I just think it was a good thing that it came here. Was GW Fins and Doris not on the list, right, which I thought was, it’s so funny you say that.

An affront against humanity, I think you just went to GW Fins for the first time last week, which is kind of crazy to me as a native New Orleanian, I’m sad you missed out all this time.

I know, now I know, and it’s funny because I was like, wait, did they make the guide, and I went and looked before I went, I was like, oh my god, they didn’t make it, but I guess they just didn’t hit the marks, I don’t know, I don’t want to say they’re wrong, I guess some things could just be, I don’t care, I’m a New Orleanian, dive right in and get my opinion. I guess maybe some things could be, the person on behalf of the guide that night didn’t have a great meal, didn’t order the right thing, because at GW Fins you can’t really miss with most of the appetizers, but some of the fish on the menu, that’s not my favorite, but a lot of them, the bluefin tuna, it’s very hard not to. If you don’t like that you should go to Morris, my opinion, they have so many things on the menu that are so great, but I could maybe see that. Doris Metropolitan, I’ve never had a bad meal there, did they not want steak restaurants, I don’t know, it’s kind of one of those things, and I’m assuming maybe they’ll eventually get on as they expand the list, because every year they update it, I would imagine. But everyone’s got their own opinions about it. When I saw Michelin coming here I saw it as more of a way of bringing business into those restaurants, and that’s kind of stemming off, really, the sole purpose, why I love doing what I do, is I love bringing business into places, being born and raised here I’ve seen a lot of restaurants go out, I’ve talked to chefs and owners about how hard it is, and what we do is we want to bring people in there, that’s really my mindset, maybe not everybody has that same mindset, but I definitely do. So that was my first thought when I heard they were coming to New Orleans, or Louisiana really, I was happy about it.

Yeah, I think that’s a great mindset to have, and until you said it just now I’ve never really thought of it that way, but what you do does do that, it brings that restaurant or venue top of mind, and you’re like, oh, I don’t have any plans this weekend, I’m going to go check that out. So it is a net positive, I think, from the Michelin perspective, I lean toward your opinion, I understood exactly where Eric’s coming from and I see that as maybe a downside of it, but net positive, people follow that list, just like people follow James Beard. So if there’s a family in Nashville thinking about spending the weekend in New Orleans, and they see these chefs listed on the Michelin list, that puts two hotel rooms booked, two coffee shops where they had breakfast got extra business, there’s all kinds of economic stimuli from it, and I reiterate exactly what you said, I think part of it is we all have a chip on our shoulder, why does New Orleans, clearly the best food city in the world, not get elevated the way Chicago, New York, some of these other cities are. It’s like, why didn’t Drew Brees win three MVPs, because we’re in a smaller market, we’re treated differently than the Chicagos and New Yorks of the world, Houston, Miami, because when you go to New York, I go pretty often, every other year or so, their food scene is just unmatched, I think in the world, there’s a restaurant for anything you can imagine, so it’s hard to compare, but when I’m out there I go to these restaurants and bars and think, we could have this here, why, we don’t need another seafood restaurant, I love seafood, yes, but we don’t need another one, we’ve got enough, I see all these really cool speakeasys and stuff, and I’m like, we could have this here, why don’t we have this here, I want to start one at this point.

Yeah, 100%, I think some of my two cents on that, Cait, is I think some of it is because we’re such a tourist city, it has evolved a lot, you see the evolution of places like Décor for example, there’s kind of food for everything now, I think some of it struggles to really break through because when a lot of people come here they’re like, oh, I want oysters or I want shrimp, so I think maybe that has some element to it, I’m not sure, that’s just my take. But let’s shift here, I understand that besides all the awesome local content you’ve been making and make on a regular basis, you’re going to shift some of your content along with your travels, because you’re an avid traveler, tell our listeners a little about what they can look out for on your pages related to you sharing some of your travel.

So, like you said, I do travel a lot, as you get older, making a little more money, you can travel more, it’s really great, so doing a good bit of traveling starting this summer, going to New York, Dallas, Austin, and then Japan is one of my big trips, so I’m going to sit down the next couple weeks and write out everything, I want to try, when I travel I travel to eat truly, I have everything written down, places I want to try, so I really want to expand my page to tap into other markets, other cities I guess you could say, so be on the lookout for that, that’ll be fun.

Nice. Okay, so if I am not Cait Minshew and I want to experience more of New Orleans restaurants and bar scene, but I’m just in my own little segment, or maybe living in a bedroom community near New Orleans, like Luling, Thibodaux, Houma, Morgan City, whatever, and I’m like, how do I start to research and find different types of places to experience? What are some suggestions you’d give somebody who’s trying different places, or wants to break out of their neighborhood spots and go try somewhere else, where do I go to pick some of these, besides your page, how do you develop that process?

So, and it’s funny you ask that, even local creators here, we all generally go to not the same spots, I feel like it’s kind of one big circle, it’s a revolving thing. I do a lot of Googling places, sometimes I’ll be like, okay, I have a day where I don’t have a lot going on, I haven’t been to this Bywater bakery or cafe or whatever, so I try to do that, I feel like my stuff leans more toward luxury sometimes, but I try to do relaxed stuff too. But if anybody, I have friends in Luling and they’re like, oh, where do we go, I’m like, well, let’s see, what are you craving, that’s kind of where I like to start, okay, what do y’all want to do, are you wanting seafood, oysters, pasta, whatever it may be, let’s start there. So that’s kind of where I like to start with people, okay, what part of the city do you want to be in, uptown, downtown, French Quarter, Bywater, Metairie even, so that’s kind of where I start, I guess you could say, if anybody ever asks me.

It makes sense, because I’m not a food expert or content creator influencing others’ behaviors like you are, but I’m always like, when people ask me that, I’m like, what kind of food do you want, when you’re in the mood for pasta, you’re in the mood for Italian, because that’s way different, you just said about Venezia’s, that’s an option, there’s all other types of Italian options, but that’s a whole different spectrum than if I feel like eating fried shrimp, you’re not going to recommend Venezia’s.

Right, right, yeah, I mean it just depends, I don’t know, anywhere you’ve been recently, I think recently someone asked me about Italian and I went to Adolfo’s last year, I think, it was my first time, right there on Frenchmen, and let me tell you, their mussels were like the best mussels I’ve ever had in my life, and I’ve had a lot of mussels here, and those were really good, so I’m always recommending places that were recently or in the past year just super standout to me, or sometimes I’ll just go on my page and think, okay, where could they go, because I forget sometimes.

Absolutely. Do you have some favorite spots for either seafood or gumbo? Gumbo is a touchy subject for everyone, including me, because everybody’s like, me, my grandmother, my parents make the best gumbo.

Right, that’s it, it’s funny you say that, because everyone’s like, oh, gumbo’s better at home, I get it, but what if your grandma started a restaurant, then the gumbo would be good there, you know what I mean? So, I had really good gumbo at Luke recently, it was really, really good, Emeril’s has a really good gumbo, let me think, Chloe, the Chloe, has a really good gumbo.

Interesting.

I’d have to think where else, I actually made a gumbo video, I do like Luke’s gumbo, I’ve had it a couple times, I think it’s pretty good.

Yeah, yeah, and of course I love making gumbo, so I’m going to think mine’s the best, but it’s just one of those things.

How many biscuits did you have at GW Fins?

I think four, it felt like I had like 50 though, I could have kept going, but I was like, I’m filling up on the biscuits, and everybody I was with, they’d been there and they’re like, you need to slow down, and I was like, I can’t, it’s so good, the whipped butter with it, was so good, they just keep bringing it, oh my gosh, can you stop bringing the biscuits.

Is that Miles’s favorite restaurant? Yeah, one of my favorites.

All right, what else would you like everybody to know about your page and content to be on the lookout for, Cait, before we wrap up?

Stay tuned for the travel segments, I guess you could say, and I’ll be switching it up a little, kind of switching up my style of filming, obviously I’m going to keep to what I’ve been doing, but being more personable, I think, really talking into the camera with people, connecting with them a little bit better, so I’m going to be switching it up a little and obviously traveling, so I’m excited.

Amazing, well, I’m excited to follow along and see it. For those listening or watching who don’t follow you, what’s your handle, how can they find you online, Instagram, Facebook, wherever, if you have a website, what do you tell them all the places?

So you can do @eatingwithCait with two T’s, and I’m on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Amazing. Awesome, well, thanks so much for being here, Cait.

Thank you, love chatting with you.

And thank you to all of our listeners and all of you watching online. This has been another amazing discussion and a great episode of the Overruled podcast, brought to you by the Scott Vicknair Law Firm. Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you next time.

Scott Vicknair, injury attorneys, we fight for the win.

Information is for illustrative purposes only and does not constitute tax, investment, or legal advice. Always consult with a qualified investment, legal, or tax professional before taking any action.