Musings on food, cooking, and dining by a New Orleans Foodie

Sushi and Southwestern food were both enjoyed this weekend, making this a pretty good food weekend. I worked Friday night and Saturday and was able to squeeze in a nap before Saturday night. Ms. X came over and we settled on Sushi, as I hadn't had it in a while. We trekked over to Sake Cafe on Magazine and sat at the Sushi bar. The service was a bit lacking and I think the waiter forgot our squid salad at first, but the Sushi chef was friendly. When we put in our order, he gave us each a small appetizer. It was fantastic and I asked him what it was, but for the life of me can't remember what he told me. I'll look for it on the menu next time, it is definitely something I should have again. We had some miso soup, squid salad, a tuna box, crunchy roll and rock-n-roll along with a few Sapporo beers. Yes, we finished it all, or I guess maybe I finished it all. I hadn't really eaten all day and was starving.

Sunday morning brought us to a French bakery on Magazine Street for pastries. We discovered that Ms. X had a flat tire and I wanted to change it right away. Of course she decided that we shouldn't get sidetracked, so we took my car to get breakfast. We ended up with some almond croissants, a blueberry muffin and a chocalate thing. I know I am not being super decriptive, but my experience with French pastries is a bit limited. I was also ready to get the tire changed. It took a while to accomplish that task, seeing as the full sized spare had never been used, and it had no air in it. But hey, any job too easy is probably not worth doing. It felt good finishing the job, as I don't have the opportunity to get my hands dirty too often. I kinda miss it.

On Sunday afternoon I met Chef T over at Fat Harry's to waste away the afternoon, and waste away we did. The weather was perfect and I kept sucking down Coronas like they were the nectar of life. But they were good. We ended up chatting with the couple at the table next to ours. They were from Kentucky and he was a chef at a restuarant there; so of course we talked restaurant business. It was a good time and they were a cool couple. At about six o'clock my stomach began to tell me to eat. I wanted to eat some Mexican or southwestern food and was thinking Taqueria Corona. When Chef T suggested we cruise to Whole Foods and cook instead, he had me sold. I was adamant about cooking some southwesten, and he agreed. We settled on some seafood, so while I was looking through the produce section, Chef picked out a big one- pound Mahi Mahi filet. We grabbed a few more items and were on our way. One more stop at Sav-A-Center was all we needed before we were at my house rolling out the grill.

We bought some tortillas to make fish tacos and I pulled some shrimp out of the freezer to pair with the fish. The fish and shrimp were seasoned and I worked the kitchen while Chef worked the grill. All the while guzzling more Coronas (this time they were Corona light). He grilled all of the shrimp, the fish and some peppers. I peeled and chopped the grilled peppers and threw them in a saute pan along with some heavy cream and seasonings. After grilling the shrimp, we threw them in the saute pan to poach a little longer. What resulted were spicy shrimp in a roasted pepper cream sauce. They were delicious! I also whipped up some southwestern lime tarter sauce for the fish tacos. It was the first time I had made that type of sauce and really just improvised, but it came out better than most that I've had at restaurants. Of course, it's not rocket science. I started with mayo and added relish, lime juice, cumin, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. It worked perfect in the tortilla filled with grilled fish and red cabbage. The last part we had was some red potatoes that Chef seasoned, wrapped in foil and threw on the grill. The were soft and delicious, probably because he threw in a whole stick of butter. Chef T left at about 9:30 - I know this because it was about half way through Deadwood (the new show on HBO) and I was about ready to pass out from drinking all day. I went to bed shortly thereafter. It was a great meal, and although we finished off the fish, there were a few shrimp and potates left for my lunch today. Maybe that's why I am so happy this morning....

Went to the Isleños Festival yesterday in St. Bernard. It was my first time going that deep into "the parish," but it wasn't as bad as it sounds. It only took me a little over thirty minutes to make it there from uptown. The weather was unbelievable; cool and windy with crystal clear skies; a rarity in south Louisiana. I convinced Ms. X to go with me, and we made it to the festival at about noon. Everything was just getting started, so we bought some tickets (for food and stuff) and mapped out a plan. Started with drinks, one beer each. The tickets were in increments of $2.50, and the beer was $1.50 each, and the beer guys didn't have change. Being the flirtatious type, X convinced them to give us two for $2.50. She certainly is sly. Once the drinks were secured, we got a dozen raw oysters to split. I have been eating them like crazy for the past few weeks, and these were as good as any I have eaten recently. Cold, salty and wet, and a bargain for five bucks.

After sucking down a dozen oysters (ok, X only had three - I ate the rest), we walked around and looked at some of the exhibits and demonstrations. It was interesting getting a feel for the Isleños culture and learning of their pilgrimage from the Canary Islands. It was definitely a new experience and worth every second of the drive. We walked around until our cups ran dry, then it was back to the beer booth - a place that became an integral part of our day. The prices were so reasonable for everything, except maybe my priorities were a bit skewed. As thirsty as I got all day, I just couldn't justify paying a buck fifty for a bottle of water when the beer was the same price. So beer it was.

Of course, more food was on the agenda. Throughout the day, we ate a few of the meat pies, shrimp and grits, lots of fried alligator, a great bowl of seafood and sausage gumbo and the highlight of the day - a paella demonstration done by some of the Sous Chefs from Restaurant August. We watched them make the paella from scratch; adding rice, saffron, veggies, jumbo shrimp, clams and mussels. At the end of the demonstrations, they handed out healthy bowls of the seafood paella and we partook in the creation. It was great, and from what I heard, it was much better than the paella that they were selling in the food booths.

There were plenty of non-food related booths, but we didn't spend a whole lot of time with those, except for the silent auction. There were plenty of good bargains to be had and we certainly took advantage of our food knowledge. We decided to wait until a few minutes before the close of the auction before placing any bids. In the end, we were quite victorious, and I won the two items that I had bid on. One was a one night stay at the Wyndham Riverfront and the other was a Chef's Table Tour (www.chefstabletours.com) for two at G. W. Fins. I took them both home for a hundred and fifty dollars. Quite a steal, it should make for a great evening.

The festival was a great experience, the food was phenomenal, the weather was beautiful and so was my date. I can't wait to do it again next year.

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Seeing as I spent all of yesterday at the festival, I didn't exactly make it to the grocery store. Without a lunch to bring with me to work, I had to fend for myself. After reading so much about the Blue Tomato on Jefferson Highway (at Central Ave.), I figured I would give it a try. The Blue Tomato is self described as a pizza-burger-burrito restaurant and cantina. I arrived at about quarter to twelve and had a little bit of a challenge parking my car. I ended up only having to walk about a block, which wasn't too painful - the weather was nice!

The small front dining room was full, and being a solo diner, I opted for a spot at the bar. I was greeted by the bartender who happily fixed me some icewater and took my order. I asked for suggestions and she readily obliged. Suffering from a minor hangover from the weekend, I decided I would sample the Mexican section of their menu. I settled on a basket of chips and salsa and the number five lunch special, consisting of two enchiladas, a beef taco, rice and beans. A pretty good deal for $6.95. The enchiladas were good by Louisiana Mexican food standards. The chicken was seasoned well and cubed, as opposed to the stringy shredded chicken sometimes found in enchiladas. The beef in the taco and enchilada was also good, and surprisingly not too greasy. The salsa was tasty and not too spicy, but it was a bit more pureed than I prefer. Overall the experience was good and I would definitely go back. While dining at the bar, I checked out their tequila selection and noticed that they had a good array of quality tequilas. If I didn't have to go back to work, I would've tried one of their top shelf margaritas. I'm sure I will be back soon. Next time I will go when I can drink. My whole meal was under ten bucks, I walked out for fourteen. Not bad for a big lunch... I'm not sure I can even eat dinner.

Last night my roommate's girlfriend cooked for him. Yes, it was just the two of them, but I did get to sample the leftovers. I know it doesn't seem like a big deal, but it was, since she DOESN'T COOK.

Yes, I do mean that she doesn't cook, and neither does her mother. Growing up on fast food and TV dinners, she never had to cook. Now, for someone who doesn't cook, she did a fantastic job. Searched for a good recipe on the internet, shopped for the food, then cooked it all. When they had finished eating, I still hadn't decided on what to eat, so she offered me the leftovers. She had flattened some chicken breasts, breaded them and rolled them up with a broccoli filling and then pan fried them in olive oil. I had one, along with a salad that I made. I was pleasantly surprised when I took my first bite, and it continued throughout the whole experience.

After I finished and we were all sitting around drinking wine, she mentioned that she enjoyed the cooking but was only able to do it because she followed the recipe to a tee. I reassured her that the meal was fantastic and it wouldn't be long before she was cooking her own creations. When I cook, I use a recipe as a guideline, but can't stand to measure ingredients; that is probably why I don't bake...

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Speaking of baking... it is something I really don't do. I think the main reason is that I don't have the patience. Last week I cooked some of my crawfish pasta (recipe is posted) with some leftover crawfish. Although I wrote my recipe, the pasta changes every time depending on my mood. I was drinking some Coppola Bianco (a mix of white wines), so I poured a little in. For the life of me, I couldn't tell you how much. I also had the sausage from the boiled crawfish, so I cubed it up and put it in. The sausage and the wine offered two layers of flavor that wouldn't have been there otherwise. I had some lemon cut up in the fridge, so I squeezed in a half of one. I guess I would've thrown in anything that didn't already have a purpose.

Baking is a different story. For scientific reasons, exact measurements are necessary. Science and measuring are two things that didn't stick with me from my formal education. I'm not about to start measuring now, so I guess I'll leave the baking to those who enjoy it.

Last night on the way home I stopped at the grocery store to pick up some wine and miscellaneous ingredients for dinner. Living Uptown, I normally end up at Sav-a-Center because of convenience, not choice. But yesterday I was coming from Metairie so I decided to stop at Dorignac's on Vets. Although I go there occasionally, I really hadn't "stopped to smell the groceries" until yesterday. I felt so comfortable amidst the fresh produce, the un-crowded isles of local products and their top notch liquor and wine department. I thought I had died and gone to grocery-store heaven. Why hadn't I felt that way any other time? Ok, maybe it was because I came straight from happy hour, but really, do we appreciate what we have? Or are we so consumed by price that we sacrifice quality for the likes of Wal-Mart and Sav-a-Center? Where do you prefer to spend your money?

My mind was made up after my trip through the check-out isle. All of the cashiers and bag-boys (yes, they still have them) seemed friendly and happy to be there. A far cry from the apathetic cashiers of the norm. I can't say that they will get all of my business, as Dorignac's is quite a distance from home and work, but I can say that I will spend more time shopping at local food emporiums. I urge you to do the same...

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I just wanted let everyone know that I appreciate all of the positive comments I have received. If there is anything I can do or if I can make this page more useful, please let me know! I love all of the e-mails!

A couple of weeks ago on a Sunday, a few of us squeezed into the tiny kitchen of my Uptown home to cook. The trio included Chef T-a friend of mine, Ms. X and me. At the height of it all, we had a sauté of mirepoix , a pot of bubbling tortilla soup, chopping of veggies and chicken as well as the oven on high heat. With three of us in the kitchen cooking a large meal, I'm not sure if it was a "well oiled machine" that took a lot of teamwork, or was it "too many cooks in the kitchen?" At that point of bumping elbows and shouting out orders, I started to appreciate the cozy size of my kitchen, and I began to wonder - does size matter?

New houses all seem to be built with gargantuan kitchens with miles of counter space, new wave Viking ranges and acres of storage area for the rarely used Emeril All-Clad cookware. Is all of that necessary? What about my tiny kitchen, with a capacity of three people cooking on "The Line." How big is your kitchen, and do you need all of that space? Does a bigger kitchen produce better food?

I have noticed many restaurants devote a small portion of total space to the kitchen, for obvious business reasons. What restaurants consistently produce top-notch cuisine using the smallest of spaces? One notable small kitchen is the walk-through display at Jacque-Imo's. Are there any others that come to mind?

After wishing for a larger space, I have grown to appreciate the tight quarters I have that are dedicated to cooking. How do you feel about your kitchen?

Hot, buttery and creamy, with a hint of savory brown gravy would describe the best mashed potatoes ever eaten on this particular past Saturday night (just to clarify, I mean they were the best I had THAT day). Followed by a warm buttermilk biscuit, we couldn’t have asked for a more satisfying meal. Our plans had been to enjoy some appetizers and wine at a local restaurant, but they changed drastically when we were both stricken with a virus. The flavor of the mashed potatoes may have been skewed by the sickness, or maybe they were just that good. They were of course, made and packaged from behind the bulletproof glass of Church’s Chicken on Louisiana Avenue. While I prefer the spicy variation from Popeye’s, Ms. X craved the milder flavor from Church’s. While there, I figured I could sneak in a couple pieces of fried chicken, but I was informed that chicken wouldn’t be ready for another 13 minutes…. What kind of chicken place runs out of fried chicken? Oh well, “give me the mashed potatoes, and maybe a side of cole slaw,” I said. “What, no cole slaw either?” Expecting further rejection, I hesitantly asked for four biscuits and felt a certain degree of joy when they had them ready; knowing that I could please my honey that I left in a sickened condition on my sofa.

Sunday morning was a different story. We got up at the crack of 11 and ran to the grocery store in pursuit of milk and eggs to complete the ingredients needed for me to make blueberry pancakes. While at the grocery, I had visions of rolled pancakes filled with soft cream cheese, so we added it to our list. We made it home and I was flipping blueberry flapjacks by noon. I carefully rolled each fluffy pancake with cream cheese inside, and then drizzled them with melted butter and hot maple syrup. They were fantastic! In fact, I thought it was one of my best breakfast creations yet, until Ms. X crushed my dreams by informing me that there was a similar dish already being served at IHOP. Damn them!

We finished the evening by picking up ten pounds of crawfish from Big Fisherman on Magazine St. The place was a zoo at 5pm, but fortunately, X had the foresight to place an order ahead of time. We took them back to my place uptown and enjoyed them on the front porch, with a Dave Matthews CD playing in the background. There really isn’t anything more “New Orleans” than crawfish on the porch on a Sunday afternoon. Because of my slow recovery, I drank 7-up; the only thing that could’ve made it all better was an ice cold beer….