Ok, I think I am back on track to eating well.  I've made it to day number three and I feel much better.  Monday night I had some broiled catfish, steamed veggies and cooked fresh green beans.  This was all after my binge shopping at Whole Foods and Sav-A-Center.  Got all kinds of good stuff.  Last night I used an idea I heard on a message board.  I sauteed some onion, squash and garlic in olive oil, added some cubed seasoned chicken breast until cooked, then tossed in fresh tomato and basil. Last, I added some pinot grigio wine and tossed it all with angel hair pasta in my new 10" skillet that I won from the FoodFest board.  Fortunately it came out great because I made enough to bring for lunch today.  I washed it all down (last night) with some Cavit Pinot Grigio.  Not bad for a Tuesday evening.

 

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I was able to sneak away from work for a while yesterday and went wine shopping at World Market.  I had found a check in my briefcase, so I cashed it and ran (it's easy when you work at a bank).  I ended up with two bottles of Coppola Bianco, a crisp white blend (on sale), a bottle of 7 Deadly Zins (on sale), a bottle of late harvest reisling and two bottles of Bonny Doon Big House Red (trying for the first time).  I'll keep you updated on the wine. 

Well, Mom turned the big 5-0 (June 28).  We celebrated Saturday night with a dinner at Impastato's in Metairie.  I use the term "dinner" very loose, since we actually had 5:30 reservations.  I would've normally had a problem eating that early, but since I got off of work at 4:30 from my nine hour bartending shift with no lunch break, I was starving. 

 

My plan was to get there a few minutes early and stop at the bar for a drink, but my plans were shattered when a blue Saturn with my Mom, Dad, Sister and future Brother in Law pulled up into the parking lot only seconds after I arrived.  We went into the restaurant and were seated immediatly in the middle of the cozy, dimly lit dining room with low ceilings.  I actually remember sitting in the same dining room many years ago at dinner before my senior prom.  And here I was again, with a more sophisticated palate and the ability to order alcoholic beverages.

 

We started off the meal with cocktails, and much to my chagrin, had to sit there helpless while my Mom and Sister ordered individual glasses of White Zinfandel.  We made quite a joke of it, and the hostess laughed along with us all.  Fortunately we didn't get labeled as amateur diners (we aren't) and even our waiter, Adam, made a couple of jokes about their choices of wine.  Of course, our drink choices weren't much better; vodka tonic for me and Miller Lites for the others.

 

We each chose to order the Joe's Special (or something of that nature), a four course menu that gave us the opportunity to try a few dishes at a really reasonable price of about $30.  It included a choice of Shrimp Scampi or Shrimp au gratin appetizer, then a plate of two homemade pastas, followed by a main course and finally, dessert.  I chose the Shrimp au gratin as my appetizer, a heavenly dish with shrimp soaking in a buttery sauce and covered with just the right amount of cheese.  The next course came on a plate with two reasonable portions of homemade pasta.  One was a spagetti coated with a perfect amount of marinara sauce and the second was a homemade fettuccini with a creamy alfredo sauce.  I couldn't get enough of it, so I ate it very slowly to get all of the flavors in.  For my entree I had the veal Haslett, named after the coach of the New Orleans Saints.  Nowhere else could I combine pan fried veal topped with a sauce of lump crabmeat and crawfish.  It was absolutely delightful, unlike the past few seasons of Saints football.    

 

The dessert was a great way to finish off the evening.  My first choice was the cheesecake (as was almost everyone else's) but my hopes  were crushed when Adam returned from the kitchen and informed us that they were out of it!  So the backup was a great chocolate and caramel pie that ended up as a close resemblace of a chocolate cheesecake.  A couple of cups of coffee later and I was good to go.  It was only 7:30 on a Saturday night and I was done!  After a quick stop at Linens-N-Things (it was across the street) and the purchase of a new Calphalon 10" non-stick skillet (pretty sad for a Saturday night), I was on my way home for the evening.  After a meal that good, what else is there?

I got an e-mail yesterday from my friend George inviting me to dinner with some other guys.  The location?  Byblo's on Magazine.  The occasion?  George's birthday; oh, and belly dancing.

 

It was the first time I had been there, but I knew the food from previous lunches at the Byblo's market on Vet's.  

 

I was pleasantly surprised when I showed up to find George and his friends at the bar.  The drink special for the evening was $3 Belvadere Vodka drinks.  How could I pass that up?  Vodka Tonic for me!

 

The food was great, but I have a feeling it could've been mediocre and we would've still enjoyed it.  The drinks were great and so was our server.  Although she had only worked there a couple of weeks, we made her feel comfortable and it resulted in exceptional service.  The four of us began with a vegetarian platter as our appetizer.  It gave us the opportunity to try a few different things at a reasonable price.  With four guys eating, it didn't last more than a couple of minutes.

 

For my entree I opted for the beef shwarma, but substitued garlic mashed potatoes for the rice.  Of course when the meal came, the rice was there, along with a side of potatoes.  So much food!  After so many cocktails, we decided to also order a bottle of wine, and chose the Frei Brothers Cabernet from the Alexander Valley.  I have to say, it was great wine and will have it again soon.

 

All in all, great night.  I don't get to see George too often, so it was great catching up.  Combine that with a bunch of cocktails, good wine and food, and beutiful girls belly dancing, and you have a winning evening! 

Unable to out-do my Mother's day brunch, I succumbed to the invitation to the family estate in Hammond for Father's day.  Of course what sealed the deal was the food, as I always get fed well when I'm visiting the parents.  Though it was Father's day, I suggested that instead of BBQ, we do fried seafood; and that's what we did.

 

I promised my Dad I would pick up a sack of oysters and bring it over.  There is nothing like sitting around drinking beer and shucking oysters.  The best part is that you get to eat them.  Our plan was to throw most of them on the grill and eat a few raw.  By Saturday afternoon I still hadn't found anyone to sell me the oysters and I thought my plans would fall through.  Fortunately my social skills paid off.  Thursday evening I was having dinner and drinks at the bar of a seafood restaurant and began talking with a girl that was friends with the owners.  She also lives uptown and decided to come visit me Saturday afternoon for a couple of drinks at my bar.  When she saw me frantically calling around and heard of my troubles, she graciously made a phone call to the owners of the restaurant and secured me a sack for Sunday.  It's good to be nice to people; always seems to come back around to help.

 

Sunday morning started with a bloody mary, a ritual that I haven't taken part in lately.  A friend of mine came over he started his morning with a vodka tonic.  Drinks in hand, we made our first stop to get oysters.  I felt almost like an outlaw, buying oysters somewhat illegally (is there such a thing?) out of the back of a restaurant - kind of exciting.  While there, we got go-cups with our second drink of the morning, vodka tonics, and hit the road to Hammond.

 

An hour later we arrived, and without the benefit of breakfast, I was a little drunk and about to chew off my hand.  So it wasn't surprising that I rallied the men together to start shucking the oysters.  I sucked a few right out of the shell, but most of them ended up on top of ice ready to be grilled.  And they were GOOD.  On the charcoal grill, with some butter, garlic and olive oil for the sauce, we cooked the oysters to perfection.  Then we ate them.  I don't think they even had a chance to make it inside.  When the oysters were polished off, we (well, my Dad, actually) fried some fish and shrimp, while my mother fried some potatoes and soft shell crabs inside.

 

The food was great, and it was well worth the drive.  Ok, so Father's day was well worth the drive.  As much as I like to eat, it was all about the cooking.  There's nothing that brings together friends and family like cooking.  Shucking the oysters, grilling outside, or having everyone sit at the table together for a meal is what it is all about.  The power of food is amazing.

 

I finished off my day in Hammond with a little nap before my drive.  And for a nightcap I stopped by Fat Harry's for a couple cold Abita Ambers.  Not a bad Sunday; now I have a whole week to recover before I do it again. 

 

I think I have spent the last few days eating.  Yep, that's about it.  Unfortunately it's going to get expensive, but not because of the fine fiddles I choose to cook.  It'll be because if I don't eat less and exercise more, pretty soon I'll be buying new suits that I can fit into.  That's unfortunate, as I already have a closet full of them.  But enough about shopping and clothing, I'm just here for the food.

 

Most of the cooking has been on the grill, with the exception of my meal at Taquero's on Saturday night - more on that later though.  Sunday was grilling day.  With the Food Network airing hour after hour of BBQ, there was no doubt in my mind I was rolling out the grill for some cooking.  I pulled some Tilapia out of the freezer because I was dead set on making some fish tacos.  A shopping trip at Sav-A-Center yielded a rack of baby back ribs, a big pork loin and some ground beef.  I guess we went a little overboard, but I was also in the mood for some stuffed bell peppers and the ground beef was on sale.  I refrained from making them on Sunday and decided instead to do them tonight. 

 

So on Sunday we cooked a whole rack of ribs that turned out fantastic.  We also cooked the pork loin as well as a salsa, with roasted tomatoes, onions, and peppers, along with some olive oil, salt, pepper and lime juice.  And last but not least, the tilapia.  My original intention was to fry the fish in a pan on the grill, but last minute improvisation took over.  The house across the street, over run with weeds and trees does have a redeeming factor - huge banana leaves that make a great wrapping to cook fish on the grill.  The fish came out moist and tasty.  Though, I had marinated them in a little tangy concoction (I'll list it below).  I finished off the tacos with some red onion and red cabbage for crunchiness, and some lime-cumin sour cream that adds the cool bite to the mild fish.

 

Cumin

Kosher Salt

Ground Black Pepper

Garlic Powder

Chipotle Chile Powder

Cilantro

Tequila

Lime Juice

 

Finally, I finished off the meal with some grilled peaches.  The idea came from Bobby Flay and I made a couple of modifications.  I sliced the peaches in half, and removed the seeds and threw them on the grill.  When each side was caramelized and warm, I filled the pits with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream and then drizzled on some molasses.  Not a bad way to finish off a Sunday.  Unfortunately we took a walk to the Columns and finished the day off with a few more drinks - Abita Amber for me.

 

Monday evening turned into another grilling night.  Scooter had some friends from work in town as well as his sister and girlfriend, so we made shish-k-bobs; chicken and beef.  I had the pleasure of seasoning the beef cubes with cayenne, garlic powder, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.  The chicken came out great too, seasoned with some Greek seasoning and juicy - not overcooked in the least.  And of course, we consumed mass quantities of that fine beverage made with barley and hops.

 

Tonight, stuffed bell peppers.  Probably more of a southern/ New Orleans dish.  I'll also have some crisp white wine and maybe some red for after the meal.  I'll post an update, hope it's positive since this will be the first time I've made them.

 

Last, I'm kind of proud that I won a writing contest.  Yep, I was the inaugural winner of a new contest on the New Orleans.Com Talk Food Message Board. The person with the most interesting post of the week wins a prize from Loubat's Kitchen Supply Store.  So this afternoon, I will be picking up my 10" fry pan. 

By today's standards of family dining habits, I guess I would consider myself lucky. Growing up, my Mother always had dinner on the table at the same time every evening. She always did the cooking, whether it was meatloaf and mashed potatoes, chicken casserole or tacos for dinner, it was always good and always consistent. My Dad didn't do a whole lot of cooking unless it was grilling steaks or hamburgers, and even then the steaks weren't always cooked the best. However, his specialty was cooking the pancakes or homemade biscuits on the weekends (I suspect that it was because he was always working during the week). I always considered my Mother to be the cook of the family.

The years that I was in Lafayette at USL brought on a change. My Dad began to work less, cook more and have a good time doing it. He and a friend built a custom BBQ Pit/Smoker and he began to practice and perfect the slow cooking of fine pieces of meat. Then it was the gourmet dishes, and eventually he was cooking more and more. Although it was not somthing new to him, I noticed that he partook in the cooking much more than when I was a young lad. In fact, when it came time to cook for a fine female friend while in college, I typically called my Dad for over-the-phone cooking advice.

When it comes to cooking in South Louisiana, men tend to be in the kitchen just as much as women. While hosting a Mother's day brunch recently with a friend of mine (he is a Chef, from Chicago), he commented on the fact that the men do so much of the cooking around here, and the women hang out and relax; the exact opposite of the northern culture, where women tend to do the cooking and men expect to be served (ok, maybe that's just my subliminal message coming through.. anyone?).

I guess the way that I explain my family (several generations) is that women tend to do the necessary cooking to feed the family, while men tend to do the luxury cooking for fun (crawfish boils, BBQ, etc.). Who does the cooking in your family? Do you find a common thread flowing through the generations in your lineage? Or have you started a new trend. Although I had assesed the cooking habits of my own family, I had never really given too much thought to the culture differences and whether we had a southern tradition, or whether the rest of the country acted as we do. Would love to hear your opinion...

  I got back in touch with an old friend recently and I mentioned that I wanted to cook on Sunday, and of course, she was up for it. The first half of my Sunday was spent waking up, having a couple of pop-tarts for breakfast and then taking a nap.  After a strenuous morning, I needed a beer, so I joined another friend for drinks at Fat Harry's.

 

A couple of Coronas later and it was time for shopping.  Went to Big Fisherman on Magazine Street and picked up a couple of pounds of shrimp at the bargain price of $1.99 a pound.  Then ran to Sav-A-Center to pick up the rest of my ingredients to make quesadillas.  After watching Bobby Flay make some steak quesadillas on The Food Network last week, I had the urge to do the same.  While at the store, I thought of a thread on the eGullet Louisiana Forum about BBQ shrimp and I had the urge to make some of my own.  So my quesadilla day turned into quite a smorgasbord of southwestern and New Orleans favorites.

 

My friend showed up only minutes after I returned from the grocery.  I had the stereo cranked up with the likes of Dave Matthews, a cold beer in my hand and the beginnings of food prep.  I realized how good of a friend she was when she got to work peeling shrimp; that's how you know you've found a good girl!  We peeled half of the shrimp for quesadillas and left the rest for my New Orleans BBQ shrimp.  Now to anyone reading this that doesn't know about New Orleans BBQ shrimp, I'll explain.  The dish was made famous by Pascale's Manale and consists of shrimp cooked in a flavorful and decadent sauce made up primarily of butter.  Although the name contains "BBQ," they contain NO BARBECUE SAUCE.  Repeat after me - "NO BBQ SAUCE."  Thank you, now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

 

While the shrimp were being peeled, I mixed the sauce for my shrimp.  Sautéed some onions and garlic, threw in the butter and the rest of the ingredients and let it simmer.  Good stuff.  I also had some round steaks marinating in the fridge for my quesadillas, and last but not least, some chicken.  We grilled the steak, chicken and shrimp and while the meat was cooking, I mixed up some guacamole.

 

Eventually it was time to build the quesadillas.  We made three types - steak, red onion, wild mushroom and bleu cheese; chicken, guacamole and andouille, and shrimp and andouille.  The food came out fantastic, especially the BBQ shrimp.  After all of the eating and drinking, my friend needed a nap - apparently overdoing it on the drinking.  Although I missed her company and conversation, she looked cute passed out on the sofa, and I had a chance to quietly sit and watch the HBO Sunday lineup.

Some things never change, but for one New Orleans restaurant, change is inevitable.  For many years, Uglesich’s has been both a landmark for tourists as well as an institution for locals in the New Orleans dining scene.  The restaurant is family owned and operated by Anthony and Gail Uglesich and currently in the second generation of the family.  However, it doesn’t seem that the restaurant will stay in the family.  With no business partner and a lack of interest from children leave the ultimate fate of Uglesich’s unknown.  With Anthony and Gail closing the restaurant for the summer as they do annually, and the sale of there cookbook in the fall leave some believing that they won’t be re-opening this fall. 

 

Despite only living a few miles away down St. Charles, I had never dined there.  So I jumped at what could possibly be my last opportunity to try the restaurant, and on Memorial Day I invited some friends to meet me for a late afternoon lunch.  Among the four of us, none had dined there previously; the primary reason being convenience.  Uglisich’s is open only for lunch Monday through Friday, making it a nearly impossible lunch destination for those not employed in the surrounding area.  However, the restaurant thrives on its nationwide fame and appeal to tourists who wouldn’t have a complete trip without a real taste of New Orleans.  And real New Orleans it is.  The menu is laden with New Orleans traditions such as fried soft shell crab, oysters on the half shell and fried shrimp po-boys; alongside Uglesich’s original creations such as Paul’s Fantasy, a pan fried trout fillet topped with crawfish sauce and set beside a mound of spicy new potatoes.

 

Our dining crew decided on two o’clock as an ideal time to arrive.  We showed up at the tail end of the lunch crowd, giving us the opportunity to squeeze in for a relaxing lunch without the need to fight the crowd.  To the inexperienced, the dining process at Uglesich’s is daunting.  And for our group, that’s just what it was.  Fortunately we were able to piece together the process; one that brings up humorous thoughts of “The Soup Nazi” from Seinfeld, maybe just a little more pleasant.  Not that the staff at Uglesich’s is unfriendly, they just expect you to play by their rules.  I walked in to grab a menu and figure out the process, and while at the counter, I ordered an Abita Amber – my favorite pick from their impressive beer selection.  It was surprising that such a hole-in-the-wall lunch place with only ten tables would carry Peroni, an Italian beer named after its owner.  Apparently I wasn’t the only one surprised, as Mr. Peroni himself was equally shocked when he dropped in to dine; a point that Anthony Uglesich is quick to bring up.

 

After perusing the menu outside, our foursome worked up the courage to walk inside and place an order.  By this time, the line was almost non-existent and we all fit inside against the counter to give our order to Anthony.  He asked if we needed suggestions and almost seemed disappointed that we had already decided on our choices.  After our lengthy order, his only suggestion was to add another order of fried green tomatoes, which we did, and to try the soft shell crab, which we didn’t.  With all the great dishes on the menu, we felt it was a better idea not to order things that we could get elsewhere.  In the end, I think he was pleased with our selections.

 

It wasn’t long before a table was empty and we sat down.  Not even ten minutes went by before our number was called and the animated waiter brought out the first course.  The fried green tomatoes, topped with remoulade sauce and boiled shrimp, were excellent, but not the best I’ve had.   They were a bit undercooked and the breading didn’t stick well to the tomatoes.  The remoulade sauce however, was truly memorable.  We also tried two oyster dishes, the fried oysters with bleu cheese dressing on a bed of greens, and the stuffed oysters on a half shell, with seasoned breadcrumbs, olive oil and parmesan cheese.  The baked oysters had a great flavor, but the oyster seemed to be dwarfed by the amount of bread crumbs and cheese.  Even our oyster hater at the table enjoyed the fried oysters, freshly shucked and fried almost perfectly with a bit of bleu cheese.  The highlight of the first course had to be a dish called Ecsasy, a name that described the feel of my taste buds after taking the first bite.  It was simply shrimp sautéed in extra virgin olive oil, sherry, lime juice, over mixed spring lettuce.  What really completed the flavor was the bleu cheese dipping sauce, something I had yet to mix with shrimp in my own cooking.  It was by far my favorite of the day.

 

The timing was perfect for the arrival of our next course and another round of beer.  Just as we finished cleaning off our plates, our waiter arrived with the rest of our food.  Among the four of us, we split the Shrimp Uggie, Paul’s Fantasy and Sam’s Favorite.  The Shrimp Uggie (pronounced oo-gie), a popular dish, consists of shrimp, marinated in oil and a mixture of seasonings then sautéed and served with new potatoes.  Although the flavor was good, I found there was too much of it.  The taste of the shrimp was masked by the overwhelmingly spicy sauce.  Not too spicy, just too strong of a red pepper flavor.  Now, I really need to meet the guy named Paul, because his fantasy Creole seafood dish is pretty close to mine.  Paul’s Fantasy is a pan fried trout fillet, topped with grilled shrimp and new potatoes, and it tasted as good as it sounds.  The trout was crispy and tasty and topped with the shrimp, created a layer of flavors that can only be found in south Louisiana cooking.   A place with this much history and culture is bound to have stories behind it’s dishes, and it seems there are an abundance of dishes named after people, such as Sam’s favorite.  Sam, another guy I have never met, apparently enjoyed his trout or catfish sautéed with garlic olive oil, basil and Worcestershire sauce, also served with new potatoes.  While it might have been Sam’s favorite, I can’t say it was mine.  The trout was great, but the Worcestershire flavor was a bit overpowering.

 

By the time we finished eating, there wasn’t really any room left for dessert.  And it’s a good thing, because boldly stated at the end of the menu was – “No dessert, no coffee.”  Probably a safe bet, as customers waiting to squeeze into the small dining room would grow anxious at a table lingering over their coffee and sweets.  Fortunately by the time we were stuffed, there were empty tables and no wait.  So for our dessert we opted for one last round of beer; a nice sweet Abita Amber for me to finish off the meal.

 

Although I feel that Uglesich’s is easily accessible to tourists, it’s a little too challenging for most locals to dine there often.  I made special plans on Memorial Day Monday to dine there, as I am unable to dine there on a normal weekday due to my work schedule.  With the restaurant for sale and the coming release of the cookbook containing all of the recipes, I might have had my first and last meal at Uglesich’s as we know it.  Of course some things never change, but in the restaurant business, change is certain.