In fact, I just finished eating a frosted strawberry Pop-Tart and am still
working on my diet coke. While I haven't really gone "anywhere," quite a bit has changed in the past month. I've
moved apartments but fortunately I still live in the same area, and since moving, I haven't really done any cooking.
In fact, the refrigerator in my new apartment was getting old and leaking water, so my landlord was nice enough to replace
it... with a non-working one. During the recent tropical storm and power outage, I was one of the lucky few that
didn't lose power and lose everything in their freezer. I shouldn't have counted my blessings so soon, but I should
be getting a new fridge later today. So no good recipes or cooking reports in this installment.
I made up for the lack of cooking by dining out. A lot. My
sister had her birthday meal at Impastato's in Metairie, where I had two giant perfectly soft shell crabs
topped with lump crab meat. I had an equally tasty Soft Shell Crab in a recent meal at Tommy's, one
of my new favorite restaurants. My mom celebrated her birthday with a family dinner at Middendorf's.
When I say family, I mean that I was the familiar fifth wheel (parents, sister and husband, and me). But it was
a good time nonetheless; I got my fill of their famous thin-fried catfish and hushpuppies, as well as some
mediocre fried oysters.
I've made a couple of stops by Vega Tapas Cafe on Metairie
Rd. but only indulged in cocktails. Last night however, I had some outstanding tapas at Mimi's
in the Marigny; a grilled avocado drizzled with olive oil and lightly seasoned, and some ground
beef empanadas served with a roasted pepper aioli. Both were outstanding and priced just right at around five
bucks each. I ate downstairs at the bar, and while the atmosphere may turn some people away, I found it inviting and
comfortable. For the dog lovers out there, where else can you bring your dog for tapas and drinks?
I recently had an excellent dinner at Clancy's with a
couple of young ladies visiting from Austin, as well as an evening of appetizers at One. But the mainstay
of my diet has been at "the regulars." You know, the places that you tend to frequent because they are comfortable and
you know the menu like the back of your hand (how well do you know the back of YOUR hand?). My latest favorite is Martin
Wine Cellar, where you can get an outstanding burger and steak fries, or a great club sandwich or even the Lindy
special: oven-roasted turkey, Swiss cheese, coleslaw, tomato and Russian dressing on 7 grain bread. Is your mouth watering
yet? To get my Tex-Mex fix I've been dining frequently at Superior Grill, as well as eating some damn
good burritos and chicken tacos from Juan's Flying Burrito.
Ok, so now that I'm caught up for the past month, it's time to get back
to cooking and writing. I apologize if this entry had little interest to foodies outside of New Orleans, but I'll get
back on track. I have some serious writing to do and am a little behind. Hope to hear from you soon, by e-mail
or in person. I'll keep writing if you keep reading.
