Summer Guest Blog Seri(es)

The lazy days of summer are here, which means we are turning Fridays over to readers to regale us with tales of travel, adventure, food, and whatever else they want to talk about. Up first, is reader Most Valuable Schaumburger who just got back from Key West, which like the West Bank, you actually travel East to reach. If you have a tale or yarn you would like to share, let us know. Or else you will have literally nothing to read on Fridays in the Summer on the internets. Take it away, MVS.

Key West is loaded with jokester chickens, apparently.

 

It’s that time of year: summer vacation is upon us. For us, the question of where to go hits a little earlier in the year than it does for most due to our early May wedding anniversary. Where is a New Orleanian to go when they want to get away from tourists, heavy drinking, drag queens, and shotgun houses… hmmm, Key West? Well, at least our destination got us away from the daily grind; and Duval Street, despite its similarities to Bourbon, certainly feels a million times cleaner than the Quarter (even the Quarter under Landrieu’s reign). Actually, when we started discussing the Lower Keys, and Key West in particular as a destination, it was amazing how many Yats are Keys regulars. Once we were in the Keys it wasy easy to see why; many of the things that make New Orleans such an interesting place to live are readily available in the Keys. The music, bar scene, architecture, history, debauchery, and Creole-influenced food would be equivalent to dropping Frenchman Street into the ocean 150 miles south of Miami and 90 miles north of Cuba and surrounding it by a couple square miles of beautiful garden district-type homes. And the similarities didn’t end there. Despite Key West’s miniscule population and geographic isolation from Southern Louisiana, a large percentage of Keys locals had either lived in or often visited the Crescent City. It would appear that these two locations appeal to the same crowd. Our approach to eating our way through our week in Key West was to literally consume as much great local fare as my board shorts would allow, washing it down with stops at many of the island’s local watering holes. We began planning our trip to Key West almost 6 months ago. Flights, rental car, cottage. Check, check, check. Food – now that was going to take some serious thought. We got input from so many people who had either been once or visit on a regular basis. It was usually just a barrage of random restaurants that we just HAD to hit. It took some time to sort through and we attacked the 2 by 4 mile island with an empty stomach. We had our list of recommendations in hand, but we were also smart enough to get some local input (which, not surprisingly, led us to some of our best meals during our stay.) Here are the highlights:

As is often the case here in NOLA, our breakfasts in the Keys consisted of a late awakening closely followed by the hunt for strong coffee. In this category, we recommend heading to the Conch and Cuban Café, an open air café where a lovely woman with a heavy Cuban accent will serve you strong Cuban coffee with steamed milk. If you do feel like grabbing a bite, she has a traditional menu and also serves pressed Cuban sandwiches during breakfast hours.

On the day or days you feel like having a full breakfast (or brunch in most cases), our choice would be Blue Heaven. Everyone will tell you to go to this place. And it’s good, really good. But since everyone tells you to go, everyone goes. So be prepared to wait, especially for breakfast. But the eggs benedicts and made-from-scratch pancakes could easily be worth it. Enjoy “Breakfast with the Roosters” in the outdoor seating area. Unsanitary, you say? Well then Key West isn’t for you. Did we mention that chickens outnumber full-time residents on the island?

Much as New Orleans proudly refers to itself as the Crescent City, Key West is The Conch Republic. Despite the moniker, Conch is not an omnipresent menu item. We made a concerted effort to search out some places for conch fritters (similar to a hush puppy, but studded with chunks of the aquatic mollusk). As luck would have it, some of the best fritters on the island can be had at B.O.'s Fish Wagon. This wonderful dive is conveniently located next to what would quickly become our favorite to recommend for a drink or two (or many.) Fritters at this shack were well seasoned, but weren’t the most loaded with conch. The dipping sauce, however, was divine. Other heavy hitters for fritters: a food cart in Mallory Square where the fritters were definitely loaded with conch and The Conch Shack – probably the best overall fritters we had on our trip.

Duval Street is like a mix of Bourbon and Magazine. It’s the main thoroughfare for everything touristy (trinket shops, bars, and chain restaurants). At some point, you’ll give in to the urge to buy a Hemingway shirt and hit a touristy bar. When you do, stop in to Sloppy Joe's. Yes, it’s cliché. But it will also be the best Sloppy Joe you’ve ever had. Hands down. When you’re finding yourself nursing a hangover at 11 am, grab one, along with a huge handful of napkins and a Magic Hat #9 on draft. You will not be disappointed.

At the other end of Duval you’ll find Nine One Five, which despite its two James Beard Invitations (2007 & 2009) is the only place mentioned in this article that we would not recommend. Our expensive dinner was markedly disappointing, and later in our trip local knowledge confirmed that a new chef has made the Beard Awards a thing of the past. Our disappointing visit to 915 nearly turned us off to the upscale Key West dining scene all together, but luckily we spied a spot on our block with heavy local patronage and decided to book a reservation at Seven Fish for our last night in the islands. We’d recommend reservations: despite being tucked a couple blocks off Duval and relatively absent from the guide books, this place seemed to consistently pack in the locals. Probably the best meal of the trip, this upscale dinner spot could easily compete with NOLA’s heavy hitters. We started out with the Tropical Shrimp Salsa, which was an explosion of flavor. It was served with Tostito’s Hint of Lime chips, but don’t judge. They were the perfect accompaniment to the sweetness of the salsa and we couldn’t imagine anything being a better match.

For our entrée choices, we had the scallops served over mashed potatoes and spinach and the fish of the day, grouper with a spicy etouffee-like sauce with plenty of onions and peppers. The scallops were delightfully crusted with a rich and buttery texture inside. And the grouper was the freshest piece of fish we’ve tasted other than the times we’ve gone fishing ourselves and practically went straight from the boat to the kitchen. Overall, our experience at Seven Fish was amazing. The service was incredible, the décor was simple, and food was the star of the show.

Other places we recommend (and will certainly be repeat customers at on our next trip to the southernmost point):

Better Than Sex – That was not a typo. It’s the name of a dark and romantic dessert restaurant where you can cap off the night or make it a whole meal. We started the experience with two of their special “rimmed” drinks (above). As if cocktail hour wasn’t sweet enough, we chose the Kinky Key Lime (hey – “when in Rome,”) dessert and were not disappointed. The mile-high mousse was amazing, and the flaky crust and sprinkle of pistachios balanced out the key lime flavor so well. Pass on the caramel sauce – it’s not necessary. The whole experience is rather entertaining. The staff is sexy, seductive, and sends you off with a satisfied palate and a challenge to prove their motto incorrect.

Smokin Tuna – We accidentally stumbled into this place after being detoured for a road block on Duval. We were impressed by the delicious smoked tuna dip and great live music; it was obviously more of a locals’ bar as it was slightly off the beaten path. We tried smoked tuna dip at a number of places, but this place probably wins. The underlying smokiness wasn’t overly powerful – it was just enough.

Schooner Wharf – Previously mentioned as being our favorite watering hole on the island (possibly due to the 7 am happy hour specials), this place also serves up some tasty food. Try the breakfast, or stop in late-night and get the Caribbean-seasoned Schooner Wings. These truly were the most well-seasoned, crispy yet juicy wings we’ve ever had. The buffalo sauce was not even required for these to be well-enjoyed. Everything you know about this traditional bar food will be forever changed…

Garbos Grill – Awesome food truck. Awesome. Across from Peppers of Key West (a rather unique hot sauce store), we were pointed in its direction when we asked the sales clerk where his favorite place to eat on the island was. We split the fish quesadilla – a delicious combination of flaky white fish, sharp cheese, and sweet mango all pressed into a crispy tortilla sandwich.

El Meson de Pepe – For a traditional Cuban sandwich (above), this is where you go. But heads up: they tacked on 18% gratuity automatically. For a table for 2. At lunch! We can only wonder how many people don’t notice this at the end of their meal and tip additional. But either way, the sandwich was awesome.

So that’s it, our culinary tour of Key West. It goes without saying that we managed to find time to snorkel, swim, watch the sunset, etc. We even had a celebrity-sighting. All were pretty cool experiences. But to really experience the place, we feel you have to meet the people and eat their food. As such, we consider this trip to be a huge success.

The Rue Is On Fire

I have a friend whose identity I will not divulge other than to say that his name rhymes with "Hintage Fourleens."  Anyway, this friend recently asked me for a restaurant recommendation, and I suggested Rue 127. "Yeah, I have always heard good things about that place," he said, "but I can't get past the tag line of a 'New American Bistro.' What does that even mean? It just sounds generic to me."

Putting aside the fact that this is the same guy whose own ignorance prevented him from eating at The Green Goddess until I convinced him that it was not a vegetarian restaurant, my friend had a valid point. I struggled to define exactly what this cottage on Carrollton is all about. They serve steamed mussels and onion soup gratinée, but it's not really French. There's gumbo on the menu, but this is not a place to come for trout meuniere and shrimp remoulade. And you are as likely to order Italian staples such as creamy risotto and house made pastas as you are to dine on an augmented version of Cajun coush coush.


Spring Vegetable Salad.

The coziness of Rue 127 reminds me of the defunct Bistro at Maison de Ville. In the brightly lit dining room, mirrors cover the walls to give the illusion of a room larger than its 30 or so seats. The large window to the kitchen attributes to the intimacy of the room, whose volume increases exponentially when the room fills up, which is almost every night. The front bar room can hold another half dozen or so, and the handful of outdoor tables on Carrollton are nice for a pre-prandial cocktail when the weather permits.

Seasonal ingredients drive the selection of salads. A few weeks ago, I started with an excellent spring salad featuring fava beans, beefsteak tomatoes, frisee, and thin, wide, ribbons of squash all drizzled with a lemon vinaigrette. The careful attention to weave the contrasting textures and flavors of the vegetables was very Kelleresque, as was the coarse salt sprinkled across the top of the ramekin of butter included with bread service. I have never tasted the mussels appetizer, but I have had the pleasure of the parmesan dusted pommes frites (ask for a cone a la carte), which are crispy, creamy and addictive. Creamy seafood risotto was thick enough to serve on a plate (in a good way), and the stock had a nice background flavor of the sea. Gumbo has a dark, thin roux and is served with a scoop of horseradish potato salad. The only disappointment in the starter category has been the pasta carbonara. The thin spaghetti was housemade but must have been dried for storage, because the texture was on the crunchy side of al dente. Smoky lardon added plenty of richness and salt, but the slow poached egg yolk never really came together with the cheese for a sauce.


Double Cut Pork Chop.

The list of entrees covers all of our carnal cravings. Hands down, the best choice is the double cut pork chop, which is a lesson in how perfection can be attained by a simple but well executed dish. The chop must have been brined for multiple days/weeks/months to allow for such a juicy, pink, flavorful flesh underneath a fatty, chargrilled exterior. The roasted corn coush coush underneath was a buttery mixture of fine grits and fresh corn, and the crispy fried onions brought a nice texture contrast to the overall dish.

Not to be overshadowed was a ribeye glistening with richness in a way that it appeared almost lacquered in beef fat. No starches served alongside, but instead a much better accompaniment of roasted bone marrow scooped with a demitasse spoon and slathered on grilled bread. Puppy drum was cooked perfectly and placed in a sweet and sour orange and grapefruit broth that was addicting; the poblano pepper aspect was lost on me, and the sauce was so good that I didn’t even try the mussels. Lamb loin had an intense, gamey flavor, while a crock of mac and cheese was homely and straight forward.

Sticky Toffee Pudding.

Desserts have been good from top to bottom. The sticky toffee pudding is so rich that you easily forgot the unappetizing menu description of "date cake." A shallow, individual-sized pecan pie had a thick, crunchy crown and a slowly melting scoop of bourbon ice cream. The infamous deep fried cupcakes were a gimmick that everyone at the table was wowed by except for me. Devil's food cupcakes topped with peanut butter frosting are covered in a thin, crackly batter, deep fried, and served with vanilla anglaise and hazelnut chocolate dipping sauces. These were excellent, don't get me wrong; but I think they would have been just as good had they missed the fryer.

Chef-Owner Ray Gruezke has put together a front of the house staff which is both very young and eager to please, though not very polished, which fits the location and the vibe of the restaurant. A peek through the large window to the kitchen reveals an equally youthful back of the house. The wine list is heavy on California selections but contains enough interesting bottles at a low price point, and the bar offers an impressive array of original cocktails. Prices are about 20% lower than those of most other restaurants serving food of this caliber.

To answer my friend's original question, I can't exactly describe what a "New American Bistro" is. But if you are concerned more with what's on the plate than with the words on a website, you will soon discover that "New American Bistro" - at least in the case of Rue 127 - is synonymous with delicious.

Rue 127 - Birdie
127 N. Carrollton Ave.
(504) 483-1571
Lunch: Tue-Fri: 11:30am -2:00pm
Dinner: Mon-Sat: 5:00pm - 10:00pm

Presto Pesto

Pesto is the sunscreen of summer dining. You should always have it around and use it liberally. Pesto, like all Mediterranean foodstuffs, was either invented by the Italians, Spanish, French, Greeks, North Africans, or Asians by way of trade routes. You may choose to believe whichever story you choose. Pungent, salty, lemony, pesto has a deep flavor that is unmistakable. While the fragrance of pesto is intoxicating, its color is a jungle of greens.

Pesto, culinary and linguistically speaking, is just a paste, a combination of ingredients smashed into something greater than the sum of its parts. Prior to the invention of the food processor, pesto was a laborious task, most likely assigned to a mother-in-law to keep her out of one's hair. Give granny a mortar, pestle, and a glass of wine and let her go to work. With a food processor, making delicious pesto is something you should be doing every week. Possible uses:

• Toss with warm pasta
• Slather over skin on chicken thighs and grill
• Ciabatta, prosciutto, mozzarella, and pesto paninis 
• Spoon over fried eggs or inside a creamy omelet
• Combine the last two for Eggs Benedicto - poached eggs, pesto, grilled ciabatta, and prosciutto
• Marinade for shrimp
• A spread on sandwiches
• Tomato, mozzarella, and pesto 
• Pizza sauce
• Sunscreen

Traditionally, pesto combines basil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, lemon, garlic, and olive oil. But that is just a starting point, try cilantro, peanuts, lime, shallots, and red chili for an Asian twist. Use pecans. Hell, just use your goddamn imagination. 

My Basic Pesto

2 handfuls of basil, leaves only (if technical, about 3 cups tightly packed)

1/4 cup of pine nuts, toasted

1 cup of freshly grated Parmesan
1 clove garlic, smashed

Juice and zest of one lemon

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Place the basil, pine nuts, Parmesan, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a food processor. Pulse about 5 times. Then with machine running, drizzle in olive oil to your desired texture. For me this is generally a half cup of olive oil. Taste. Add salt and pepper if needed. 

Will keep in fridge for a few days, but it is usually gone by then. 

Short Order Reviews

We're starting off the shortened 4 day work week with a quick list of Short Order Reviews which revisit a few places which have fallen off our radar as of late.

Grand Isle - After hearing about all of the charcuterie that Chef Mark Falgoust is curing in house (but refraining to partake of those specialties on a Friday during Lent), we decided to bring The Folk Singer's parents here on a Sunday night so that they could eat fried seafood and I could indulge in pork. Gargantuan fried oysters filled a few po-boys around the table, but I focused my attention on the ham and white cheddar melt placed in front of me. Mother's may claim to have the world's best baked ham, but this may be the real deal Holyfield. Each thin slice of ham is surrounded by a crunchy, sweetened, black crust, stacked high and covered in melted white cheddar and caramelized onions on a brioche bun. The sandwich, while expensive at $13, was executed flawlessly. Terrible french fries though. - Par/Birdie.

Courtyard Grill - With 5 tables filled in the front courtyard a few weeks ago, this is the most crowded that I have seen this quiet Magazine eatery. The shaded deck is a nice setting on a day when the mercury stays below 85, but those days are probably behind us. Hummus was standard but good; the house baked bread is a vast improvement over the standard pita served elsewhere. TFS had the Yogurt Chicken Kabob, which was off-putting texturally with its soggy bread buried beneath chunks of grilled chicken covered in yogurt and the house specialty tomato butter sauce. I fared better with the spicy Lamb Adana wrap in crispy lavash. Lebanese tea was syrupy sweet in a non-refreshing way. I don't know how this place stays open, but it is still a great option for a cheap lunch. - Par.

Poke Salad at Kyoto.

Kyoto - A 20 minute wait lets you know that this is one of the few Uptown restaurants open for dinner on Monday nights. We started with the Poke Salad, which was the best execution that I have had here in a long time. An almagamation of seaweed, squid, avocado, thin half moons of cucumber and chunks of tuna mixed with a sweet and hot chili dressing, the salad has so much going on yet comes together so well. This night once again confirmed my belief that the Sara Roll, filled with spicy shrimp and avocado and then topped with a crunchy/spicy sriracha crown, is my favorite roll in town. The Dynamite Roll was disappointing with only tuna and no salmon, and while the fish was served at the right temp, the rice was much too cold. At $35 inclusive for 3 rolls and a Poke Salad, this was a surprisingly cheap dinner date, but of course neither of us were drinking. - Par/Birdie.

Hello, Weekend

Yes, I realize that today is only Thursday. But with the long Memorial Day weekend on the horizon, we are all preoccupied with the upcoming three day weekend full of booze, beaches, and goatburgers.


The sun sets over the New Orleans Greek Festival.

You read that right. Goatburgers are a new addition to the menu at the New Orleans Greek Fest, which runs Friday evening and all day Saturday and Sunday.  Save for Friday evening when the grounds surrounding the Holy Trinity Cathedral swell with sweaty runners who wait patiently for their free beers after finishing the 5K, Greek Fest is a nice treat for those who enjoy outdoor festivals but loathe large crowds. Most of the food is prepared by the church community, and you can taste the love in the spinach stuffed spanakopita and spit-roatsed lamb sold by the pound. And with plenty of cold beer and ouzo to wash eveything down, the atmosphere is laid back and relaxed on the banks of Bayou St. John.

Have a great weekend.

Memphis in May

A typical competitor booth at Memphis in May. 

By 6:03 am last Friday our group was airborne for the forty minute jaunt north. Within minutes of touching down, we were in a taxi heading towards Memphis' Tom Lee Park to witness the greatest spectator sport in the world. Along the banks of the Mississippi, teams from all over the globe arrive to build elaborate set-ups, smoke copious amounts of meat, and drink all of the alcohol. Eventually a team would be crowned, but by that point few cared.

 The Beeve was waiting for us with specific instructions on where to find his team, "Head down the hill, take a left by the shitters...you really can't miss us."

The cast of characters on the Ubon's BBQ team is a Canterbury Tales of the Mississippi. Mr. Garry Roark is the Godfather of BBQ having been on the circuit for years. He is joined by his daughter Leslie, "The BBQ Princess", Beeve, One Legged Reggie, Double F, Beeve's daughters, and a host of others. Occasionally, they are joined by a BBQ group out of New York City named Jubon's, that the Ubon's crew has mentored for years. The Jubon's t-shirts sport a pig wearing a yarmulke with the expression "At least the salt is Kosher." Perhaps the most important member of the Ubon's team is the above Bloody Mary. Vodka, Zing Zang, the Ubon's rub and barbecue sauce, pickle juice, and a pickle spear. You can't find a better Bloody Mary. Go ahead and try.

Ubon's has other specialties for which they are known. The other drink they are known for is The Ubon's Special which is a strange sounding, but dangerously delicious blend of pineapple juice, Jim Beam, and Sprite. Someone had another name for it, "A whole bunch of fuckedupedness in a glass." Apt.

Garry Roark, left, trims picnic shoulder with the percision of a stone mason, while Beeve, far right, is tasked with removing fat.

Having sampled two or three of both Ubon's beverages these before 10 am, it was time to eat something lest things get out of hand. Enter the Perfect Sandwich: smoked rib eye, horseradish mayo, creole mustard, and onion. I only managed to eat five of them, but there is always next year.

Soon Beeve took us on a walkabout introducing us to more legends of the Memphis Barbecue Network. At each stop, Beeve engaged in some good old fashioned mental warfare, which usually just involved taking their beer. Teams begin arriving in Memphis on the Sunday before the competition. They load in double decker skyscrapers of scaffolding, oak bars, swimming pools, televisions, and even an EKG machine. A city is born within a city and it is a city of dreams.

At one point a plywood box, Gatorade jug, and PVC piping delivered the first acceptable frozen margarita in history. Explain to me this margarita machine, I asked one guy, "Well we use a disposal to grind the ice. But the ice in Memphis is real hard, and it tore up our first disposal. So Steve had to go to Home Depot yesterday and get a new one."

Fatback Collective team members prepare to carve an open fire roasted whole lamb.

Soon we made our way to The Fatback Collective and their merry band of meatfits. Fatback Collective is an amalgamation of chefs from across the South who enjoy nothing more than eating, cooking, and drinking, rinsing, and repeating. When we first walked upon them, Ryan Prewitt stood on a table over a half-splayed mangalitsa with an ax and hammer in his hand. He may as well have been Thor. The snow white fat on the mangalitsas melted upon contact with the heat of your hand. Soon two of these pigs, were buried in a blanket of 200 degree smoke for 24 hours, while a third was rigged up on block and tackle and angled over a smoldering fire.

Thompson described the Kentucky Derby as "decadent and depraved." One can only imagine the prose which he could have developed for Memphis in May. Later shots of Buffalo Trace made the rounds. Then crawfish the size of baby lobsters trucked up from Southwest Louisiana by a Link or two. Their fatty, glistening tales surrounding in powerful seasoning. Eventually jello shots arrived via a moving van. And the party went into the night.

Drago's: Is It Worth It?

Shrimp and grits at Drago's

Until a meal at Drago's last week, I never had any reason to feud with grits. Grits are a staple of southern cooking, an exclamation point on meals from Charleston to Texas. When done correctly, the grits take on an amorphous shape, able to float between liquid and solid form, soaking up juices or just a receptacle for an oozing pat of butter. Great grits, to paraphrase Vinny Gambini are "magic grits."

The grits at Drago's were a disaster. With the texture of wet sand, they mounded above the shrimp in Drago's take on the southern dish sweeping the nation faster than kudzu. We were eating with my mom, but luckily she put her motherly instincts aside and didn't force me to finish my plate. Normally, you could throw away the starch component of a dish. When grits are one of the two main components of a dish and they arrive dry and unappetizing, someone in the kitchen has never had a proper bowl of girts. The shrimp surrounding the gritsaster benefited from being close to tasso, but otherwise the dish lacked any punch.

Before we go on, let me say something nice lest I not be able to say anything at all. The fleur de lis shrimp, plump fried shrimp coated in a fiery sauce with chopped peanuts, were immensely enjoyable. Perhaps a plate of those with a beer would be a good way to watch a ballgame. But you don't come to Drago's for fleur de lis shrimp or shrimp and grits, you come here for the chargrilled oysters. A dish which Drago's is credited with inventing. But much like bbq shrimp at Manale's, Drago's sure hasn't perfected their greatest hit.

Below the crust of garlic butter and parmesan, there lies an oyster which depending on the time of year will either be flavorful or not. At this time of year, the latter is more likely.* Without the salinity of a plump oyster, the topping is better placed on bread than a milky oyster. The way in which the oysters are opened is perhaps a bit too rough resulting in shell fragments worthy of awarding the oyster a Purple Heart.

A plank of drum arrived bland despite being covered in all manners of things. Lindsay described the crabmeat and shrimp dressing which sat next to it as "interesting."  This was an improvement upon a plate of oysters en brochette served with a sweetened Jack Daniels sauce that managed to disprove the twin theories of southern cooking that bacon and bourbon make everything taste better. There were salads of basic salad bar quantity. These were included in the price of the entrees, which depending on your satisfaction with your meal are either very high or just high. Everybody has an off night or maybe it still holds true that eating oysters in summer is a bad idea.

I'll end on another good note. The beer is very cold and the service couldn't be nicer.

Drago's: Is It Worth It? Nope.
Fat City and Downtown Locations
888-9254

*Tangent: The idea that anyone would host an Oyster Festival in New Orleans in June is a goddamn disgrace. Oysters couldn't be less appetizing than right now through the end of a summer. There is a reason why Casamento's is closed. Please move this festival to a cold weather month.

The Pots Are Boiling

Nearly every local has faced this conundrum: A large group of friends come in town and are staying in the Quarter. They all want to go out for heaping platters of boiled seafood, but the options are limited to non-existent in the downtown area. What do you do?

A few weeks ago Rene wrote about the Crab Trap II, an excellent suggestion for your seafood seeking out of town guests. But Frenier is a 30 mile drive away, which would make for an expensive cab ride. However, if instead of heading west on I-10, you decide to drive east to the Westbank, just a 10 minute ride away is a Harvey hideaway where the pots are always at a rolling boil.

Perino's Boiling Pot, located below the elevated Westbank Expressway a few blocks past the Manhattan exit, is a no frills seafood joint where locals feel at home and tourists can act like locals. The family behind Perino's operates both a restaurant and seafood market, a business model which generates a lot of turnover for inventory and ensures freshness for its customers. Customers who are not carrying out bags of boiled shrimp and crawfish are seated at long formica tables covered plastic trays full of the same.

Before you get elbows deep in crawfish fat, crab claws, and shrimp heads, Perino's offers a short list of starters that are worth sacrificing precious stomach real estate for. The stuffed artichoke is an almost forgotten art that is thankfully still practiced at Perino's with expert precision.  Here, the most delcious flower on earth is in full blossom with every crevice overflowing with lemon and herb stuffing. Oysters are on the half shell are priced cheap and served ice cold. Spicy crawfish boudin is sold by the link and oozes from its casing.

Then come the platters of boiled seafood ferried to the table by smiling, no-nonsense waitresses and rested atop a metal stand with an empty tray for remnants strategically placed underneath. The crawfish are medium in size and easily peelable, with a restrained level of spice which may be dissappointing to some but appreciated by others who believe that pain is not a necessarily prerequisite to crawfish pleasure. On my most recent visit, the boiled shrimp were terribly overcooked, resulting in withered shells which struggled to pull away from the tough flesh underneath. Corn and potatoes are sold separately, but the bland flavor of both relegate them to obscurity.

While some of the offerings at Perino's may lack the enthusiasm found out your best friend's crawfish boil where the seasoning level increases with every round of beers, this Harvey hangout displays most of the congeniality and affordability of a local favorite that most out of town guests will be happy to experience. And sometimes, that's all that you're looking for.

Perino's Boiling Pot - Par

3754 Westbank Expressway
(504) 340-5560
Sun-Thur: 11am-10pm; Fri-Sat: 11am-11pm

Summertime and the Eating's Easy

Newsflash! It is too damn hot to do any real indoor cooking. Put away the casserole dishes, dutch ovens, and roasting pans, and pull out your salad spinner, grill, and smoker. Right now the Crescent City Farmer's Market is awash in delicious things you should be eating. A visit last weekend turned up two pounds of U-12 shrimp, a pound of squid, blueberries, Creole tomatoes, and a pint of peaches fragrant enough to use as cologne.

Like any red blooded American, my grill in the summertime is used more than graphic violence in a Tarantino film. High heat, low and slow, shoot, I've even been known to grill a vegetable on the damn thing. Take that, terrorists! In summer it is time to switch from meats bathed in luxurious stocks to meats kissed with squeezes of lemon or lime and a splash of good olive oil. Try grilling citrus before squeezing it over shrimp or a rack of ribs, smoked and seasoned with nothing more than salt and pepper.

And about those shrimp, they are perfect right now. Plump and fat, they ooze with briny goodness. You can prepare shrimp any way you like; but if you go this whole summer without making a Mason jar full of pickled shrimp, your subscription to the internet will be revoked. The technique is simple. Quickly boil shrimp in highly seasoned water, toss with a vinaigrette, and let sit. You can add, capers, or mint, or olive salad, or anything your little heart desires. This is the perfect dish to bring to your friend's lake or beach house. Pick up a gallon of daiquiris, some French bread, and a case of beer and your yearly invite will continue.

Fluffy omelets, their centers just on the cooked side of Carbonara, work their way into the dinner repertoire. The best omelet technique in the world is right here. Practice it a few times and serve with a green salad with a garlicky dressing.  Break out a bottle of Sancerre or Rose. And count the days til fall.

For dessert, keep it simple, stupid. Bowls of peaches, blackerries, and blueberries need very little to showcase their brilliance. But baked shortbread sliced in half and a dollop of homemade whipped cream (with a splash of Southern Comfort) is one way to make summer fruits the star.

What are your summer go to meals?

An Easy Staple

Ever heard this whine? "You can't find good Tex-Mex in New Orleans because there are no good tortillas here. When I lived in Austin, we used to buy tortillas from an Airstream down the corner made by a guy who had a tattoo of a tortilla on his arm." Lesson: no Airstream, no Tex-Mex.

The staples of most world cuisines are easy to make. In fact, the basic cooking of most cuisines is simple to accomplish but, may take a lifetime to master. Staples had to be easy out of necessity. An 18th century Chinese farmer didn't have a world class kitchen nor did a Mexican mother own a microwave. This is not to trivialize the importance of rice, bread, and maize, but just to say with a minimum amount of practice you can make much better corn tortillas than you can buy from any Airstream. 

Do you own a non-stick pan? A griddle you use to make pancakes for your kids? Or a cast iron pan? Have some ziploc bags? Indoor plumbing or access to potable water? Good then you are all set. You don't really need a tortilla press. All you will really need is a bag of masa harina. They sell it in grocery stores.

In a large bowl, combine 1 3/4 cups of masa harina with about a cup of water. Depending on the day, you may need more or less of either ingredient. You want a dough that is soft and looks like cookie dough. All of this is the extent of the recipe in Rick Bayless' Mexico: One Plate at a Time.

Take a gallon Ziploc bag and cut it down the sides and across the bottom. Once you have your dough, pull of a section that is about the size of a squash ball. Place dough in between two sheets of Ziploc and press down with the bottom of a heavy pot.

You can use a rolling pin (with dough still in between the plastic) if you want to make the tortilla thinner, but this is optional. It should have a vaguely circular shape. The more you practice, the better they get.

Carefully peel off one layer of plastic and drape the tortilla over the palm of your hand, then pull off second sheet of plastic. Heat a cast iron pan, pancake pan, sheet of steel, or a comal (below, about $8 at Ideal Market) over moderate heat. Ever seen a plan land? The back wheels land first followed by the front wheels. You want the side of the tortilla closest to you touching down first. Then sweep your hand out and gently place down the side of the tortilla furthest from you.

Cook for about 45 seconds on the first side. Flip it over (use your hands, pretty boy). And cook for another minute or so. You should see the tortilla puffing up a bit like a wimp with four beers in him. Once done, pull it off and keep it warm in a low oven, a plastic tortilla holder lined with a towel, or just wrap in a towel. Stuff them with anything you can fathom, melting Cotija cheese, juicy steak, or grilled veggies. Or all three. The tortilla can also be used as dessert. Take a warm tortilla, spread creamy peanut butter and a strawberry jam, fold into the palm of your hand, and enjoy. Begin searching for a tortilla tattoo.

NOWFE

Next week the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience celebrates it's 20th anniversary of eating and drinking for a good cause. Those of you who are NOWFE experts have likely already reserved your tables for the wine dinners on Wednesday and decided whether you will attend one of the Grand Tastings on Friday night or Saturday afternoon.

In last year's piece for NOWFE, I wrote a very vanilla post with a brief synopsis of each event on the calendar. Such blog posts are helpful for the uninitiated and assists in promoting an event which generates a lot of business for the local hospitality industry at a time when they are making one final push before the dog days of summer. However, after my experience at NOWFE 2011, I decided to embrace the spirit behind this year's challenge and ask myself the simple question:

NOWFE: Is It Worth It?

Let's break it down event by event:

• Wine Dinners - Are They Worth It? - It depends. We had great luck in 2009 when Medlock Ames poured at Vizard's but were disappointed last year with the food at Arnaud's, although the wines from Far Niente and Nickel & Nickel were impressive. That's the inherent Catch 22 with many of the NOWFE wine dinners - often times the most interesting wines are paired with restaurants whose food falls below expectations. My best advice is not to short change yourself in either category. If you can't find a menu which peaks the interest of both your thirst and your hunger, then spend your money elsewhere.
• Vinola - Is It Worth It? - I have never been, so I honestly have no idea. Spending $150 to drink wine for 2 hours on a Thursday afternoon seems quite decadent, but the wines are supposedly expensive and the lineup of chefs and restaurants is definitely impressive. The Pope went last year and said that it was a blast, but of course he did not pay for his ticket. If I had the afternoon off from work and had not already committed to some other NOWFE event for this year, I would probably just to see if it lives up to the hype.
• Royal Street Stroll - Is It Worth It?  - In a word, no. Last year, Royal Street Stroll was a certified clusterf*ck, and the rain was not entirely to blame. There are too many attendees, the lines to refill your wine glass are too long, and the food was non-existent. Someone had to say it.
• Seminars - Are They Worth It? - Again, I have limited experience with this category, but this component of NOWFE seems to be the most educational and therefore the most appealing for true wine geeks.
• Grand Tastings - Are They Worth It? - The Grand Tastings mimic the Royal Street Stroll in that they both involve long lines and lots of people. But the Grand Tastings traditionally offer both food and wine of better quality and more abundance. Now, most of the wines are poured are main stream, where as the wine dinners and Vinola feature more single vineyard varietals and reserve selections. But in terms of bang for your buck, it's tough to beat the Grand Tastings.

What say you? Is NOWFE worth it?

Katie's

In the present era of classically-trained chefs opening gourmet burger stands and casual eateries where the sausage is made in house from Mangalista pigs and the salad greens are grown on inner-city hydroponic farms, the neighborhood restaurant has fallen off the radar. In the immediate months after Katrina, the re-opening of the long-running family friendly eatery was met with fervor from those in search of a return to normalcy. But their popularity has waned to the point that most of those intent on surviving have been forced to embrace change and rejuvenation.


Stuffed mushrooms from Katie's in Mid-City.

Katie's has always been looked upon as an inferior sibling to Mandina's, the apotheosis of New Orleans neighborhood cuisine located just 2 blocks away. But after the storm, the two restaurants took decidedly different paths for rebuilding. While Mandina's went back to it's tried and true menu of Creole-Italian, po-boys, an old fashions, Katie's held onto the past but also innovated with the addition of pizzas, Sunday brunch, and a few original dishes which caught the attention of one infamous, blonde, spiky-haired, pinky-ringed food TV host.

But don't hold that against them.

Odds are good that your table will start with an order of chargrilled oysters, which were overcooked to major shrinkage on my first visit, but on the third they were near perfect - just barely heated underneath a buttery breadcrumb and parmesan topping. The crunchy onion rings of medium thickness are preferred over the fried eggplace sticks and  french fries overly seasoned with Cajun spice. Chicken and andouille gumbo has a charcoal colored roux a good level of spice, but the best soup on my three visits was a special that had a rich and creamy base of brie cheese with crabmeat and roasted portabello mushrooms.

Every item on the gargantuan fried seafood platter had different batters, an attention to detail often not practiced. Crawfish were blonde and flavorless, shrimp were Saints gold, the small oysters a dark brown, and a huge filet of moist fish fell somewhere in the middle of the color wheel. The tartar and cocktails sauces were strange enough to remember, the former being very sweet with pickles and the latter tasting as if it was made with oyster liquor. The much touted CNN Blackberry and Jalapeno Ribs are tender from slow cooking (not smoking) and coated in a sticky sweet sauce. Pass.


The Boudreaux Pizza.

The pizzas are unconventional and far from the authentic Roman and Neopolitan styles that we all have accepted as the apex of pizza nirvana. The crust has a slightly sweetened taste and is not too thick or too thin, somewhat chewy and usually yields under an overload of ingredients. The cheese is a strange mixture of mozzarella and provel, a St. Louis processed blend which Rene still has nightmares over. But if Hogs for the Cause has taught us all anything, it's the power of pork. Witness the Boudreaux: a garlic cream base topped with shreds of succulent cochon de lait, whole cloves of sweet roasted garlic, wilted leaves of fresh spinach and red onion. I have tasted a few other pizzas at Katie's, and they are fine (especially the Terranova featuring sausage made at the Faubourg St. John grocery store). But none come even close to comparing to the Boudreaux.

And you can taste the Boudreaux (and all of the pizzas) for $10 every Thursday, when Katie's packs them in for the weekly pizza special. The restaurant does not take reservations, so don't be surprised if you find yourself waiting in the small bar area or outside on the patio furniture where you can still here the cacophony from the dining room. It's the sound of the reliable neighborhood restaurant, and at Katie's it's as loud as ever.

Katie's - Par
3701 Iberville Street
(504) 488-6582
Sun: 9am - 3pm; Mon-Wed: 11am - 3pm; Thur-Sat: 11am - 10pm

All photos by The Folk Singer.