Thursday, March 25, 2010

Cafe Degas

So Cafe Degas is pretty chill.  Not cold chill but chill in the way super laid back people say chill.  It was my first trip to Cafe Degas for food.  It helped that we scored a sweet $25 gift certificate for $3.

Over all is was a great experience.  Pretty good food, nice atmosphere, plus I always like eating in Mid-City and pretending that I belong in that oh so trendy Mid-City crowd.

Now even with the gift certificate we tried to do the meal on the cheap.  We shared a cheese plate and didn't spring for dessert but I'm okay with that.  The cheese plate was pretty good.


It came with one hard and one soft cheese.  I'm not sure what the cheeses were because the waiter didn't tell us.  I'm pretty sure you are looking at a brie and a cheddar though.


Kerry had the steak.  It was pretty good.  Surprisingly the best thing on both of our plates was the broccoli.  I cant really explain why.  It was cooked in something delicious though.  Thats not to say the steak wasn;t good as well.  It was.  and pommes frites are awesome anywhere.


So here is the problem with low lighting restaurants.  This is a pretty miserable looking plate but it looked fine when it came.  I had the veal.  It had a Parmesan crust and was pan fried and a fantastic sauce.  I was happy with my selection but Kerry's steak looked great as well.

So it was a great meal but two small complaints.  The service was worse than lack luster.  Besides not explaining the cheese, it was slow and the wait staff was rude.  And this was a Wednesday night.  There wasn't a crowd, it's not like people were just rushing.

And like I said we didn't order dessert but looking at the list and seeing a few that came out, I was unimpressed.  I feel like for a french restaurant dessert can be done very very well.  It can be what makes the place stick out from the crowd.  The desserts at Cafe Degas didn't really do it.

Again though.  It was a good meal.  It won't be the last time we go by any means.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Louisiana Cookery Pictures

So the Louisiana Cookery event was a huge success and a great time was had by all.  I heard through the grape vine over $50,000 was raised for some great causes.

Rather than a huge recap of the event I'm just going to post some pictures with captions.  Mostly because thats must easier and I have a bunch of them.  So... Here we go...

First up the offering from Donald Link and the Herbsaint/Cochon crew.
 

A look at the Stella! table.

Scott Boswell's Asian Chili prawns. 

Mat Murphey's  M Bistro Crew.Selection from Mat Murphey and Susan Spicer - Rabbit Confit Cake with a Fried Quail Egg on Rabbit Andouille and Kashkaval Brioche with Tabasco Hand Ground Mustard Sauce 

Louisiana Caviar 

A few good looking fish. 

Something with Alligator from Tory McPhail from Commander's 

Best thing of the day.  From Brigtsen's - Blackened Tuna with Smoked Corn Sauce, Red Bean Salsa, Roasted Red Pepper Sour Cream & Maras Farm Sprouts
 

Tabasco was on hand explaining how they make... Tabasco. 

The crab taco from the Pelican Club was suprisingly very very good. 

Here is the deep-fried chocolate bacon cupcake from Tariq Hanna 

Oh... Don't believe me?  Take that sucka. 

Chef Garcia's Louisiana Goat Cheese & Sweet Potato Bunuelos

5 Fifty 5's pulled pork sandwich.

Red Beans and Rice from the Dickie Brennan Group 

Some of the best chefs in the world... just hanging out.

John Besh's Bruschette with Warm Crawfish Salad Dipped into Crawfish Bisque

Some awesome bread from the General Store.

And last but not least Frenchy painting the event.  A painting that went for $5,300 I might add.

So... All in all it was an awesome event.  To bad it doesn't happen every year here in New Orleans... but then again why shouldn't it?
Monday, March 22, 2010

Catch

So I had a Cafe Degas post all ready to go for today but it turns out that we were scooped!  So I'll give you a few days to forget about this Cafe Degas post and post mine later in the week.

That brings us to Catch.

According to some biblical scholars I know we are in the middle of the Lenten season.  Now because I have years and years of CCD experience I know that Lent somehow has something to do with eating fish.  So a few Fridays ago we ended up at Catch.  Catch is new and they serve seafood.  They are in the old Semolina location.  Man I miss Semolina.

Now as I have been telling anyone who asks about Catch... I think its really hard to run a seafood restaurant.  So much is dependent on whats fresh and I think its probably tougher to time things since cooking seafood can be a little more attention intensive.

You know what probably isn't hard to make though?  A fish sandwich ($12) and fish and chips ($15!).

My fish sandwich wasn't awful but it wasn't worth $12 either.  It was just really unimpressive.  To be honest I think this picture probably sums up anything I could write about it.


Actually I just took a look at the picture and it doesn't look that bad.  I guess it wasn't bad but it wasn't good either and after tax and tip you have to imagine I payed close to $16 for it.

Kerry went with the fish and chips which looked awesome on the menu.  It came with sweet potato fries instead of the standard non-sweet potato fries.  She seemed to like that.  What she didn't like was the super overcooked fish.  It was completely dried out.  For $15 you expect something at least appetizing.  It looks pretty good in the picture but I'm telling you... nothing special.


So Lent or otherwise I wouldn't suggest Catch, that being said they are still pretty new so maybe they will get their act together.
Thursday, March 18, 2010

Frankie and Johnny's


So Frankie and Johnny's is a classic New Orleans spot.

In all honesty- and  it might make me a bad New Orleans food blogger to say it but- there are plenty of classic New Orleans spots that I don't get all that fired up over.  I think maybe its because I'm not huge on fried seafood.  I'm not sure what it is but its just not my thing.

I think that is probably what led to me getting the meatball poboy at Frankie and Johnny's.  Huge mistake.  Why I assumed it would be a decent choice is beyond me.  I think maybe I figured that if Subway could turn out an edible meatball sandwich this place should be able top as well.  Not the case.  I feel silly even complaining about it since its just not what they do there but it was particularly bad.


Kerry fared better with her fried shrimp platter.  She particularly enjoyed the breading on the shrimp.  I enjoyed stealing her french fries.


There isn't anything wrong with Fankie and Johnny's.  They serve fried seafood.  Just make sure that's what you order.  And they have crawfish.  Who doesn't like that?

Frankie and Johnny's
321 Arabella Street
New Orleans, LA. 70115
Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Chefs for Louisiana Cookery

So full disclosure I have been doing some work for the James Beard Event that is this Sunday.  But the way I see it-  that is even more reason to believe me when I tell you it'd going to be incredible.
So the event is called Chefs for Louisiana Cookery.  Turns out the James Beard Foundation will be announcing its 2010 nominees in New Orleans this year.  So what better way to get excited for it than getting some incredible food from every incredible chef in our fair city the day before.

The whole event is about Louisiana ingredients and chefs.  Let me list off some names for you.  John Besh, Susan Spicer, Donald Link, Scott Boswell, Frank Brigtsen, Adolfo Garcia, Darin Nesbit, Tariq Hanna.  And that's just the half of it.  Find a fill list here.

The event is this Sunday from 3-7 at Kingsley House.  In addition to awesome food, there will also be music from John Papa Gros and Alex McMurry, a silent auction with a ton of awesome items (including a painting by Frenchy of the event) and a General Store where you can stock up on cookbooks and other wares from all your favorite New Orleans chefs.

Tickets are $100 or $150 for VIP (which includes extra face time with the chefs, champagne, and special hor d'oeuvres).A little pricey for you?  I get it, but look at it this way - how much would it cost you to eat a meal at Herbsaint, August, Stella, and Bayona... now add Brigtsen's, La Boca, Commander's and about 15 other restaurants.  You get the point. 

So I'll see you there?  Awesome.  Looking forward to it.
Monday, March 15, 2010

Il Posto


Have you been to this place?  No.  I'm serious?  Have you.  Then you're missing out.


Il Posto is fantastic.  I wish I lived closer but to be honest, if I lived next door to this Italian cafe it woudn't be close though.

This is a cool place down on Dryades Street.  They serve salads and pininis but these are not your run of the mill pressed sandwiches.  The ingredients are fresh and and of an extremely high quality.  And more reasonably priced than many places serving similar fare.



We both had the Classic Proscuitto.  Thin procuitto, thick, salty mozzarella, and pesto on warm crispy ciabatta.  This is my new favorite spot to get a sandwich.  Great food and a comfortable place to spend a little time.

Plus they gave us a few hints on the ganache that went on our bacon creme cupcakes we served at Hogs for the Cause.

I will be back soon.  Very soon- and it won't be soon enough.

Il Posto
4607 Dryades Street
New Orleans, LA
Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Commander's Palace Lunch


Commander's Palace had the best lunch special in New Orleans.  Oh you thought I meant food special?  Oh no.  Oh God no.

$0.25 Martini's.  That's right.  Two.  Five. Cents. Dig it.  Now I'm not really a martini guy but if you are willing to sell me anything for twenty five cents I'll buy it.  You can quote me on that.

I get the green ones because I'm pretty manly.

Okay okay they have pretty good food specials too.  Like an appetizer and entree for $16.  And this is Commander's we are talking about not Chili's.  You're thinking about how good Chili's is right now aren't you?  Me too.

So Kerry and I actually got the $20 option because it sounded better.  Kerry started with the turtle soup.  Now I don't know anything about turtle soup but I assume this is some of the best there is.  What I do know is there was no turtle shell in it which I expect would be the most common turtle soup problem.


And I started with the Artichoke Salad.  I just thought it was just okay but in all fairness I get pretty upset if there isn't either cheese or some sort of candied nut in a salad.  Preferably both.


And we both had the Shrimp with the Spoon Bread.  Look at all that shrimp.  It was a great deal.  The $16 option was Citrus Glazed Drum which also looked good.


So at some point this showed up.  According to our waiter it is the best drink they serve.  I think it was Holly Berry Martini.  It was delicious... Seriously I don't normally drink these types of drinks but I'm not ashamed.


And last but not least we had dessert.  It was my first experience with pecan pie.  It was awesome.  The only problem is I'm sure I won't be able to get pie of this quality just anywhere.


So there you go all this and you're out the door for $30 a person after tax and tip and enough martinis to get you through a Wednesday.  Not too shabby.

Let me know when you're going.  You can buy me a few drinks.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Hogs for the Cause

So Hogs for the Cause was a huge success.  Looks like the $20,000 goal was exceeded and I think almost  everyone sold out of food.  I know we sold over 200 sandwiches and 140 cupcakes and kicked in a cool $500 to fight pediatric brain tumors.

Here are a few pictures.  Well get back to restaurant posts tomorrow.


Here is the scene out on the fly.


This is our team's stet up.


Cooking our pork.


And the famous Bacon Cream Chocolate Cupcakes
Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Hogs for the Cause

 

 So who's excited about Hogs for the Cause?  I know we are.

For those of you that don't know, Hogs for the Cause is a fundraiser this weekend that is being held in honor of 5 year old Ben Sarrat Jr. who unfortunately just last week passed away from DIPG, a a tumor located in the brain stem.

The event well be held from sun up to sundown on Saturday out on the Audubon fly.  Teams will be competing in a pork cook-off there will be lots of other stuff going on.

We will be part of one of the two Tulane MBA teams competing.  We will be serving up a Pork Chop Sandwich Three Ways as well as some Bacon Cream Chocolate Cupcakes.  Come by, try out our dish, and make a donation to a great cause.

Below is some information from the website.  Make sure you stop by and say hello.

Come join us while we roast pigs on a spit and smoke oysters. Plenty of drinks intended for adults and other food as well.
Hogs for the Cause began as an idea to recreate the pig roasts so often encountered around the South. Depending on the amount of money raised and number of attendees, we can determine how many Pigs we plan to roast.
At the very least, we will have one hog on a spit and one in the smoker. Yes, this will be an all day event! It may not take long for the piggie to get to the market, but cooking to perfection takes time!
Not a fan of Pork? Don't show! Just kidding. We will have a variety of other foods smoking as well as many enjoyable beverages. Pork and Beans is good but Pork and beer is better!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Lakeview Harbor

So Lakeview Harbor is up by City Park and (kinda) near the lake. They serve burgers. Specifically they serve Port-of-Call style burgers.

Their burgers are average... I'll be honest, I can think of at least 3 places off the top of my head (Port-of-Call, Yo Mama's, Bulldog...) whose burgers I enjoy more than Lakeview Harbor's... but my favorite part about Lakeview Harbor is their appreciation of the ironic.

I'll be honest, when I heard "Lakeview Harbor" there were two things I was expecting about the location. I think you can probably figure out what those assumptions were. But Lakeview Harbor is located in a strip mall off of Harrison Ave., with no lakes or harbors in sight. Here is what it looks like.



They do have an old school claw game there, though, so they are okay in my book. Oh and the staff was super friendly too which is always a plus.

I guess we better comment more on the the food. I had a cheeseburger. Like at Port-of-Call, the burger comes with shredded cheese and a baked potato. I couldn't see any reason not to add the bacon, chives and sour cream to the potato, so I did. So did Kerry, except she got a turkey burger on a wheat bun which is something I don't really support.


So was it the best burger in town? No, probably not, but it for sure wasn't the worst and if I lived in Lakeview I could see myself being someone that went there every once in a while. It's worth a try even if you don't live there.

Oh and here is the address of the place. Someone requested we start doing that.

Lakeview Harbor
911 Harrison Avenue
New Orleans, LA‎ 70124
(504) 486-4887