You thought we disappeared again, didn't you?

Wrong.

KM moved last week and there just wasn't enough time to cook. There. Is. Never. Enough. Time. (Is that joke old yet? I hope so.)

Mid-city? MID CITY?

Is there really anything to do if you live in Mid-City other than tell people how cool you are for living in the American Can Apartments?

My Mid-City experiences are really limited to grocery shopping at Rouses, walking at City Park, and a few treks to Mid-City Bulldog. Oh and going to Clever. Oh... and Pandora. Crap.

Either way, you know know what else Mid-City has going for it? Huevos. Now other New Orleans Food blogs with "larger readerships" and "a consistent posting schedule" have had the best things to say about Huevos. Oh and I just realized they posted a few days ago about Huevos... sorry fellas.

We have nice things to say too. We went the day after the water outage and had a pretty good breakfast with some bottled water on the side.


Kerry had the Huevos Rancheros. Its the charred tomato salsa that really makes it. She had her eggs over medium and I'm not sure what that means but they looked pretty gooey! Anything that comes with tortillas to wrap it in is normally pretty good.

I don't even like to do the work for wrapping things in tortillas myself so I have my meals pre-wrapped. I went with the blue jay special. Egg, cheese, chorizo, I think probably some salsa too - I don't remember. It was great. Filling but not too filling. And it came with a cup of coffe and it was all only $1.82. Or maybe it was $6. I don't really remember, but it was cheap, and good, and they gave me a card, and when I eat 10 of them I get the 11th free!
When I told Kerry that she said, "Who would ever order 10 specials, that's a ton of food."

That made me laugh!

Because I know your answer is undoubtably "The glorious resurgence of the Eating In Nola foodblog" I thought I would shoot you a quick post about what I'm thankful for.

It's really 3 things, and in this order.

Good friends
Good food
Big Green Eggs

We did our traditional MBA potluck Thanksgiving last week and like always it was great. Kerry and I brought the mashed potatoes, creamed onions, rolls and spiced pear bread pudding. Other selections included stuffing, sweet potatoes, fresh green beans, green bean casserole, cupcakes from Sucre, chocolate pecan pie and a turkey smoked in our friends' brand new Big Green Egg.

Take a look at this plate.



I'm actually sitting in the airport right now getting ready to fly back home from my family Thanksgiving. So check these out too.




Dinner




And the post Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich.

And hell, here is the turkey sandwich I'm eating as I write this in the Victory Lane Bar in the ATL airport.




Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Coming up? Luke and Huevos.

Alright so frozen pizza wasn't enough for you? You think you deserve more? You're looking for classic New Orleans restaurants? Fine.

How about Pascal's Manale?

I managed two and a half years in New Orleans without sitting down to dine at the Napoleon institution. It's even more impressive when you take into account that Kerry reviewed the restaurant during her undergrad days, and said review is up on the wall. Or so she says.

Well, we went to Pascal's a few weeks back because KM had a craving for red sauce and I had a craving for dinner. It was a Friday so we had a little bit of a wait but nothing that a Heineken and a Dixie couldn't solve.



Kerry got me super hyped for an eggplant medallion appetizer special - the Eggplant Dryades - that they normally have. When they didn't have it, we went with the Combination Pan Roast. Chopped oysters and crabmeat baked in a dish with shallots and parsley. Pretty darn good.



We kept it pretty simple when it came to the entrees. Like I said, Kerry was fiending for some red sauce so she went with the famous spaghetti and meatballs. Look how much she liked them!



I went with the shrimp plate. Whatever, I know its broring. It was good though. Not really much else to say about it I guess.



Oh and we had bottle of wine. Looks like it was red! We had to finish it at the bar cause they kinda rushed us out of the dining room come 11pm...

So there you go. The first restaurant review in months. Was it everything you hoped for? Stay tuned for a post about Luke soon and a Thanksgiving potluck post.

A few weeks ago at work something asked me, "What do you do when you aren't working?"
...
"I used to have a food blog?"

That was seriously my answer.  It's kind of amazing how fast life moves sometimes you know?

I got here in July of 2008 for school and then all the sudden I was done and looking for a job and starting a job and stopped finding the time to tell people about food that I was eating.

Either way I miss it... maybe you do to who knows?

So lets bring it back with a classic.  I'm pretty sure there has been some version of this post at least 3 times on this blog in the last 2 years. 

But to be honest its the kind of post that this blog really is about so deal with it... and i promise I have some never before seen on EatingInNOLA restaurants coming up later in the week.

It’s getting to be summertime here in New Orleans. While most of us are dreading the heat, there are a few things to look forward to during the summer months.

It is not surprising that in New Orleans, at least two famous frozen concoctions exist. While both the New Orleans Frozen Daiquiri and the New Orleans Sno-Ball are icy, syrupy, delicious summertime staples, only one is fun for the whole family (depending on your parenting style).

The New Orleans Sno-Ball, finely shaved ice topped with a generous helping of flavored syrup, has been a city tradition for over 70 years. Originally served by push-cart vendors and shaved by hand, the sno-ball’s popularity exploded with the creation of Ernest Hansen’s Sno-Bliz machine in 1939. Today it is hard to travel a few blocks without coming across a neighborhood sno-ball stand offering flavors like cherry, strawberry, nectar cream, cake batter, chocolate or limeade.

While sno-ball stands are easy to find, there is little doubt that the city's favorites are the original Hansen’s Sno-Bliz and Plum Street Snowballs. Arguments about whose sno-balls reign supreme have torn friendships apart.

Hansen’s at 4801 Tchoupitoulas Street, has the honor of being the inventor of the sno-ball machine and the first to open up a permanent shop in 1944. The walls are covered in news articles and other Hansen’s memorabilia and they dish out everything from a $1.50 one flavored small cup, to a tub of sno-ball covered in crushed pineapple, crushed strawberries, condensed milk, whipped cream and cherries… with ice cream in the middle.

On the other hand, over at 1300 Burdette, Plum Street Snowballs can fit only three ordering customers at a time and its limited wall space has barely enough room to list the dozens of flavors they offer. Plum Street has its own long history to boast, having opened in 1945, only a year after Hansen’s. If you venture to Plum Street Snowballs don’t blink or you might miss it tucked into the surrounding residential neighborhood.

Another post from GoNOLA.

With so many great Creole and Cajun restaurants in New Orleans it can be easy to forget that some of the best restaurants in New Orleans don’t have gumbo on the menu.

There are a number of great chefs in the Crescent City whipping up delicious dishes that are not of the New Orleans variety. One of these chefs is Adolfo Garcia. Garcia, a New Orleans native with Panamanian roots, has ties to three New Orleans restaurants that offer something a little different. Rio Mar, Garcia’s seafood restaurant which opened in 2000 is a favorite of both locals and critics and a Mano which opened at the end of last year has quickly become staple in the Warehouse District.

But it is La Boca that really steals the show. La Boca, Garcia’s Fulton Street Steakhouse, is a true Argentine Steakhouse. They serve traditional Argentine cuts of USDA Prime Beef, Organic Beef and American Kobe. Oh, and it is the top Zagat Steakhouse in New Orleans.

I was lucky enough to try it out with a few friends on Monday and La Boca did not disappoint.

If you are the appetizer ordering type, you have to experience the Provoleta. It tastes as good as it looks. Delicious Argentine cheese melted with olive oil and oregano.

I had the Centro de Entrana – An organic hanger steak from Oregon. Do yourself a favor and order it medium-rare. It comes with a good char and seems to get more tender with every bite.

This was the daily special. Flap steak marinated in lime and garlic. It has a great acidity that the avocado mellows out well.

And here are the famed “French Fries La Boca.” Apparently they they take three days to make… they take about three minutes to eat.
So if you’ve worked up a hunger from a day of exploring the myriad art galleries and fantastic museums that make up New Orleans Arts District, be sure to duck into to La Boca for a fresh, new take on the old classic steakhouse.

Another post from www.GoNOLA.com but with some more pictures cause I know you love pictures...

There are three types of places to eat in New Orleans – where tourists eat, where locals eat, and where ONLY locals eat.

New Orleans, maybe more than any place else, is a city of mom and pop grocery stores. Part of the charm of the city is that you have to go out of your way to find a chain supermarket but you are never more than a few blocks away from a superette. And more often than not, where there are superettes, there are New Orleanians eating po-boys, fried seafood and hot lunches.

On my first trip to New Orleans I came across one of these establishments and though I don’t remember the location or the name of the place, I do remember I got the best po-boy anyone has ever eaten. Luckily for me (and you) these superettes are not few and far between. Below are some of my favorites in the city.

Zara’s – Garden District
2042 Prytania Street, New Orleans, LA or
4838 Prytania Street, New Orleans, LA
Zara’s is closed on Sundays but Monday-Saturday they serve up po-boys, fresh deli sandwiches, fried seafood, BBQ and even muffuletta. 



Canseco’s Esplanade Market – Faubourg St. John
3135 Esplanade Ave.
Tucked right into a great little Mid-City neighborhood, Canseco’s is like a tiny Whole Foods.  In fact, it’s in the same location the first New Orleans’ Whole Foods was years ago, before it relocated to a big box building in nearby suburban Metairie. In addition to groceries, they have a lunch counter that serves made to order po-boys, muffulettas and hot lunches, and picnic tables outside under the oaks.



Calhoun Superette – Uptown
3135 Calhoun Street
In addition to sandwiches, po-boys and burgers, Calhoun Superette serves daily lunch specials and offers seating.



Verti Marte– French Quarter
1201 Royal Street
A French Quarter favorite, Verti Marte never closes and serves everything from breakfast to salads to seafood sandwiches… they even have free delivery.



So you want to eat like a local? Then stop by one of these local groceries (or walk a block or two… you’ll find one) and order up something fried, something over rice, or something between two pieces of french bread.

So it's been a while.  Sorry about that.  I was in China for a while which could turn anyone off to food for awhile.

But here is something I have been doing... writing for the new New Orleans Tourism Blog  GoNOLA.com.

Here is a post about $0.25 Martinis at Cafe Adelaide I wrote for GoNOLA:

http://www.gonola.com/2010/04/great-food-greater-tradition-25-cent-martinis-at-cafe-adelaide/

Great Food, Greater Tradition : 25 Cent Martinis at Cafe Adelaide

One of these places is Cafe Adelaide in the Lowes Hotel on Poydras Street in the Central Business District.  Cafe Adelaide is the younger (and slightly less stuffy) sibling of the famed Commander’s Palace, and just like her older brother, Cafe Adelaide serves up twenty-five cent martinis to lunch hour diners.
The cheap lunch-time martini is a Brennan family tradition that is most widely taken advantage of at Commander’s and Bacco, with Cafe Adelaide being too often overlooked.

So, I know what your thinking, “Twenty five cent martinis?  What’s the catch?”  The only catch is you’ll need to order an entree. But since Adelaide’s lunch menu boasts dishes like Flat Iron Steak-Frites, Quinoa Crusted Scottish Salmon, and a seasonal lunch special (currently Sugar Cured Roast Beef “Smashed” Po-Boy), it’s the most delicious catch in New Orleans.

So do yourself a favor and stop by Cafe Adelaide for lunch sometime soon.  Chef Chris Lusk is turning out delicious, seasonal food daily, and everything that he cooks goes great with a twenty-five cent martini.  And if it’s just the drinking you are interested in, Cafe Adelaide’s Swizzle Stick Bar mixes one of New Orleans’ most famous signature drinks: The Adelaide Swizzle .

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.

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.

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?

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.