New Orleans Coffee and Beignet Company

Attached to the New Orleans Hamburger and Seafood Company is the New Orleans Coffee and Beignet Company. Frankly, I think their beignet's beat out Cafe du Monde's. Add that to the cleanliness, the ease of parking and it being within walking distance from my house, makes this my new favorite place to get my fried dough fix. The hot chocolate is delicious but the frozen creme caramel is extraordinarily good.

Mr. John's Steakhouse

OMG! Seriously, oh my God! The steaks at Mr. John's Steakhouse are absolutely incredible. We all got ribeyes and they were cooked to perfections--I got mine medium rare, Dad rare and Mom blue and you could totally see the difference. Flavored with just a touch of salt and pepper, the meat stood on its own in a sizzling, lightly buttered plate. Exquisite! The potato sides (twice baked and au gratin) were delicious. Very creamy, with a broiled bit of cheese on top. The Cabernet that I got with the meal matched perfectly the fine cut of meat.

As it was my birthday (ratted out by my Dad), they gave a complimentary bread pudding. I'm not a fan of raisins in mine but the pudding was very good and the rum sauce nice and hard.

Very much a place to take my next celebratory meal.

Superior Grill

Fabulous Mexican dining is what Superior Grill claims to serve and they certainly lived up to that with tonight's meal. We started with the chili con queso--very smooth and with just enough spice to make the Margarita's and Dos Equis taste even better. I followed that with Sizzling Shrimp Brochetas – mesquite grilled jumbo shrimp stuffed with poblano pepper and cheese wrapped in bacon. Bacon and shrimp is a truly delicious combination. My Dad had the Juarez fajitas (mix of grilled beef and chicken) while Mom had pulled pork quesadillas. Everything was delicious, including the refried beans.

I will very much be returning there in the near future.

M's Coffee and Cafe

Right across from Plaza D'Italia at the corner of Commerce and Lafayette is M's Coffee and Cafe. They offer a wide array of po-boys and panini sandwiches for lunch, many right around $5. I had the pulled pork po-boy. Despite the bottled BBQ sauce, the meat was plentiful and well flavored. If you're in the Warehouse District around lunch time and are just looking for simple cafe fare at a good price, definitely consider stopping here.

Also, consider stopping at Plaza D'Italia before, after or to enjoy your lunch. For most of the year (excluding St. Joseph's day-March 19th) you will have the park to yourself.

Easy & Foolproof Hollandaise Sauce

You want to impress the heck out of folks? Use this Hollandaise sauce recipe. It is quick and easy and totally delicious.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional

1. In a small saucepan, heat butter until melted and bubbling, but don't let it brown.

2. Warm the bowl of a blender by filling with hot tap water and then draining and drying it.

3. Working quickly, blend egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, and cayenne pepper together until the mixture turns light yellow, about 30 seconds.

4. With the blender running, start adding hot butter at no more than a trickle, until sauce starts spattering in the blender, indicating that an emulsion has formed.

5. Continue trickling butter at a slightly faster rate, pausing briefly every 5 seconds or so, until incorporated.

6. The mixture will thicken considerably.

7. Scrape down the walls of the blender bowl and blend 5 seconds longer; cover.

8. Serve immediately, or keep sauce warm by immersing the covered blender bowl in warm water or pouring sauce into a warmed thermos.

Wolf Bay Lodge

Went out to lunch with my folks today at the newly reopened Wolf Bay Lodge on County Road 20 in Foley, Alabama. The space is lighter, bigger and much, much cleaner. What is the best news is that their fried shrimp is still some of the best I've ever eaten and both their cocktail sauce recipe and the way they are making their french fries are way better than their old version.

Lakeview Harbor

Way up where Harrison runs into City Park is the hole in the wall burger joint, Lakeview Harbor. The burgers are said to be as good as Port O Call but without having to stress for parking or the wait in line. The burgers aren't bad--good sized with a nice fire charred flavor but I still prefer the meat and atmosphere at PoC. I actually got one of their filet sandwiches and the meat was nice and tender and cooked to perfection. The salads are iceberg lettuce and the drinks are nice and strong, so I will probably go again when I'm in the area but I won't make a special trip.

13 Bar and Restaurant

13 on Frenchman is the perfect place to go for good bar food and a well stocked bar. It is the week of St. Patrick's and I decided to support the Irish and fill the craving for pizza that I've been enduring for the past few days. It is just down the street from where I was volunteering, so I ordered one of their personal 10" pizzas for pickup. Thin crust, peppery sauce, lots of cheese and made in less than 15 minutes--it totally hit the spot.

5 Fifty 5

Back in the bad ole days, restaurants located in hotels (even high end hotels) were less than stellar. While they might have an excellent selection at the bar, the food was never up to the sort of standards that a stand alone restaurant with a top notch chef could bring. Wonderfully, those days are far, far behind us now.



In the Marriott hotel on Canal is 5 Fifty 5 which is casual dinning and comfort food. Well, I don't recall my Mom ever putting lobster in her Mac and Cheese but, now that I've tasted Executive Chef Mark Quitney's version, I sure wish she had! My dining companion had the winter greens salad with shredded chicken and ginger/orange vinaigrette which she claimed was delicious and I have to take her word for it.

The service was fast and unobtrusive. Food came quickly and the iced tea was replenished regularly. We arrived at 1pm for lunch and, even though the place closed at 2:00, they let us keep the table so we could finish conducting our business (we were there alone until almost 3pm).

Mojitos

Taking over the old Tomatillo's space at Esplande/Frenchman is Mojitos. The margarita was a great way to start the evening. I'm hoping they expand their menu but the Caribbean styled pork tenderloin with pineapple rice was quite tasty as was the vegetable pasta. Okay, for honesty's sake I didn't actually taste the veggies but the pasta and sauce were very good and had a little kick.

The executive chef came out after our meal to chat (we were the only diners on a Thursday night). She mentioned that they are in the process of not only reworking the menu but updating the patio space and will be having Freddy Omar on Friday nights. I'll have to give them another chance soon.