The French Press

I was back in Lafayette for a meeting today and, as I still haven't figured when I have to leave New Orleans to be on time but not too early, I was able to stop for breakfast. I had gotten a couple of recommendations so I decided to try the The French Press. It is located in a refurbished printing plant and has type drawers, letter trays and other decorations of its printing past throughout the place.

I had the Sweet Baby Breesus breakfast. The meal was comprised of three buttermilk biscuit sliders with bacon, fried boudin balls and cane syrup served with cheddar grits. The biscuits were light as air and the salt from the bacon, combined with the heat from the boudin and the sweet from the syrup made my mouth very, very happy. 

Their wait staff was quick and efficient and I was able to enjoy my meal and make my meeting with five minutes to spare. As they also serve my absolutely favorite of Chicken and Waffles as well as cream cheese and banana stuff French bread and grillades and grits, I definitely need to make a few more trips west!

Serendipity

Serendipity, in Mid-City, is the newest venture by Chris De Barr (most recent of Green Goddess fame). It is in the American Can Company building and right next to the Mid-City Library. The space is more industrial and much larger than Green Goddess. They accept reservations but we dropped in at 6pm without them and were seated right away.

The selection of cocktails was pages long and we relied on the waiter for guidance for something sweet and cool. My dining companion choose one of their signature punches. Beautiful color and flavor and definitely tasted like more.

I had been without soda for a week and had just picked up my car from the body shop, so I went for the house made Coca-Kola. It was a little dry from the extinct acid phosphate but still a good cola flavor. 

We decided to share Tuna and Watermelon Skewers as our appetizer (although we were both tempted by the pickled okra stuffed with pimento-jalapeno cheese). As you can see from the picture the tuna was perfectly seared medium rare and blended well with the cool watermelon.

For the main course, I went with the Cochon de Lait/Lei - a banana leaf wrapped spicy BBQ pork with mashed sweet potatoes (it also came with collard greens but I pushed those onto Charlotte's plate. The pork was absolutely delicious and paired beautifully with the glass of Sangiovese.

She had the Malaysian Red Curry Goat Empanada with rutabagas and parsnips. The combined flavors were very well balanced.

If we hadn't had dessert ready back at my place, there was plenty on the menu that we could have chosen from-especially the homages to Hubig's Pie. I guess I'll just have to come back soon.

On Chris' blog he writes about his new venture, "We bring the same sassy strut, the love of the unexpectedly beautiful, and the same flair for relentless creativity that has been my calling card as a chef for these many years." As he moved around the tables, talking to guests, you could definitely hear that love in his voice.
  

Rhubarb Strawberry Crunch

It is late summer and I love coming across the red stalks of rhubarb at the grocery store or farmers market. I have amassed a collection of recipes for sweet crumbles, tarts, turnovers, ice cream and fools as well as several savory recipes for pork and chicken.

I was feeling the need for sweet but also to be sort of healthy, so I went with a Rhubarb-Strawberry Crunch. The mix of sweet strawberries and sour rhubarb, with the oats to give it body was just what I was craving.

Just look at this color - doesn't it make your mouth water?

Rhubarb Strawberry Crunch

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups sliced fresh strawberries

3 cups diced rhubarb (about 2 lbs)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup butter

1 cup rolled oats

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix together sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, strawberries, and rhubarb. If using frozen fruit, add an additional tablespoon of flour. Pour the mixture in a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Mix remaining flour, brown sugar, butter, and oats until crumbly. Spread on top of the rhubarb and strawberry mixture.

Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until crisp and lightly browned on top.

Cure - New Orleans Cocktail Bar

Lively Freret Street is not just for dinner anymore. These days, along the busy street can be found a number of cool nightspots like Cure, a New Orleans Cocktail Bar.

They do make it difficult to find, though. There is no sign and the street number (4905) is a bit hard to read when navigating the narrow street and busy traffic. I only had to go around the block once and then I luckily scored a great parking place.

I arrived just as they opened and found a great seat, although it did face a humongous poster of a bug. As they didn't decorate with an insect theme, I'm not sure why it was there but, whatever. Within 20 minutes, the bar was full and by six o'clock on a Friday evening all the other seats were taken and people were standing in the center aisle. Quite the happening place!

I started with the server recommended tequila based cocktail with an orange peel that was a nice combination with which to end the work week. For nibbles, I ordered  the Moroccan spiced nuts appetizer. Unfortunately, there were a lot of walnuts in the mix and my mild allergy kicked in so I wasn't able to enjoy it fully.

My friend arrived and barely glanced at the menu before ordering a champagne cocktail. We quickly got down to brass tacks and, in no time at all, we finished our discussion of board business and were able to think about refills and food options. 

She ordered the Shrimp and Snapper Ceviche served with sourdough crisps that looked very good. 

I was still full from lunch, so instead of ordering a small plate, I went straight for dessert. I ordered the Dark Chocolate Layer cake with a glass of Tawny Port. It was a moist, dark cake with a nice frosting that tasted like it had a hint of bourbon. I did eat the candied pecans but left the apple slices on the plate.

The server was very busy but she still made enough trips around our area that we never had to look for her. She was knowledgeable of the menu and made good recommendations.

Very much a cool place to wind down from work. A bit hip and trendy but the cocktail and wine selection means that there is a drink for every taste.

Elizabeth's Restaurant

I had a meeting in the Bywater neighborhood with a potential collaboration partner for the LGBT Community Center so we went for lunch at Elizabeth's Restaurant. I've been meaning to get there for breakfast, as they serve Praline bacon (Brown sugar and pecans ground together to make a praline mixture and put on bacon that has been cooked partway. Finish baking the bacon nice and crisp and you've got praline bacon).

I ordered the BLT. Their twist on the classic sandwich came in a bowl because the ciabatta bread was filled to overflowing with the crisped Hog Jowls, Chopped Tomatoes, Fresh Spinach, Red Onion, Blue Cheese and Champagne Vinegar. My only complaint was that that any bite with hog jowls and blue cheese together was almost too salty. My order came with a side and I ordered the sweet potato fries - crispy outside, soft inside and sweet as sugar. Major yum!

My dining companions had Boiled Shrimp Salad and the House Salad with Turkey and Lemon Grass Vinaigrette. Both enjoyed their meal - the shrimp is served head on in addition to the skin, so be prepared for a bit of a mess when you peel 'em.

The waitstaff was fast with refills and to check in and the ambiance to diner casual with lots of Dr. Bob's Be Nice or Leave art for sale. Definitely a place to get Real Food Done Real Good!

Clover Grill

At 900 Bourbon is the gayest diner in the nation. The Clover Grill is open 24 hours and sells the perfect food for when you've overindulged. Breakfast is served all day (and night) as well as burgers and other sandwiches. Food may taste better after midnight but, for my visit at lunchtime, the greasy comfort food still hit the spot.

I was by myself so I sat at the counter, where I could watch the magic of short order cooking happen. This is a friendly place, so I got into conversations with the people sitting beside me. I even used my phone to pull up the map for the route of the Southern Decadence parade so the couple to my right who were in town for one more night could go and experience the wonderful Labor Day weekend celebration that is uniquely New Orleans.

They claim to have the most delicious hamburgers and I will admit they are very good for the price. The large bun is toasted and the frozen patty is steamed under an hubcap. You can see it in the picture to the left. You can also see that cleanliness is not the highest priority here but most patrons have enough alcohol in their systems that the germs don't stand a chance.

They have all sorts of toppings for the burgers but I stayed with the classic cheddar and bacon. I also got the tater tots with it and they were awesome.

You do have to go outside for the restroom (that is itself an experience) but, for French Quarter dining, it has good food, good prices and great character. It is also a great place to people watch along Bourbon.

The menu is a crack-up to read. My favorite line was, "

Everyone brings happiness into this business, some when they come in, others when they leave."

Peanut Butter Ice Cream

I've been experiementing with peanut butter ice cream ever since I enjoyed a sundae with it at Creole Creamery. I knew I wanted to use chunky peanut butter for that added peanut taste but it has taken a bit of experimenting to get everything right. My first version, using the base I use for most ice creams, was as thick as fudge. Good but too hard to eat. The next time, I added more milk but that thinned it out too much. This version had additional cream instead and was excellent!

Peanut Butter Ice Cream

1 cup chunky peanut butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup whole milk

1 - 1/3 cups heavy cream

2 tsp vanilla extract

Put the peanut butter and sugar in a blender and combine until smooth. Add the milk. Blend on low speed until well mixed and the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream and the vanilla (don't stir too much, just a few pulses until it's well mixed).

Pour into an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturers instructions. Remove to a container and freeze overnight for the best consistency. Serve with chocolate syrup.

Prejean's

I had a meeting over in Lafayette that ended around 1pm so I scooted over to Prejean's before heading back to New Orleans. Prejean's is a very well known Cajun restaurant that I've been meaning to try for a while. Unfortunately, every time I drive across the state, I seem to hit it at the wrong time of day.

I had a tough choice to begin my meal. As I was there by myself, I knew if I wanted to be capable of driving the 151 miles back home, I could eat an appetizer or have dessert but not both. Despite the temptation of Banana Fosters cheesecake, I was in Cajun country so I went with Croc de Jacques - deep fried bites of alligator. Nice flavor although I wasn't too sure about the cocktail sauce that came with them. I prefered them on their own. The round things to the side are boulettes (fried balls of meat) and tasted sort of like crawfish hushpuppies. They were a little too heavy for my taste.

My entree was Cochon du Lait Pie - slow roasted pork debris topped with mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese and baked in a skillet. What's not to like in those ingredients? The pie was very good - the pork was so very tender and flavorful and, while the potatoes weren't thoroughly mashed, they were delicious with the cheese and helped to cut some of the spiciness of the dish.

The server was excellent. She was quick and efficient - I'd get two thirds of the way down my glass of iced tea and she'd put another one on the table. The food came to the table fast and she was in constant motion, making sure everything was fine.

This is definitely a good place to stop for lunch. They advertise live music nightly, so take your chances with that as the food is worth it.

Root

Went to lunch in the Warehouse District with my friend Beth today. We visited Root, a fairly new restaurant that "offers Modern American cuisine rooted in traditional flavors and techniques." While I'm not entirely sure what that means, I do know that this is definitely the place to get your meat fix. Their menu is filled with an intriguing selection of charcuterie and sausages.

We started with the “CBD” which is a Chicken, Beef, Duck-Poached Ballotine (the meat moussed and rolled and wrapped in skin and poached). It came with a selection of pickled things - watermelon rind, cantaloupe, mushrooms, peppers, bread and butter cucumbers, etc. as well as with some house made blueberry mustard. Rich and delicious, I dived in so quickly that, when I remembered to take a picture, we had almost devoured everything.

For the main course, Beth went with her favorite - the Root burger. It was a good sized burger with a lovely flavor combination of thick bacon, sweet caramelized onions and aged cheddar complimenting the beef patty. It comes with fries and house made ketchup (yum!).

I went for the Chicharrones Two Ways - pork skins and pork belly with several flavorful dipping sauces. I've got to say that while the mole in particular was really good, the crackling and pork belly were delicious on their own, with nothing but a squeeze of lime juice.

I wish I hadn't been too full for dessert as they have quite a wild selection. I consoled myself that there is always next time!

The wait staff was friendly and informed and spoke quite intelligently when we had questions about the terms on the menu. It was with their help that I walked out with small tubes of blueberry mustard and fig mustard to enjoy at home.

Pretty much every item on the menu is an interesting twist on what you'd expect, making this very much a place to go to see what is new and exciting food preparation. It may be a little pricey for lunch but, we all deserve to treat ourselves occasionally!

One fish, two fish, fresh fish good!

My dad and cousin went fishing this morning in the Gulf of Mexico and caught us dinner. We'll be enjoying Spanish mackerel that was swimming this morning and will be bathing this evening in a special basting sauce of butter, the juice of one lemon, a capful of Worcestershire sauce and a sprinkle of lemon pepper. Here is a picture of one of the pretty fillets:

Accompanying this fish will be some of my mom's cornbread. She's never actually used a recipe so it took some doing to get this one. I had to stop her at each pinch, dab and dollop to actually measure things out.

Mama's Cornbread

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup corn meal

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg beaten into 1 cup of milk

1/4 cup of Crisco vegetable shortening 

8”cast iron skillet

Preheat oven to 425 F with the skillet in the oven, melting the Crisco. Mix all other ingredients in a large bowl. Pour in a portion of the melted shortening until it is a loose but not runny consistency. Pour the mixture into the skillet, over the remaining shortening.

Cook for 25 minutes, until the top is golden brown. 

For added corn flavor, replace all but 1/4 cup of all purpose flour with corn flour and replace 1/4 cup of corn meal with a coarse, stone ground corn meal softened in 1/4 cup of milk.