Scoop on the Big Easy….. June 29, 2010

Welcome to New Orleans...hot sauce anyone?

The last time I visited New Orleans was three long years ago….just a couple of years after Hurricane Katrina had wreaked such havoc on the place. And there were large swaths of the city, outside the French Quarter and downtown, the parts you see driving in on I-10, that looked like the disaster had happened a few weeks ago, not (then)two years ago. This visit things were much better…still some boarded up houses(but hey, we see that  here in Baltimore)….but on the whole, the city seemed much more restored. 

Now of course, they’re dealing with a slow motion disaster…one that is no evident on the surface…no roaring winds, no flooded streets, no washed away houses, no people standing on their roofs begging for help. A silent, deadly, oily assassin, gushing out in millions of gallons a day, and it doesn’t make a sound. Yet it will damage the economy as much or some say more, in the long run, than Hurricane Katrina. 

 

Get 'em while you can.....

Still nothing keeps the Big Easy down…the party goes on, no matter what. If you’ve been watching HBO’s Treme, you know that the people who live in NOLA, are devoted to living there, and no where else. It’s a quirky city, no doubt about it. And I love it. We actually considered going to Venice…the fishing town that has become a ground zero of sorts for the oil leak….but the concierge at our hotel said, “Honey, it’s two hours down and two hours back, and all your gonna see is military people and fishermen looking for work.” And as all I had was one full day in town, we ditched the idea, fast. Better to spend it pumping money into the economy, oui? And that’s what we did.

Here are some of the more interesting signs I saw around town….. 

Blackboard art at a Scriptura paper boutique on Magazine Street...

sounds pretty good, yes?

Laissez les bons temps rouler ...where else but NOLA

Our hotel garage sign...so quaint, so old-school, like the place..

We didn’t spend as much time eating in the Quarter…a friend had recommended Martinique Restaurant on Magazine(here’s a link), way out Magazine really….quite close to Tulane University and the beautiful Audubon Park. 

Sea scallops Nicoise....who knew scallops and black olives are so good?

There I had the most amazing Creole and yellow tomato  Panzanella (here’s a recipe) with wild arugula…and seared sea scallops Nicoise…they were cooked with tomatoes, shallots, garlic and capers and topped with little dabs of black olive tapenade. Yummy. Cute little place that reminded me of the small restaurant in Treme that the female chef finally closes…she just can’t make it. Martinique is one of those small, excellent restaurants not on the beaten path, but so well worth a visit.  

I saw it across the street and just had to try it....

And just catty-cornered across the street,is another super-charming place(seriously, NOLA has a ridiculous amount of great eateries) that we just had to try the next night….Bistro Daisy….opened by a husband and wife chef team who named it after their daughter. The night we went(without reservations, it should be said)…the place  was packed, so we ate at the bar, and happily so….heirloom tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and basil….so fresh, so nice. And gulf shrimp saute(again, get ‘em while you can)…in an Herbsaint(NOLA liqueur), tomato buerre blanc with toasted fennel, red onion and yellow grits. Yeah, I know….totally sick, right? Just a fabulous dinner. 

The Columns Hotel...classic New Orleans

Went to a couple of interesting bars.  The Columns Hotel…in the Garden District, is a famous place to linger over a cocktail, preferably on the lovely veranda, languidly watching the St. Charles Street streetcars go by, but when it’s hot as blue blazes…which it was…the inside is dark and cool. Gothic really…Pretty Baby with Brooke Shields(remember the uproar over that film!) was filmed there. I ordered a Sazarac…which is, well, interesting anyway. 

The Bar Uncommon...and it is...

Another bar I highly recommend is at the Pere Marquette Hotel on Common Street…the Bar Uncommon is skippered by mixology master Chris McMillian, who makes quite simply, the best drinks(s) I’ve ever had. Best ever, and I’m not a mixed drink girl. And he’s a fascinating guy, (who looks a little like Garrison Keillor from Prairie Home Companion), who helped found The Cocktail Museum in NOLA(great in its own right)….if you’d like to read about him, here’s an interesting article in Imbibe Magazine(hiccup). Order the Drowning in New Orleans….it’s a drink he invented….but imbibe only one, or you could drown too.

Get your Fly-Boy on….. March 11, 2010

early morning at a Pensacola marina....

OK….as my daughter said whine-ily(not a word, I know)  to me some years back as we were on a flight to vacation that would cost us time and money…”What are we gonna DO in San Francisco??” And you may wonder why I suggest Pensacola as a vacation…”what are we gonna DO in Pensacola?” Well, my friends, beside the food, which as I have explained, is kickin’…a bit more on that today. But first…activities!!

Pensacola is home to the Blue Angels...

How about one of the world’s largest aviation museums, which  is right there…with more that 150 restored aircraft from all eras….and more than 4,000 artifacts representing Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard aviation.  The National Navy Aviation Museum is simply fantastic and get this …it’s free.  This is a place where one could easily spend a whole day…or even two, touring the base and the museum. I took waaaaay too many pictures of all the restored planes in there…and don’t forget, this base is home to the flying Blue Angels…..who practice on Tuesdays and Wednesdays….what an incredible sight that would be.

Float planes, bombers, biplanes...they have it all...

Many of the planes in the museum were recovered from the bottom of Lake Michigan. You may wonder how on earth did they get there. here’s what happened….during WWII, they built the deck of a carrier on the lake, so that pilots could learn to land and take off from a aircraft carrier….always a risky proposition. Many of those planes went over the side in aborted attempts….and no effort was made to recover them, until they realized it was a goldmine of war planes for the exhibit…..none of which still existed anywhere . They were pulled up and restored by volunteers….took about 5 years a plane. Incredible.

And you can stay in Pensacola the city….like we did…or stay in Pensacola Beach, which is over the 3 mile bridge to the long slender island which is where the beachfront is…..tons of houses and condos to choose from. As you know, I like to do that instead of a hotel if I’m there for more than a few days…because you can cook, and you have a living room in which to gather the family and hang out….VRBO…remember?

And you gotta go to  …..oh, there’s too much to say today and no time left….tomorrow….I’ll wrap up this Pensacola saga….and as a teaser, I’ll tell you where you can order fresh Gulf shrimp, 9-12 size(big), heads on….for $4.50 a pound. Don’t believe me? The source for seafood ….Friday right here.

A Seafood Pirlau….how to say it, how to cook it…. October 12, 2009

Frank Stitt's fabulous cooking.....

Did some cooking over the weekend, and my first ever Low Country Pirlau(some people pronounce it per-loo), from Frank Stitt’s Southern Table Cookbook from Highland’s Bar and Grillin Birmingham(you know you’re somebody when author Pat Conroy writes your foreword). If you’ve never eaten there, let me tell you it’s a culinary kingdom and Stitt holds the keys to the castle. His cookbook came out in 2004 and won several big awards…my late Mother-in law Shirley, bought me a signed edition of the book, for which she probably stood in line. Great lady,  that woman….I miss her all the time, and especially when I use the book. So what is a pirlau? Here is one definition I’ve been able to find on a low country website….

“Pirlau (there is no one accepted pronunciation, “pur-loo” being just one variant) is a rice porridge with African roots; the name reflects the dish’s international origins, as it is related to the Middle-Eastern pilaf and the East-Indian pilau. In its essence, it is a thick stew based on chicken (or wild game bird), vegetables and spices with a great deal of long grain rice mixed in. It may contain the mucilaginous vegetable okra as a thickener, in which case it might masquerade as a gumbo.”

red and yellow 'mater's from farmer's market

Mine did not masquerade at all…I would say a pirlau is kind of like a bouillabaisse, or a paella….though thicker than the former and a bit soupier than the latter. But no saffron. And there aren’t many recipes on line for pirlau…..I found this simplified recipe on the Baltimore Sun’s website….it’s  kinda close one to the one I used, though Stitt’s called for 4 ripe tomatoes, not one, and used chicken broth which you turned into seafood broth by simmering the shrimp shells in the broth for 10 minutes. His also called for a red bell pepper and an onion chopped and sauted(which I think are crucial), and couple of cloves of garlic…and the seagood is key. I found some wild caught Gulf shrimp, which are just soooo  sweet and yummy…It was a fabulous dish. And there was no okra in mine, though I think it might have been nice addition.

The Wine Market....

Friday night we ate out at The Wine Market, celebrating a family birthday….remember how  pleasant it was Friday? We dined al fresco on their lovely  patio…may be the last time it’s used this year…though you never know in Maryland…there could still be more Indian Summer days ahead of us.