Carrollton Market Does The Coolinary
Officially, the Coolinary for 2015 ends this weekend. But the end of August doesn’t mean the end of summer doldrums in restaurants. If you call some of the best Coolinary restaurants we’ve presented here for the past month and a half, you’ll find many summer specials are still out there to be enjoyed.
Carrollton Market is a misnomer. It’s a full-fledged gourmet bistro, with the most illustrative open kitchen in town. The nine stools in front of the cooking line allows you to get a good look at the food being served, and making a better-than-average choice. Their menu for the Coolinary sounds good to me, though. It’s available for $39 for three courses, every night except Sunday and Monday, when the restaurant is closed.
Roasted Gulf Shrimp
Vermicelli rice noodles, pickled carrots, nuoc cham
~or~
Farmers’ Market Tomato Gazpacho
Watermelon and cucumber salad, extra virgin olive oil
~or~
Gulf Yellowfin Tuna Tartare
Soy, sesame, citrus, crispy rice
~~~~~
Housemade Pappardelle Pasta
Border Springs Farm lamb shoulder ragu, roasted garlic, Parmesan
~or~
Pan-Roasted Verlasso Salmon
Braised French lentils, citrus beurre blanc
~or~
Roasted Beeler’s Pork Shank
Braised white beans, herbed breadcrumbs, natural jus
~~~~~
Lemon Icebox Pie
Toasted meringue, candied zest
~or~
Seasonal Fruit Hand Pie
Cinnamon sugar, crème anglaise
Carrollton Market
Riverbend: 8132 Hampson St. 504-252-9928. carrolltonmarket.com/.
NOMenu invites restaurants or organizations with upcoming special events to tell us, so we might add the news to this free department. Send to news@nomenu.com.
Twenty-Nine Days Since Hurricane Katrina
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Stella! I haven’t talked with Scott Boswell, the chef-owner of this great French Quarter gourmet bistro. But I have it on good authority that he has opened for very limited business. With no gas, he’s grilling stuff out in the courtyard, and calling the operation Stanley. (Get it?) Hurray for everybody who has that kind of drive, to be hell-bent on doing the job against the odds. He’s one that will be one of the leaders in the new world.
Creole Creamery Ready To Open; Twenty Flavors. David Bergeron’s made-on-site ice cream parlor on Prytania Street had a two-for-one hurricane sale the Saturday before Katrina hit, he says. “We sold
everything except three small freezers full. We’re reopening as soon as electricity comes back. We will will definitely include some adventurous flavors, but instead of 36 to 40 we’ll carry 20 to 25. As with most other restaurants, staffing will be a challenge. I’ve already recruited friends and my mother. It will also be sad to see the area largely without children for a few months. Their pictures are still up on the wall under the big ‘Eat Ice Cream, Be Happy!’ sign.” David says there was never any flooding at his shop.
Ralph Brennan’s Restaurants. Ralph has three restaurants, none of which seem to be damaged beyond repair. The Red Fish Grill had about two inches of water on its concrete floors for a day or so, but they’ve about got that cleaned up. Bacco never had any water, and had electricity about a week ago. Ralph’s on the Park, which is surrounded by areas with serious flooding, is right on the Metairie Ridge. (The lagoon across the street in City Park is a remnant of the Mississippi River, which built the ridge above sea level.) The restaurant was not flooded, but there was some damage to the roof. Some of the shutters and doors blew open and took some rain. Finally, the front door was knocked in by somebody or something, but the restaurant was not looted.
Water, Water Everywhere, But Not A Drop To Drink. As is the case for all restaurants in East Bank New Orleans, the controlling condition for reopening of the establishments above is the lack of usable water. However, the Times-Picayune is reporting that the water system will be putting forth drinkable water in about three weeks. That is much sooner than expected.
Indeed, most of the recovery seems to be going better than we were led to believe, even with the further interruption of Hurricane Rita. Mayor Nagin has been portrayed as overeager to allow people to return. However, the pressure on him from residents and businesses must be very strong. Every day that goes by means that another bunch of Orleanians have found jobs and homes in other places, and shrinks the local market a little bit more.
Who Will Run The Renaissance? I hope this is already in the planning stages, but I’ve heard nothing about it: New Orleans needs to stage a major festival–the size of the French Quarter Festival, at least–to officially reopen the doors to the city. This must wait until we really are ready to receive and entertain people in large numbers. But it must be the biggest imaginable deal, perhaps broadcast nationally. The kind of party nobody who likes to party would want to miss. We need an organization, existing or new, to start work on this right away. I’ll volunteer to work hard on it, as will many others.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Thirty Days Since Hurricane Katrina
A Miracle On The Bayou. Restaurant des Familles, way down toward Lafitte in Crown Point, is set to reopen next week. If you know anything about that area, you know it is quite vulnerable to floods. But once again the land built up by a former route of the Mississippi River proved high enough. The restaurant right on the bank of Bayou Des Familles, which is indeed such a natural levee. Owner Pat Morrow sends this news:
Katrina was kind to us in that we suffered only minor damage. Five of our employees who had returned by September 13 helped us clean and sanitize all of our coolers and freezers. After five hard days of work, we called the Health Department and received our bright pink poster to allow us to open.
Then came Hurricane Rita! Flood waters from five feet in Crown Point to ten feet in the lower Lafitte area came again. But again, we were spared. Yesterday power was restored. Today we begin again to re-sanitize, re-order and begin cooking. Three more employees have returned.
We will reopen on Tuesday, October 4th with new hours (11 a.m. until 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday). We will offer three daily specials and vary them each day so our patient customers will have some variety. We hope to return to our regular menu as soon as possible. Vernon and and our dedicated staff look forward to seeing our customers!
Dickie Brennan’s Plans. The Palace Cafe and the Bourbon House came through the hurricane and the flood with minor damage. (I think they had some looting, but they aren’t talking about that.) They will open those as soon as it seems appropriate, says Dickie and his partner Steve Pettus. They’ve maintained all their employees on payroll–including, they say, the average tips the waiters would have received.
Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse is another story. It’s the only restaurant in town whose dining room is below street level. You guessed right: water up to the level of the tabletops. They’ve pumped it out and the architects are at work figuring out the repair. No word on its return.
It could be that before the Steakhouse reopens, Dickie Brennan & Co. will have a different third restaurant: in Baton Rouge. They admit that they are moving on this. Rumors have it that the building is the old mansion that formerly housed Chalet Brandt. Makes sense to me. The long-term effect of Katrina may be finally to turn Baton Rouge into a place where one can eat well.
Strictly Personal. My son Jude will be interviewed about his relocation experience by CNN this Thursday. His parents will be along as a sidebar. Watch for us. There’s an interesting political story involved, but I don’t want to scoop the reporter’s story. I don’t know when the piece will air, but I’ll post it here for those who are interested in seeing what a really lucky young man looks like.
Thursday, September 29, 2005
One Month Since Hurricane Katrina
Le Parvenu Reopens For Dinner Today. Chef Dennis Hutley, owner of the excellent restaurant in Kenner’s Rivertown, says that unless some new challenge appears unexpectedly, he will open for dinner tonight. The restaurant is near the river, and therefore well out of any flood waters. He says he will have to keep the menu simple, offering a short list of specials. He will open for dinner at five until it seems like time to close, Monday through Saturday, and for Sunday brunch.
Here’s the menu:
Soup of the Evening
Salad Maison, Choice of five dressings
* * *
Broiled Catfish Fillet, Artichoke Hearts, Capers, Smoked Lemon Beurre Blanc
Grilled Filet Mignon, Marchand di Vin and Peppercorns, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Mixed Vegetables
New Orleans’ Lima Beans and Bay Leaf Rice with Grilled Boneless Pork Chop, Smoked Sausage, or Grilled Ham
* * *
Le Parvenu Lemon Crepes with Citrus Sauce
Vanilla Ice Cream and Hazelnut Sauce
Le Parvenu is at 509 Williams Blvd. between the railroad track and the river, in Kenner. The phone number (which Chef Dennis says is not working consistently) is 471-0534.
Crescent City Farmer’s Market News. The CCFM, which has supplied not only New Orleans restaurants but also home cooks with great vegetables and seafood straight from the producers, is trying to round up its vendors to plan for a reopening in the weeks to come. They’re asking vendors and shoppers to log onto their messageboard for news:
http://ccfm.standardemail.com
Crab and Brie Soup
This is the signature soup of Dakota Restaurant in Covington. But calling it a soup is a stretch. It’s so thick that you could turn a bowl upside down and it might not come out. I’d recommend serving it only when you can afford to put a lot of lump crabmeat in it. It’s very rich.
1/2 stick butter
8 gumbo crabs (small hard-shell crabs)
1 medium onion, cut up
1 medium carrot, cut up
3 ribs celery, cut up
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup brandy
1 cup white wine
1 quart heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
8 oz. Brie cheese, rind removed
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. white pepper
1/2 lb. jumbo lump crabmeat
Pinch cayenne
1. Heat the butter in a heavy kettle over medium heat. Crack the crabs with a meat pounder, add them to the butter, and sauté for five minutes.
2. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and bay leaves, and continue to cook until the vegetables soften.
3. Add the brandy. Bring it to a boil, then carefully touch a flame to it. After the flames die down, add the wine and bring that to a boil. After a minute or two, add two quarts of water and bring to a simmer. Keep the simmer going for about a half-hour.
4. Strain the soup and add the cream. Return to a simmer.
5. Heat the butter in another saucepan and stir in the flour. Make a blond roux, and whisk into the soup pot.
6. Slice the Brie into small pieces and add it to the pot. Stir until the cheese melts in completely. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Right before serving, put the lump crabmeat in the bottom of the bowls, and ladle the hot soup over it. Sprinkle a very little cayenne over it and serve.
Serves six to eight.
Gambas al Pil-Pil @ Vega Tapas Cafe
Pil-pil is a combination of hot paprika, garlic, and olive oil that hails from Portugal. (It’s also known as “piri-piri.”) It’s very good with shrimp, creating a dish that’s vaguely reminiscent of New Orleans barbecue shrimp. This has been one of the most popular small plates at Vega, which specializes both in tapas and Mediterranean eats like this.
Vega Tapas Cafe. Old Metairie: 2051 Metairie Rd. 504-836-2007.
This is among the 500 best dishes in New Orleans area restaurants. Click here for a list of the other 499.
ad entire article.
August 28, 2015
Days Until. . .
Coolinary Summer Specials End 3
Annals Of Condiments
Today in 1837, pharmacists John Lea and William Perrins introduced the sauce that bears their name, and the generic name Worcestershire sauce. They concocted it from fermented anchovies, tamarinds, molasses, vinegar, garlic, chili peppers, cloves, and a few other things, on the orders of Lord Marcus Stanley. Stanley had just returned from many years in India, and he was trying to duplicate a sauce he’s become addicted to there. (Most likely, it was something along the lines of Southeast Asian fish sauce, variations of which are widely used in cooking there.)
The first attempt tasted horrible. Lea and Perrins left it in a barrel in their basement and forgot about it for two years. When they found it again, they discovered that it had fermented into something rather good. And the rest is history. We use it constantly in our cooking, as does most of the English-speaking world.
Annals Of Wine Marketing
The venerable Beringer winery in St. Helena, in the Napa Valley, was bought today in 2000 by the Foster’s Brewing Company of Australia. Beringer had, under previous owners, already evolved into a medium-low-end winery with a few excellent flagship wines. It seems to me that in the Foster’s years their overall quality has improved a bit, but that may be because wines in general have improved a lot. In any case, Beringer’s wines have become more popular.
Food On The Air
Today is the anniversary of the first paid-for broadcast commercial, aired on New York radio station WEAF for an apartment development, today in 1922. Until that time, everyone was excited about radio, but nobody had figured out what would pay for the costs of broadcasting. This was the answer. Or an answer, anyway. It keeps my radio show alive, that’s for sure.
Today’s Flavor
It’s National Cornbread Day. Cornbread has a distinctly country, home-cooked identity. When you start talkin’ ’bout cornbraid, ya gotta git yersef into a Southern draaaawwwwwl. I guess that’s why we only rarely see cornbread in restaurants. Or it could be that restaurants can’t buy ready-made cornbread of any quality. It must be baked on site. But why not? It’s simple enough: cornmeal, flour, baking powder and soda, eggs, milk, oil. Unless you want to get ambitious an add cheese and jalapeno peppers and the like. Which is not a bad idea.
Most cornbread is baked in a cast-iron pan, from the kind that has impressions of ears of corn to full-size black iron skillets. The main controversies over cornbread are over texture and sweetness. The more flour in the mix, the smoother the crumb. You use more cornmeal if you like it good and crumbly. All cornbread has at least a little sugar in it, but some recipes have quite a lot, and taste distinctly sweet. Both flavors have vocal partisans who love one and hate the other.
Cornbread may be too assertive to be served as the only bread on a dinner table, but certain dishes cry out for it. Red beans and rice, fried catfish, and barbecue come to mind. The best cornbread in New Orleans is the jalapeno cheese cornbread at K-Paul’s, followed closely by Emeril’s cornbread with whole corn kernels inside. Most of us have always had our cornbread at home, for breakfast. My mother gave it to us right out of the oven, with cane syrup to dip it in. Dat’s good stuff, yeah.
Edible Dictionary
cacciatore, [kah-chyah-TOE-reh], Italian, adj.–Italian for “in the hunter’s style.” When attached to the name of another food (chicken cacciatore, to give the most familiar example), it means that food has been cooked and served with a tomato sauce with mushrooms and savory herbs, such as might be found in the woods. Although cacciatore dishes remain in full currency in Italy, we’re seeing them less and less often in the United States. I can think of fewer than ten restaurants in New Orleans that have cacciatore dishes. They are, however, easy to make at home, and quite delicious, especially if the mushrooms are interesting. Because it’s cooked down a long time, chicken cacciatore can be made with the more flavorful but tougher hens or roosters, rather than fryers.
Gourmet Gazetteer
Soda Springs is in the mountains in the southeast corner of Idaho. The nearest major city is Ogden, Utah, 140 miles south. But Soda Springs is substantial in its own right, with 3400 residents. It was known as Beer Springs in the late 1800s, when it was the point where the California Trail veers south from the Oregon Trail. It was incorporated as Soda Springs in 1896. The springs of the name are very impressive. It’s a geyser that shoots up 100 feet every hour on the hour. It was created in 1937 by drilling down to a spot where warmish water came into contact with carbon dioxide. It is the only full controlled geyser in the world. Soda Springs has quite a few restaurants, of which the most appealing is The Trail, right in the middle of town. Try a soda.
Food In Medicine
Today in 1878, George H. Whipple was born. He’s the man who discovered that pernicious anemia, a problem you don’t hear about much anymore, can be addressed by feeding the patient liver. Or the essence of liver, which is how it’s done now. I’d much prefer to eat the liver, especially if it’s the Provimi veal liver at Clancy’s or Pascal’s Manale. . . Also, the Oral B trademark for dental floss was registered today in 1951. Now it’s on everyone’s lips.
The Saints
This is the feast day of St. Augustine, former man about town, gourmet, lover of wine, and all-around playboy who reformed and became one of the greatest early philosophers of the Church. As Bishop of Hippo, in Northern Africa, he has come to be revered by those of African descent. I was baptized in St. Augustine’s Church in the Treme section of New Orleans, and spent first and second grades in their school. This is probably not mere coincidence: St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest permanent European town in the United States, was founded today in 1565.
Food Namesakes
Anne “Honey” Lantree, the drummer with the British rock group The Honeycombs, was born today in 1943. . . Former U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg Rosemary Ginn was born today in 1912.
Words To Eat By
“If you ever have to support a flagging conversation, introduce the topic of eating.”–Leigh Hunt, British writer, who died today in 1859.
Words To Drink By
“A guy once told me I didn’t need to drink to make myself more fun to be around. I told him, I’m drinking so that you’re more fun to be around.”–Chelsea Handler.
August 28, 2015
Days Until. . .
Coolinary Summer Specials End 3
Annals Of Condiments
Today in 1837, pharmacists John Lea and William Perrins introduced the sauce that bears their name, and the generic name Worcestershire sauce. They concocted it from fermented anchovies, tamarinds, molasses, vinegar, garlic, chili peppers, cloves, and a few other things, on the orders of Lord Marcus Stanley. Stanley had just returned from many years in India, and he was trying to duplicate a sauce he’s become addicted to there. (Most likely, it was something along the lines of Southeast Asian fish sauce, variations of which are widely used in cooking there.)
The first attempt tasted horrible. Lea and Perrins left it in a barrel in their basement and forgot about it for two years. When they found it again, they discovered that it had fermented into something rather good. And the rest is history. We use it constantly in our cooking, as does most of the English-speaking world.
Annals Of Wine Marketing
The venerable Beringer winery in St. Helena, in the Napa Valley, was bought today in 2000 by the Foster’s Brewing Company of Australia. Beringer had, under previous owners, already evolved into a medium-low-end winery with a few excellent flagship wines. It seems to me that in the Foster’s years their overall quality has improved a bit, but that may be because wines in general have improved a lot. In any case, Beringer’s wines have become more popular.
Food On The Air
Today is the anniversary of the first paid-for broadcast commercial, aired on New York radio station WEAF for an apartment development, today in 1922. Until that time, everyone was excited about radio, but nobody had figured out what would pay for the costs of broadcasting. This was the answer. Or an answer, anyway. It keeps my radio show alive, that’s for sure.
Today’s Flavor
It’s National Cornbread Day. Cornbread has a distinctly country, home-cooked identity. When you start talkin’ ’bout cornbraid, ya gotta git yersef into a Southern draaaawwwwwl. I guess that’s why we only rarely see cornbread in restaurants. Or it could be that restaurants can’t buy ready-made cornbread of any quality. It must be baked on site. But why not? It’s simple enough: cornmeal, flour, baking powder and soda, eggs, milk, oil. Unless you want to get ambitious an add cheese and jalapeno peppers and the like. Which is not a bad idea.
Most cornbread is baked in a cast-iron pan, from the kind that has impressions of ears of corn to full-size black iron skillets. The main controversies over cornbread are over texture and sweetness. The more flour in the mix, the smoother the crumb. You use more cornmeal if you like it good and crumbly. All cornbread has at least a little sugar in it, but some recipes have quite a lot, and taste distinctly sweet. Both flavors have vocal partisans who love one and hate the other.
Cornbread may be too assertive to be served as the only bread on a dinner table, but certain dishes cry out for it. Red beans and rice, fried catfish, and barbecue come to mind. The best cornbread in New Orleans is the jalapeno cheese cornbread at K-Paul’s, followed closely by Emeril’s cornbread with whole corn kernels inside. Most of us have always had our cornbread at home, for breakfast. My mother gave it to us right out of the oven, with cane syrup to dip it in. Dat’s good stuff, yeah.
Edible Dictionary
cacciatore, [kah-chyah-TOE-reh], Italian, adj.–Italian for “in the hunter’s style.” When attached to the name of another food (chicken cacciatore, to give the most familiar example), it means that food has been cooked and served with a tomato sauce with mushrooms and savory herbs, such as might be found in the woods. Although cacciatore dishes remain in full currency in Italy, we’re seeing them less and less often in the United States. I can think of fewer than ten restaurants in New Orleans that have cacciatore dishes. They are, however, easy to make at home, and quite delicious, especially if the mushrooms are interesting. Because it’s cooked down a long time, chicken cacciatore can be made with the more flavorful but tougher hens or roosters, rather than fryers.
Gourmet Gazetteer
Soda Springs is in the mountains in the southeast corner of Idaho. The nearest major city is Ogden, Utah, 140 miles south. But Soda Springs is substantial in its own right, with 3400 residents. It was known as Beer Springs in the late 1800s, when it was the point where the California Trail veers south from the Oregon Trail. It was incorporated as Soda Springs in 1896. The springs of the name are very impressive. It’s a geyser that shoots up 100 feet every hour on the hour. It was created in 1937 by drilling down to a spot where warmish water came into contact with carbon dioxide. It is the only full controlled geyser in the world. Soda Springs has quite a few restaurants, of which the most appealing is The Trail, right in the middle of town. Try a soda.
Food In Medicine
Today in 1878, George H. Whipple was born. He’s the man who discovered that pernicious anemia, a problem you don’t hear about much anymore, can be addressed by feeding the patient liver. Or the essence of liver, which is how it’s done now. I’d much prefer to eat the liver, especially if it’s the Provimi veal liver at Clancy’s or Pascal’s Manale. . . Also, the Oral B trademark for dental floss was registered today in 1951. Now it’s on everyone’s lips.
The Saints
This is the feast day of St. Augustine, former man about town, gourmet, lover of wine, and all-around playboy who reformed and became one of the greatest early philosophers of the Church. As Bishop of Hippo, in Northern Africa, he has come to be revered by those of African descent. I was baptized in St. Augustine’s Church in the Treme section of New Orleans, and spent first and second grades in their school. This is probably not mere coincidence: St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest permanent European town in the United States, was founded today in 1565.
Food Namesakes
Anne “Honey” Lantree, the drummer with the British rock group The Honeycombs, was born today in 1943. . . Former U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg Rosemary Ginn was born today in 1912.
Words To Eat By
“If you ever have to support a flagging conversation, introduce the topic of eating.”–Leigh Hunt, British writer, who died today in 1859.
Words To Drink By
“A guy once told me I didn’t need to drink to make myself more fun to be around. I told him, I’m drinking so that you’re more fun to be around.”–Chelsea Handler.
Why Everybody Is Out Of Wedge Salads.
Something happened to the delivery of the iceberg lettuce. You wouldn’t believe what hit it.
Click here for the cartoon.