Friday, January 12th 2007
This Isn’t LA, No, Wait, It Is
I must say that New Orleans is quite the city. The energy is unlike anything I have felt before; I am reminded of Key West with a European flair. The locals are brave, strong folks that have managed to pull through and remain strong in the wake of our nation’s worst natural disaster.
This is one of the great food cities in the U.S. We ate at NOLA. It is owned by the eclectic Emeril, and it shows. The kitchen is open and the decor is very bright and showy with a definite presence, one much like you see on his show.
We started with a Duck Confit pizza and the Gumbo of the day, chicken and Andoulie sausage. Main courses were Shrimp and Grits, cheddar cheese grits with cremini mushrooms, bacon and grilled shrimp dressed with an ancho sauce. We also shared a hickory smoked half duck with haricot verts and cornbread pudding. They had a St. Joseph by Guigal on the list and being that St. Jo is my favorite region in the Rhone Valley we had ourselves a winner. I was a little concerned though because I was stuffed yet still had about a glass of wine left. The bartender kindly reminded me that I was not in Kansas anymore as she took the Riedel glass and poured the contents into a plastic cup. Oh… My… God…
;)
I must say that it was really nice to be able to purchase a beer at one bar and when we decided that it was time for relocation we just left; no need to worry about finishing your beer because you take it with you! We strolled around Bourbon street and watched the drunks in high heels and polo shirts stumble around a street littered with glowing beer mugs and strands of metallic beads. At about 3am it was time to call it quits and return to our camp to rest up for a day of sober, sunlit exploration.
Wow, two pages worth of Johnny posts in one setting! At first I wondered if I had overslept for a couple of weeks. If this is Scott inspiring you, he should get an honorary membership to the Hazzard Ahead team.
More than ever, your writing is colorful and exciting. I had to go and cook myself some ratatouille on rice before I could go on reading. Cremini mushrooms, bacon and grilled shrimps… Be still, my stomach. (What’s ancho sauce? Anchovy?) Seriously have you ever consider working as a food reporter?
Of course, your waistline might feel the strain of juggling two antagonistic careers and then your fans would hate whoever suggested it to you in the first place…