April 2007 Archives

...is that restaurants, even the best of them, can't find good, stable help these days:

Waiter melee at Antoine's

Before they could serve the first order of oysters rockefeller, two "apprentice waiters" at Antoine's attacked one another in a melee that ended with a swinging glass bottle and a pool of blood, said the restaurant's owner, Rick Blount.

The melee interupted the table-setting routine and sent one waiter to the hospital and another to police custody -- all before dinner. The New Orleans Police Department initially dispatched officers to the restaurant in the 700 block of St. Louis Street for an alleged shooting, but that later proved false.

we're lucky, our issues with flaky staff usually revolve around drugs and abusive boyfriends. Nobody's gone postal at either restaurant yet (knocks on wood).

My trip to Singapore last week was primarily focused on business, so I wasn't able to wander off outside the covention/geek area of town, Suntec City. Still, I was able to eat some pretty good food while there.

After arriving at the Pan Pacific Hotel around 3am, I immediately went to bed, then had breakfast in the hotel's "Executive Lounge" a few hours later. The lounge was most definitely a cut above the lounges on "concierge" floors of American hotels. This lounge's breakfast featured a chef cooking up eggs to order.

Like many other places in Asia, the Pan Pacific did their best to offer both "American" and "Asian" options for breakfast. In addition to the chef whipping up fried eggs and omlets, the buffet offered Asian selections, sometimes dim sum, fried noodles, rice dishes, and steamed fish. Guests opting for a more Western breakfast can have bacon, chicken sausage, hash browns, and other classic sides.

Like most hotels at this level, the buffet includes a nice selection of breads and pastiries, cold meats (salami, ham, smoked salmon), cheeses, jellies, and butter. There also was a table with cereal and a good selection of fresh fruit and yogurt.

Coffee isn't up to American standards, but there's a good selection of teas, fruit juices, and fresh milk.

Outside the hotel's restaurants, the malls in between the hotel and Suntec Tower 4 (where I was working) had a number of coffee and pastry shoppes, starting with the hotel's lobby and including chains such as Starbucks and The Coffee Bean. Most of the traditional Chinese and Japanese places didn't open up for breakfast, though.

am in a TownePlace Suites this week in Indianapolis, so I've got a kitchen. Nothing too fancy for dinner tonight:

I picked up one of those rotisserie chickens that some supermarkets do, along with some pre-packaged caesar salad. The dressing caught my eye, "Honey Mustard & Wasabi" from Gallas Gorumet. Some baguette bread on the side. Orange juice to drink--i picked up a couple of bottles of wine, but they wouldn't sell them to me, Indiana liquor laws. And these people will talk about southern rednecks!

For dessert, a french vanilla yogurt and an orange.

maybe it's just me, but there's something a bit unnerving when a place calls out not only your order for pick-up at the window, but what you ordered as well. "Number Fifty-Four, your sausage-egg-cheese biscuit is ready..."

I can see calling out the contents of the order if someone just isn't picking up, but at least give them a chance to get their food before you announce to the world that the guy at the next table ordered grits with mozzerella cheese.

April 1, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW RESTAURANT OPENS IN METRO NEW ORLEANS

FEMA Fiesta Cafe
cor. Mirabeau and the London Avenue Canal
New Orleans, LA
**********

The restauranteurs who brought you Bonnie's at the Spillway and The Back of the Net are proud to introduce their newest concept, FEMA FIESTA CAFE. Currently located at the corner of Mirabeau Avenue and the London Avenue Canal, Fema Fiesta Cafe is an eclectic fusion of classic New Orleans Creole dishes and Tex-Mex cuisine.

"We wanted a concept that appealed to a large segment of the area's population," says one of the owners.

Starting with appetizers such as the Oysters Rockefeller Burrito, the menu lives up to expectations. Continue your meal with the Gentilly Gumbo, which is served in a square "Floodwall Bowl." Be sure to eat fast, though, before the "floodwall" breaks and all that chicken-andouille goodness ends up in your lap!.

"We went for accuracy on the 'floodwall bowl,' so we hired Eustis Engineering to build our bowl just as good as the canal floodwalls," said another of FFC's owners.

If you manage to get through the soup course safely, you'll be ready to take on entrees such as Evacuation Enchiladas, which are filled with spicy crawfish. As with all things related to evacuations, there's always a bit of a delay when ordering this dish. You might want to have a cocktail while you wait, and we suggest you try the "Broussard Water."

"The idea is to simulate the water that came into houses in Metairie because [Parish President Aaron] Broussard didn't turn the pumps back on in time," said FFC's chief mixologist. "It may look as depressing as when people realized they had to cut out all the walls in their homes, but there's enough rum in that cocktail to ease the pain for a little while."

If enchiladas aren't what you're in the mood for, try the Bush Brick Oven Pizza, which is served flying overhead from the kitchen. It won't touch down in New Orleans on your own, but FFC has two Republicans on staff who can pull the pizza down and force it to be in the same place with New Orleans residents for a little while.

For dessert, try the "C Ray Sundae." It's a waffle bowl filled with five scoops of chocolate chocolate chip ice cream, smothered in hot fudge syrup. Or you can sample the "Heckuva Job Brownies." Both are topped with just a touch of whipped cream.

"In New Orleans, there's always a little white on top," said FFC's pastry chef.

In true New Orleans tradition, the owners of FEMA Fiesta Cafe didn't spend a lot of money on decorations or atmosphere. The restaurant is made up of ten FEMA trailers joined together to make a single, continuous space. The trailers are still mobile, however, so the entire restaurant can be dismantled and re-located to another part of town on any given night.

So, for a great time in an undisclosed location, try FEMA Fiesta Cafe when it's near you!

-30-