NOLA Foodies

Newsflash! It is too damn hot to do any real indoor cooking. Put away the casserole dishes, dutch ovens, and roasting pans, and pull out your salad spinner, grill, and smoker. Right now the Crescent City Farmer's Market is awash in delicious things you should be eating. A visit last weekend turned up two pounds of U-12 shrimp, a pound of squid, blueberries, Creole tomatoes, and a pint of peaches fragrant enough to use as cologne.

Like any red blooded American, my grill in the summertime is used more than graphic violence in a Tarantino film. High heat, low and slow, shoot, I've even been known to grill a vegetable on the damn thing. Take that, terrorists! In summer it is time to switch from meats bathed in luxurious stocks to meats kissed with squeezes of lemon or lime and a splash of good olive oil. Try grilling citrus before squeezing it over shrimp or a rack of ribs, smoked and seasoned with nothing more than salt and pepper.

And about those shrimp, they are perfect right now. Plump and fat, they ooze with briny goodness. You can prepare shrimp any way you like; but if you go this whole summer without making a Mason jar full of pickled shrimp, your subscription to the internet will be revoked. The technique is simple. Quickly boil shrimp in highly seasoned water, toss with a vinaigrette, and let sit. You can add, capers, or mint, or olive salad, or anything your little heart desires. This is the perfect dish to bring to your friend's lake or beach house. Pick up a gallon of daiquiris, some French bread, and a case of beer and your yearly invite will continue.

Fluffy omelets, their centers just on the cooked side of Carbonara, work their way into the dinner repertoire. The best omelet technique in the world is right here. Practice it a few times and serve with a green salad with a garlicky dressing.  Break out a bottle of Sancerre or Rose. And count the days til fall.

For dessert, keep it simple, stupid. Bowls of peaches, blackerries, and blueberries need very little to showcase their brilliance. But baked shortbread sliced in half and a dollop of homemade whipped cream (with a splash of Southern Comfort) is one way to make summer fruits the star.

What are your summer go to meals?

Ever heard this whine? "You can't find good Tex-Mex in New Orleans because there are no good tortillas here. When I lived in Austin, we used to buy tortillas from an Airstream down the corner made by a guy who had a tattoo of a tortilla on his arm." Lesson: no Airstream, no Tex-Mex.

The staples of most world cuisines are easy to make. In fact, the basic cooking of most cuisines is simple to accomplish but, may take a lifetime to master. Staples had to be easy out of necessity. An 18th century Chinese farmer didn't have a world class kitchen nor did a Mexican mother own a microwave. This is not to trivialize the importance of rice, bread, and maize, but just to say with a minimum amount of practice you can make much better corn tortillas than you can buy from any Airstream. 

Do you own a non-stick pan? A griddle you use to make pancakes for your kids? Or a cast iron pan? Have some ziploc bags? Indoor plumbing or access to potable water? Good then you are all set. You don't really need a tortilla press. All you will really need is a bag of masa harina. They sell it in grocery stores.

In a large bowl, combine 1 3/4 cups of masa harina with about a cup of water. Depending on the day, you may need more or less of either ingredient. You want a dough that is soft and looks like cookie dough. All of this is the extent of the recipe in Rick Bayless' Mexico: One Plate at a Time.

Take a gallon Ziploc bag and cut it down the sides and across the bottom. Once you have your dough, pull of a section that is about the size of a squash ball. Place dough in between two sheets of Ziploc and press down with the bottom of a heavy pot.


You can use a rolling pin (with dough still in between the plastic) if you want to make the tortilla thinner, but this is optional. It should have a vaguely circular shape. The more you practice, the better they get.


Carefully peel off one layer of plastic and drape the tortilla over the palm of your hand, then pull off second sheet of plastic. Heat a cast iron pan, pancake pan, sheet of steel, or a comida (below, about $8 at Ideal Market) over moderate heat. Ever seen a plan land? The back wheels land first followed by the front wheels. You want the side of the tortilla closest to you touching down first. Then sweep your hand out and gently place down the side of the tortilla furthest from you.


Cook for about 45 seconds on the first side. Flip it over (use your hands, pretty boy). And cook for another minute or so. You should see the tortilla puffing up a bit like a wimp with four beers in him. Once done, pull it off and keep it warm in a low oven, a plastic tortilla holder lined with a towel, or just wrap in a towel. Stuff them with anything you can fathom, melting Cotija cheese, juicy steak, or grilled veggies. Or all three. The tortilla can also be used as dessert. Take a warm tortilla, spread creamy peanut butter and a strawberry jam, fold into the palm of your hand, and enjoy. Begin searching for a tortilla tattoo.

Next week the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience celebrates it's 20th anniversary of eating and drinking for a good cause. Those of you who are NOWFE experts have likely already reserved your tables for the wine dinners on Wednesday and decided whether you will attend one of the Grand Tastings on Friday night or Saturday afternoon.

In last year's piece for NOWFE, I wrote a very vanilla post with a brief synopsis of each event on the calendar. Such blog posts are helpful for the uninitiated and assists in promoting an event which generates a lot of business for the local hospitality industry at a time when they are making one final push before the dog days of summer. However, after my experience at NOWFE 2011, I decided to embrace the spirit behind this year's challenge and ask myself the simple question:

NOWFE: Is It Worth It?

Let's break it down event by event:

• Wine Dinners - Are They Worth It? - It depends. We had great luck in 2009 when Medlock Ames poured at Vizard's but were disappointed last year with the food at Arnaud's, although the wines from Far Niente and Nickel & Nickel were impressive. That's the inherent Catch 22 with many of the NOWFE wine dinners - often times the most interesting wines are paired with restaurants whose food falls below expectations. My best advice is not to short change yourself in either category. If you can't find a menu which peaks the interest of both your thirst and your hunger, then spend your money elsewhere.
• Vinola - Is It Worth It? - I have never been, so I honestly have no idea. Spending $150 to drink wine for 2 hours on a Thursday afternoon seems quite decadent, but the wines are supposedly expensive and the lineup of chefs and restaurants is definitely impressive. The Pope went last year and said that it was a blast, but of course he did not pay for his ticket. If I had the afternoon off from work and had not already committed to some other NOWFE event for this year, I would probably just to see if it lives up to the hype.
• Royal Street Stroll - Is It Worth It?  - In a word, no. Last year, Royal Street Stroll was a certified clusterf*ck, and the rain was not entirely to blame. There are too many attendees, the lines to refill your wine glass are too long, and the food was non-existent. Someone had to say it.
• Seminars - Are They Worth It? - Again, I have limited experience with this category, but this component of NOWFE seems to be the most educational and therefore the most appealing for true wine geeks.
• Grand Tastings - Are They Worth It? - The Grand Tastings mimic the Royal Street Stroll in that they both involve long lines and lots of people. But the Grand Tastings traditionally offer both food and wine of better quality and more abundance. Now, most of the wines are poured are main stream, where as the wine dinners and Vinola feature more single vineyard varietals and reserve selections. But in terms of bang for your buck, it's tough to beat the Grand Tastings.

What say you? Is NOWFE worth it?

In the present era of classically-trained chefs opening gourmet burger stands and casual eateries where the sausage is made in house from Mangalista pigs and the salad greens are grown on inner-city hydroponic farms, the neighborhood restaurant has fallen off the radar. In the immediate months after Katrina, the re-opening of the long-running family friendly eatery was met with fervor from those in search of a return to normalcy. But their popularity has waned to the point that most of those intent on surviving have been forced to embrace change and rejuvenation.

Stuffed mushrooms from Katie's in Mid-City.Katie's has always been looked upon as an inferior sibling to Mandina's, the apotheosis of New Orleans neighborhood cuisine located just 2 blocks away. But after the storm, the two restaurants took decidedly different paths for rebuilding. While Mandina's went back to it's tried and true menu of Creole-Italian, po-boys, an old fashions, Katie's held onto the past but also innovated with the addition of pizzas, Sunday brunch, and a few original dishes which caught the attention of one infamous, blonde, spiky-haired, pinky-ringed food TV host.

But don't hold that against them.

Odds are good that your table will start with an order of chargrilled oysters, which were overcooked to major shrinkage on my first visit, but on the third they were near perfect - just barely heated underneath a buttery breadcrumb and parmesan topping. The crunchy onion rings of medium thickness are preferred over the fried eggplace sticks and  french fries overly seasoned with Cajun spice. Chicken and andouille gumbo has a charcoal colored roux a good level of spice, but the best soup on my three visits was a special that had a rich and creamy base of brie cheese with crabmeat and roasted portabello mushrooms.

Every item on the gargantuan fried seafood platter had different batters, an attention to detail often not practiced. Crawfish were blonde and flavorless, shrimp were Saints gold, the small oysters a dark brown, and a huge filet of moist fish fell somewhere in the middle of the color wheel. The tartar and cocktails sauces were strange enough to remember, the former being very sweet with pickles and the latter tasting as if it was made with oyster liquor. The much touted CNN Blackberry and Jalapeno Ribs are tender from slow cooking (not smoking) and coated in a sticky sweet sauce. Pass.

The Boudreaux Pizza.The pizzas are unconventional and far from the authentic Roman and Neopolitan styles that we all have accepted as the apex of pizza nirvana. The crust has a slightly sweetened taste and is not too thick or too thin, somewhat chewy and usually yields under an overload of ingredients. The cheese is a strange mixture of mozzarella and provel, a St. Louis processed blend which Rene still has nightmares over. But if Hogs for the Cause has taught us all anything, it's the power of pork. Witness the Boudreaux: a garlic cream base topped with shreds of succulent cochon de lait, whole cloves of sweet roasted garlic, wilted leaves of fresh spinach and red onion. I have tasted a few other pizzas at Katie's, and they are fine (especially the Terranova featuring sausage made at the Faubourg St. John grocery store). But none come even close to comparing to the Boudreaux.

And you can taste the Boudreaux (and all of the pizzas) for $10 every Thursday, when Katie's packs them in for the weekly pizza special. The restaurant does not take reservations, so don't be surprised if you find yourself waiting in the small bar area or outside on the patio furniture where you can still here the cacophony from the dining room. It's the sound of the reliable neighborhood restaurant, and at Katie's it's as loud as ever.

Katie's - Par
3701 Iberville Street
(504) 488-6582
Sun: 9am - 3pm; Mon-Wed: 11am - 3pm; Thur-Sat: 11am - 10pm

All photos by The Folk Singer.

I love cookbooks and there is nothing wrong with that. The cookbook shelves in the kitchen have long since been filled. Now cookbooks reside on almost every flat surface stacked high. Those that aren't in the regular rotation are sent upstairs to a temporarily permanent exile. While the recipes are the payoff, the stories, techniques, and flavor pairings are where a cookbook's value can be judged. If you are looking for a new cookbook to shake things up, the following books should be on your queue.

Speakeasy: The Employees Only Guide to Classic Cocktails Reimagined by Jason Kosmas and Dushan Zaric. In short, I like making a cocktail after work. Making a cocktail requires a certain amount of ritual and a gathering of ingredients and tools. The transition from disparate elements of gin, ice, Campari, and vermouth into a stunning drink mirrors the transition from work to play. What I like most about Speakeasy is that it assumes the reader has a desire to make a drink beyond a vodka tonic, but it doesn't put you immediately into the AP Cocktail class. The authors walk you through their cocktails, whether classics or their own inventions, with a bit of story of the cocktail's development. Tasting notes are included, but ignore those. A cocktail is meant to be enjoyed, not commented on like a bottle of wine. Trust me on this: try the Sangria recipe.

The Food52 Cookbook by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs. Food52 is an online community of the highest order on the internet. A place where people who like to cook come together to discuss how to do so. The book compiles the best recipes submitted to the site with easy to follow directions and suggestions for substitutions. Each recipe is based on a weekly theme i.e. Your Best Sweet Potato Recipe or Your Best Chicken with Mustard. My wife is a big fan of the book, especially when I make her lemony cream cheese pancakes with blueberries in less time than it takes to boil water.

Momofuku by David Chang and Peter Meehan. Beneath the bravado, the cursing, the familiar refrain of pork, pork, pork, and the accolades, the ethos behind Momofuku is what is so interesting. That ethos is based on bringing to the forefront the simmering culture of Asian immigrants. Sure there are sanitized Chinese and mayo soaked sushi in every city of note, but Chang takes you into the heart of the Asian cook through the eyes of an American. Soft boiled eggs, bacon, noodles or rice, and salty and spicy condiments are the pathway to delicious dishes. While some of the recipes are rather involved (the Bo Ssam alone requires a week of work), the results are worth it.

Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America by Jose Andres and Richard Wolffe. Spanish food is as diverse as Italian or French with culinary touchstones spanning the noble pig to briny seafood. Yet too often the cuisine of Spain is distilled down to the least common denominator in overpriced tapas restaurants. If you want a glimpse at real Spanish food, this book is for you. Approachable techniques and ingredients are divided into chapters, such as Rice or Tomatoes. Then you are given a handful of recipes, but more importantly ideas for how to bring the flavor of Spain into your kitchen.

Spend this weekend cooking, it is about to become to hot to do so. With the advent of Creole tomatoes in the market, you would do well to make a big batch of Andres' Gazpacho this weekend, wash it down with Sangria from Speakeasy. Then try your hand at making a batch of ginger scallion sauce to pour over a big bowl of white rice with a fried egg. You can pick the recipe to make out of Food52 on your own.

The local nominees for Best Chef: South in the 2012 James Bear Foundation Awards.Tonight, in a ceremony which has been often described as the "Oscars of the food world," the James Beard Foundation will hand out awards to the nation's best chefs and restaurants. Among the nominees are a handful of locals, and we wish them all good luck.

In the category of Outstanding Chef, Donald Link has been nominated with other industry heavyweights such as David Chang, Gary Danko, and Paul Kahan. I'd say that Chef Link deserves the award based solely on the spaghetti with guanciale and fried poached egg at Herbsaint, but no one asked my opinion. For the fourth year in a row, Chef Sue Zemanick from Gautreau's is nominated for Rising Star Chef of the Year, an honor bestowed upon chefs 30 years of age and under. Chef Sue is aged out of this category after this year, so let's hope that she brings home the prize.

But the most watched contest of the evening will likely be in the category of Best Chef: South, where 4 of the 5 nominees hail from New Orleans. Justin Devillier of La Petite Grocery, John Harris of Lilette and Bouligny Tavern, Tory McPhail of Commander's Palace, and Alon Shaya of Domenica have all been nominated for the award, along with some guy from Birmingham. And no disrespect to Chris Hastings and the Hot and Hot Fish Club, but losing this one tonight would be more disappointing than Union Rags' performance at the Derby on Saturday.

In today's poll in the top left hand corner, you can cast your vote for the New Orleans chef most deserving of the award for Best Chef: South. At the time of publishing, Vegas has Alon Shaya listed as the 5 to 2 favorite. You can catch the awards live today at 5:00CST on streaming video.

BBQ Shrimp Po-Boy from Liuzza's by the Track.The mercury is rapidly rising and soon hundreds of thousands will once again flood the Fair Grounds for the final four days of the Fest. Kudos to all of the parrot heads out there who are playing hooky today. Those of us stuck in our cubicles are jealous with envy.

No matter how much you indulge in the bounty of festival eats, chances are that you will be ravenous when you exit the gates. The next question then becomes, "Where's dinner?"  Although there are several restaurants in close proximity to the Fest, the odds of you scoring a table at one of them this weekend are less than Jonathan Vilma's chances at overturning his suspension on appeal. The outdoor dining areas at Cafe Degas, Nona Mia, and Santa Fe will likely be full with revelers rehydrating and refueling. And in case you didn't take Rene's advice last week about grabbing a bloody mary on your way into the Fest, lightning could strike with an opportunity for a roast beef po-boy at Liuzza's by the Track, which is the subject of our Eats Review in this month's issue of OffBeat Magazine.

If you venture out just beyond the immediate vicinity of the Fair Grounds, the odds of a you finding an open table dramatically increase. To wit, I have 2 suggestions, both of which are a short streetcar ride or an ambitious walk up Carrollton Avenue. Toups' Meatery is a new venture by Isaac Toups, whose most prominent position was chef at Cuvee. I stopped by there for lunch last week and started with a spicy pork and poblano sausage and finished with an excellent confit chicken thigh atop firm white beans. More on Toups' in the coming weeks. My second suggestion is Taqueria Guerrero Mexico, which is almost a 2 mile hike from Esplanade but worth the journey for a ginormous torta filled with barbacoa.

Have a great weekend and don't forget the sunscreen.