I have a history of bad timing. I finally put $1,000 in the stock market just before the dot com bubble burst. We bought our first house not long before the 2008 real estate collapse. And I went to Italy last month on vacation. Thankfully, I didn't catch the coronavirus, only the flu (type A) which knocked me out for more than a week.
Where to Eat Now in New Orleans (and beyond)
Semel
My most memorable meal in Italy was one of the first. And in the land of pasta, it was a sandwich that I'm still thinking about. In the tiny stall facing Florence's Sant’Ambrogio market, the dapper Marco Paparozzi makes a changing menu of sandwiches, like turkey with black cabbage, salmon with curry or cheese, pear and truffles. I picked one with anchovies, fennel and slices of orange (pictured).
Piazza Lorenzo Ghiberti 44 r, Florence, Italy
Barzilai
The joke in New Orleans used to be that we had 1,000 restaurant and only one menu. I thought of this in Rome, where few menus didn't have cacio e pepe, the traditional Roman pasta of cheese and copious ground pepper. I ate it a lot, like at this welcoming cafe a few minutes from the Roman Forum, and didn't mind the repetition. That "joke" about New Orleans restaurant was another way of saying we had a local cuisine. Although I appreciate the wider range of eats in New Orleans today, I do often wonder if our city's indigenous dishes are fading away.
Via Panisperna 44, Rome, Italy
Paco's Tacos
The newcomer on Vets is a few steps above a taco truck, with al pastor tacos sliced from a spinning "trompo," fresh salsas and Mexican beers. The prices are cheap, with five tacos only $10. The flavors are fresh. And don't miss the costra, which is unfortunately described as a cheese "scab" on the menu. It's more like a taco where the tortilla has been swapped out for a crunchy, grilled disk of cheese. The taco variation was invented in Mexico City in the early 2000s. Happy it has arrived in New Orleans.
4726 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie
Bearcat
The cat is multiplying. The Freret Street cafe now has a CBD location. The menu is divided into Bad Cat (with meat) and Good Cat (without). Although I would willingly be bad, I stuck to the non-meat side of the menu. It had to be one of the most enjoyable lunches I've eaten recently in town. Dishes that sound like substitutes for meat are as good as the real deal. Others that sound dubious on paper turn out to be damn delicious on the plate. Bring on more cats.
845 Carondelet St., New Orleans, 504.766.7399
Hot Links
My latest story for The American South takes a look at a new wave of black-owned vegan restaurants across the region.
I spoke to chef Whitney Otawka, former "Top Chef" contestant and author of the new cookbook "Saltwater Table," about living and cooking on Georgia's remote Cumberland Island.
NOLA Brewing has launched two fizzy non-alcoholic teas, oolong and rose-hip hibiscus, brewed with hops, reports Biz New Orleans.
Photographer L. Kasimu Harris is documenting the vanishing black-owned bars of New Orleans, and he wrote about the project for the New York Times.
What, me panic?
As I write this, our whole family is going on week two of self-quarantine. Our jobs and our kids' school told us to stay away, since we visited Italy. I can't tell if the world is panicking or taking smart precautions. French Quarter Fest, Hogs for the Cause and more have been postponed for canceled. And it's hard for New Orleans not to worry about the fate of Jazz Fest. If it does get called off, there will be immediate costs. The crowds from Jazz Fest are also the last time for restaurants, bars and their staff to make good money before the slow summer months. Whether or not the festival happens, restaurants and their staff will need our support this spring and summer.
Bites from the Past
The pink building at 417 Royal St. where Brennan's now operates began as a bank in the early 19th century. Later it was the home of chess champion Paul Morphy, maybe a brothel and definitely the headquarters of the Suffrage Party of Louisiana. When the Brennan family decided to move their restaurant from Bourbon Street to that address in 1956, the building was the restaurant Patio Royal.
Patio Royal opened in 1921. In the early 1950s, it was remodeled, complete with neon lights in the carriageway entrance, by an oversized cowboy named Ad Given Davis. He also ran the Bar None Ranch outside of town. Despite its longevity, Patio Royal, it seems, was never much of a success. A 1956 article in the New Orleans Item noted that the Brennans had "busted the jinx of the former Patio Royal and the Morphy House higher than the traditional kite."
Circa 1925 photo from The Historic New Orleans Collection
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