Earlier this month, I got roped into a Cub Scout campout with my youngest son. We ate s'mores (maybe two). Another dad brought wild hog sausage (good flavor, but needed more fat). And overnight, the temperatures dropped to 40 degrees. Our sleeping bags weren't up to the cold. I was dragging for days. That's why this month's newsletter, which normally goes out the first Wednesday of the month, is a week late. I'll get back on track for December.
Where to eat now in New Orleans (and beyond)
Quitutes Cuisine
I came to Quitutes Cuisine, the friendly new Brazilian restaurant, on the right day. It was Saturday and the special was feijoada (pictured), a traditional stew of black beans. At Quitutes, it's served with a mountain of meat: sausages, pork and even ribs. It sounds heavy, and it was, but on the side were ribbons of collard greens, a slice of orange and to sprinkle on top a cup of farofa, or nutty toasted cassava. The Arabi restaurant opens for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I've got a lot here to explore.
6617 W. Judge Perez Drive, Arabi, 504.766.8694
Staplehouse
The center of Atlanta, where I went last month for a reporting trip, is far from farmland. But entering into Staplehouse, past the pickup truck in the "drive" and through the garden out back, washes away the sense of the city. Staplehouse only serves a tasting menu for $105, but l you can eat those courses at the bar (I did) and not feel out of place. Chef Ryan Smith's menu morphs daily depending on what is available. And he coaxes precise flavor but vivid flavors from each ingredient. (Pictured: Squash coated in quinoa with a squash puree-infused oil)
541 Edgewood Ave. SE, Atlanta, 404.524.5005
LA 23 BBQ
It doesn't get more basic than barbecue. There are rubs, sauces and sides, but the smoke and meat are what truly matter. I don't know anyone around New Orleans who does it better than LA 23. The drive to Belle Chase is out of my way, but this brisket is worth the trip. And I always bring back an extra pound or two of beef and pork.
9661 LA 23, Belle Chase, 504.657.3693
Em Trai Sandwich Co.
I'm glad to see Tung Nguyen on his own. At T2 Street Food, his stall inside the St. Roch Market, he always had some of the best pho in town. Hardly surprising, since his family has a long history in the restaurant business. Now Em Trai, he's adding his own notes to the Vietnamese canon. You can order banh mi with char siu, pulled pork or the shocking light but super-satisfying enoki mushrooms. You can stay traditional with a pho filled with rare beef or tendon. Or you can get a bowl with brisket made at Central City BBQ, which seasons the broth with a sweet smokiness (pictured).
2372 St. Claude Ave., New Orleans, 504.302.7772
Panda King
Each seat had an induction burner and we picked the broth of our choice. Then we were given insanely precise instructions for cooking the ingredients we'd picked: mushroom, noodles, thick and thin, dumplings and thin slices of meat wrapped up like hair rollers. Although one person whipped out their iPhone timer, the rest of us winged it, slurping away as each ingredient we cooked added more flavor to the broth. The West Bank's Panda King buffet, the one that on weekends does dim sum carts next door, has added a section for hot pot. Bring a group.
925 Behrman Highway, Terrytown, 504.433.0388
Hot Links
For the last few months, I've been working away on a new project called The American South from the USA Today Network. I'll be covering food across the region. We're slowly launching the site, and my first story is about one of my favorite subjects: farmed Gulf oysters.
The airport is open. While I'm hearing tales of woe over the waits, everyone agrees the food is good. In The New York Times, Kim Severson got the back story on Leah Kitchen's at MSY, a tribute to Leah Chase.
Boyce Upholt, a New Orleans-based writer, took a look at the economics of food halls, including St. Roch Market.
Comment s'est dit "dive"? Le Monde, the leading French daily, profiled JoAnn Guidos of Kajun's Pub.
Am I beating a dead rabbit?
I don't know how I feel about Dead Rabbit coming to the French Quarter. The New York bar is ranked among the world's best. And as someone noted on Facebook, it's far better than a T-shirt shop or the 15th location of Willie's Chicken Shack. Yes, I'll certainly check it out. I'll probably enjoy it, just like I do the new outpost of Roman pizzeria Bonci in the CBD. But each time a restaurant that made its name elsewhere plops down in New Orleans, the balance shifts. The rents edge up. A bit of our character drains away. And New Orleans becomes just a bit more like everywhere else.
Bites from the Past
When Frank Moran owned Commander's Palace, he lived in an apartment above the restaurant. On March 29, 1948, he shut down the restaurant and headed upstairs with his wife. Forty-five minutes later, they saw smoke pouring from a closet. Commander's Palace was on fire. The fire burned for an hour and a half. As the liquor collection ignited, the firefighters heard muffled explosions and saw blue flames. The fire did $61,000 in damage, or $670,000 in today's dollars. Moran, though, reopened Commander's 6 months later at 5 p.m. on Sept. 18.
1948 photo from the Charles L. Franck Studio Collection at The Historic New Orleans Collection
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