In New Orleans, po-boys are very serious business, and while I was cooking professionally in the Crescent City a few years back, I had the envious opportunity of sampling sandwiches from all of the city’s most legendary spots, from Mandina’s down on Canal Street to Gene’s over on Elysian Fields Avenue. I tasted them all, and then I revisited these restaurants many times over, especially as out-of-town guests would stop through to visit. As most New Orleans locals will tell you, the foundation of any authentic po-boy is a signature Leidenheimer Baking Company roll. Founded in 1896, the Leidenheimer [... read more ...]
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The Culinary Timeline is a side-project that I've been working on since October. I'm hoping to have most of it complete by the end of January, with any luck. Until then, updates around here will be weekly, rather than twice weekly. Do stay tuned. • • •
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C'est bon: Creole red beans, garnished with andouille sausage, parsley, and a sieved egg. Pictured in the BG: Crystal Extra Hot. If I’m going to spend a Monday afternoon making a big pot of red beans, then I want them to be New Orleans red beans, like so many versions I tasted when I was living and cooking in the Crescent City. And just so you realize that I take these matters very seriously, I should point out that this recipe took some considerable time and effort, and not just on my part. The very foundation [... read more ...] Could it get any more Southern? Earlier this week, I had planned to visit Brenda’s French Soul Food for a bowl of grillades and grits, having recently emailed a friend about a memorable version of this dish that I once tasted at Cafe Degas in New Orleans. That email awakened a latent craving, and naturally, I thought of Brenda’s as the best and only choice for authentic Cajun cuisine in the Bay Area. Fast forward to yesterday: I left Napa shortly after the morning rush hour, and 50 miles later, I was standing on Polk Street, waiting for [... read more ...] C'est Bon: Diver Scallops with Sweet Corn Maque Choux In general, I’ve always felt that scallops and sweet corn complemented each other quite nicely, which ultimately inspired me to prepare the dish pictured above. To be honest, however, the specific notion of diver scallops with sweet corn maque choux struck me as a true revelation the other day, and I wondered why I hadn’t thought of this particular combination sooner. Then I googled “scallop maque choux” and found that Emeril Lagasse has already created this dish, along with a recipe. Oh well, I’m sure that Emeril wasn’t the [... read more ...]
I’m slightly skeptical of “chipotle” anything these days. To me, this pepper was arguably THE ingredient of the 1990s, as smoked red jalapeños began to officially hit the American mainstream. Not only did a burrito chain emerge from Colorado emblazoned with this very name, but television chefs such as Bobby Flay seemed to be infusing chipotle peppers into every recipe imaginable. These days, you can order a Chipotle Chicken Ciabatta at Jack in the Box or a select a packet of Ancho Chipotle Ranch Dressing for a Wendy’s salad. From my perspective, now that [... read more ...] My remoulade epiphany occurred when I was living in New Orleans, studying Creole cooking and doing my best to eat five square meals per day. My journey as a cook had brought me to K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen in the French Quarter, where I ate more deep fried oysters and shrimp than most people will ever see in their lifetime. Sounds pretty dreamy, right? Snacking on an endless supply of oysters and shrimp during the lulls in the kitchen. But these were the spoils of the fry station, which was otherwise the worst job in the house.
Mandina’s is probably my favorite restaurant in New Orleans, at least when I’m in the mood for a shrimp poboy and a bowl of turtle soup. I found this photo online at wikimedia.org, and I really like how the neon pops against the dark background. Following its demise after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the restaurant finally re-opened during Mardi Gras 2007, a week I happened to be back in the Crescent City. Seeing this place up and running was a highlight of my visit.
Sharing is [... read more ...] Big Jay was the person who first introduced me to Gene’s Po-Boys, and since I didn’t own a car when I lived in New Orleans, he was always my passport to their legendary cheeseburgers. There was a considerable stretch when — at least two or three times per week — we would drive over to Gene’s immediately after finishing our dinner shift at K-Paul’s. It became the type of situation where, if either of us even mentioned Gene’s, then that became the plan after work, no questions asked. Located at the edge of the infamous Ninth Ward, the [... read more ...] Having lived and cooked in New Orleans, authentic Cajun cuisine is one of the things I’ve really missed since returning to California. A few places around here do a couple of things correctly, but there is an awful lot of bastardization going on as well. Sometimes, it’s easier just to tap the source, especially if the source will deliver. Why settle for less? I placed my order for a few pounds of sausage from Bailey’s Andouille this afternoon. Bailey’s is one of two places in Laplace that is world-renowned for producing some of the best [... read more ...] Dive bars are always interesting in the daytime, with their many blemishes on proud display in the bright, open sunlight. Without a throng of regulars to otherwise engage the senses, torn upholstery and grungy walls become the center of attention. Of course, the funk of stale beer never seems quite right in the daytime either, and since the freaks, in theory, are supposed to come out at night, even the sparse clientele remains oddly out of context, sober for the moment, but perhaps not for long. Jack’s Club, located just east of Potrero on 24th [... read more ...] |
 
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© 2012 The Accidental Wino |
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