Found these U/4 prawns at the new Rouse’s Market at Burbank and Lee. Knew immediately I had to throw a pair on the grill. Gave them the usual pre-grill treatment of Lucina Robust Garlic EVO, Lea&Perrins, Tony’s, and black pepper, but I could also see bacon wrapped with a bbq/Tiger sauce mix. And just looking at them you can tell they are prime for cast iron blackening. The new Rouse’s, along with Whole Foods, Fresh Market, and even Calandro’s have such a better seafood selection than I ever saw as a kid. Shipping and logistics are so much better than the good old days and demand is much more sophisticated as well. The new Rouse’s had fresh clams and mussels and Gulf oysters, jumbo lump crabmeat and crabfingers along with claw meat, live lobster and a nice variety of whole fish and fillets. You can get scallops just about everywhere now and most places have some already prepped, skewered, and wrapped in bacon, ready for a dusting of seasoning and a quick toss on the grill or into a skillet. This is, perhaps, the second best thing about this new, modern age we live in. The first of course is getting to listen to any music you want anytime anywhere for just ten dollars a month. When I was a kid, that ten dollars bought you one album, so other than what was playing on the radio at the time, you had to pick and choose your music very carefully. It is the reason why I was so late to the Allman Brothers and Gov’t Mule who I love now. Back then my southern rock dollars went to Lynyrd Skynyrd and Doobie Brothers. And you had to buy albums and later eight tracks or tapes if you wanted to listen to anything but hits. You could only catch one or two George Benson tracks on the airways if you were lucky and it’s not really Frank Zappa’s Apostrophe or Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon or Willie Nelson’s Red Headed Stranger if you don’t listen to the whole album straight through. A lot of people would make the same argument about Traffic, Led Zep, Bowie or the Beatles as well. Until You Tube and Wiki I had no idea the reason ZZ Top covered Hendrix so well was because Billy Gibbons band the Moving Sidewalks used to open for Jimi back in ’68. There will always be a segment of the population that embraces the nostalgia of “the good old days” but don’t count me among them. Food that is better sourced, access to all music ever recorded, much less industrial pollution (even though it is still way too much) and a much greater population of those who have survived cancer are just a few of the available points of evidence that life is better in 2018 than in 1968. I’m not saying there aren’t arguments available to the half empty side, there are plenty, but I like to choose positive whenever I can. Here’s to the half full crowd.
Review: Elsie’s Plate and Pie
Don’t really know whether to call this a review or a pitch since I know the owner, Paul Dupre, and have previously worked with him and a number of his current employees including rising star Alaric Fricke of Quarx fame. There are parallels in how they launched the restaurant and band respectively. Paul won me over early on talking about a menu that didn’t quite fit in the box, featuring pies, both sweet and savory, many of which are based on his grandmother Elsie Marie Campeau Rupe’s original recipes. Alaric won me over when the first set I ever heard him play with the band included covers of both Dire Straits and Cat Stevens along with a number of great tunes he had written himself. There is something about having someone with passion and purpose leading the way that the corporate world just can’t duplicate, no matter how hard they try. We all know this on some level, whether we vocalize it or not. We admire and believe in people who believe in themselves enough to take financial and professional risks to pursue something they love. Starting your own business or band is a tremendous undertaking and success is never guaranteed. I am very happy for the success both of my friends are having. On to the review/pitch for Elsie’s Plate and Pie.
I was worried about the space when Paul first walked me through while the remodeling/construction was still in progress. It turned out to be a much more intimate space than I had envisioned but at the same time very open and inviting as well. When you first go to check it out, you should probably focus on the small plates first so you will have room to finish with one of the sweet pies. Fried okra paired with chocolate cream pie, or Cajun crawfish queso with pork skins and a S’Mores pie for example. Are you starting to get my drift that Paul didn’t follow Baton Rouge rules when setting up his menu? One menu item I have never seen anywhere before is the Avocado Sandwich which has avocado slices, a fried egg sunny up, mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and roasted garlic vinaigrette on whole wheat. Paul is such a believer in the power of fried eggs that you can add one to anything. The sandwiches are a real strength on this menu. He has all the fried poboys, along with a smoked chicken thigh sandwich, an oyster BLT with blue cheese dressing, a boudin sandwich, a boudin burger, a pimento cheeseburger, and a crawfish cake sandwich. There’s a red bean hummus and a pesto melt and the entire menu feels like each dish is a one of a kind offering. I was really impressed with what Paul put together and it totally supports my belief that when you are putting a menu together you have to remember that no one is really going to try everything on your menu (they may want to, but realistically, there are so many places to try that there is just no way you are going to try everything anyone offers which is why so many people these days like to group eat and share as many things as they can) but if you are a true foodie, even if you aren’t going to order everything on the menu, you are going to consume the whole menu as a statement of passion and intent. I could go on and on, and I really wish I knew how to embed Elsie’s menu in this post, but I don’t, so you will just have to go check it out for yourself. Elsie’s Plate and Pie 3145 Government St.