You have to love it when restaurants get behind a cause and offer up incentive and/or donation to try to move us toward a better world. Stores normally avoid any kind of stand on any issue because damn near everyone is a potential customer and they don’t want to irritate anyone if they can help it, but some causes–cancer, heart disease, coats for kids–pretty much everyone can get behind. Good for Rum House. Not only do I support the cause, but I really need little or no excuse to go get another Duck Duck Goose taco. Today I got the Fried Oyster and the Chili Glazed Shrimp along with coconut mango rice to round out my Taco Trifecta combo. All good, and for a very worthy cause.
I don’t normally visit a place the second day it’s open, but my old friend Phil is running the kitchen and posted on Facebook that they nailed the first day so that raised my confidence and my expectations. Plus they already have a place in Prairieville and if you can open a second bbq shop you’ve got to know low and slow. Very glad I didn’t wait. Inside is brand new, but the meal was totally old school. The chicken made me want to cry. It really was that good. Tender enough to pull the bones loose but the meat was still firm and smoky sweet and juicy as all get out. Reminded me of cooking chicken over pecan wood at my friend Snake’s place out on Pointe Coupee Road. We’d mix Jack Miller’s with muscat wine for a mop sauce. Really, really good. All the Budweiser we drank while we were cooking didn’t hurt any either.
I got the three meat platter with brisket, pork ribs, and a quarter chicken with bread and smoked gouda mac and sweet potato casserole. I tried a bite of both sides and was really happy and encouraged by the bold flavors of both. The brisket had an excellent smoke ring and a really nice finish. The ribs, like the chicken, were pull-the-bones-loose tender but still firm enough to bite into. I didn’t try any of the sauces except the peppery one that came with the ribs, but they had plenty on offer. Some of the apps and sandwiches looked worthy of a trip of their own. Brisket quesadilla. Boudin and pepperjack eggrolls. Smoked wings. And they have a lot more sides. And they fry chicken and catfish. I haven’t been this impressed first time out at a bbq joint since I delivered my friend Steve’s new wife to him at the Presidio in Monterrey and he took us to a place owned and run by a guy who looked just like Willie Nelson and really knew how to do low and slow. Steve and Amanda had just gotten married the week before in St Francisville (I was best man) but he had to run back out to language school at the Presidio right away and she stayed home because she had another wedding to do. We drove out in her car and I flew back to BR a few days later. Good times. You got to love a place that brings back that many memories. I’ll go back soon, and you should definitely try it out. Here’s more of a foodie/fantasy shot of my order.
Sometimes all you need is a cheeseburger, tots, and a chocolate mini-shake from Sonic. I admit it is strange to go inside a Sonic instead of yelling what you want at the squawk box and tipping your roller skating server well for bringing everything out to you, but the Sonic on Government is not a drive-in. The staff were all super nice though and kept asking me if I needed anything else. Kind of hard to follow in a place like Sonic. What else would I need? I wouldn’t expect to say Can I have more ranch? or I need more tea or I’m ready for another beer, but I guess when you are moving around a seated dining room, some things just seem like the right thing to say. Sonic doesn’t have the greatest anything, but I like it, and I always get a kick out of stopping by.
Had to go by and see what all the fuss was about. Industrial decor, millennial menu. Good location right across the parking lot from Whole Foods. If you are all about the coffee, there are better places that brew to order. The food menu s an interesting mix that opens a lot of possibilities for second breakfast or weekday lunch or brunch. I tried their Vietnamese matcha tea, which was pre-made, but good.
And I did the Pick Three slider option. The cheeseburger slider and roast beef slider were good, but the pork belly slider really stood out. I can see going back and combining that slider with one of the kolaches and a donut, or the slider and two donuts–the possibilities are intriguing. Good place to mix and match with a decent, not great, coffee/tea product.
Soji has changed up the cocktail menu for summer (and the ramen menu) and this Mai Tai immediately brought back high school memories of going over to a buddy’s place after school in the spring (otherwise we’d have been at football practice) and drinking Mai Tai’s and listening to Yes on his dad’s great stereo system. I know I’m dating myself, but in a lot of ways I’m still that guy. Always looking for something new and exciting to try. Soji answers that need. I had never had anything on their first menu (at least not the way they did it) before I had it there. They are intent on being who they are–and that definitely resonates with the seventeen year old me that’s still inside, looking to have a good time, laughing at bad jokes, insanely curious about why you would say or do that. Soji is Soji, and they’ve named their new ramen Soji so I had to give it a try, minus the chicken, extra mushrooms because it was late and I have to pass on meat later in the day. Here’s a photo.
The pickled cabbage and miso went very well together, and we already know about the fresh made noodles. Tea egg, enoki, and bean sprouts add their individual flavors and textures to the dish. Normally a big bowl of ramen is too much for me to finish in one sitting, but I found myself picking up the bowl and slurping down the last of the broth. Great meal. Left feeling like I’d learned something new about food, and with a handful of excellent memories, both new and relived.
Chicken Shack’s the kind of place where you start thinking about what you’re going to get next time before they even call your name to come pick up your order. Last time I had the amazing fried chicken with mustard greens and dirty rice, but I was already thinking about the red beans and bbq hot sausage poboy I got today.
I saw a guy go by me with a smothered pork chop and I’m thinking a pork chop sandwich or even the Shack Breakfast w/ Pork Chop for next time. Here’s a bonus shot from my last trip.
I really just dropped by to check out their lunch specials. I’m totally into bento boxes. They don’t open until 11:30 am and their special is a choice of miso or clear soup and a house salad or cucumber with ponzu then your pick of two low end rolls or one high roller. I went with the clear, the cucumber, and a spicy tuna roll and a cali roll. All quite good and I’m encouraged to go back for a more robust sampling of the menu at dinner, but I was really blown away by the architecture and decor. They have made an effort to stand out, and I always appreciate that. Good food in a good environment is what everyone in the restaurant industry strives for. Some are obviously more successful than others. These guys score high.
Here’s a gallery of the interior decor which seems to be an attempt at an industrialized underwater grotto. I like it.
Nothing’s going to blow you away at George’s, it’s not that kind of place. Dark, down home, basic sandwich, salad, and blue plate menu. High Life and well cocktails. If someone asks you to meet them there, don’t try to talk them out of it, you’ll have a good time. The food is good, solid, not fabulous but filling, and there’s a lot of it. I don’t go there a lot, but I’ve been thinking about their prime burger the Heavy Hit. Lots of cheese and avocado, but when I got there I was distracted by the Reuben on special. I never go out of my way for a Reuben, but when one jumps up in front of me like today, I’m very likely to snag it. Not a bad Reuben. Not bad at all.
Like I said, George’s has never been a go to for me, but whenever I’m there, I feel comfortable, and leave satisfied.
I had some business on campus so I decided to hit The 5 instead of the kiosk food court in the Union. I’m always going to take memory lane to where I want to go, so the stroll through the Enchanted Forest and the peek into the Pentagon dorm courtyard brought back all those Friday afternoons where the stereo wars would fill the courtyard with Janice and Jimi, Stones and Led Zep and The Who. Fine times.
So the view is pretty similar, but the Enchanted Forest is a lot brighter and more open since they eliminated the surrounding fencing and hedges. Probably not even spooky at night. The Pentagon cafeteria has been changed quite a bit inside though. Now called The Five, the old chow line is long gone. Instead, serve yourself stations are scattered throughout the dining hall. Not quite Hogwarts, but a whole lot of good food to choose from. Staples like the salad and deli and fruit bars. Cereals and beverages. The pizza counter. And hot stations throughout were the menu rotates. Here’s a few photos of what was available on my visit.
Like I said, a whole lot of options. And that, to me, is the true beauty of The Five. It will speak directly to the you of your late teen years, coming home and raiding the pantry and fridge for monster meals–except The Five has a whole lot more food than your mom could ever keep on hand. You can put together any number of plates to fit your mood and your needs. I immediately saw the possibility of an Italian plate with a slice of pizza, a wedge of muffaletto, some surprisingly good meatballs (not really all that surprising, all the food was very good, well above average) and a bit of pasta salad along with some strawberry lemon iced tea.
And then I pushed myself because I thought it would be neat to make my own ham and turkey sandwich, dressed how I like it, with some house made chips. And chocolate pudding. And fruit infused agua.
And you know how I go on and on about art and ambiance, but when you’ve got a view like this, what else do you need?
Went down to NO to visit friends this weekend. Had a great time at Haiku Sushi on Magazine, played at Henry’s uptown bar, enjoyed the smoked salmon and all the condiments with fresh croissants at the Hyatt Regency’s breakfast buffet, but the highlight of the trip (culinary highlight, there were plenty of highlights) was lunch at Taqueria Corona. I’ve lived in NO twice, been down to visit any number of times, but I sometimes think if I were only allowed to go down there once more, I would definitely find a way to work Taqueria Corona into the schedule.
I can’t eat as much at one sitting as I used to be able too, and I only get down to NO every so often, so I’ve come up with a favorite order for the Taqueria. The gazpacho, the tongue taco, and the shrimp enchilada. Used to just order the Numbero Tres and chow down, but times have changed, I’ve changed, and this is my go to line up now. If I still lived down there I would probably continue to explore the menu and at least every once in while switch it up and go with the excellent fish tacos, but this time it was all about the tried and true.
Socrates said that the very first sophistry was cooking. That you took food and altered it from its true nature. I used to tell my frycook trainees that cooking was just the application of heat to a dense object. Now I’ve come to believe that you can accomplish one of three things when you cook your food. You can help it. You can hurt it. Or you can hide it. Taqueria Corona consistently brings out the best in every ingredient. Gazpacho is so simple, basically tomato, cucumber and onion so you can take it any direction you want, Italian, Deep South, Mexico, but you always run the risk of losing the tomato, cucumber and onion. Not this taqueria. And I know I’ve compared the lengua at other stores to Taqueria Corona, but that goes away once I’ve had their tongue taco again. It is very simply the best ever. And it would be so easy to lose the shrimp in the magnificent enchilada. So much cheese, the tortilla itself, the sauce, the guac, the sour cream, but not this taqueria. Every flavor stands alone yet works together and the shrimp taste like Shrimp. As good as everything was I still couldn’t finish it all (I did eat every last bite of my tongue taco though) before I had to put the taqueria in the rearview and head back to BR.
Now that could, and probably should, be the end of this post, but I do have a couple more observations from this weekend’s trip back to NO. Since I was going to State and Magazine, I checked out of the Hyatt a little early and headed over to the Tulane campus for a little walkabout. It’s been such a long time since I worked on campus for Marriott when they had the concession and catering contract for the whole campus. I was married at the time, and memory lane reminded me of how the drama of being newly married distracted me from living in the moment, appreciating an old and lovely and dangerous and delightful city. I didn’t really remember the campus layout, and I felt that I should. I recognized some of the buildings, remembered some of the people I worked with, but again, my memory of that time isn’t nearly as clear as it should be, or as I want it to be. Comme ci, comme ça. Life happens. Here is a shot of the duplex on Audubon Street where a good portion of that part of life happened to me, and for me.
