Author: Ernie Seals

I headed over to Blue Corn to try their tamales and quickly fell prey to their tacos lengua, and carnitas, and baja shrimp. Seriously, I was powerless to resist.

My greatest weakness is the marvelous lengua. When I walk out of Taqueria Corona on Magazine in New Orleans, I swear to myself that theirs is the best lengua I’ve ever had. Until I make it back to Blue Corn and say the same thing. I’m really very happy that a side by side comparison isn’t feasible. It is perhaps the most satisfying debate I have ever had with myself. I’ve cooked beef tongue at the house, but, much like brisket, it is so time consuming to do it right, why wouldn’t you visit someone else who does it much better than you anyway? I’ve finally realized the only way to get past the lengua taco is to revisit the very next day to try something else. And I really want to explore this menu.

I might have to pull this same stunt at Jed’s Local to get past their wings, And I can tell I’m going to have trouble getting over the gin-cured salmon at Solera as well. But this trip I did get to dig into the Tamales Oaxaquenos. So glad I did. So much better with shredded pork in green sauce and shredded chicken in red than the Delta tamales that are barely better than canned chili. I will have these again. But first there will be another double trip of tacos followed by the house enchiladas the next day.

Zoёs has that eat healthy Mediterranean vibe rather than the darker, traditional Lebanese feel we are so used to here in BR. The lighting is turned up, the food is intentionally brighter looking and tasting, and it is noticeably different from old school Middle Eastern in its attempt to emphasize fast and fresh. And they are very succesful with it. I’m not saying it’s better because it is too different in approach to really make a comparison with Arzi’s and Roman’s and Serop’s and Albasha, but I have to admit, those four are very much alike, and this change of pace is deliberately refreshing. No Lebanese tea so I went with a delicious cucumber seltzer instead. The entire trip was worth it for the side of tumeric rice alone, light and at the same time deeply flavorful. And the falafel pita was made with green chickpeas rather than the more standard brown garbanzo. Very much a fan of the green. I also enjoyed the tzatziki and feta and cabbage and it was a good sized and very filling sandwich. A woman outside on the patio was eating some pressed steak tortilla rollups and I think I’ll give those a try next time because I really like the place and find myself out that way fairly often so I’ll definitely hit them up again soon.

This was my first time hitting the Dim Sum brunch at Soji, and it was very good. Also very reasonable, six dollars a plate. I went with the dumplings, the bao, and the rice noodle wrapped Wagyu beef. Delicious. I like to get over to Soji early and sit at the raw bar so I can shoot the shit with whoever’s prepping there. Heard a disturbing rumor that Dim Sum Restaurant on Airline has shut down, but I haven’t been able to verify that yet since they are only open Thursday-Sunday. I sure hope they haven’t closed. I also learned that the executive chef and several line cooks at Solera were once Soji employees. Interesting, and it definitely shows since both stores share a superb attention to detail, both in execution and presentation. Shared a bunch of war stories with the sushi chef of the day. Even dug deep to the Christmas Eve shift at the Famous Enterprise Fish Co in Santa Monica when the manager shut down the other exhibition mesquite grill station prematurely and I ended up doing seven hundred covers myself that night. It’s fun to talk to the youngsters, especially the ones that are really into it and get excited about getting in a great slab of toro or fresh salmon. Here’s a few more food porn shots from the Dim Sum brunch outing.

When I found myself out by Pocorello’s, I stopped by to try their meatball poboy, but got sidetracked by the Italian Sausage poboy. I’ll have to go back for the meatball poboy of course, and sooner or later drive back by to try their muffaletta. This place is so old school. Might as well be Anthony’s, just on the other side of town.

Now I definitely wouldn’t have minded a little bit more sausage on the poboy they gave me, but the bread, the sauce, the provolone were spot on. Really good sandwich, just would have been that much better with a little more meat on it.

This may have been the best mushroom Swiss burger I’ve ever had. Pretty sure they sautéed the mushrooms with white pepper, just like we used to do for the Joliet Rouge topping at Mike Anderson’s. The onion jam is a great addition, as is the arugula. And the homemade pickles that still taste a lot like cucumbers are fantastic as well. But it could be that part of my enthusiasm for the place is the employees’ enthusiasm. The counter people, the cooks, the bussers all have that happy swagger that lets you know that they know they are consistently hitting it out of the park. When you have a good product and you know your team is doing a great job, it just creates a spark that spreads throughout the building. Customers and employees and delivery folk all feel like they’re a part of something that counts, that makes a difference. It’s a rare thing, you definitely don’t see and feel it everywhere, but when you do, it really encourages you to rush back and try something new on the menu.

Wondering what to do with all those veggies you picked up at the Farmer’s Market? Gazpacho is really just a veggie smoothie poured in a bowl and eaten as a soup. You can slice the avocado as a garnish, or just toss it in the food processor with everything else. I like to use a little roasted garlic olive oil to help pull it all together, and this time I added a bit of roasted garlic aioli I picked up at the Fresh Market. Now, just like a cucumber and tomato salad, you can take the seasoning in whatever direction you want, including Indian, which goes great with a fresh, chilled veggie soup.

This is my favorite lunch special at Parrain’s. Only on Tuesdays and always in competition with half-price half-shell oysters but every six weeks or so I’ve got to stop by and have this dish. The sauce is both rich and light at the same time, as if that’s even possible, and every component is always cooked to perfection. Great lunch, every time I’ve had it.

These remind me both of my childhood and also of grad school when I would power prep at the end of the semester for a long weekend of knocking out multiple term papers. I would bake off a dozen chicken thighs and hard boil a dozen eggs and cook off a pound of spaghetti and sauce it on a Thursday night before throwing everything in the fridge and running off to play at The Bayou or The Chimes or Chelsea’s or sometimes all three. I’d sleep it off Friday and then get up around noon and stand in front of the fridge and chow down without even bothering to plate anything before I got down and dirty with the writing. Sometimes it would take five or more drafts just to get that first paragraph set up good enough to roll the whole essay off of. I didn’t quit smoking until after I got my degree, so I usually blew through a carton of Marlboro Reds as well. I know everyone has their own style and strategy for getting things done, and I never procrastinated, but I did spend a good bit of time getting set up for a writing marathon. I still enjoy cold spaghetti, and hard boiled eggs, and cold baked chicken thighs. But I do generally take the time to at least put them on a paper plate and close the door of the fridge. Maturity is a very hard thing to escape.

I had to have this because to me it is an unsung homage to the Magnolia Special at the Magnolia Cafe in St. Francisville. That one is also turkey and Swiss, but with actual guacamole to go with the alfalfa sprouts. Guac and sprouts and cheese is a powerful topping for damn near anything. Sharp cheddar, guac, and sprouts was the hamburger setup for the Austin Special at Mad Dog and Beans in Austin. That was quite some time ago. I do the Austin Special as a slider every now and then. Good eats. The big advantage to having this one at Jed’s is the opportunity to get a side of their incredible wings to go with. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to walk in the door at Jed’s again and resist the wings, so I just have to resign myself to getting a go box if I want to have anything else there along with the wings. Not whining, not complaining, we all fall prey to a favorite here or there that blocks access to the rest of the menu. Jed’s does good poboys though, so maybe it’s not a bad idea to bring a friend who wouldn’t mind splitting an order of wings instead of adding fries.

If this monster looks savagely overstuffed to you that is because it is definitely savagely overstuffed. I could not finish it off in house. And it was a mess to eat. Load up on napkins when you go. As good as it was though, I’m pretty sure trying it out was just an excuse to go to Curbside and get another of their incredible Cookies and Cream shakes. I took what was left of the shake with me out to the car when I left and added it to my travel mug of coffee that I couldn’t bring inside because, well, no outside food or drink. Nice combination. Also a nice band had started up on the patio. I could definitely see planning a brunch outing here when the weather gets better and Ubering over with a friend or two to try out their boozy shakes. (I hope. If the summer ever ends.)