Mayhaw Man

75 give or take My favorites are Cotton COuntry Collection, a Junior League book from Monroe, LA. and Come On In, another Jr League Book from Jackson, MS. I use Craig Claibornes New York Times Cookbook alot. I also use the Silver Palate and River Road (Lafayette Jr League) some As far as food writers go I like Calvin Trillin and John Edgerton. THe best food book going in recent years (imho) is Smokestack Lightning. A great BBQ book by Lolis Elie, a writer on the staff of the Times Picayune paper in NO. Incredibly well researched, insightful and funny.

Uptown- Camellia Grill Jaucqes Imo's (not entirely cheap and takes reservations) Frankie and Johnnies Mid CIty Katies Liuzza's Rock n Bowl (fun and the foods not bad for late night fare) Mandina's (not so cheap but really good and real New Orleans(drunk local socialites)) Quarter Johnnies Po Boys Central Grocery Verdi Mart (premier late night dining and killer people watching) Mona's Any Lucky Dog Cart I am not listing stuff others have listed and this list is not comprehensive. New Orleans is one of the best cheap eating cities in the country. As my friend Fred Flames puts it "New Orleans is a city with a very low standard of living and a very high quality of life"

Brooksie's Tomato Basil Pie This is an easy pie to make and will totally impress guests for breakfast, brunch, dinner, or supper. The key is great tomatoes and fresh basil. Really good cheese helps as well. Pre Bake Shell Slice tomatoes (number depends on size and type-5 creoles usually gets the job done) and dry on paper towels Layer in this order 1/2 of the Tomatoes (salt and pepper them in the shell) Chopped green onions and 1/2 of the basil Repeat Layer on cheeses (use buffalo milk mozz if you can get it, regular mozz if not) Blend Sour Cream and mayo and layer on top Bake at 350F until the whole thing bubbles evenly (about 15-20 min) Let pie cool a bit and slice. Eat. For me, if summer could be canned, this is what it would taste like. ( RG1075 )

Brooksie's Tomato Basil Pie This is an easy pie to make and will totally impress guests for breakfast, brunch, dinner, or supper. The key is great tomatoes and fresh basil. Really good cheese helps as well. Pre Bake Shell Slice tomatoes (number depends on size and type-5 creoles usually gets the job done) and dry on paper towels Layer in this order 1/2 of the Tomatoes (salt and pepper them in the shell) Chopped green onions and 1/2 of the basil Repeat Layer on cheeses (use buffalo milk mozz if you can get it, regular mozz if not) Blend Sour Cream and mayo and layer on top Bake at 350F until the whole thing bubbles evenly (about 15-20 min) Let pie cool a bit and slice. Eat. For me, if summer could be canned, this is what it would taste like. ( RG1075 )