Mayhaw Man

OK. I'll get to the food, but first a story (or two, this might take a minute). Back in the mid 80's I used to frequent a serious dive of a Central City bar called The Glass House. The Glass House was basically a house that had been turned into a small bar. It was dark. Very dark. The only real lighting was a light over the cash register and a bunch of cheap Christmas tree lights. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, the most influential brass band in the history of New Orleans Jazz, held crowds of primarily locals in their grasp, night after night, by laying down some of the most amazing musical sounds to ever come out of brass instruments and drums. The crowd consisted primarily of black brass fans and white hipsters (I once looked up and found myself dancing next to David Byrne-who was in a complete trance). Sometime in the mid 90's they started doing something else, with electronics, and became a big favorite of the Jam Band crowd. So today, at the Jazz Festival, they reunited in their original form, to play all of the old stuff. They were on a very small stage, The Heritage Stage (whoever thought this up should get an award-it's a great new addition), and drew a crowd that knew the tunes and got it . They were in the middle of a blowout set, I was dancing in the mud like a whirling dervish on speed, and I looked up at the stage to see my 11 year old son, Graham (a cello and bass player with a fair degree of aptitude) in the middle of the stage playing a cowbell (right on time, I might proudly add) next to Roger Lewis, the great bari sax player for The Dozen. This kid not only scammed his way back stage, but he ended up on it with a cowbell playing rhythm with one of the most rhythmic bands on the face of the planet. It was a stunner. I was speechless. He was grinning his face off, having a great time. It was pretty much a wonderful moment for both of us. Ok. Enough of that. Back to the food Eating was kind of tough right off of the bat. The water was pretty amazing. We had a couple of inches of rain overnight and it was still raining a bit when I got there. I was damp and cool, so I first headed over and got a Cafe Au Lait and some white chocolate bread pudding. I went in and watched Kidd Jordan honk and screech his way through a set of avant garde jazz (I love this stuff, but it is a bit challenging for the average fan and you can always depend on plenty of seats being available after the first tune) and ate bread pudding and drank coffee. It was very pleasant. After all that discordance, I needed to get right. I went and got a plate of smothered chicken with cabbage and rice and cornbread. This is one of the secret bargains at the Fairgrounds. It's a full on meal size portion and it is absolutely delicious. The chicken is nicely turned and the cabbage is just right-spicy, just a hair greasy, and roughly chopped. Plent of rice and a nicely sized piece of cornbread (sweet, the way that you find it here most of the time). After a bit more music (Drink Small, Old Crowe Medicine Show, Madeline Peyroux) I needed some quick, cheap energy for a full on three stage blitz for the late afternoon. I had a mango freeze, and iced coffee, a strawberry shortcake (which was truly outstanding-if I had gotten it in a nice restaurant I would have been pleased) and then got a big rosemint tea with honey to follow me around for the evening dash. I started off at The Dozen and watched the whole set. The minute it was over, I grabbed cowbell boy and we ran down the track to Elvis Costello. I looked at the stage and there, along with Elvis, was David Hidalgo. That did it for me. I ended the day watching two of my all time musical heroes playing everything from The Dead (great version of Bertha) to Smokey Robinson to Elvis C's greatest hits. On the way out of the Fairgrounds Graham and I both got catfish po boys to eat in the car on the way home. It's been a great day. I know that stomping around in the mud eating and dancing is not appealing to everybody, and a nice day is always nice, but today as I was walking out of the Fairgrounds I was very, very glad that I was alive. Still life with beer cans. It was just a touch wet this morning at the beginning of the festivities But it ended up being a pretty decent day (this photo is from Thursday, but it is really about the signs-you will notice no corn dogs, caramel corn, or funnel cake) And a gratuitous picture of most of my family, just because I can (she does have tea in her hand, so it could, broadly, be a food picture. (and I just noticed that she has a Montgomery Biscuits hat on!) And as Scarlett famously said, " Tomorrow is another day" And I can't wait.

Eyebrow? That's nothing. We'll stand in a foot of water if there is some good food to be had. We know that it's all about the food and not so much about the atmosphere. As my friend Fred Flames says, "New Orleans is a city with a very low standard of living and a very high quality of life." That's pretty much the truest thing that I have ever read about New Orleans. Except for my pal Bux, who recently opined, "Nobody in New Orleans understands clean living and outdoor exercise"

It's raining. Alot. Thunder, tornado warning, some hail this morning, not looking good til late afternoon. The radio guys are in full "parade weather reporting mode" In New Orleans you can, literally, be standing in driving rain and the radio guys will be saying something like, "We can see a clear spot over Boutte and it should be over the city shortly. It will be sunny and warm out on the route. Lots of folks out enjoying the atmosphere! Come on out!" Well, I am gathering up the chirrens and heading for the Fairgrounds shortly. As far as I am concerned a little rain just keeps the amateurs in the Quarter and leaves the Fairgrounds to the pros and the idiots ( I like to think that I am both). Today, I will be trying the new Papusa's over by the jazz tent. Enjoying a little Jama Jama over by Congo Square and some strawberry lemonade . Somewhere in there I will squeeze in a bag of hot, fresh cracklins and a canoli or two (frozen canolis are the bomb-you should try this at home!). For the late afternoon I will enjoy a couchon de lait poboy and then walk out of the Fairgrounds with a softshell crab poboy (sorry Brett, but you just got a bad one). Coincidentally, while I was typing this I am listening to WWOZ (you can listen to some of the music at the Fairgrounds live, all day, with this link) and a tornado warning came on (you know the one-"if this were a real emergency" etc. ) and after the Weather Service guy started talking about tornado sightings they actually cut it off, turned on the Neville Brothers (a fabulous version of Bob Dylan's "God on their Side") and then later came on and announced that "The Fair is Open! The Fair is Open! Stop calling us and call your friends and tell them that the fair is open! Get off your rusty dusty and head on out!" See you there! Bring some shoes you can leave in the mud and some clothes that you don't like. It's a beautiful day in New Orleans. Really. Just turn on the radio. They'll tell you.

This is my favorite. Good reading too!

Here is what Brett Anderson, Picayune Food Guy, eats. And here's where to get the stuff. And some tips and hints from the guys who make this stuff And here is what a whole krewe of freeloading eaters thinks I was a food taster back in the 80's and a "music taster" (hard to explain, but a good gig, trust me) after that. While there are certainly food items that are better than others, there is almost nothing that is bad. Trust your instincts. After all, what you really need to deal with something as overstimulating as the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is very simple-Motion, Rhythm, and Instinct. When you manage to get them all synched at the same time, and it's not as easy as it sounds-it just kind of happens-you'll be in a groove that cannot be beat on this plane. I'll be out of touch except for the very early morning hours for the next couple of days. There's fun to be had, music to be heard, and food to be eaten. It's a hell of thing, this Jazz Festival, and not a funnel cake or corn dog in sight (not that they are bad or anything, but I'm just saying). Happy Jazz Festival!

Jimmy knows, he spent some time in Gulf Shores. ← He grew up in Mobile. So, either Gulf Shores or Dauphin Island was the beach to him growing up. His sister, Lulu, has a restaurant just down the road from the Florabama.

Here is a VERY long and sometimes heated discussion about dining with children in high end restaurants I did not merge the two topics as there are lots of new people here who still haven't had the chance to, well, vent about this subject. As I was reading through the older thread I realized that I might as well get this outof the way... This thread is not about your children. It is about those other children so don't take it personally and get all wound up. It's a discussion, not a personal battle for the rights of all children.

Well, just to be clear, the NYT hardly broke this story. That was more like a farewell piece. It has been pretty common knowledge for months that Anthony was giving it up. I will give him credit for keeping everybody in semi suspense by going back and forth on what he was doing. I'll miss it, but really, it's not like people here won't be able to find anywhere to eat lunch. What will be really interesting is to see if anybody will try to open up there. It's not much of a place, building wise, and only the superior food kept it going for this long (that and the fact that out of town writers loved the place because it seemed so "down home" and "real New Orleans" and it was in a crumbling neighborhood. They loved it. The food WAS sometimes fabulous, and I loved going there when it wasn't too busy. They are really nice people and I wish them the best and a happy retirement. Lord knows they've earned it.

Alrighty Then. There is a danger that this topic, which is totally valid, is about to turn into an extension of the other discussion going on concerning cash and credit cards. This topic is about tipping and how and why you choose to use one type of payment or the other-NOT the benefits of credit over cash or cash over credit. Also, I would ask you to be very careful when making charges about the tax paying habits of servers (unless you are telling a story about yourself), as generalizations are generally for people who generalize, generally. Specifics only. Please do not turn this into a financial debate, as clearly that is more of an argument for "endlessroundandroundarguments.com" and not for a food related organization such as the one that you are using now. Thanks in advance for your cooperation. You people are the greatest!

I love Uglesich's. Had lunch there last week-and I can tell you that if I had not been with someone who had "the hookup" (kids today, such colorful lingo!) I would have been on the sidewalk for two hours waiting to get in. I love it, and if I was from out of town I might be willing to wait for two hours for the experience and the food, but not as a local with so many other totally worthy options. This week, you can expect the lines to be much worse than last week. If you have never had the chance, just wait in line. You'll be glad you did. And, this being New Orleans, you will probably make some great new friends while you are waiting (and thanks to out civilized drinking rules, you can enjoy a soothing beverage or two while you wait without fear of trouble from the container police ) Don't forget the MoFest this Monday and Tuesday! There is a particularly funky lineup on Tuesday night. Let me know if you are going to be around, I'll buy you a beverage out on the Riverfront. There are lots of great "in-stores this week in some pretty odd locations, make sure that you check out the Gambit and Offbeat for the listings.

I'm only saying this once, because all of you are so well behaved that I won't need to say it again... This is an interesting discussion and it is about cash and restaurants-not about the joys and evils of our credit card habits and the social and economic ramifications of cash vs. credit. Please keep things directed towards the original topic, which was food oriented, or I will be forced to "taunt you a second time".

I come by it naturally, a long line of them, in fact (see W. Brooks Oliver) (or his daddy for that matter)

Maybe it depends on where you live, but I am a cash guy. I use real cash more often than not for stuff under $50 or so. If I am traveling, this is still the case. For one thing, I have always like paying for stuff in "gazoonies" (international sailors term for foriegn currency ) as it gives you the chance to interact with the locals in a way that is not possible when you just hand them a card. In fact, my first stumbling attempts at Spanish were probably all intertwined with paying for stuff. The same holds true here at home, cash transactions are generally somthing that can generate some kind of conversation that can lead me to a great barbeque place, a fine plate of tamales, the best bowl of pho, or a papusa and a tamarind drink worthy of any kind of transaction-cash, credit, or washing dishes for an hour. Handing over a credit card does not, for whatever reason, generate the same kind of conversation. But, the issue here is not cash and travel, but restaurants that don't take credit cards. It seems like the vast majority of places these days takes some kind of credit card, regardless of the size of the business. I will say, however, that as somebody who helps people (small food producers) set up standard and "card not present" accounts, it's not just a simple matter of saying, "Hey! We should take credit cards so that they won't whine about us on eGullet." Under current law (as part of the Patriot Act-seriously), every credit card account must be personally guaranteed by somebody. Regardless of the size of the business, whether it is a corporation or some woman selling jelly at a farmer's market. I have a very recent example, involving one of the most recognizable names in New Orleans who happens to own a giant spice conglomerate, going through hell trying to get a new account with a company that he had another account with for years. It had nothing to do with credit worthiness, but it did have to do with the fact that these companies now require a social security number to be attached to every account being used (they had, rightfully, some seerious issues with personal info being used to set up a corporate account). There is also the credit aspect and some people, even if or because they have a new business, are too far past "sparkling credit" to get a credit card account. The implication that some have made here that the reason that people don't take credit cards is because they are planning to not pay taxes, might be true some of the time, but I don't really believe that it is the case all of the time. Many people are down to their last thin dime when they open up and are risking everything they have just to make a go of it-they might even realize that they need to take credit cards-and they just can't get it together to do it. And there probably is something to the fees and percentages required by credit card processors. 4% may not sound like much to some of you, but small restaurants are not places to get rich in the best of circumstances and that 4% might be the difference in between paying the bills and actually having some money at the end of the month. You don't even want me to get started on how hard this "guarantee" rule has made it for a Canadian company to do business online in the US with an American credit card processor. It's basically impossible. So I guess what it comes down to, for me, is that if it is good and worth seeking out, I am going to pay for it however the people that prepared it want me to. I am there to eat, not to tell them how to run their business. Besides that, getting a little cash to exchange for a worthy meal seems like a small effort to me. But I guess I'm still stuck in the twentieth century.

Dave only serves diners of the highest caliber. Of course, in my part of the world, that would not rule out hicks. There are some very high caliber hicks down here. In fact, I probably qualify as one.

Recently I saw Sara Moulton speak in New Orleans-during the Tennessee Williams Festival on a platform with Bill Grimes and Poppy Z Brite- and she said exactly the same thing. She pointed out that her last book had sold pretty well and that she was getting another out as quickly as possible "while she was still on TV" She went on to say that she completely understood that the books would not have sold nearly as well were she not a recognizable face and if she did not have the TV exposure several days a week. If any of you ever get a chance to hear her speak, she is glib, funny, and amazingly outspoken. Absolutely not afraid to bite the hands that feed her.

Popeye's still has them, at least at the Copeland owned franchises in New Orleans. They're a bargain, too. They used to GIVE them away for like a dollar a quart. We used to get them for crab and crawfish bait. They were cheaper and easier to get than fish parts.

All of these would be something that I would eat. Especially the peach. Wrong? Perhaps. Good? Probably.

Todd, I heard the same thing the other night when I was at dinner with a few Northshore rest. people. I didn't actually believe them (they gossip like old ladies on washday-it's best to source this stuff yourself) but it's odd that Dave is in Shreveport and heard the same thing. It would really be a shame. I have only been there a couple of times, but have really enjoyed it on all occasions-except that I can't get past the fact that I hate that big ass casino at the end of Canal.

Bess's Ettoufee This one is not Brooksie's, but pretty close. This is the recipe of a Delta woman, my best friend's mama, who married a New York Dr. (Joe Baum's (Windows on the World) nephew, come to think of it) in Lafayette during the war. She could cook. Lord, she could cook. She had the first commercial stove in a home kitchen that I ever saw. She knew what to do with it. Sadly, she passed a few years ago, but her recipes live on. This one has no tomatoes. While I have some recipes that do, this is pretty close to the traditional deal, I think. (and yes, it's got a can of mushroom soup in it, and I use it, but if you just hate cans and can't deal with it make a white roux (beurre blanc) with 1/2 cup of butter and 1/2 cup flour -but the soups easier and better) Be sure and visit the Gumbo, Jambalaya, Etouffee, Creole..., Please Advise thread for more than you ever wanted to know! 2 lb cleaned shrimp 1/2 lb butter 2 T all purpose flour 3 large yellow onions 1 medium bell pepper (you pick the color, although green would be the normal) 3 ribs celery 1 can cream of mushroom soup 2 c shrimp stock (or any other you have around, but shrimp is best) 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped salt to taste black pepper to taste good dash of cayenne paprika (hot kind if you have it) 1/2 c green onion tops Season shrimp to taste with salt, pepper, and cayenne Melt butter and add flour, cook until incorporated, not dark and add the onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic Cook til wilted Add can of soup Mix well and simmer few minutes until smooth Add shrimp and 1 1/2 cups stock and simmer 30 min or so Add the rest of the stock just before serving and stir til smooth Season with more salt and and pepper and add the paprika for color Add onion tops to top of ettoufee after it is placed over good white rice I highly reccomend some good rice for this. While certainly Konriko or something woud be traditional, a nicely flavored rice like Jasmine or Texmati adds much to the dish. Serve with salad and warm, crusty bread Keywords: Main Dish, Seafood ( RG1219 )

Bess's Ettoufee This one is not Brooksie's, but pretty close. This is the recipe of a Delta woman, my best friend's mama, who married a New York Dr. (Joe Baum's (Windows on the World) nephew, come to think of it) in Lafayette during the war. She could cook. Lord, she could cook. She had the first commercial stove in a home kitchen that I ever saw. She knew what to do with it. Sadly, she passed a few years ago, but her recipes live on. This one has no tomatoes. While I have some recipes that do, this is pretty close to the traditional deal, I think. (and yes, it's got a can of mushroom soup in it, and I use it, but if you just hate cans and can't deal with it make a white roux (beurre blanc) with 1/2 cup of butter and 1/2 cup flour -but the soups easier and better) Be sure and visit the Gumbo, Jambalaya, Etouffee, Creole..., Please Advise thread for more than you ever wanted to know! 2 lb cleaned shrimp 1/2 lb butter 2 T all purpose flour 3 large yellow onions 1 medium bell pepper (you pick the color, although green would be the normal) 3 ribs celery 1 can cream of mushroom soup 2 c shrimp stock (or any other you have around, but shrimp is best) 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped salt to taste black pepper to taste good dash of cayenne paprika (hot kind if you have it) 1/2 c green onion tops Season shrimp to taste with salt, pepper, and cayenne Melt butter and add flour, cook until incorporated, not dark and add the onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic Cook til wilted Add can of soup Mix well and simmer few minutes until smooth Add shrimp and 1 1/2 cups stock and simmer 30 min or so Add the rest of the stock just before serving and stir til smooth Season with more salt and and pepper and add the paprika for color Add onion tops to top of ettoufee after it is placed over good white rice I highly reccomend some good rice for this. While certainly Konriko or something woud be traditional, a nicely flavored rice like Jasmine or Texmati adds much to the dish. Serve with salad and warm, crusty bread Keywords: Main Dish, Seafood ( RG1219 )

I am sure that your restaurant is spotless Dave. You should come down here and hold classes on this. Have you ever seen some of those kitchens in the Quarter? Yikes. It doesn't stop me from eating, but it does give me something to think about if I am bored at the dinner table.

Wedding Cake is one of my old standbys (it's basically like combining almond and vanilla). I like it with a little condensed milk over the top. I will most likely have one mid afternoon Friday at the Fairgrounds.

My friend is a brazen scofflaw. A well known ne'er-do-well and a lover of good fun. I, on the other hand, am a law abiding taxpayer. We ARE talking about my friend here. But, to address the point you just made, the major objection, historically, to home distilling has been resale as no excise tax gets collected by the feds (this tax, in fact, has been the source of trouble for a couple of hundred years)- . Believe me, a few otherwise law abiding home distillers are not going to get the BATF too wound up. My friend actually called the BATF and they told him as much (and this was pre 9/11-when they actually had some time for these things). You can feel pretty safe with a 10 gallon still in your garage. It's pretty funny though, when my friend was building his still he had the parts made at several different metal shops, thinking that would be a good way to keep from getting any attention, without fail everyone of them asked about it when my friend went to pick it up. One guy actually ended up not charging him in exchange for a little taste of the final product.

You can do that, but the problem comes into the level of unfermentable material in low grade molasses, kind of like dirt dirt. This is kind of what you will end up with caked up all over the inside of the still and being transferred through the process. The stuff tends to foam badly and that makes it very hard to work with. You can actually use Turbinado Sugar (think "sugar in the raw") by inverting it and the fermenting. It works great. Turbinado can be had cheap in bulk, if you can find a supplier. It is also refferred to as "turbs" in the sugar industry. This is the stage where it is, more or less, just granulized molasses.

I'm not that far from th' source. Was thinking that Louisiana Cane Syrup or Molasses would make a reasonable substitute, though. ← As someone who, umm, knows someone who has made a fair amount of rum-Louisiana Molasses works great and is easy to work with. The downside of fully processed syrup, while making a very tasty product, is that it is very expensive to buy in bulk. Molasses can be had for a song, although I don't know how hard it is to get outside of Louisiana. Home distilling can be a lot of fun, though. Although I can promise you that you won't remember what you did the first time, so write everything down in careful detail. Even Carrie Nation couldn't resist fresh rum coming right out of the worm. I think that it's much more fun than hombrewing. Or, that's what my friend says anyway. Edited to say that when you are sourcing molasses you are looking for "fancy grade". Many of the industrial grades do not have enough residual sugar to make the fermented concentrate that you will need.