Mayhaw Man

Poppy, No one minds, at all. Glad to see you here. So many tourists, so little help. And while we are on the subject of, well, you..I really enjoyed the other morning's chat with William Grimes, Sara Moulton, and you. It was a good panel discussion even though I would have liked to see it go a bit longer. Grimes was pretty funny. Somehow I hadn't expected that at all.

Chez Fairgrounds is my dining spot of choice for seven of the next ten or so days. Casual dress is encouraged. No reservations required. Music and Dancing Daily. The problem with making a bunch of dining reservations during the Jazz Festival is timing. There is no way to catch the end of the last act (7:15) get to your hotel (let's say 8 just for the sake of argument) take a shower and get to the restaurant (let's say 9) and not just be beat before the end of dinner. I think that it is much better to only eat out big maybe once and just hit places that are more casual in the evening. Of course, my entire opinion is based on the fact that I go see music for much of the night every night for a week, and eating big meals just gets in the way. But, since you insist, I will make a new list and post it. Some things have changed recently from some of the lists in the forum-although some things haven't so make sure to read over those.

What kind of Greek dog do you have?

Considering that this is the Southern Food Culture forum and you are the host, do you have a favorite deviled egg recipe? Would smoked catfish or a garnish of crawfish (I call them crawdads here on the West coast) be out of the question? ← If you look at the link under "it's about the plate" you will see my favorite-although I must admit that the recipe with the capers was awfully tasty. Also, as you read about the tasting, picture the logisitics involved in putting that thing together. That's a bunch of eggs. It was a ton of work. I am still in awe of that whole tasting project. It was well attended and the audience had a great time. Fortunately the crowd cleared out before the eggs began to have their inevitable effect.

I love this pot. I wrote about it in my foodblog that I did about this time last year. For those of you that take a look, the strawberries that you see in there are at their peak right now. They are really great this year. If you are wondering where the line between food enthusiast and food nerd is, I think that I just found it. I actually took a picture of a pot. BUT THIS IS NOT JUST ANY POT! This is my grandmothers pot. It is a Drip Drop Baster (patented 1913, according to the stamp on the bottom of the pot). This thing came to me with the roll of a pair of dice and that was one lucky hit. All of the grandchildren rolled dice for all of the stuff in my Grandmother's house that my mom and her sisters didn't want or need. It sounds weird, but it was really fun and I think all of us will remember that afternoon for the rest of our lives. I scored lots of stuff (including a table with these really ornate lions feet that was hauled in a wagon by my great, great grandfather from Georgia to East Texas in the 1840's) but the pot was the best. It has an insert for roasting and is of carbon steel construction (it is kind of a pain to keep shiny as you can tell from the photo, but it has a very thick bottom and cooks like a dream. The lid fits tight and the fact that I am cooking in a pot that my Grandmother cooked out of right after she got married and my Mom and her sisters ate out of when they were kids is just too much come times. I love that pot. I got some awesome tin cookie cutters that are God knows how old-they are shaped like barn animals-I love those things. You know you're eating good when you are eating sugar cookies shaped like chickens, cows, ducks, and mules. laugh.gif

Chicken and Dumplings. Cookie smells are ok and everthing, but chicken and dumplings, well...I would think pretty hard about buying a house trailer with a broken washing machine in the front yard and an old car seat from a 70 Nova on the front porch if they had a good batch of chicken and dumplings going on the stove.

Delta Delight Squash Casserole Marlene made this for her Canadian "southern-style" Christmas which she reported on her Blog 2 c sliced yellow squash 1 c chopped white onion 1 stack Ritz crackers 1 c good cheddar, grated fine 1 Large egg ½ cup milk 1 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper ¼ lb. Melted Butter Cook squash with onions until done (transluscent onions). Crush crackers and mix with grated cheese. Beat eggs with milk. Add to cooked and well drained squash and onions mixture. Pour into greased casserole and sprinkle with remaining cheese cracker mixture. Bake a 400F for twenty min. or until bubbly and slightly brown. I'll bet any Southerner can take one look at this and know exactly what to do. Me? I had questions. "Cook squash with onions until done". Ok, but how do I cook them: boil, saute? etc. It took me a while to figure out that I should saute them in the butter. Becasue no where in this recipe does it tell me what to do with the 1/4 lb of butter it calls for. Great, next: "Crush crackers and mix with grated cheese. Beat eggs with milk. Add to cooked and well drained onion mixture. " I had to assume that I mixed the crackers, cheese, squash, milk salt and pepper together. Only because near the end of the recipe it says, top the casserole with cheese and cracker mix. Since it also didn't tell me what to do with the salt and pepper, I just assumed it went into the mix too And finally, can anyone tell me how many crackers constitute a "stack"? Keywords: Side, Easy ( RG1208 )

Delta Delight Squash Casserole Marlene made this for her Canadian "southern-style" Christmas which she reported on her Blog 2 c sliced yellow squash 1 c chopped white onion 1 stack Ritz crackers 1 c good cheddar, grated fine 1 Large egg ½ cup milk 1 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper ¼ lb. Melted Butter Cook squash with onions until done (transluscent onions). Crush crackers and mix with grated cheese. Beat eggs with milk. Add to cooked and well drained squash and onions mixture. Pour into greased casserole and sprinkle with remaining cheese cracker mixture. Bake a 400F for twenty min. or until bubbly and slightly brown. I'll bet any Southerner can take one look at this and know exactly what to do. Me? I had questions. "Cook squash with onions until done". Ok, but how do I cook them: boil, saute? etc. It took me a while to figure out that I should saute them in the butter. Becasue no where in this recipe does it tell me what to do with the 1/4 lb of butter it calls for. Great, next: "Crush crackers and mix with grated cheese. Beat eggs with milk. Add to cooked and well drained onion mixture. " I had to assume that I mixed the crackers, cheese, squash, milk salt and pepper together. Only because near the end of the recipe it says, top the casserole with cheese and cracker mix. Since it also didn't tell me what to do with the salt and pepper, I just assumed it went into the mix too And finally, can anyone tell me how many crackers constitute a "stack"? Keywords: Side, Easy ( RG1208 )

Dorothy's Fried Chicken Be sure and check out the definitive Fried Chicken thread for tips, comments and comparisons on the various different fried chicken recipes in recipeGullet. 1 chicken, cut up Marinade 1 qt cold water 2 tsp baking powder Coating 4 c self-rising flour 3 tsp salt 1-1/2 tsp black pepper 1-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 1-1/2 tsp garlic powder Egg wash 1 c ice cold water 2 eggs Peanut oil Several hours before time to fry the chicken, place cut up pieces in covered container filled with ice water that contains 2 teaspoons of baking powder (this is for one chicken with extra legs, as Brooks and Tom love them). Keep refrigerated until time to fry. Mix SR Flour, salt, black pepper, cayenne, and garlic powder to taste (1 tsp. Salt, ½ tsp peppers and garlic for each cup of flour). Let pieces drain dry and pat with paper towel. Make an egg wash of 2 eggs and 1 cup of ICE COLD water. Dip chicken in egg wash and dredge in flour, making sure that it is completely covered but not lumpy. Place chicken in a large pot or skillet that has a tight fitting lid. The pot should have about an inch of peanut oil in it @ 350F. Cover when bottom of skillet is covered with chicken (Don’t pack it in, this is not a race, it is supper for hungry boys). Cover and cook on medium high for about 12 minutes. Uncover and turn pieces gently, careful to not knock off the flour. Cook for 10 more minutes or so covered, and remove color and brown if needed (most of the time it is not). Place cooked chicken in doubled brown paper sacks with the bottoms lined with paper towels. Keywords: Main Dish, Chicken ( RG1193 )

Dorothy's Fried Chicken Be sure and check out the definitive Fried Chicken thread for tips, comments and comparisons on the various different fried chicken recipes in recipeGullet. 1 chicken, cut up Marinade 1 qt cold water 2 tsp baking powder Coating 4 c self-rising flour 3 tsp salt 1-1/2 tsp black pepper 1-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 1-1/2 tsp garlic powder Egg wash 1 c ice cold water 2 eggs Peanut oil Several hours before time to fry the chicken, place cut up pieces in covered container filled with ice water that contains 2 teaspoons of baking powder (this is for one chicken with extra legs, as Brooks and Tom love them). Keep refrigerated until time to fry. Mix SR Flour, salt, black pepper, cayenne, and garlic powder to taste (1 tsp. Salt, ½ tsp peppers and garlic for each cup of flour). Let pieces drain dry and pat with paper towel. Make an egg wash of 2 eggs and 1 cup of ICE COLD water. Dip chicken in egg wash and dredge in flour, making sure that it is completely covered but not lumpy. Place chicken in a large pot or skillet that has a tight fitting lid. The pot should have about an inch of peanut oil in it @ 350F. Cover when bottom of skillet is covered with chicken (Don’t pack it in, this is not a race, it is supper for hungry boys). Cover and cook on medium high for about 12 minutes. Uncover and turn pieces gently, careful to not knock off the flour. Cook for 10 more minutes or so covered, and remove color and brown if needed (most of the time it is not). Place cooked chicken in doubled brown paper sacks with the bottoms lined with paper towels. Keywords: Main Dish, Chicken ( RG1193 )

White Bean Chili In keeping with my total disdain and complete lack of regard for a "classic bowl of red" I am happy to post my mother's recipe for White Chili. This is known around our house as "Larry/Steve Chili", as Larry Slash Steve (don't ask, no one was ever sure which was right, I'm not sure his mama knew either, so we just called him both-at the same time--this is one of those confusing North Lousiana things that you folks making those cracks about us in the above posts will never understand ). Steve was my mother's carpenter on her lake house and pretty much stopped showing up at the end of the job unless he was promised, in advance, that she would provide this for lunch. Chili robbery, for sure. He finally finished, and oddly, left town. Dealing with my mother can be like that sometimes. I did the same thing a long time ago. Lovely woman, just make sure you finish what you start and get it done on time and as budget. Anyway, I digress. This stuff may or may not be chili by your definition (or even my definition, for that matter) but it's really good. It also freezes really well and is a great thing to double or triple and freeze for those nights when you come home to a bunch of whining, hungry kids that look like starving birds in a nest waiting for their mama to bring them some chewed up worms. This chili is sure to make your children happier that chewed up worms would, so give it a try. You'll thank me. And Mama. From The Cookbook 1 lb large white beans 6 c good chicken stock 2 cloves garlic 2 medium yellow onions 1 T oil 2 4 oz. cans chopped green chilis 2 tsp cumin 1-1/2 tsp ground cloves 1/2 tsp Cayenne 4 c cooked diced chicken thighs (make the stock with them, then eat them) 3 c Grated Monterey Jack Cheese Condiments chopped white onions chopped green onions good shredded cheddar cumin Combine soaked beans, onions, and broth and cook on low simmer for 3 hours (add more broth to keep beans covered if needed. In a skillet, saute onions, garlic, green chilis and seasonings Combine skillet contents with beans-add chicken-cook for another hour Add tabasco and perk up seasonings Serve with cheese on top and any of the following condiments (or all of them, if you feel sparky) ( RG1192 )

White Bean Chili In keeping with my total disdain and complete lack of regard for a "classic bowl of red" I am happy to post my mother's recipe for White Chili. This is known around our house as "Larry/Steve Chili", as Larry Slash Steve (don't ask, no one was ever sure which was right, I'm not sure his mama knew either, so we just called him both-at the same time--this is one of those confusing North Lousiana things that you folks making those cracks about us in the above posts will never understand ). Steve was my mother's carpenter on her lake house and pretty much stopped showing up at the end of the job unless he was promised, in advance, that she would provide this for lunch. Chili robbery, for sure. He finally finished, and oddly, left town. Dealing with my mother can be like that sometimes. I did the same thing a long time ago. Lovely woman, just make sure you finish what you start and get it done on time and as budget. Anyway, I digress. This stuff may or may not be chili by your definition (or even my definition, for that matter) but it's really good. It also freezes really well and is a great thing to double or triple and freeze for those nights when you come home to a bunch of whining, hungry kids that look like starving birds in a nest waiting for their mama to bring them some chewed up worms. This chili is sure to make your children happier that chewed up worms would, so give it a try. You'll thank me. And Mama. From The Cookbook 1 lb large white beans 6 c good chicken stock 2 cloves garlic 2 medium yellow onions 1 T oil 2 4 oz. cans chopped green chilis 2 tsp cumin 1-1/2 tsp ground cloves 1/2 tsp Cayenne 4 c cooked diced chicken thighs (make the stock with them, then eat them) 3 c Grated Monterey Jack Cheese Condiments chopped white onions chopped green onions good shredded cheddar cumin Combine soaked beans, onions, and broth and cook on low simmer for 3 hours (add more broth to keep beans covered if needed. In a skillet, saute onions, garlic, green chilis and seasonings Combine skillet contents with beans-add chicken-cook for another hour Add tabasco and perk up seasonings Serve with cheese on top and any of the following condiments (or all of them, if you feel sparky) ( RG1192 )

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo It all started when I went to the meat market this morning and bought 3 lbs of chicken thighs. These are not Tyson's Plastic, but real chicken cut by real butchers. They are very good. I got 2 lbs of Richard's Pork Sausage and made a couple of stops to fill my vegetable needs. Sausage from Richard's is great --looks like cased ham! This stuff is just awesome. If you can get it I highly reccomend it. They make (imho) the best commercial pork products in the US. For a photo play-by-play, click Here. And, here's the definitive EG thread on Gumbo. Gumbo cooked 'round the world. 3 lb chicken thighs 2 lb pork sausage sliced, into about 1/4" coins Dusting: 2 c flour 1 T salt 1 tsp paprika 1 T cayenne powder 1 tsp cracked black pepper Peanut oil Roux: 1/3 c all purpose flour 1/3 c peanut oil Trinity 2 green peppers (one green and one red or yellow), diced 4 ribs celery, diced 2 medium onions, diced 8 cloves of garlic, minced 1 T dried basil 1 T dried oregano 2 tsp cayenne 2 tsp black fine crushed black pepper 1 T salt 6 c chicken, turkey or pork stock Partially skin the thighs (I like to leave a little fat, adds to the flavor when browning). Dust with spiced flour. Brown the dusted thighs in peanut oil. I like peanut oil as it can take a pretty good beating, adds a nice nutty taste, and you can get it very hot without burning. Turn once and hardly move while they were browning. Remove thighs and place on paper towels. Brown the sausage coins. I like to get it a little toasty. It adds both flavor and texture to the dish. Time to make the roux. You may wish to review my photo essay (linked above) to see the process as it colors. The pan has been drained, but not scraped after the browning of the sausage and chicken. It is placed over very high heat (wide open on a normal burner, Flour and oil added; this mixture is stirred constantly. Scrape up the remainder of the meat as you go. Scrape hard and get it all loose or it will all burn and you will have to start over. First you will have the light roux. Sort of the color of a skinned almond. Medium Roux. Very light brown. At this point I have been stirring about 5 minutes. It is getting very hot. WARNING-This method of making Roux was popularized during Paul Prudhomme's stay as Head Chef at Commander's Palace in New Orleans. The kitchen staff came to call this type of roux "cajun napalm". If you splash and get it on you it will stick to you and burn you badly (if you try to wipe it off while it is hot the burn will just spread) so BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL. Dark Roux. Darker brown; approaching Hershey's chocolate syrup. Now we've gotten there. At this point (maybe 10 minutes in) the oil is just starting to smoke a little bit and I am ready to stop the process. Onion, celery, bell pepper and in. This stops the browning process with the flour and the oil. Stand back as you dump-it can be a pretty lively thing. You are, after all, pouring hot water into oil. At this point I have just mixed the veg and the roux evenly. The bottom was carefully scraped, as were the sides. Then I add the garlic and I turn the heat to medium low and slowly simmer with the top on, stirring and scraping occasionally. By adding now these spices will incorporate nicely with the veg mix and basically melt into the mix. Getting the veg to the right point will take about 15 minutes. Now is the time to add the garlic. Taste at this point and adjust spicing. (some like it hot, some not. I find that with this type of gumbo I do not prefer it so spicy. The veg, sausage, and especially the chicken all stand out on their own and don't need to be bammed to heavily with spice-but as always it is a matter of personal choice) Add 6-8 cups of stock, the chicken, and the sausage. It is all stirred well and brought to a boil while uncovered. Once it hits a boil, let boil for 5 min or so on low boil, cut the heat back down to medium low and simmer for one and a half hours with the lid on. Skim fat occasionally if you wish. There will not be much grease if you did the first two steps right and bought quality sausage. About ten minutes before finish of simmer time, add 1/2 cup coarsely chopped parsely and 6 or 8 chopped green onions (tops and bottoms). Ready to plate. Yessir Buddy! That's the stuff I was looking for (I wouldn't have showed it if I had screwed it up). It is a very nice color, thick but not too, and has a nice spicy tang to it while not being overpowering. You should be able to taste the veg, chicken, and sausage nicely and the three really are working together the way that they are supposed to. A nice spicy tang while not overpowering. Fit for Royalty. A bargain at any price. Keywords: Soup, Main Dish, Intermediate ( RG1186 )

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo It all started when I went to the meat market this morning and bought 3 lbs of chicken thighs. These are not Tyson's Plastic, but real chicken cut by real butchers. They are very good. I got 2 lbs of Richard's Pork Sausage and made a couple of stops to fill my vegetable needs. Sausage from Richard's is great --looks like cased ham! This stuff is just awesome. If you can get it I highly reccomend it. They make (imho) the best commercial pork products in the US. For a photo play-by-play, click Here. And, here's the definitive EG thread on Gumbo. Gumbo cooked 'round the world. 3 lb chicken thighs 2 lb pork sausage sliced, into about 1/4" coins Dusting: 2 c flour 1 T salt 1 tsp paprika 1 T cayenne powder 1 tsp cracked black pepper Peanut oil Roux: 1/3 c all purpose flour 1/3 c peanut oil Trinity 2 green peppers (one green and one red or yellow), diced 4 ribs celery, diced 2 medium onions, diced 8 cloves of garlic, minced 1 T dried basil 1 T dried oregano 2 tsp cayenne 2 tsp black fine crushed black pepper 1 T salt 6 c chicken, turkey or pork stock Partially skin the thighs (I like to leave a little fat, adds to the flavor when browning). Dust with spiced flour. Brown the dusted thighs in peanut oil. I like peanut oil as it can take a pretty good beating, adds a nice nutty taste, and you can get it very hot without burning. Turn once and hardly move while they were browning. Remove thighs and place on paper towels. Brown the sausage coins. I like to get it a little toasty. It adds both flavor and texture to the dish. Time to make the roux. You may wish to review my photo essay (linked above) to see the process as it colors. The pan has been drained, but not scraped after the browning of the sausage and chicken. It is placed over very high heat (wide open on a normal burner, Flour and oil added; this mixture is stirred constantly. Scrape up the remainder of the meat as you go. Scrape hard and get it all loose or it will all burn and you will have to start over. First you will have the light roux. Sort of the color of a skinned almond. Medium Roux. Very light brown. At this point I have been stirring about 5 minutes. It is getting very hot. WARNING-This method of making Roux was popularized during Paul Prudhomme's stay as Head Chef at Commander's Palace in New Orleans. The kitchen staff came to call this type of roux "cajun napalm". If you splash and get it on you it will stick to you and burn you badly (if you try to wipe it off while it is hot the burn will just spread) so BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL. Dark Roux. Darker brown; approaching Hershey's chocolate syrup. Now we've gotten there. At this point (maybe 10 minutes in) the oil is just starting to smoke a little bit and I am ready to stop the process. Onion, celery, bell pepper and in. This stops the browning process with the flour and the oil. Stand back as you dump-it can be a pretty lively thing. You are, after all, pouring hot water into oil. At this point I have just mixed the veg and the roux evenly. The bottom was carefully scraped, as were the sides. Then I add the garlic and I turn the heat to medium low and slowly simmer with the top on, stirring and scraping occasionally. By adding now these spices will incorporate nicely with the veg mix and basically melt into the mix. Getting the veg to the right point will take about 15 minutes. Now is the time to add the garlic. Taste at this point and adjust spicing. (some like it hot, some not. I find that with this type of gumbo I do not prefer it so spicy. The veg, sausage, and especially the chicken all stand out on their own and don't need to be bammed to heavily with spice-but as always it is a matter of personal choice) Add 6-8 cups of stock, the chicken, and the sausage. It is all stirred well and brought to a boil while uncovered. Once it hits a boil, let boil for 5 min or so on low boil, cut the heat back down to medium low and simmer for one and a half hours with the lid on. Skim fat occasionally if you wish. There will not be much grease if you did the first two steps right and bought quality sausage. About ten minutes before finish of simmer time, add 1/2 cup coarsely chopped parsely and 6 or 8 chopped green onions (tops and bottoms). Ready to plate. Yessir Buddy! That's the stuff I was looking for (I wouldn't have showed it if I had screwed it up). It is a very nice color, thick but not too, and has a nice spicy tang to it while not being overpowering. You should be able to taste the veg, chicken, and sausage nicely and the three really are working together the way that they are supposed to. A nice spicy tang while not overpowering. Fit for Royalty. A bargain at any price. Keywords: Soup, Main Dish, Intermediate ( RG1186 )

I meant George. I'm a moron. My wife Robin did a bunch of stuff down there (those cool tables are all that is left I believe) and I somehow typed the wrong name (Bruce is another guy Robin worked for in FL). George is always a great host and, in fact, set us up with a swell place to stay last time we were there.

That didn't work out so well for Chicago the last time that they tried enforcing it. This whole thing is rediculous. Bad schools, failing infrastructure, underpaid teachers and civil servants, etc. It looks like they would have better things to do than worry about something that probably one half of one percent of the population eats and that 75% of the population could not even define (this could go for any city in America, pretty much, so I am not just picking on The Windy City here). Speaking of euphamisms, what would Carl Sandburg write today?

Actually, though I am not involved in pulling crab traps from freezing arctic waters, this more or less describes my natural work ethic. There was another program, that I cannot find right now in Google, but that I believe was a National Geographic show, about these guys. They earn the dough. It's a very tough gig.

Thank you for joining us this week for the Q & A. In a recent chat with Nancy Nichols, food and travel editor for D Magazine, there was a great deal of discussion concerning the place of the critic in dining -primarily this discussion revolved around the importance of anonymity to a critic and how being well known by chefs affected not only the chef's behavior and ultimately the meal that is served, but also how it might possibly affect the review. 1) Are you and your staff constantly on the lookout for critics 2) When critics are recognized, do you give them different service than a "regular joe"? Perhaps without even realizing it? 3) How important is critical acclaim to you? In other words, would you rather have a room regularly filled night after night or wildly enthusiastic reviews in national magazines?

You can repair leaky pipes Remove wallpaper Kill weeds in the cracks of your sidewalks Burn sugar on the top of creme brulee You can brown meringue really well with a torch, but it takes some practice

A message to the Editorial Director: For the last six months you have worked like a steam engine gone wild, along with Marlene (primarily), to get this thing up and running. This is a wholly volunteer organization and many people here do not have a clue just what it takes to keep this place operating, in both a technological and in a human resource way, on a day to day basis. Well, I do know and I would like to thank you for it. Nice work. Fabulous job. It looks great and I am sure that it will be great. I have missed it, as have many of us who have been around for a while and I am very, very glad to see it back. There are not many places on the web to publish many of the pieces that appear here and The Daily Gullet is a great place for aspiring writers, journalists, and would be (in their own minds) future great voices of food writing to appear. This place is a great resource for both the reader and the writer. I still occasionally get email for some of the highly personalized drivel that I have had published there, and I know that others who have appeared in The Daily Gullet continue to have the same experience. One of the great things about this "new media" is that you can actually hear immediately from readers when they are thinking about something-not just when they take the time out of their day, several hours or days later, to send in a letter or an email. This can have a downside, of course, but generally whether they like the work or hate it, people here are honest about it. I have written newspaper stuff for years and have learned that generally, in print, you rarely hear from the folks who like it-you only hear from the ones who want to savage your point of view. People here are can be pretty critical, but not in a pointless way, and that's kind of refreshing these days.The Daily Gullet was a great place before the hiatus and promises to be even more exciting in the future. Thanks ya'll. I hate to end on a sour note, but I specifically remember making a suggestion that okra, God's Pod, should be somehow incorporated into the logo. It was not. No one ever takes me seriously.

The threads listed above have some good suggestions. And might I add that you should take whatever you take in something that you don't want back and probably something that is disposable. Also, if it is in the casserole category, it's a good idea to take something that is ready for the freezer, even if they end up using it immediately.

Not only that, but they get the NY Times in the middle of the night. They have fresh cut fruit salad year round, and if you ask nice they will hack off a hunk of pound cake, put it in a go container, and put fruit on top of that. A nice way to start the day. For you Bourdain freaks out there:If you saw the New Orleans show, this is where he ordered the smokes, the whiskey, and all of the food from when he was too exhausted to go out. THey deliver to hotel rooms all over the quarter and the CBD.

Update: If it's good enough for Brett, it's good enough for you. I had dinner there a couple of weeks ago and really liked it. Alot. I used to be a regular diner there and always considered it to be among my two or three favorite places in town. It still is.

I am so glad that she loved Upperline. I like the food, but frankly, if Jo Ann was running "Jo Ann's Grilled Government Cheese Sandwiches" it would be just as good (especially if she fed you some of that fine bread pudding for dessert). She is one of the most charming women that I have ever had the pleasure to meet. The first time I ever met her was in 1984. I was a manager at a cheesy chain place on Carrollton Ave that had just opened, Cuco's, and she came in with her son (original chef at Upperline). I had enjoyed dinner at her place (it had not been open long, maybe a year) and she had, even back then, been a gracious host to a 24 year old food geek (this food thing is nothing new for me) and his wife. I thought that her charm and solicitousness was just part of the act that she put on for her customers. She came into the place on a slow Sunday afternoon and, as I was wandering through the dining room checking dinner service set up, I heard this voice calling my name. When I saw who it was I was floored. This woman had managed to, with no real apparent concious effort, several weeks later, not only remembered my face, but she remembered my name and THEN asked after my wife, by name. I was floored, to say the least. The fact that I could paint this scene right now, if I could paint, still amazes me. I was flattered, of course, that I was remembered by an attractive woman, but I was even more impressed that she could do that and that she was actually paying attention during some fairly casual restaurant chit chat during a meal in her place. She must meet thousands of people a year, and she can still do that. And the best part is that when she is being nice, she is not trying. She really is that charming and funny and interested in her guests. That's a hard thing to find, in any business, but especially in that one. She's a gem. I have sweet olives coming up my front walk, and like many people in New Orleans, a big, giant banana frescata (sic) and this time of year it smells like I have a big ass bowl of olives and bananas outside the door. In the heavy, humid evening air it's a pretty intoxicating thing, that scent, and in the part of Uptown where Upperline is, there are lots and lots of sweet olives in bloom right now. It's a very pleasant walk from the streetcar this time of year.

Minnie, Schminnie. Whatever. When I start taking chicken frying lessons from Canadians that'll be the day I take the skillet to Goodwill and call it a day. My next move will be ten toes up and 6 X 6.