TAPrice

I got confirmation today from a rep of Sazerac Company that the Sazerac bar will be back at the Roosevelt (most recently the Fairmont). Just thought I'd pass that along.

I learned today that the Sazerac Company is working on an Absinthe version of Herbsaint (I always assumed that Herbsaint was an absinthe subsitute introduced when the real thing was outlawed---not the case, it's never had wormwood). They're in the government approval phase, so they can't set a definite release date. The bottle should look like the ancient Herbsaint bottle. Best of all, they hope to retail it for around $32.

I just learned today that Peychaud's Bitters are no longer made in New Orleans. For quite some time, they've been produced at the Buffalo Trace distillery in Kentucky.

I believe most of the money is kept in cigar boxes labeled $5, $10 and $20. Schoeder, at the New Orleans blog People Get Ready, had the excellent suggestion of paying Ashley a little extra next time to make up for what she lost.

I just remembered that the year after the storm, Savvy Gourmet was doing something similar to a CSA. People could pick up a weekly market basket at the store. It would be interesting to know why that didn't work out.

It's open and I've been there. Didn't blow me away. I think the Bahn Mi stand inside the Hong Kong Market is better.

Sad news, but I'm sure Chris will find a new opportunity soon. I talked to him this weekend, and he wanted everyone to know that the Tales of the Cocktail tiki dinner, with drinks by Jeff Berry and Wayne Curtis, is still on. It's just been moved to the Country Club in Bywater.

Omg, that's genius! ← That is pretty brilliant, although a lot of people I know would pass on drinking caffeinated tea in the evening (and a lot of pregnant women try to avoid or completely eliminate caffeine).

And on top of that, a lot of other farmers are just growing a few commodity crops. As one food activist told me, "Enough already with the cauliflower." The Crescent City Farmers Market had to develop a lot of the vendors you see there. They found commodity farmers who were growing a few items and struggling to stay alive. Then they had to convince them to grow a greater variety of items and make the shift to market vending (and direct sells to restaurants). From what I know, the farmers who took the plunge have done very well. Market Umbrella would certainly like to see more farmers make that change. But it's a big order to ask someone to completely upend they way they make their living.

Absolutely fresh fish is easy to come by. Fishers and shrimpers work the farmers market and sell stuff they pulled the water the day before. One of the regular vendors at the Crescent City farmers market (and perhaps at the Mid-City market) has wonderful Black Drum and Sheepshead. Should be a good time for shrimp as well. You won't believe the quality (and price) of the shrimp you can get here.

The new Thursday farmers market at the American Can Apartment complex in Mid-City would be closer to Metairie. I went the first few weeks it opened, and you'd be hard pressed to find enough ingredients to make a salad. I know that they've been adding vendors, including many of the folks who work the Crescent City Farmers Market, so I suspect the offerings are better now. You might also want to visit K-Jean's fish market in Mid-City.

As far as I know, we don't have anything like this. I've spoken to Darlene Wolnik at Market Umbrella (and Crescent City Farmers Market) about CSAs. What she's seen around the country is that you either have a strong farmers market or CSAs. Rarely do you have both. In the New Orleans area, there is not a lot of capacity to supply more produce (although Market Umbrella is working on building that) beyond what the markets consume.

Non-alcoholic cocktails? I know what you're thinking. Why bother? Well, I seem to be at that age when half my friends are pregnant on any given day. When I have people over for dinner, I'd like to include them in the pre-dinner cocktail. Poking around the forums, I found this thread on Mocktails for kids: Fancy Kid Mocktails That's a start, but I don't really want to serve grow-ups a Shirley Temple. Might be a little insulting. That same thread had a link to some non-alcoholic drinks by adults (he was looking out for the designated driver): King Cocktail: Non-alcoholic drinks Any other ideas?

I remember that book table and am sure it will return. I was just wondering if the gift shop at the Museum of the American Cocktail, which will reopen in New Orleans the Monday after Tales, might be a regular, year-round source for cocktail books.

Robert, will these and other fine cocktail books be available at the Museum of the American Cocktail gift shop when it opens in a few weeks?

For some reason, the only bar spoon I could find had holes in it. Good for stirring, but not so good for measuring. I'll have to swing by the restaurant supply store and try to find spoon without holes. I didn't realize they were a standard size.

I've been wanting to make Sasha Petraske's Depaz Refashioned ever since the Tales of the Cocktail calender showed up in my mailbox (Thanks Ann!). Problem was that Depaz Rhum wasn't available in my town. That ended this week, and I came home from the launch party today with a bottle of this very nice rum (Thanks Depaz brand rep!). Here is what Petraske says:[ul] 1 barspoon (5ml) honey syrup (1 part water, 3 parts honey) 2 oz (60ml) Depaz Rhum 1 good dash each Peychaud and Angostura Lemon peel[/ul] Because I'm anal and like to measure, I want to measure the honey syrup. Alas, my bar spoon has holes in it so not so good for measuring. If my math is right (and I've had 3 Depaz cocktails, a shot of the stuff straight and a little glass of Depaz pure cane syrup--pretty sure the syrup didn't affect my sobriety) that's a 12:1 ration of rum to sweet. If the 12 parts is 2 oz, then the honey is too small of a fraction for me to calculate (I've forgotten all the math I ever learned). A 1/4 oz would be 1.5 parts, which is the smallest thing I can measure. At that amount, it makes a really great drink. But would it be better at 5ml. Is a bar spoon less than a 1/4 oz typically? Are these things standard?

I've seen several news pieces saying that higher food prices have caused people to eat out less and cook more (wouldn't you know that I can't find the links at the moment). Your average eGullet member probably doesn't see cooking as a means to economize, but have you seen friends and relatives move in this direction? Does this mean that many people can cook but chose not to in the past? Or are we talking about people who lack skills and experience cooking, but are willing to learn when food prices rise? Assuming that food prices won't continue to raise forever (a big assumption, I know), do you think this habit of cooking will survive a downturn in prices? Or do you think such economically driven cultural shifts reverse themselves quickly when the prices decrease?

Yep, just Uptown of the gas station with the El Chaparral Patio taco stand between the pumps. He's there most days. PM me if you want his cell phone. You can call and check if he's there (he gives it out, but I'm reluctant to post it online).

If you're in New Orleans, save the gas and pick up shrimp that big for $5/pound from the shrimp guy on Claiborne Avenue near the expressway. He shrimps at night, delivers to restaurants in the morning, and then sells the rest by the side of the road.

And don't miss the pig tongue salad. My word is that good.

Wow. You went from the sublime to the ridiculous in no time at all. Thanks for the photos of Cochon (and the warning about Oceana--although I'm sure in a more sober state you would have known to avoid the place). When Cochon first opened, I was one of the few folks who wasn't absolutely crazy about. I thought it was good, but a little overhyped. What's great is that the place just keeps getting better. The menu pushes into new areas, the chefs are obviously constantly thinking about ways to improve the dishes. Now I really do think it's just one of the best places in town--no doubt about it. And I don't see any signs that they're slowing down.

I just read that Stanley is scheduled to open in August. Can anyone confirm this? ← I peeked in the window an hour ago. That sounds wildly optimistic. Demo work has begun in the front of the house, but they're just getting started.

I think you'd be safe lining up at 11:00. It's Friday, but it's also the middle of the summer. And you just need a table for two. Personally, I'd go to Parway Bakery and Tavern for po-boys, although that BBQ shrimp po-bou at Liuzza's by the Track is mighty fine. Sunday is tough. Are you just looking for breakfast? Only a few diners that I can think of. I don't even think Verti Mart is open all night these days. The Clover Grill in the Quarter is 24-hours on the weekend. Good burger. Some bars will sell you average food all night. How late do you need to eat?

I guess that I'm asking two questions: 1) what are the high-value spirits, and 2) what widely marketed spirits, available in 1.75L bottles, are worth drinking (because those big bottles are often a deal). When you can get 1.75L bottle of Tanquery for $29.00, it's hard to go wrong. Flor de Caña is a good call. I'm using the light rum for mojitos. At $9.99 a bottle, it's a bargain. Not quite like a 1.75L of Cruzan for $14, but still a good deal. The Cruzán is a good for a party. What about value in Bourbon? I would guess they would be more common, since it's more tightly regulated there should be less variation, right?