TAPrice

That's a good point, although it's worth noting what Ruhlman said about his personal relationship to Symon in this Cleveland Magazine piece: I took this to mean that Ruhlman no longer writers about Symon because they are friends.

In his blog entry today Ruhlman admits that he was ultimately biased in favor of Symon: I think this really shows why Ruhlman shouldn't have judged this competition. It's hard to believe that a competition like this can truly produce a tie, because it's so subjective. He should be telling himself that he must choose a winner, and not that as long as he can convince himself it's a tie then it's ok to vote for his friend. In the end, though, I think bringing in the Iron Chefs as judges mitigates any bias in the ultimate round. It's hard to argue with a clean sweep of the Iron Chefs (I do wish, though, that they'd scored the dishes). Having eaten at the restaurants of both finalists, it's hard to argue with either one of them walking away with the win. They're both great chefs.

Here's something interesting. I was googling MiLa to find the website (still pretty under construction) and I found this blog for the restaurant: Mila blog. No real entries yet, but it might be worth watching.

What supermarket is this? What type of falernum did you pick up there? This seems like a nice selection for a supermarket... ← The supermarket was Dorignac's in Metairie, LA (just outside New Orleans). The falernum was John D. Taylor's Velvet. And yes, it's a pretty amazing selection. Not a gourmet place, just a locals place.

No idea, although Brett seems to prefer long-established restaurants for the top 10. With the exception of Long Branch, I don't see anything cracking the top ten without a reasonably long track record. Perhaps he's looking for consistency over many years? Or, maybe he just didn't like it enough.

The New Orleans paper ran a feature on Ted Breaux. A few quotes: and

Assuming this is true, could the rise of chef as owners be part of the problem? Do chefs in general put less emphasis on (and pay less attention to) the front of the house than other owners

It was promoted as mango and black pepper, although who knows what was used. Here is a something from a USA Today article announcing the launch:

I hate to say this, because they really are giving a lot of money to my city, but it's foul tasting and strange. I mean worse than other flavored vodka. And neither mango or black pepper are flavors associated with New Orleans. Worse, the bottle features a harmonica clearly made in Hammond, a city across the lake about 60 miles away. So, if you're just buying it out of charity, PM me and I can tell you some good organizations that would accept the cash directly.

Patois now has a working website with menus: click. The best part? No opening flash animation!

Moderator's Note: Robert Peyton's reply has been split off into a new topic on Patois. You can find it here.

Here are the opening menus (NOTE: This menu posted with the express permission of MiLa); The dinner menu: Lunch menu: Dessert:

I just called. It's open. I'm working on getting a menu from the PR agent. I'll post it here if I get it.

I went very early to Patois (the first week, I think). It's good and has the potential to be great. A lighter touch than many other New Orleans restaurants. Great produce and seafood. The cocktails look interesting (variations on classics), but I didn't get to try them. The renovation to the space is very nice, which I wouldn't have thought possible in the old Nardo's spot. Looks like Tacos San Miguel is stalled. Last time I called, they said there was a problem getting the lease on the Uptown spot. I haven't spoken to the owner, just random employees. So take that for what it's worth.

Give poor chef Symon a break. It's not like Paris has a "truffle store." Oh wait...

I always assumed that heritage meant a breed that fell out of commercial use. Can heritage be applied to fruits and vegetables, or just animals? And yes, I've probably been brainwashed by the mighty machine of commerce.

So it all started with her and trickled down? Was she the first full-time restaurant critic at the Times? Or did she has other duties?

Interesting. I'll admit that my reading of Claiborne's work is not extensive, but I had the impression that he interviewed and spent time in the kitchens of many chefs. Did he ever make an effort to hide his photo? To avoid knowing chefs? While he may have reviewed restaurants anonymously, I don't get the impression that he was anonymous. Maybe what I'm really asking is when did critics start becoming anonymous?

The Sazerac has been closed since the storm. It was located in the Fairmont (the old Roosevelt hotel). Recently, it was announced that the property would be renovated as a Waldorf Astoria, but no word on the bar. Herbsaint is a contemporary restaurant that does make very good cocktails.

Did he have a falling out with the Pennsylvania alcohol board? I'm guessing there is some background here that I don't know.

Craig Claiborne is largely responsible for establishing the modern restaurant critic, right? But from what I understand, he didn't seek to be anonymous. So where and when did the practice of anonymity start? At what point did it become a marketing gimmick, with critics posing for photos with a menu hiding their face? I don't really want to debate the value of anonymity. I just want to get a some facts on how it developed.

Is there a market? That's hard to say. A few years ago, I would have said no. People want their booze cheap and strong. Recently, though, there have been more places opening on the luxury side of things. The Delachaise is a wine bar with a nice liquor selection. The prices are higher, in general. Cocktails tend to be well under $10. That could be a big part of the problem. I think, though, a good bar could work if the location was right and the atmosphere played on local history. Who knows?

I would suggest renting a car, particularly if want to hit older, neighborhood places. You can get cabs, but sometimes the wait can be long. Except in the French Quarter, you can't hail of cab on the street.

Did you dine at the New Orleans Grill after Greg Sonnier took over? I know that they had a rough transition and were in limbo for a long time. I haven't heard many reports about Sonnier work at Windsor Court, but Gabrielle, his former restaurants, was always considered one of the best in town. I didn't know that Chef Boswell got married. Congratulation to him.

Sal's is a nice place as well. It's in the parking lot of a bank on Old Metairie Road. Cute family-run place. Their chocolate and strawberry combo with condensed milk is pretty great. I don't know Snoopy's. I'll have to give it a try when the weather gets warm again.