TAPrice

Let's not forget that not all Hispanics are Mexicans. And not everyone eats tacos. We've had Central Americans in town for years. At work (I teach Spanish at Tulane when I'm not writing), I've been hearing that the untold story is the major influx of Brazilian workers. Some people even think that more Brazilian workers arrived than Mexicans. Last week, Brett Anderson reported on some of the culinary manifestations of this influx: One of the Brazilians I work with said that there is a Brazilian supermarket on Williams (where else?). It's supposed to have a little restaurant in the back, although she hasn't tried it. In other Hispanic-food related news, I spoke with the wonderful Tacos San Miguel and they're set to open a second store in the Carrollton area in October.

I agree with Russ that it's really just a question of bad writing. A writer begins to die when he or she believes that they're more interesting than the subjects being covered. (Sure, there are some rare exceptions.) It just might be that men are more likely to be highly impressed with themselves than women (that's what my wife would tell me ). Is this habit of elevating the author over the subject more common in food writing? Perhaps.

It always seems like half the judge's commentary is overdubbed. When Tom delivers the final judgments, and the camera focuses on the contestants, the voice sounds too polished and practiced to be off the cuff. Maybe they fixed Gail's comment in the overdub session?

Sorry to be slow to weigh in on this. I wouldn't bother with barbecue. New Orleans is the one pocket of the south where barbecue is just not a big factor. Just to get you oriented, Canal Street is the edge of the French Quarter. On the other side is the Central Business District. Also, at that point the Warehouse District is just a few block away. (Those neighborhoods get closer as you get closer to the river.) Joiei had some good suggestions, but it sounds like August, the New Orleans Grill Room and Emeril's might be out of your price range. Here are just a few suggestions for that area that should be in the price range: Bayona: Contemporary American. Upper end of the price-range, but cheaper as lunch (that goes for most places, I guess). Café Du Monde: nothing but beignets and coffee, but it's super cheap and a great experience. Coop's Place: a bar with some good jambalaya and other local food. Fried chicken can be good. GW Fins: a fish spot. Good and on the higher end, but have much to do with the local traditions. Less adventurous eaters who like fish would like it. This is just off the top of my head. There are lots of good places in the French Quarter, and certainly more options if people want to spend more. Central Business District: Luke: This is John Besh's new brasserie. Good food. Think French brasserie food. Relaxed. Grand Isle: part of the Harrah's hotel complex, but run by a local. Lots of fried seafood, po-boys. I've had good meals there. Great turtle soup. Warehouse District: Cochon: New-fangled decor with old-style Cajun. Lots of pork. Rio Mar: Spanish/Latin American fish. Excellent chef and mid-priced. La Boca: An Argentine steak house from the owner of Rio Mar. Also excellent and well-price (although higher, because steak is higher). How many places did you need? I'm not much help on meat and potatoes. Not sure where to send those folks.

Isn't 80-90% percent more real close to twice the price (i.e. 100% more)? Although twice the price for similar quality product in Manhattan seems like a fair deal to me.

Bananas are still one of the few good-quality fruits in my supermarket. I just tossed out a whole cantaloupe this morning because it had no flavor. Around my house growing up we only sliced bananas onto cereal when the fruit was on the verge of going bad.

I think the name is odd given that MS = Mississippi and therefore it's a bit of a stretch for me. However, MSLA is not pronouncable versus MILA, so okay. ← I'm just glad they're not cooking Michigan/Louisiana fusions food! Although for all I know there might actually be some good eating up in Michigan. Msla sounds like some sort of pseudo-Aztec restaurant, doesn't? Perhaps pre-Columbian small plates? Lams would have worked, but perhaps a bit rustic for the Central Business District. Anyway, I'm looking forward to trying it. I never got across the lake to eat at Longbranch. Wish I had. The second-hand opinion I heard about the place ran in both directions. Most loved it, but some opinions ran strong in the other direction. I'm looking forward to seeing what they're up to for myself.

Yep. And it's as good as ever. I've been there many times recently.

There are currently 724 restaurants in St. Tammany according to the DHH. This includes delis, po-boy shops, etc. We don't know how that compares to pre-storm numbers.

The rumors have been floating around for a while, but now it's official that Slade Rushing and Allison Vines-Rushing are opening in the old Rene Bistrot spot. From the TP today:

The piece ran in GQ's 2004 Man of the Year issue. From a press release heralding the issue, here is a summary of the story: I can't find a copy of it online.

Poor Hung. He wins a challenge and gets a cookbook by Padma. Worst. Prize. Ever.

I spoke to the Louisiana Restaurant Association about this. The DHH, unfortunately, doesn't have numbers for St. Tammany from before the storm. They're going to get me the current numbers, but it looks like we can't make the same comparison.

Fame really is fleeting. For the life of me, I can't remember which one was Josie.

Are you holding the name and address until after you announce it on the radio this Saturday? If not, then give us the info. I'm overwhelmed every time I drive down Williams. So many options for Latino and other ethnic food. New places seem to be popping up all the time. And I still have to hit many of the old place. I just tried Norma's Cuban bakery a few weeks ago. A great little place that's been there for years.

Does that mean that the Schwartz family still has some financial interest in the Camellia Grill?

Bravo and the place on the corner (you're talking about the place with the fancy brass railings, right?) are on the same side of the street as Zea. I'm thinking it's the place that was the St. Charles Porter House bar right before the storm. Either way, that's good news. I'm not a huge fan of the Uptown Baru, but I've heard nothing but good things about the original, unconnected place, in Kenner. Haven't been, but I need to get there. Yeah, it sounds like our old neighborhood is turning around.

Wow, that is a scoop. What was in that space before? There really is a Latino revolution going on. P.S. I was at Korea House last week and found it to be solid. Not that I don't want more options.

Here is the abstract from a 2000 academic article stating that snapping turtle meat is only legally sold in Louisiana: I've read the full article, but it's not freely available electronically. What's not clear to me, even after reading this, is whether only alligator snapping turtles are restricted in other states or all turtles (and I'm pretty sure we'd be talking about regular snapping turtles).

Are these live turtles?

I honestly didn't know that there were so many wealthy people living there. Guess I don't get beyond the beach much. Perhaps this is just like New Orleans institutions expanding to Baton Rouge. They're going where the money is.

I honestly didn't know that there were so many wealthy people living there. Guess I don't get beyond the beach much. Perhaps this is just like New Orleans institutions expanding to Baton Rouge. They're going where the money is.

Yeah, probably many reasons for this. If only I'd been trained as a journalist, I'd know that two makes a trend. Alas, I wasn't, so I'll remain skeptical that there is a greater meaning behind this move towards Destin. My guess is that Commander's will do a better job capturing the original that Camellia. On the other hand, I'm about 100 times more likely to eat at Camellia Grill in Destin. When I'm at the beach, I don't go for fancy foods. Remember when Destin used to barely developed? Ah, those were the days. I still like the place and will be happy to get my chocolate freeze there next summer.

So first Commander's Palace says they're opening a new branch in Destin. The TP reported on this last month. Today, I get a PR release that a new branch of Camellia Grill will open in the same Harbor Walk complex: So what's the angle here? You think they're building these restaurants for vacationing New Orleanians who can't go a weekend without a familiar meal? Or is this for tourists who don't want to come to New Orleans? Or is it just a convenient place to open a new business? There was much talk of New Orleans becoming a Disneyland version of itself after the storm. Who knew that the Disney version would actually be built in Destin?

I really thought that was some of the misguided writing I've ever seen. For a moment, I asked myself if I found it foolish because I don't agree. And then I decided that, no, it's truly foolish. There is some much to take issue with that I don't even know where to start.