TAPrice

My rough estimate was that 75% of businesses are still closed. It's true that the Irish Channel felt vacant. We drove by to check a friends house on Constance, and the only signs of life were at Parasol's. It was packed. We stayed near the park, and my sense was that 1/3 of the houses were occupied. That number will probably jump dramatically this week, because a lot of law firms are returning to their offices. I guess Uptown didn't feel normal, but it felt like a place where you could live again. Being there this weekend certainly made me want to find a way to get back to NOLA. I hadn't seen the city since the last week in September, and the change was pretty dramatic.

I'm still kicking myself for not stopping in for an ice cream Saturday night. I was pretty stuffed from dinner at Kyoto (the wait was too long at Crepe Nanou), but I could have found room. Of course, they were already starting to clean-up, so I might have been too late no matter what. I wouldn't call that neighborhood "barely open." All of Uptown is packed. There was more traffic in my old Lower Garden District 'hood than I've seen since Mardi Gras. Everyone kept calling the Uptown the bubble, or "fake land." At least last weekend, if you never left Uptown things might feel almost normal. Everywhere I went, I bumped into people I knew. They all looked a little shell-shocked, I will say.

On Oct. 23, NPR ran a report on Angelo Brocato's: Owner's Debate Fate of Century-Old Bakery It sound like the Brocato brothers haven't decided what they will do. Let's hope that they reopen.

I was in NOLA this weekend and drove by Pampy's.

For those of you who don't closely read the Times-Picayune every morning, here is a link to Brett Anderson's update on NOLA restaurants: "If You Open, They Will Come"

I should say up front that Brett is a friend of mine and I'm inclined to trust his judgment. That being said, the attack seemed pretty harsh given the evidence in the article. I can't help but think that there is more to the story. Perhaps we will never know. I'm not inclined to judge the business decisions people are making. Emeril wasn't as generous as Dickie Brennan. Three months from now, however, Dickie's generosity might bankrupt him and Emeril will still be rich man. Who can say at this point? The one comment by Emeril that really grated was him defense about how planned out his life in. Not being able to plan anything is pretty much a given for anyone from New Orleans. It just shows how disconnected Emeril's life is from the city.

Think they'll be eating on paper plates?

I've never been that impressed with Whole Foods overall. I mean, what kind of gourmet market doesn't have a decent selection of vinegars? Whole Foods always struck me as a place for people who don't cook. After relocating to Dallas this week, I experienced Central Market for the first time. Now that is some place. So why do all the high end grocery stores come from Austin?

Table One used to be the Living Room, an overpriced steak place on Magazine. I don't know if the change of ownership happened before or after Katrina.

I know I'm going to regret wading into this issue of anonymity. The lines have been drawn. People have been arguing in circles for weeks. Ok, before anyone asks, yes I have read the book. It was about six weeks ago, which feels like about six years ago, so I don't claim to remember every word. It's also worth noting that I spent the last six months reviewing restaurants for the New Orleans alt-weekly. When I started reviewing, it seemed obvious that a reviewer should be anonymous. That's how the NYT did. That what my editors wanted me to do. I wasn't really in a position to argue. It was also really cool having credit cards under assumed names. Steven, however, is increasingly winning me over to the idea that anonymity is overrated. Not completely, but I'm getting there. I do think that critics would be better if they were more engaged with chefs and restaurants. There were times when I felt constrained in the type of features I could write because of my need to remain an anonymous critic. While I like his vision of what the non-anonymous critic could do, I don't think his arguments are very convincing. Steven has said that anonymous reviewing is some kind of anomaly. I don't really think that's the case. Book reviewers for major papers must show that they have no connection to the author (I believe a recent reviewer for the WaPo got in trouble for failing to disclose a relationship). I come from an academic background, and no scholarship is taken seriously (except for legal scholarship) unless it was reviewed by anonymous readers. Food critics have adopted some odd code of ethics. I'm also not won over by this idea that it's easy to become a regular. I ate out a lot for my job. Often I would eat at a place once a week for three weeks. Despite spending plenty of money and being perfectly polite, only the small family-run restaurants ever began to treat me like a regular. It's true that I didn't completely follow Steven's advice. I didn't introduce myself to everyone in the room, but I just wouldn't be comfortable doing that. I'm sure lots of other people wouldn't either. My guess is that certain people are more welcome as a regular than others. You probably have to exude a certain air of having money, which I'm sure that I never pulled off. Just spending lots of cash, and even bringing friends and picking up the check, just won't do it. I'm willing to bet that things might be different in New York, where the staff are probably more sophisticated. They might be on the look out to cultivate regular customers. The one reason that hasn't been advanced for anonymous reviewing is that it keeps the writers honest. Reading papers from smaller markets, my sense is that most critics are happy to post their photos next to the review. They probably also throw their weight around and expect comps. As I said, I'm still on the fence. When I look at travel writing, however, I see where food criticism could go. Lots of pieces puffing up placing that were visited on junkets. Food criticism wouldn't have to become like that if anonymity were abandoned, but it certainly could. I should also say that Steven's book is about a lot more than anonymous reviewing. I wish we could talk about some of the other aspects of the book.

Glad to hear that Brooks, because the building was certainly on the part of campus that flooded. I guess that means that the cookbook collection on the first floor survived. Great news.

Marcelle Bienvenu also publishes/ed in the Times-Picayune each week. Perhaps the same column? Tulane has an extensive collection of oral histories with New Orleans chefs. Some were transcribed and posted on the web site of Newcomb's library (site is down due to Katrina). The collection was on the second floor, so it should have survived. Perhaps in the spring you could access these resources.

Thanks. What about online media. Any Dallas area food blogs?

Yes, sorry about that. I should have split up the questions. Let me narrow this down to media: Other than eGullet, what on-line food resources do people use in Dallas? Which critics do you trust? Are some better for certain types of restaurants?

Just like the mayor of New Orleans, it looks like I'll be relocating soon to Dallas. I'm not sure if this move is temporary or permanent. I've learned it's unwise to make plans. So what do I need know about the Dallas food scene? Who are the best critics? What publications should I follow? What about online resources? Food blogs? Local discussion boards? On a non-food note, perhaps people could send me PMs about why they like Dallas. Neiter my wife nor I have spent much time there.

According to the Wasington Post, Commander's Palace is largely undamaged: Here is the article.

Ruth's Chris Steakhouse will permanently relocate its corporate headquarters to Orlando. Article from RestaruantBiz: http://www.restaurantbiz.com/index.php?opt...k=view&id=13144

← Let's not write CP's obit just yet. Information is hard to come by and a lot of people of are very upset. The manager said that the restaurant is submerged, but as I said my house a few blocks down is completely dry according to recent sattelite photos. On NOLA.com, someone still in the Garden District (yes, many phones still work there) is sending out daily reports on the neighborhood. All is still relatively calm and secure. While trying to verrify this story I ran across a quote from Susan Spicer that Bayona was five feet under water. Given the reports on the lack of flooding in the French Quarter, that just can't be the case. In the next few weeks we will certainly hear about the destruction of many New Orleans landmarks. For the moment, however, we shouldn't give up hope on a place unless the report is a first hand account. I'm going to pore over the photos and see if I can find Commander's.

Do you have a link for that? I can't find the article. Was it wind damage? I live a few block down the street, and the sattelite photos of the area look good. Other reports say that damage was only done to the facade.

Actuallly I think its 5 digits, and it starts with a "9" ← I read that GM products are also 5 digits, but I can't remember what number they start with.

I haven't eaten at Lemongrass (I'm pretty sure that 56 degrees is closed). Is it really a fusion between New Orleans cuisine and Vietnamese? After reading old reviews, it looks like 56 Degrees really was more fusion. Lemongrass seems more traditional and they sell it as a fusion of French and Vietnamese with local seafood. I'm eager to hear your report.

I keep waiting for a Vietnamese/Creole fusion restaurant. I don't mean fusion in the fashionable, self-conscious way it's often been done. It just seems like pretty soon a local chef will come along who grew up eating Creole and Vietnamese. He or she will think it only natural to combine the flavors that they've known since youth. Brooks and others, do you see Vietnamese food having wider influence in the cuisine around here? I haven't seen it. Maybe the Vietnamese arrived too recently and the local culinary traditions are too deep for much exchange to take place yet.

I wonder if I could move this discussion away from the specific example that started this. Taking Bux's comment to heart that people shouldn't discuss what they don't know, let me address this only to those reading with experience at newspapers. 1) Would a hard news reporter who had co-authored a book with Mr. X ever be allowed to report on Mr. X? [My guess would be no, but I've never been a hard news reporter] If the answer to this question 1 is no, why would a food writer be able to promote someone with whom they wrote a book? And when I say "why," I really do want to know the reasoning. It's not an indirect way of making a statement. Do food writers have different ethical standards than news journalists? Or, does it all come down to the specific situation (and here we come back to Wells and Robuchon—i.e. Robuchon is an accepted touchstone, Wells is always already [as those Parisian intellectuals say] linked with Robuchon, the benefit is miniscule, etc., etc.). As someone who is new to food writing, I can already tell that it's a world full of potential conflicts of interest. I'm genuinely interested in hearing how other people draw the line. (Again, apologies if this sounds like a hypothetical from a philosophy class. Years of graduate school will melt your brain. I've tried to recover, but sometimes I just can't help myself. )

Trust me, I have no concerns that anything will make the people of New Orleans stop drinking.

Edited to be erased: I read the last reply too quickly and missed the context.