Kent Wang
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Posts posted by Kent Wang
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I believe it's only worth going for their Sunday brunch, which is typical American style with a hint of old Southern cuisine (high-brow, not the low-brow fried stuff you usually think of). Brunch comes with a bottomless milk punch for some nominal fee. Milk punch is another Southern tradition, kind of like vanilla ice cream spiked with booze.
Overall, I think the restaurant is quite unique and good for taking out-of-towners. The ambiance is very Old South. If you go there and Lola's, you'll have eaten the entire range of Southern food, an exploration of contrasts. Evaluating it in a vacuum though, it is quite expensive for what it is, and the food is only so-so.
The peacocks are cool. I haven't seen the albino one before.
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I'm pretty sure you nailed it. I think it's 4:1 gin:St. Germain, which is on the sweet side.
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A summary of the Manifesto from Wikipedia:
* No more pasta, as it causes lassitude, pessimism and lack of passion* Perfect meals requiring:
o originality and harmony in table setting including all implements, food aesthetics and tastes)
o absolute originality in the food
* Sculpted foods, including meats whose main appeal is to the eye and imagination
* Abolition of the knife and fork
* Use of perfumes to enhance the tasting experience
How totally bizarre and radical, much like the rest of the futurist movement.
Does this sound like molecular gastronomy to you?
Suggested equipment included:* Ozonizers -- to give food the smell of ozone
* Ultraviolet ray lamps -- activates vitamins and other "active properties"
* Electrolyzers -- to decompose items into new forms and properties
* Colloidal mills -- to pulverize any food item
* Autoclaves, dialyzers, atmosheric and vacuum stills to cook food without destroying vitamins
* Chemical indicators or analyzers to help the cook determine if sauces need more salt, sugar, or vinegar
I wonder how this affected the slow food movement, which was also founded in Italy.
I'm trying to locate an English translation of the Manifesto online, but the one linked from Wikipedia is broken.
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I took a friend of mine from South Africa to Death & Co in New York and he really loved the Sazerac, especially the story behind it all. He wants to make Sazeracs back home but doesn't have access to Peychaud's. So I'm trading him that and some of other American goods for whatever he can get down there.
There's van der Hum and Amarula, but I can get both here. He says:
I'll spend some time next week trying to track down some more obscure local booze - I'd dig to get some Mampoer which is local distilled stuff generally made from fruit, but it's only made on people's farms and was illegal for many years so it's difficult to get hold of. I also have a small (50ml) taster bottle of peach Witblitz which was distilled in a 19th century still at one of our farm musems that I will send along. If you're interested we also make some good Brandy - quite a few best-in-the world medal winners (for what that's worth) and all, KWV is one of the better manufacturersHave you heard anything about these? Are the KWV brandies any good? If there aren't really any good spirits, I could just get him to ship some wines, but I'm afraid of those being more susceptible to heat damage in transit.
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Also seasonal, pumpkin pie. I'll have to try that soon. Essentially, anything with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg could use a bit more complexity from bitters.
And consider orange bitters. I can see that being especially good in salads.
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I just tried a scotch and St. Germain, with Bowmore Legend (cheap Islay, no age statement, my daily drinker). At 4:1 the scotch really overpowers the elderflower, 2:1 seems just right and doesn't really feel too sweet. I've never had the Peatmonster but I imagine it is at least as peaty as the Bowmore.
There are two on the new Menu at Death and Co. in Nyc. Thats two from amongst a plethera the bartenders have been working on. It truly is one of the finest liquiors to come on the market since I've started tending bar. I've tried it with every spirit with the exception of vodka ( why waste a good thing ) and it works with even peated scotch and aquavit. Well done Robert.I had one a few weeks ago there that was pretty simple. I think St. Germain, gin and lemon? Can anyone help with this?
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Picked up a small bottle of the Clear Creek young Apple Brandy yesterday along with a new bottle of the Laird's Bonded and a bottle of Morice Calvados Pays D'Auge. I think these are all young apple brandies, so it will be interesting to compare them along with the Germain-Robin Apple Brandy I've been mixing with lately.
Initial impressions of the Clear Creek are that it is pretty young and hot on the tongue. It was tasty mixed in a cocktail.
Is this the same as "CLEAR CREEK APPLE EAU DE VIE [uSA] 375ML 21.67"? I'm thinking not. Would an apple eau de vie go well with Laird's bonded, to make a super-applelicious drink?
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Justin, I'm going to try out both of those places when I am next in Houston. Please continue to keep us informed on the soup dumpling watch.
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There's an older thread about Galveston.
I spent age 10-17 in Galveston and return every year or so.
I wouldn't really say that Gaido's is bad, just overpriced, but what do you expect from the island?
Shrimp and Stuff is hole-in-the-wall but the food is pretty bad, so it's just as overpriced as Gaido's. It's just a matter of whether you want to overpay for low-end food, or overpay for high-end food.
Perhaps the only redeeming food in Galveston is the Bronco. I usually had it from La Estacion and not from the original Doughnut Shop.
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I went last week while johnder and donbert were 'tending. Weinoo happened to be there , too. Truly excellent. I think the Solstice was the best of the drinks I had there.
More places need secret entrances. Bars, restaurants, laundromats -- just imagine!
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Lola's crawfish etouffee. She doesn't make this everyday, but definitely on Thursdays. This is one of the best examples of this dish that I've had in the city, generous portions of crawfish, quite spicy. Quality Seafood is the standard bearer in my eyes and this is definitely on par with theirs.
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Millersus, her husband and I got there early and we watched a 15 minute documentary a UT film student did about Lola and the history of the restaurant. It was very touching.
Then Misplaced_Texan and his wife arrived with reinforcements of Shiner Bock. We began the festivities with a Belgian ale from my cellar, an Affligem Tripel (BeerAdvocate review).
On to the meal:
We started with a big basket of onion rings. People have different tastes in onion rings, but I like this style the best: thin strips of onion and flaky batter. My favorite basket of onion rings in the city.
I had the chicken po' boy, which is really huge. You have to eat half of it first before you're able to close it and eat it like a sandwich. The chicken is well-seasoned and very juicy.
Millersus had the shrimp po' boy, which featured some huge pieces of shrimp. One common gripe I have with cheap comfort food-type places is that they skimp on the ingredients to keep their costs low -- not so at Lola's -- the portions are always generous.
Fried catfish, red beans and rice, green beans.
It was a pleasure to meet everyone. Thank you everyone for your donations to the Society.
Let's have the next one maybe two months from now.
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I find printing a small menu helps people decide. They don't have to keep asking you what each one is and what's in it. You could even fit your menu on a 3x5 card.
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Just an ultra-compact 6 megapixel Panasonic DMC-FX01, all default settings. The key is good natural lighting. I often have early dinner and try to sit by the window.
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I make miso soup a lot. I like to add wakame seaweed, enoki mushroom, shitake, oysters, mussels -- not all in the same pot of course! I generally like mine less minimalist than the traditional way.
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Certification programs will be effective at bringing cocktail levels up all over the country.
All the fine cocktail places in New York appear to be in wealthy neighborhoods. Would a lounge in a gentrifying part of town be successful? The Peacock in Austin fits the bill, though the menu needs a lot more work.
What if a bar only had a menu with good drinks? Would that entice people to order from it? Worst case, they can still order their rum & coke off the menu.
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- The best places to buy fresh seafood, and to get an idea of the types of seafood available there.
Central Market North by far is the best. Quality Seafood (topic) is your second best option.
- I'd love to visit a farmer's market while there also, and I think I remember hearing about one that is near downtown...? But I'm curious about which ones you think are the best.I agree with Walter. Also see [Austin] Groceries and farmer's markets.
Any good asian grocery stores?I will also hopefully get a few restaurant meals in. If I can have only one high end meal in town, where should I go? If I want interesting creative comfort food where should I go?Uchi, Vespaio are all good choices but they're also the type of food you can get back home. Try Hudson's on the Bend for Southwestern-style wild game.
For comfort food, look no farther than Nubian Queen Lola's Cajun Kitchen.
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I believe the farmer in question is called Texas Quail Farms or something similarly generic. They were at the Sunset Valley farmers market last year but I haven't seen them in over half a year. I do recall seeing their fresh eggs at MT Supermarket several months ago, so they might still carry them.
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Wonderful. I wish we had something of the sort in Texas. I'd like to give it a try next year.
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Are you just touring the world? I envy you greatly.
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But a relative of his must've worked here in Honolulu at a venerable Chinese restaurant that shall remain nameless (and is now out of business). This particular waiter flat-out refused to bring my husband lemon wedges for his lobster (although the restaurant clearly had lemon wedges available because they were served in its water glasses).
After being asked politely twice and refusing, my husband told the waiter that if he wanted to get a tip, he'd better bring us the lemon. The waiter said, "I don't care," turned his back and walked away.
Mr. Fong is not just typical bad service, his is rude service on another level. Perhaps even more advanced than the Soup Nazi.
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I believe he is deceased, though the restaurant is still in operation.
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Edsel Ford Fong, aka Eddie Fong, worked as the head waiter at Sam Wo in San Francisco's Chinatown. He was made famous by San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen as the "world's rudest waiter".
The Wikipedia article reports that:
As head waiter, Fong greeted visitors with an admonition to "sit down and shut up." He is also known for calling patrons "retarded" and "fat", criticizing people's menu choices before telling them what they should order, slamming food on the table, complaining about receiving only 15% tips, and groping female patrons.Do you have any personal experiences with Eddie Fong to share?
[Austin] Southern cuisine restaurants
in Texas: Dining
Posted
Report: Nubian Queen Lola's Cajun Kitchen. 6 Oct 2007.
For high-brow Southern cuisine, don't forget Green Pastures.