MikeHartnett

I'm very excited about this. I heard a little about it, but not enough for more than a reserved excitement. Now that it's being built, I'm really pumped.

I guess I sort of luckily stumbled upon it, then. Mine was more because I didn't want to overdo it with the syrup, and I thought I'd much rather have too little than too much. Hmmm...

Sorry, my above post was in response to this. Also, I'm excited about the Maxwell Street Market tour. I didn't realize there was an event on Sunday until today, and I thought I was going to miss out on all the fun. I'm coming in for a week, from the 9th through the 17th, and unfortunately I get in too late for any festivities on Saturday.

And if you get somewhere earlier than you expected, walk around the block... Remember, you're in one of the most stunning cities in the world!

Without getting into the political aspects of this too much, I find Slow Food comes off a bit "leftist nutjob" to me. Regardless of anyone's political beliefs or lack thereof, it seems that there is sort of a stigma that radiates from what Slow Food is doing. I have a personal goal to do as much as I can to convince people their lives will be greatly improved by eating real foods. There is zero political motivation behind it in my case. I simply feel that eating real food is more enjoyable and undeniably healthier than the alternatives. That said, it's difficult for me to convince my best friends (or my girlfriend, for that matter) that avoiding packaged and chemical-filled foods is the way to go. They get to see up close the difference such foods make, and yet it's still a challenge to dislodge the notion that food is fuel, and convenience is king. I guess my point is that I feel Slow Food could be MUCH more successful if it dropped the political notions that cloak its basic message. The idea that almost everything they do is sort of blurred by the inevitable leftwing ideology puts off a lot of people, even those that may, to a certain extent, agree with their political views. Food and politics are a bad combo. Food is pleasure, pure and simple. Politics are the furthest thing from pleasure. Why combine the two? Drop the politics and carry on with bringing the best food to peoples' plates, and I'll support it 100%. ETA: Oh, and Ranch_Gordo, I'm with you completely. I think a trickle-down from the wealthy to everyone else is exactly what it's going to take for this to be a success. The ability of these sorts of foods to compete in a situation where mass-produced, cheap-at-all-costs foods dominate the scene is based entirely on obtaining the necessary funding to become widespread. Not gonna happen unless people with money starting forking it over.

Not to get too off-topic... I've heard Broussard's is good, but I've heard it from Mr. Fitzmorris, who thinks just about everywhere is good. I'll look more into that. Also, back on topic, Daniel having such a great experience is what bewilders me the most! It's not just that our meal didn't quite reach the same heights, it's that we seemed to have eaten at different restaurants!

Haha- I didn't realize you were so seriously considering this... I can't be of all that much help, except to say that the ones I've experienced don't seem all that loud. However, I guess it can be a different story when it's in your own kitchen. Good luck! Edited because 'cosidering' is not a word. At least not that I'm aware of.

I've seen someone else make this complaint about their bacon. My bacon has turned out quite well, and doesn't burn unless I forget I'm cooking it. I wonder why this is. I'll note that I put significantly less syrup in than the recipe calls for, but other than that, followed the recipe to a t.

Ok. I've been ruminating about this for quite some time, and I think I'm finally ready to discuss this. I went to Galatoire's, went all out, ordered things I was supposed to order, and it was awful. Not 'didn't live up to expectations.' Absolutely, terrifyingly, run screaming from the restaurant, crying about how much that just cost, awful. (maybe a tiny exaggeration, but really, really, REALLY bad) I honestly am in disbelief that A) this restaurant has been around for as long as it has, B) that the food could be that bad and cost that much, and C) everyone else in the restaurant seemed to be loving the hell out of it. The reason it has taken so long to write about this is because I questioned the experience. Was it an off night? Were we treated differently because we were not regulars? Was I blowing things out of proportion because the experience is so often raved about by people who know what they're talking about? I've finally answered all of these questions for myself, and the answers are as follows: If it was just an off night, the food can't possibly be that good to start with. I've experienced off nights at good restaurants, and they weren't THAT kind of off. If we were being given different food because we weren't regulars, they should be ashamed of themselves, first of all, but they should also know that I will use all my limited food soapbox to denounce them because of the poor service and food. And I wasn't blowing things out of proportion, because my girlfriend, mom, and sister all felt the same way, and being from out of town, my mom and sister had no idea what to expect, except that I usually choose restaurants quite well, and that was clearly not the case here. And what was so terrible, you ask? Well, it wasn't the shrimp remoulade. That was good. The "grand gouter" as a whole was fairly decent, though not mind-blowing by any stretch. The souffle potatoes were ok, but where the raves come from I will never understand. Then the flat-out travesties came, in rapid succession. My eggplant appetizer came out. A pile of plainly-coated, deep fried sticks of eggplant. That's it. No plating, no sauce, no powdered sugar, no nothing. Just fried sticks of eggplant. They weren't terrible, but they were terribly boring. My mom's eggplant special for her main was left almost untouched, something my mom never does, if more out of courtesy than tastiness. My girlfriend and I both ordered trout. It came with brown butter, and nothing else on the plate. Just a big slab of trout, some butter on it. The fish was not seasoned, and it tasted as if I was putting large chunks of nothing in my mouth. Couldn't finish it. On to the desserts... My girlfriend had the banana bread pudding, and it was actually pretty good-- a shock at this point. My mom had the lemon tart, and certainly enjoyed it more than her entree. I, unfortunately, chose the cup custard, which may be the worst dessert ever created. The texture of this was like swallowing a leech. it was slimy and terrible, and the caramel flavor tasted fake. It was as if they had used caramel extract or something. God, it was just disgusting. Our server was completely unremarkable, tending towards bad. He came around occasionally, only to take orders and deliver them. When I asked what he thought we should have, as I was told was a good plan, he essentially listed everything off the menu which was edible. And I use the word edible loosely. He did almost nothing to narrow our choices. I'll stop the madness here with just two more notes. One: it was difficult to write this without using extreme amounts of over-the-top descriptors, because this was a painful meal. Two: the reason that I don't really mention what my sister had is that she was across the table, and I didn't hear her comments or sample anything she had. Basically, I'm wondering if lots of other people feel this way and don't (or don't want to) admit it. This was, quite literally, the worst fine dining meal I have EVER experienced, bar none. What's the consensus here?

That's what I took from it. Does anyone know whether Anderson reviewed it the previous time, or if it was his predecessor?

How long did you smoke it for? Or is it not the "smokey" flavor that is lacking, but the "briney" flavor you want more of? ← I think the smokiness is fine for me. It's more the briney flavor I think, or it might just be that the meat is lacking a whole lot of flavor in the first place. It wasn't great quality, and to be honest, I bought it because I needed to make something tasty that would get me through a week or two of lunches without spending a ton of money. So I believe quality was a major factor.

So I made the pastrami(s). The little one, which I pulled out of the brine first, was good, but not spectacular. The second, which I pulled from the brine after 3 days, and was able to smoke a bit longer, was better, delicious even, but I want more flavor. I'm not sure how I'm going to achieve that. Probably better meat, for a start.

Miso butter is fantastic as well. I've never been to any of David Chang's restaurants, but he has still managed to have a large impact on my condiments. I'll have to try mayo and ketchup. It doesn't appeal to me right off the bat, because I don't eat a whole lot of either of them outside certain circumstances (i.e. fries or potato salad), but I can see how it could be pretty good. ETA: Bacon + kimchi butter might make it even better. My only concern is the saltiness. Maybe I'll make a batch of bacon with a little less salt? Or maybe I'll try it anyway and be pleasantly surprised.

Two things in response to Kim Severson's article: One, has anyone considered that, more so than a smaller population, the greater absolute number of restaurants may have more to do with the staff shortage? Two, I have found that there are a shocking number of people here who cannot look forward, and cannot be positive. Comments seem to focus on surprise that the city is functioning, that progress is being made, that the city is livable again. With the kind of attitude that shows surprise at success, it's no wonder that things move so slowly. Sorry for the rant. It's been building for a while, and when I can't just read about restaurants without "Katrina, Katrina, Katrina" penetrating every article, it just about makes me crazy.

Well, I tried a little sooner than the first batch, because I vacuum-sealed this time. However, I tried again and waited as long as my first batch, and they still didn't work. I think I may have screwed up the recipe somewhere. I was fairly tired when I made them, and it wouldn't surprise me. did you allow the same amount of resting time as the first batch? this will allow the flour to hydrate fully. ←

I'm not sure if you've ever read the Times-Picayune, but it seems as though that wouldn't be too far-fetched.

I agree. A hiatus for a bit afterwards was probably justified, but restaurants are back up and running, and have been for some time. If you're not back up to a level you're happy with by now, you're never getting there. But I am happy to hear the reviews are starting again. ETA: And while I really have no idea what'll go first, I hope it's something interesting. I want to try somewhere new.

Yeah. I just used "ap baking flour" and they turned out fine the first time. I tried them again last night though (new batch), and I had issues. These cookies didn't spread as much as the first, and ended up cakier and dry. What gives?

What he said. But also, it may be the quality of the pancetta. Higher fat to meat ratio might make it "meltier."

Congratulations on making it this far. Seems like you're doing alright/.

Roughly. I basically put enough in the blender that there was no butter peeking through after I blended.

That's another thing about kitchens. When I worked in one, I found myself barely eating outside of family meal and sampling the wares.

Two things: One, I hear you on kitchens being designed for short people. I'm only 6'1 and when I worked in a kitchen for a short time, it was painful. The same goes for home, though. My counters are clearly more appropriate for my 5'2 girlfriend. Two, lychee black tea sounds delicious. Where did you get it? ETA: Although, now that I think about it, the fact that I'm able to hunch over dishes does have a lot to do with my good presentation. I guess you take the good with the bad.

Acqua pazzo actually translates more like "crazy water." But fantastic blog.

Initially, I wanted to start a topic about how delicious the compound butter I just made was. I used David Chang's daikon kimchi, pureed, and blended it with some plain old unsalted butter. It may be the greatest condiment ever. Then I realized that it could be a great topic to discuss off-the-wall and fantastic condiments you've come up with. I want to hear about what, in a fair world, would be the next ketchup. And back to the kimchi butter, it is amazing on everything. Zucchini fritters, linguine, meatloaf- I've tried it on all of these and been blown away. So try it, and let me know what I should be trying, too.