PopsicleToze

I admire you pulling through Thanksgiving under that much pressure. Under that set of circumstances, I would have been the one with the "flu" by the time dinner was served.

It's carbs (popcorn, pasta, potatoes, bread, etc.) and eating non-stop for a day. The next day, I can't eat anything. I'm sick, bloated and the pains begin. Like clockwork, the next day is bingo. I give up, I tell you. They win. Now if they'll just leave me the hell alone

Parmesan, the real stuff Goat Cheese rolled in herbs Cream Cheese for my bagels and salmon

I don't like them either. Someone actually insulted my taste over the things, which didn't change my opinions of truffles in the least. I don't know how to describe them, but 'dirt' as stated earlier is fair. ------------- Edited for bad typing

Squeat, I haven't posted yet, but I've read every word. If I'm ever in San Francisco, I hope you give me a tour around the market and allow me to treat you to dinner. You certainly deserve it. Thank you for a wonderful blog.

Fistfullofroux, your entire post was EXCELLENT. You made me long for Lafayette even. Actually, on my way home from Lake Charles (work sometimes, not too often), I always loved stopping by Hebert's to pack an ice chest of stuffed chickens to bring home. I have some friends of friends there, and we visit occasionally, and I grew up in the country, so I'm not bad-mouthing Lafayette either. Those state troopers are hell on wheels on I-10, however. So, Perlows, if you take the day trip, you might want to slow down and follow speed limits (or thereabouts) at least by the time you hit Baton Rouge. BTW, thanks for not bad-mouthing us -- thought you might have been that old football "star" that had so much publicity for the negative things he had to say about New Orleans women. Hey, maybe if he wasn't actually in a bar on Bourbon Street doing God knows what with God knows whom in the wee hours of the morning, he would have met some different, um, ladies. P.S. Rachel/Jason, I'm just a sub-egulleter with not too many posts. I will be alone that week, so I can't join you as a couple but I'm sure you'll get a group together and I'd love to join you.

The Big Sleazy But what you suggest they do (besides eat, and, yes, Lafayette does have much better boudin than NO) when they get there?

Jambalaya is home cooking. I love it, but I don’t order it out. A lot of friends say the jambalaya at Coop’s Place is great. The restaurant (bar ) is a little funky, but the food is surprisingly good. They also keep lots of Abita Beer (local brand) on tap. Coop's Place, Phone: 504/525-9053 The Gumbo Shop can be iffy. If you want to try a different place, gumbo at Mr B’s for lunch is fantastic. Coincidently, Mr B’s also makes great BBQ shrimp. The shrimp are heavy on the Worcestershire sauce, but they taste fantastic. An alternate place for the BBQ Shrimp isPascal's Manales (the restaurant that created this dish). You might want to try both. http://www.mrbsbistro.com/ Pascal's Manale, Phone: 504/895-4877 For the muffulettas, Central Grocery is my favorite, but many people swear the ones at The Napoleon House are even better. They even have a drink created there that all the customers talk about. I think it’s a Pimm’s Cup. http://www.napoleonhouse.com/reception1.html The other place you might want to try is Jacques-Imo's. It’s a Cajun café with some really interesting food (and atmosphere). Go early. They don’t take reservations to my knowledge, and there’s always a line. You could always call Bourdain since he ate there (in the back of a truck, no less) when A Cook’s Tour was here. http://www.jacquesimoscafe.com/info.htm You’re not going to have a hard time finding good food, and I really hope you both enjoy the trip. ---------- Edited for typos

Baby, that was waaaay too much info about the nose thing

Alright. Pronounce the word -- or at least spell it phonetically so the ignorant masses (me included) will know. I thought it was: fwa gras (like Mardi Gras) Okay, once you quit laughing, corrections, please.

That just can't be right. They make the stuff buried in the ground to ferment. How bad can "bad" be? I keep it in the refrigerator, but I've never had any go bad, but then again, how would one know?

Whew! You guys are hard-core. Ain't nothing going past you!

I've always added tunafish (the imported kind packed in olive oil) to mine. I thought that was a required ingredient. Oh, well -- at least I had the "lady of the evening" context firmly in place.

OHMYGOD ROFLMAO!!! She doesn't hear the subtle, "Hey those are my f'ing pickles." Then, besides having to put up with the witch, witchie poo Lysols YOU! Man, I'll bet you're glad it's Friday!!

"vary in quality wildly from place to place" is an understatement. I had errands to run for lunch, and BK was right next door. I had their Savory Mustard Chicken Baquette (what they called it). Supposedly freshly baked bread. What their manager forgot to tell the BK employees was that bread is *not* baked until it turns a golden brown color. I had a raw, soggy sandwich with some type of sweet, not savory, watery mustard. That will be my BK fix for the year!

Upperline is excellent, as always. I have never heard of one negative review of the place, even from locals. My favorite is the trout meuniere, but many people love Upperline's duck dishes, also. The restaurant is no longer open for lunch, however.

If you'll be here Friday for lunch, try Begue's in the Royal Sonesta Hotel. They have an excellent seafood buffet. Although I'm not into buffets, this one is outstanding. For a very casual lunch, get the muffelata from Central Grocery. It's a huge round Italian loaf, hollowed out a bit to fit the mounds of Italian deli meats and cheeses with an olive mix topping. It's excellent. The weather is really nice right now. Get that (1 whole muff feeds 2 people) and a beer or glass of wine and sit on the levy and watch the barges go bye. It's a very relaxful way to spend lunch. For dinner Brigtsen's is an excellent restaurant, and the chef is ALWAYS there. The seafood platter is a no-brainer, always fabulous, and try the creme brulee for desert. As an aside, many restaurants in New Orleans are casual. If there is someplace you really want to go, just ask about dress code when you make reservations (always make reservations for dinner here). Nice slacks and sports shirts are common -- just no shorts and tennis shoes at dinner If you decide you want a dressy upscale place - Delmonico's is hard to beat. Yeah, Emeril owns it, but it really is good. Skip Commander's Palace -- since the chef (Jamie Shannon) sadly passed away they haven't been very good lately. Laisses les bon temps rouler (and enjoy your trip)!

IMO, it Burnett's vodka. They guy who owns the wine store where I shop recommended it. He uses it for martinis while I just trust it for mixed drinks. It is triple-filtered, and at about $8/fifth, it's very economical.

For inexpensive meals, stock up on pasta. One of my favorites -- slice some fresh garlic and cook in olive oil until it just starts to brown. Eat with spaghetti topped with fresh chopped parsley and garmesan cheese. Good parmesan isn't inexpensive, but it takes an inexpensive dish to new heights with just a few gratings of the stuff. (Also, Pasta Alfredo.) For an easy inexpensive lunch, make an Italian bean and tuna salad. Drain liquid from 1 can of white beans and 1 can of tuna. Mix in bowl with a few tablespoons of mayonnaise, olive oil, some sliced onions (first soaked in red wine vinegar), some capers, and whatever fresh herbs you have on hand -- chopped fresh parsley is fine and about $0.50/bunch. Season to taste. Serve on its own or over iceberg lettuce. Also, check out your market for specials on chicken leg-quarters (leg and thigh combined). We get them all of the time for about $0.29/lb -- but you have to buy 10-lb package -- only $2.90. You can make thousands of great dishes with chicken thighs/legs. P.S. Enjoying your food blog.

Soba, thanks. I've just saved your brussels sprouts to my "recipes that must be tried" folder. I'm thinking it's going to take ME more than 15 minutes to de-leaf 2 tubs, however. Edited, because I think faster than I type

Soba -how long does it take to deleaf a package of brussel sprouts? Edited for PS Your recipe, BTW, sounds fantastic.

Everytime I'm tempted with fast food, I just remember all of the "bad" good things I want to put in my body -- ummm, bacon, bacon fat, cream, etc. -- and then I think about the things fast food places want to put in my body. I don't even know the scientific definitions of most of them. Even if I'm hungry, I find that I can just order a large Diet Coke (don't send me the ingredients; I don't want to know) and put off ordering fast food until I can eat something good. Like the saying "Margarine or butter? I trust cows over scientists." Or something like that. As far as Rick Bayless, I've always respected his seemingly view of authentic, quality-prepared food being utmost in priority. I understand the money aspect, but the decision was a bit short-sided on his part. Of my friends that eat fast food, they don't even know who he is. And the friends that do eat fast foods, they are shocked. Not a very good move on his part. Who will potentially buy his books anyway -- someone who loves food, or someone who will eat trash daily? Would I do it for the money? I can be bought, but I don't know at what price. A friend in MBA class wrote a paper which he described an ethical situation -- offered $25,000 to look the other way while a contract was rewarded at a higher price than it should be. He refused. His grade - C. Not a high compliment. Another person in his class wrote a paper where she was offered over $100,000 for an unethical situation, and she turned it down. She received an A+ (actually a HP for "high pass"). The difference? His story was true; hers was fabricated. So in BUSINESS ETHICS, she received the highest grade for lying!

Fifi, you are right-on with Camellia red beans, the ONLY ones I use, and today is definitely a good day for them since it's damp and will rain most of the day. Will have them for lunch with french bread and a salad. However, growing up in the country, we always had them more as a side dish to fried pork chops or fried chicken and cornbread. Either way is good by me. I don't think there is a bean I don't like -- great whites (with shrimp over rice), butter/lima beans with pork meat for flavor, and I eat fresh green beans with potatoes and bacon as a meal in itself. Wait--there is one bean I can do without--garbonzos. Just don't like them. Even make my hummus with white beans.

Definitely a hindrance, even though she lets me cook when I'm visiting (she'd let anyone cook these days). Whatever I cook is fine; ask her what she wants "food". I've bought knives to leave there only to have other siblings pilfer them I leave spices there, and they're pretty much left alone, even the fresh pepper. I try to leave some stock there -- "I don't have room in my freezer for that junk." She throws them out. So, when I go home for the weekend, I take a big box and crate up the necessities and shop for perishables along the way. There is a bright side -- there are many farmers markets in that area, and I can stock up for me

Camellia Grill has gone horribly downhill I would skip it, but Mother's and Johnny's are still top fare About the only thing Cafe du Monde has is beignets (way too much powdered sugar) and coffee, but if you haven't been to N.O. before, it's worth it. Central Grocery, IMO, has the best muffalettas around. Even a hearty appetite can only eat half of one, and they sell them in halves. Get that, a Barq's root beer (or beer or wine, which they also sell) and eat on the levee watching the barges go by. Great way to spend part of your afternoon. Begue's Restaurant in the Royal Orleans hotel has a great Friday seafood lunch buffet. Also, Brigtsen's restaurant is fabulous. The chef is alwaaaaays there, and I've never had anything there that wasn't terrific. They have an early bird special. I believe you have to be seated before 6:30, and it's only on Tues/Wed/Thurs -- but I'm not sure. Call them and check out the details. 723 Dante St New Orleans 70118 504 861 7610 Hope you enjoy your trip! Edited because I can't spell