Louisiana suppliers

[jayrayner]

Hello all. In the interests of literature - or, at least, my next novel which is probably not the same thing - I need to pick the brains of you thoroughly informed people. Your reward will be meagre: my undying gratitude, and a mention for egullet in the acknowledgments when the meister work is published in the spring of 2004.

Here's the thing: at one point in this book my character, sitting in a great plantation house up at St Francisville, Louisiana ( about 25 miles north west of baton rouge) is required at short notice to cook a spectacular - if quite classical - meal requiring the very best ingredients possible. Naturally he also needs a few legendary wines to accompany the dishes. And he must do this in a matter of hours. His reputation depends upon it.

Happily, we have the use of - four apache helicopters working out of Fort Polk another 125 miles further west of St Francisville. The choppers are taking off from Fort Polk but must collect the ingredients and deliver them to St Francsiville in no more than three hours. The wine can take a little longer. I suspect that gives us a range of about 300 miles from Fort Polk - so we can definately go to eastern Texas.

Below is a list of the things we need. Can anybody suggest really good suppliers; indeed the very best suppliers one could find in these circumstances. Sure, I could make it up - but given how much of the above is made up already it would be fun to namecheck real places.

SO:

A dozen fresh, coral on King Scallops.

Fresh foie gras

Tournedos of beef. (We want properly hung and butchered beef here)

A bucket of crawfish

A pucker restaurant within range that can lay on, say, six pints of beef stock and six pints of fish stock.

A really good general gourmet store for basics: the best free rnage eggs, almonds, sugar, marzipan, vanilla etc.

Wines

A bottle of Petrus 1947 (or 1945 - one doesn't want to be unreasonable here)

Ditto Montrachet, domaine de la Romanee Conti 1990

Chateau d'Yquem 1900 (a half will do)

Any thoughts...?

[Fat Guy]

The effective range of the choppers is 300 miles under normal circumstances, however to get the best it's essential that the pilots push the edge of the envelope out to 385 miles. This allows them to reach the Western tip of the Florida Panhandle, where Sandor Zombori's restaurant (Sandor's) in Seagrove Beach provides the most flawless stocks in the Southeast, each made by Sandor's own hand. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...&f=44&t=5856&s=

For the foie gras, although one would think that Louisiana -- with its French influence -- would be a good source, the local purveyors all have week-old stuff. It is actually necessary to fly 298 miles to Houston, where a delivery came in from Quebec the day before. But the foie should be prepared with a Louisiana touch, inspired by the recipe in use at Commander's Palace: walnut crostini spread thick with foie gras mousse -- the crostini piping hot; the mousse slightly cool -- glazed with Mayhaw Brandy syrup, which is a made from the Mayhaw wine found only in central Louisiana.

There may be a problem getting crawfish from a supplier. Luckily, the advanced anti-submarine weaponry and detection systems on the choppers can easily be reprogrammed to detect aquatic life. Crawfish are easy to catch, once you find them.

[jayrayner]

Very good Steven. A little too good, infact. Whaddya after? A cut of the royalties.

Wil indeed look at pushing the envelope. A little.

Anyway - more please.

[Jason Perlow]

Yeah, I think a UH-70 Seahawk navy rescue variant with external tanks or a V22 Osprey can push that range easy. No problem for a AV-8B marine Harrier Jet either. Sorry Steven, an a Apache wouldnt make it to Sandors even without any armament.

EDIT: depending on the season, the fresh crawfish may have to come from China. Thats where New Orleans gets them from when its off season.

[Rail Paul]

.... V22 Osprey can push that range easy.

Which assumes, of course, that the Osprey can stay aloft that long. With its troubled testing history, that's not a given. The aircraft has already killed a significant number of marines, and cost the careers of several officers who didn't fully disclose faults discovered in the testing process.

Although Congress has pushed the development of this aircraft, it declined the honor of having a few added to the VIP air unit at Andrews. That would mean Congress and its families fly on it...

[jayrayner]

THis is all facsinating not to say educative and important for the verisimilitude (should I really make it a V22 osprey rather than an apache?)

But, more imprtantly, who'll sell me my bloody scallops?

[joiei]

As long as your going to make a run to Sandor's ( an incredibly nice guy, i first met him when he had his restaurant over in Pensacola on 9th Ave), why not stop off at Destin Seafood Market to check on those scallops. As for the wines, Call Martin's in New Orleans and see what they can come up with, otherwise, head down to Bern's in Tampa, they might have a bottle in their cellar.

[Fat Guy]

Indeed, just when it seems as though there isn't a decent scallop to be had in the Southeast, Sandor will refer your team to Destin Seafood Market, which is about 25 miles back towards Louisiana from Seagrove. You will have to check the season and local laws on coral, though -- most US scallops are not sold with coral.

[jayrayner]

Briallnt. I can do without the coral.

So - Destins for the scallops.

Martins in New Orleans might have the bottles.

But where, to quote Wendy's, is the beef?

[foodie52]

You could always fly to Dallas and go to the Central Market there ( check out centralmarket.com) and get all the stuff you need. One-stop shopping.

[jayrayner]

Just checked - the apache can manage about 1100 miles with external tanks. Ergo - mine have external tanks. So - thinking Houston: anybody willing to name serious top end restaurants in the city from which we can get a good chunk of fresh foie gras that they, themselves had flown in the day before?

[foodie52]

Once again....you can get raw foie gras at Central Market in Houston. Or does your food have to be already prepared?

[jayrayner]

no no the food mustn't be pre-prepared. I'm just after the ebst ingredients. which brings us swinging back to the beef question. there must be a texan out there somewhere with a view on the very best supplier in the east of the state.

[foodie52]

I hate to keep repeating this....but Central Market in Houston can get you all that stuff. Or are you looking for a rancher or something? If so, you won't find one in east Texas!

[Fat Guy]

If you want to get hooked up with a great steak in Houston, circumventing the normal distribution channels, you need to talk to the Pappas Brothers. That would be Jim, George, Tom, and Pete Pappas. They might be willing to part with a USDA Prime dry-aged short loin.

[Deacon]

The effective range of the choppers is 300 miles under normal circumstances, however to get the best it's essential that the pilots push the edge of the envelope out to 385 miles. This allows them to reach the Western tip of the Florida Panhandle, where Sandor Zombori's restaurant (Sandor's) in Seagrove Beach provides the most flawless stocks in the Southeast, each made by Sandor's own hand. . . .There may be a problem getting crawfish from a supplier. Luckily, the advanced anti-submarine weaponry and detection systems on the choppers can easily be reprogrammed to detect aquatic life.

I'm tickled as hell by the premise of this entire thread: Tom Clancy meets M.F.K. Fisher:

(annnouncer's voice) "In a world . . . where only the best ingredients would do . . . one chef had only three hours to prepare dinner . . . and if he failed . . . his guests . . . would not be happy. . . ." (shot of an Apache helicopter rising from a parking lot next to a farmer's market)

starring:

Ben Affleck as Jack Ryan

Laura Linney as Susan Spicer

Emeril Lagasse as Emeril Lagasse

special appearance by Charlton Heston as The President

and Dom DeLuise as Paul Prudhomme

Needs a title, though. Shellfish Games? The Hunt for Red Sauce? The Sum of All Menu Items?

[jayrayner]

Does that mean you'll be buying the book?

Oh - and the title is Eating Crow. (At leats it will be on the edition to be published by SImon and Schuster in the US)

[Deacon]

Eating Crow

Good title. Now if I can only get my book written.

[crumbs]

Oh man, I love this thread! Here in Pensacola, McGuires Irish Pub still age dries their beef. A short stop when heading back with the stock--as long as they don't make a detour through Trader Jon's! On the otherhand, we can probably put up a Marine chopper to do a dramatic transfer if the range becomes an issue. My dad, an ol' Air Force Air Rescue flight chef, tells of worse things being done over the Gulf!

Can't wait! Can't we get a preview?

Debi

[panslammer]

I hate to jump in here but I could not resist. Martins Wine Cellar will not have superior vintage wine of the type you require. The purveyor who could supply a 1961 Petrus or a 1900 Y'quem would be The French Quarter Wine Merchant on Chartres St. in New Orleans. Carlos and Blaise Todaro have some pretty hot gems in the back room. You need a case of 1982 Lafitte? He's either got it can get it...for a price. Also, they own their own building in the quarter and you could possibly land on their roof, thus saving time.

[jhlurie]

I hate to keep repeating this....but Central Market in Houston can get you all that stuff. Or are you looking for a rancher or something? If so, you won't find one in east Texas!

For dramatic reasons wouldn't it be more spectacular (not realistic, mind you) if the quest had to take the hero (or the hero's agents, I suppose) to a greater number of places, as well as further afield? If this individual was obsessed enough, despite the time constraint, I would make sure ALL FOUR helicopters were utilized to go in different directions. Sure one place might have it all, but where's the fun in that?

Edited February 22, 2003 by jhlurie (log)

[jayrayner]

Thanks jhlurie for articulating a concern I was having. I thought it would sound peevish to say 'enough with the central market already' but certainly, in this story all four helicopters are going to be used. However it's already looking good. i've got one heading off to the Flordia Panhandle to pick up stocks from Sandor's and the scallops from Destin's.

Clearly there's another going to the French Quarter Wine Merchant in New Orleans (thankyou panslammer) and a third heading for the central market in Houston (what's become of its website? can't get it to load.)

As for the fourth - I still hunger for a beef supplier, outside of Houston - nearer Dallas say who can bring bakc the meat. Any offers?