TDG: Eating at the Best Restaurant in the World

[jogoode]

I usually don't like to fill up all at once on a single dish, as there are over 200 choices, including 47 selections involving the use of shrimp, crawfish, or both, and I want to remain light on my feet for at least the majority of the afternoon. Eating a big load of the wonderful seafood au gratin and sweet potato pone from Ten Talents Catering is a great thing to do, but not if you have designs on dancing to a little zydeco shortly thereafter.

Mayhaw Man does the Jazz Fest. New Yorkers are extremely jealous.

* * *

Be sure to check The Daily Gullet home page daily for new articles (most every weekday), hot topics, site announcements, and more.

[Varmint]

Mrs. Varmint and I will be there next year, Brooks, to celebrate her 40th! Great article, as usual.

[theabroma]

I may do this yet, Brooks. Meantime, I will have to buy a new keyboard now, thanks to your article ... slobbered like an old hound dog all over mine. Yeccccch!

'Bout how far from NO does one have to go to get a room for JazzFest ... (I can hear you laughing). Among other groups, I am a big fan of Johnny Clegg who is all too rarely in my neighborhood. And I am an utter fool for the Nevilles ... in any other their manifestations.

If I make it, I'll holler. If not, have a grand time. Look forward to further posts. And am very intrigued by the crayfish sack.

Theabroma

[reesek]

great article brooks.

i went to jazzfest my senior year of college - santana made the rain stop (or um, something like that...grannies were getting high around me - way cooler than watching the concert) and my favorite show was inside the gospel tent. i can't even remember the food since i played it all wrong (not having gotten the memo from brooks in advance) and chased my bud lights with yards of fruity headache in town. i did eat something wonderful at the fairgrounds...i believe it contained potato.

i do love NO though, it's a sticky good time.

[mags]

You know, I hate hot, humid weather the way my great-grandfather the union organizer hated Pinkertons.....but you actually made me want to go to New Orleans in May, Brooks. Have a great time.

[Mayhaw Man]

Thanks all for your kind comments.

Cynthia-a couple of the services-hotwire, etc. were showing rooms in the sub $100 range downtown, although they are going fast. On top of the Jazz Fest there are two huge conventions in town this weekend.

Mags,

As far as the weather goes this is as good as it gets (except at the end of October, when it is the same as now). Low humidity, decent breeze coming out of the North, and not much rain (actually we are kind of in a drought, not that it matters much as we are at the bottom of one of the largest watersheds on earth and we also average about 65" a year (Mobile, 90 miles from here, is the wettest city in the US and we are not so far from their yearly total).

Once again thanks. It's fun writing about stuff you care about (as opposed to school boards, pokice chiefs, business associations, and other dull stuff).

Brooks

[zeman]

Well folks I'm leaving Friday morning and staying thru the 1st of May. Can't wait!!

[Rachel Perlow]

OK, here's an indelicate, but necessary inquiry: What's the facilities situation?

[clothier]

that's it. that's the last straw, I just can't take it any more.

I'm moving to N.O.

[Mayhaw Man]

Fortune Magazine says we have the cheapest mansions in the country. There are plenty to choose from.

On the other hand, for the regular folks my friend K.Keller said it best:

"New Orleans is a city with a low standard of living and a very high quality of life."

I've always thought that that summed up the situation nicely.

[Mayhaw Man]

OK, here's an indelicate, but necessary inquiry: What's the facilities situation?

Not indelicate at all. It is a very imprtant question.

There are brand new portapotties by the gazillions, not one's that have been on some construction sight for a year. It is part of the contract.

There are also very comfortable facilities with air conditioning inside the Grandstands of the Fairgrounds for those who need to be a bit more comfortable while communing with nature (these facilities come complete with attendants who will be happy to assist you with your every need-I am a qualified expert on this subject, as I have been quoted in the Wall Street Journal ).

[Mayhaw Man]

The gates open in 12 hours. The eating and dancing starts in about 12 1/2.

The pain comes later.

The credit card bills come in a month.

[Mayhaw Man]

Large Iced Tea

then a Crawfish Sack

Wanna guess what I ate next? (excellent, by the way)

Mrs. Mayhaw with a plate of fried eggplant with crawfish cream sauce (spicy, but not too). She told me to knock it off with the food pictures involving her right after I took this. I ignored her of course, but was much more discreet today

Me and fellow egulleteer rshorens. She and her husband came out to the Fairgrounds for Saturday (riding the newly opened streetcar to the museum and walking over-a fun ride, but they are still working out a few kinks with the service and it shows). Roz is charming (dig that snappy hat ) and she lives in Santa Cruz. We're all invited for supper! She had a big dining week in New Orleans and I look forward to hearing about it from her.

Tons more food photos, but not tonight. Although I will say that the couchon de lait po boy was excellent (Varmint would recognize it immediatly, as it is basically pulled pork sandwich with course cut slaw (kinda spicy, kinda vinegary, kinda great!). The softshell crab po boy was excellent. THe BBQ oyster salad from Mr. B's was really good. Crawfish bread, creole stuffed bread, meat pies (both crawfish and beef), strawberry lemonade, mango freeze, cracklings, redfish ferdinand, and everything else I ate hit the spot(it's a damn big spot, too ). I willreport back Sunday night after the Fairgrounds.

[MindyMoo]

Hi everyone - I'm new to the board! But here's what I ate at the 'fest:

Started with...

Crawfish Bread - pretty good, very filling.

Crawfish Sacks - my favorite - great tasting filling, crispy outside

Crawfish beignets - hot and crusty with a kicking sauce (horseradish maybe?)

Rosemint tea - very refreshing!

Miller Lite - I think I had 11 the whole day

Crawfish Monica -good, but WAY too heavy and hot, especially after the afore-mentioned food.

Then...

Shared 2 snowballs from Plum St. Snowballs:

Nectar Cream w/Condensed Milk - yummy and sweet

Coconut Cream w/Condensed Milk - yummier and sweeter

Later that Day...

Fried Eggplant with Crawfish cream sauce - At least 3 people stopped to ask what I had, I think this is a new dish. Very good and lots of food for the $$$.

Crabmeat stuffed Shrimp - Very good and lots of crabmeat stuffing, but only 2 to a $4 order.

Coconut Shrimp (from Redfish Grill) - I was most dissappointed with this dish. Seemed like a rip-off - 4 tiny fried shrimp with a small souffle' cup of sweet and sour sauce on the side, no coconut taste, for $4. They did rest the shrimp on a bed of shredded lettuce to make the dish seem more voluminous, though... sneaky Redfish Grill.

Grilled Vegetables & Rice from Palmer's - so good, with a sauce that was tasty with a little kick. Nice to have something not fried, too!

After Lenny Kravitz...

Mango Freeze - wonderfully refreshing...

Even though I'm a local, it was my first JazzFest and I had a blast. I am going back Thursday and Saturday. I'll be broke for a good while, but it was worth it!

-MindyMoo

Edited April 26, 2004 by MindyMoo (log)

[Mayhaw Man]

Next time, instead of the Coconut Shrimp, try out the BBQ Oyster poboy. The small is 4 bucks and worth every penny. A very tasty sandwich.

[MindyMoo]

Next time, instead of the Coconut Shrimp, try out the BBQ Oyster poboy. The small is 4 bucks and worth every penny. A very tasty sandwich

Thanks, MM. Next weekend, I want to try the BBQ Oyster po-boy, the Cochon de lait po-boy, and the SoftShell Crab po-boy. I may need another stomach, though.

[Mayhaw Man]

With a name like Mindymoo I would think that you might have 4.

That couchon de lait poboy is great, although kind of odd. It is sort of like a version of one of those Carolina sandwiches that Varmint has for his avatar. They have this vinegary slaw on them with some great pork. The portion size is about right as well. With a little homemade mayo and some hot mustard this would be a world class sandwich (it's still pretty good with blue plate and Zatarain's, though)

I am not writing anymore about the softshell poboy as too many people are eating them anyway and they keep running out at 6 p.m.-I don't want one until it is time to go home and they have been out 2 days in a row at 6:45 (although the catfish is a pretty good sub).

[Tamzen]

Oh Man. My hubby has to be in N'Awlins this friday for business. We got tickets to fly in on Wednesday leaving ALL DAY Thursday to party and chow down on that amazing food. I am looking forward to the 'I can't believe I ate so much' sensation.

And we get to stay at the W on expenses. Miracles do happen.

[Rachel Perlow]

How does the pricing work for the music? Is it an admission to the fairgrounds and there's various stages set up with general admission or just standing/dancing around, or do you have to pay individually for the concerts?

[Varmint]

That couchon de lait poboy is great, although kind of odd. It is sort of like a version of one of those Carolina sandwiches that Varmint has for his avatar. They have this vinegary slaw on them with some great pork. The portion size is about right as well. With a little homemade mayo and some hot mustard this would be a world class sandwich (it's still pretty good with blue plate and Zatarain's, though)

will reserve judgment until I try one of those or Brooks comes here to try one of ours . . . perhaps another pig pickin' will be necessary . . .

[Mayhaw Man]

How does the pricing work for the music? Is it an admission to the fairgrounds and there's various stages set up with general admission or just standing/dancing around, or do you have to pay individually for the concerts?

Current price is $21 ahead of time/$25 at the gate. 7 stages plus a myriad of side stuff (cultural and musical) to keep you entertained.

General admission. No extra charge for dancing.

Given that the average price for a mid level show in a club is $20-$30, this represents one of the great entertainment bargains of all time.

" Culture in most places comes down from on high. In New Orleans it bubbles up from the streets"-Ellis Marsalis

[Mayhaw Man]

That couchon de lait poboy is great, although kind of odd. It is sort of like a version of one of those Carolina sandwiches that Varmint has for his avatar. They have this vinegary slaw on them with some great pork. The portion size is about right as well. With a little homemade mayo and some hot mustard this would be a world class sandwich (it's still pretty good with blue plate and Zatarain's, though)

will reserve judgment until I try one of those or Brooks comes here to try one of ours . . . perhaps another pig pickin' will be necessary . . .

I'm standing by happily waiting to be corrected.

It is a pretty fine sandwich, though. Proper BBQ or not. Whole roasted and chopped pig with some pretty good slaw on great bread. What's not to like?

[clothier]

Stop the presses.

Let me get this straight.

Not only do you have tremendous writing ability, not only do you get to live and eat in New Orleans, but your wife is hot too?

Man, you are living the charmed life.

[Michael Hoffman]

that's it. that's the last straw, I just can't take it any more.

I'm moving to N.O.

Clothier, long time no see. You're going to move out of Michgan?

[clothier]

that's it. that's the last straw, I just can't take it any more.

I'm moving to N.O.

Clothier, long time no see. You're going to move out of Michgan?

Hey Michael, nice to see you too.

Nah, I'm staying put.

NO has lots going for it, but I bet you can't get a decent coney dog there.

and I'd miss the michigan weather. it was sunny and 80 last Thurs, but we had an inch of snow this morning.

Welcome aboard e-gullet!