Perlows Eat New Orleans

[joiei]

Beignets from Cafe Du Monde. I'm quite sure they are overdoing it on the powdered sugar, just out of solidarity.

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That picture of the beignets looks sooooo good, I can taste them right now. As for the amount of powered sugar, that looks just about right, enough to get all over your good black pants. But SOOOO worth it. Now for the smell of the cafe au lait to go with it. yum.

[sara]

Hi

Just FYI for others, indeed it's perfectly possible to park on the street these days, meter or not, and not get ticketed. We parked on O'Keefe overnight (from about 10 pm-11 am) on a Sunday and a Monday, for free, no meter, no problem.

[FistFullaRoux]

Thanks FFR. I have to admit though, I really hate listening to the sound of my own voice. If anyone thinks I sound bad now, you should see what I sound like BEFORE I do the editing and I pull out all the extraneous "ummms" and "ahhhhhs". The first two or three I definitely was asking questions too fast and I was very nervous -- I'm now a bit more conscious about slowing down and annunciating my words properly. Recording converstation and talking in a broadcast form is way, way different than a natural conversation, but I try to keep them as natural as possible. I'm seriously considering taking voice lessons.

You are right about them not being done in a studio -- they are being recorded in the kitchen or noisy dining rooms or the streets of New Orleans, so they have quite a bit of background noise. I need at some point to really read up on the editing software I am using, Audacity. It has a lot of stuff you can use to improve sound quality, and it has nice splicing features for editing in music and fade out/fade in effects to make things sound more professional. The hardware I am using is very cheap, its an Olympus DM-20 with the optional external stereo condenser mic, which ran me about $230 total. If I want to take the next step up in sound quality I will need to go with a Marantz recorder and a studio type microphone like a Sennheiser which is like another 200-300 bucks.

I havent done the editing and the intro segment on the Prudhomme yet, I hope to do it tomorrow in my hotel room in Austin.

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Quality wise, it's OK already. Yes, it would be neat to have the Sennheiser and Marantz equipment, but it really won't make that much of a difference in the sound. Biggest thing I could suggest is an unidirectional microphone. You would have to switch it back and forth between yourself and the subject, but it may cut down on some of the background noise. Just make sure that the mic is close enough to each mouth to get a good signal.

Audacity should be fine for what you need, just be careful you don't overedit. It's easy to do. If you make a lot of cuts it will sound jarring and the edits will be obvious, especially when you have background noise. With the unidirectional mic, you may want to consider some post editing compression or limiting which will even out sound levels.

And don't overthink your voice. It does not sound bad, it has a bit of an NPR quality about it. That's a good thing. No reason to make major changes, just keep the annunciation in mind. Old radio guy advice, take with as many grains of (Kosher) salt as needed.

And while you are in Austin, try Magnolia Cafe if you have a chance. My favorite sopt in town.

edited for lack of caffiene during the original post.

Edited April 9, 2006 by FistFullaRoux (log)

[Jason Perlow]

I wanted to get another podcast released before I flew out to Austin tomorrow, so here it is:

Podcast #6: K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen

[FistFullaRoux]

Very cool. Thanks so much for that. It's really nice to hear him so excited. I'm sure it's a struggle for him, but he really sounds like he's into it, and has become a real cheerleader for the reconstruction.

Nice job, sir...

[Mayhaw Man]

Hi

Just FYI for others, indeed it's perfectly possible to park on the street these days, meter or not, and not get ticketed. We parked on O'Keefe overnight (from about 10 pm-11 am) on a Sunday and a Monday, for free, no meter, no problem.

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Just for the record, they are writing parking tickets sometimes, but apparently not for meter violations-just for no parking, fire lanes, loading zone, etc. And the best part is, they don't even know what to do with them exactly when people try to pay them.

As far as parking goes in the Warehouse District and the CBD, things have improved a bit, as some of the relief workers in hotels have moved out and have taken their cars with them, but at night, it can still be a several block circle before you find what you want. The rest of town, pretty much, is no problem. Lots of parking in Lakeview, Gentilly, The East, etc. Even in my neighborhood (Lower G.D.), it's usually not to hard to get close to the house.

Read more about it here:

New Orleans:Proud to Park at Home

[gmi3804]

We're leaving for NOLA tomorrow for the weekend! Can't wait to see our favorite city and show our support (i.e., spend LOTS of $$!) and love. It's been too long.

Reading this thread has whetted my appetite, and we've got an impressive lineup of meals planned: Lilette, August, Table One, Vizard's on the Avenue, plus all the little "in between" snacks!

[joiei]

We're leaving for NOLA tomorrow for the weekend!  Can't wait to see our favorite city and show our support (i.e., spend LOTS of $$!) and love.  It's been too long.

Reading this thread has whetted my appetite, and we've got an impressive lineup of meals planned:  Lilette, August, Table One, Vizard's on the Avenue, plus all the little "in between" snacks! 

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Have a Great time.

[Mayhaw Man]

We're leaving for NOLA tomorrow for the weekend!  Can't wait to see our favorite city and show our support (i.e., spend LOTS of $$!) and love.  It's been too long.

Reading this thread has whetted my appetite, and we've got an impressive lineup of meals planned:  Lilette, August, Table One, Vizard's on the Avenue, plus all the little "in between" snacks! 

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You are going to have some pretty swell weather for your trip, looks like. It's really, really nice here today.

[gmi3804]

You are going to have some pretty swell weather for your trip, looks like. It's really, really nice here today.

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I checked the weather report too - looks near-perfect!

I mean, I love NOLA, but that humidity! I don't know how you guys take it!

[UptownKevin]

We're leaving for NOLA tomorrow for the weekend!  Can't wait to see our favorite city and show our support (i.e., spend LOTS of $$!) and love.  It's been too long.

Reading this thread has whetted my appetite, and we've got an impressive lineup of meals planned:  Lilette, August, Table One, Vizard's on the Avenue, plus all the little "in between" snacks!  

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Have a Great time.

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Good to hear. My plane leaves from Tampa at 7am and I land in NOLA at 7:40 (I gain an hour).

I'll be running the CCC on Saturday and doing plenty of eating in the meantime. One on Friday evening after happy hour at The Columns. Galatoire's for lunch on Saturday and the rest is undecided. Probably going to hit Upperline and Tommy's, and I'll be sure to get some oysters and an oyster po-boy.

I'll let everyone know how the trip went.

-Kevin

[Jason Perlow]

Day 5: ACME Oyster House and Herbsaint

We ran out of luck when heading to Johnny's Po Boys only to find out it was closed for the day when we got there. A local lady, noticing our distress, suggested that we head to ACME.

Now, ACME is one of those places that is heavily promoted in all the New Orleans tourism books, so we were reticent to go there on previous visits to the city. But I was willing to throw caution to the wind, and frankly I thought some more raw oysters and perhaps a Po Boy might be good there.

A view of the shucking area.

A plate of raws on the half shell. These were pristine quality and for the most part free from sand and grit. The shuckers are doing an excellent job here. Unlike Casamento's, the sauce is pre-prepared, so you won't look like a Yankee doofus trying to mix your own.

Here I managed to convince Rachel to eat a raw oyster, which she is normally freaked out by. Guess what, she liked them!

ACME's Oyster Rockefeller Soup. Other than the fried oyster its the only discernible oyster in the soup, although there is a small amount of chopped up oyster in it. We felt that the soup itself was too thickened with roux and Rachel's version that we made a few weeks ago was a lot better.

The Acme Special Po Boy. Ham, Turkey, Roast Beef Debris and Gravy with Melted Cheese. Excellent.

The Fried Peacemaker Po Boy. I thought that the oysters were fried a bit too done and the small shrimps really didn't improve it.

So overall, I would say if you definitely want raw oysters, head on over. The Special Po Boy is excellent, and if they happen to have a supply of crawfish or shrimp for a boil (they didn't that day) you might want to check them out.

Herbsaint, in the New Orleans central business/downtown district on St. Charles Avenue, was one of the first fine dining restaurants to re-open after Katrina. Chef/Owner Donald Link is preparing some of the finest cuisine in the city, blending traditional French and Italian influences with modern Louisiana ingredients. We had dinner at Herbsaint that evening with Mayhaw Man, and it has been one of our best experiences in the city so far.

The entrance to Herbsaint.

Daily menu.

Champagne cocktail.

Green bean amuse.

Fresh bread emerging from the oven.

Tomato and Basil bisque.

Beet and Ricotta Ravioli.

Gumbo of the day.

Housemade Spaghetti with Pancetta and Fried-Poached Farm Egg. Everyone loved this one.

Shrimp and Green Chile Grits Cakes with Tasso Cream Sauce. I thought this was stylistically similar to Upperline's Cane River Shrimp appetizer, but in an even richer and creamier sauce. Not necessarily better, but certainly a great dish.

Gnocchi with Wild Mushrooms and Basil. Of the three pasta appetizers we sampled, this one was the least interesting, but it was still very good.

Fish of the day, sauteed Redfish with mashed potatoes, butter beans and turnips. I liked this one a lot, the butter beans were a great compliment to the dish.

Duck Confit with Dirty Rice. Rachel really liked this one.

Herbed Hangar Steak with Pomme Frites and Pimenton Sauce, which was kind of like a red pepper aioli. I enjoyed this a lot.

Caramel Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips

Louisiana Strawberry Sorbet. This was a knockout.

Chocolate Beignet with brandied cherries.

Fresh Louisiana Strawberries.

After eating so much food we needed the walk back to our hotel. We passed by Gallier Hall at 545 St. Charles, a massive three story high Greek Revival structure which served as the City Hall for over a hundred years. Today, several notable local notable persons lay in state there including Jefferson Davis and General Beauregard. You can book it for weddings too. This building is so big I had to go to the other side of the street over a hundred feet away just to get it in frame. The doors are probably close to 20 feet high.

Edited April 14, 2006 by Jason Perlow (log)

[Rachel Perlow]

Green bean amuse.

Tomato and Basil bisque.

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I found myself staring at the gigantic cross sections of green beans, then remembered, that's a quail egg on top.

I highly recommend the Tomato Bisque, it was fabulous.

[Jason Perlow]

I've had this one in the hopper for a while but I finally got to it today:

Podcast #8: Chef John Besh, Restaurant August

[Jason Perlow]

Another new podcast, this time with Donald Link of Herbsaint, where we discuss its re-opening and his new restaurant, COCHON:

Podcast #9: Herbsaint and COCHON

Edited April 29, 2006 by Jason Perlow (log)

[Jason Perlow]

Part two of "Seder Plates in New Orleans" is now up:

http://www.offthebroiler.com/2006/04/30/po...orleans-part-2/

[docbrite]

Chef CJ gets ready to put a softshell out of his misery.

Jason, I've been traipsing through the kitchen at Casamento's for 38 years and still can't figure out where you were standing when you took this great picture.

[Jason Perlow]

Thats a table he set up right by the back door.

[Jason Perlow]

Dickie Brennan podcast now uploaded:

http://offthebroiler.wordpress.com/2006/05...dickie-brennan/

NOTE: Please be advised my Podcast hosting provider, Switchpod, started doing some upgrades this evening, and you might have some difficulty downloading my podcasts until tomorrow.

Edited May 4, 2006 by Jason Perlow (log)

[Jason Perlow]

Ray Nagin has been re-elected as Mayor of New Orleans.

For those of you who missed the Ray Nagin podcast and his New Orleans restaurant reccomendations, grab it here:

"Hey, Doesn't That Waiter Look Like Ray Nagin?" (Off The Broiler)

Edited May 22, 2006 by Jason Perlow (log)

[Jmahl]

[

Check out Mommas.  It real.

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"Mommas"? I can't find it on yp.yahoo, do you mean Mother's?

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[Jmahl]

Wonderful thread,

You might want to look at a thread I added last week entitled " Impressions of New Orleans" from my recent visit to Nola.

Jmahl