The Muffin Man

Every Saturday morning, I have a standing meeting with Robert Banck, whom I nicknamed "The Muffin Man" before I ever learned what was written on his driver's license. The Muffin Man is like Red in Shawshank or the reincarnate of the Special Man from the old Frankie and Johnny's commercials. In short, he's the guy who's got the goods, from orange cranberry muffins (my favorite) to lemon squares, pecan squares, and granola.


Photo by renee b. photography.

 
The Muffin Man is actually only one part of an entire Muffin Family behind Windfield Farm Bakery. After a year of enjoying their muffins, scones, cookies, breads, and lemon squares, I finally gathered up the courage to speak to the Muffin Man and learn about the history and operations of Windfield Farm, which is the subject of my article in this month's food issue of OffBeat Magazine.

I was not surprised to learn that behind the Muffin Man was a Muffin Woman (isn't there always?), Robert's wife Suzie, who was the impetus of everything delicious coming from their farm in Franklinton. The story only gets better from there, in my opinion.

Here is a little anecdote about the Muffin Man that was too long to be included in the article but that I thought was worth sharing.

Last year on the Saturday before Halloween, The Muffin Man became a celebrity when his stand was used as a set for a Vera Bradley photoshoot, complete with obnoxious European photographer, stand-in 40ish blonde-haired muffin woman, flawless-looking 18 year old model, a dozen set attendees, and a ton of expensive set equipment.

It was almost noon by the time that I made it to the market that day, because The Folk Singer and I had run the Jazz Half Marathon that morning. We walked straight from the finish line on Tchoupitoulas to the market, hoping to find a sweet reward. Now, the photoshoot was taking place on one side of the booth, while it was business as usual for the Muffin Man on the other side. I was rather aloof and delirious at the time and tried to hand my money to the stand-in muffin woman to pay for my two brownies. (They were was out of muffins.)

Unbeknownst to me, I was now in the camera shot, and apparently someone did not think that I was Vera Bradley material. Some PA stepped in and said, "Excuse me, we're in the middle of a photo shoot over here, so if you could just scoot over to the side, I would appreciate it."

I turned to the Muffin Man and said, "I don't think she ran 13.1 miles just to get this brownie."

He laughed and said, "Don't feel too bad. They had to bring in her (pointing to stand-in muffin woman) because I wasn't pretty enough either."

He handed me the two brownies, which The Folk Singer and I devoured in about 3.5 seconds. And had my legs not been ready to crumble beneath me, I probably would have run another 13.1 miles for the chance at a third brownie.

The Heat Is On

Look, I understand that we live in a man-made concrete jungle in the middle of a swamp, but the heat lately has just been ridiculous. I appreciate this morning's gift of a taste of fall, but unfortunately I realize that the previews start at least a month or two before the premiere.

I was at the farmers market on Saturday morning for a total of 15 seconds before my shirt looked like it had been sprayed down with a gardening hose. You take one step outside of your air conditioned comfort zone, and it's like your entire body is instantaneously covered in one of those hot towels that the server hands you when you sit down at a sushi restaurant. Living downtown and having the luxury of walking to work has been transformed to a game of cat and mouse between finding the shadiest route and timing your departure so as to avoid having to wait for the crosswalk signal.

The Folk Singer has resigned to driving to work. We live three blocks from her office.

This August has almost sucked all of the enjoyment out of eating. I was craving a po-boy over the weekend, but knocking out a hot sausage po-boy from Parkway I had to take an ice bath for 3 hours just to get my core body temperature back down to 98.6. Firing up the grill outside is like paying russian roulette unless you have grilling tongs which stretch from your kitchen window out to the old Weber. Turning the oven on just seems completely counter intuitive considering that your primary goal is to keep your house as cool as possible. It's too bad that braised dishes are out of the question because you could cook osso buco simply by throwing a few veal shanks, tomato, and wine in a dutch oven and leaving it on the front porch while you are at work.

But all hope is not lost for culinary delight in the land of the 110 heat index. Here is a list of my favorite foods that help stave off the summer:

• Cold Soups - Gazpacho is the most well known (and rumor has it that Coquette's version is one of the best in town). At last week's Tuesday market at Tulane Square, I had an amazingly refreshing and flavorful vichychoisse served up by La Divina under the Green Plate Special tent. On the menu this week is a chilled cucumber soup with housemade creme fraiche and dill that sounds equally delightful.
• Pate, Cheese, & Olives - And wine of course, and maybe a loaf of bread. St. James Cheese Company is an obvious choice, but don't forget about the affettati misti at Domenica or the long list of offerings at the Delachaise.  Or stop by Butcher and build your own.
• Sushi - I won't open that can of worms again by telling you where to go, but let's just say that I have ejoyed a few strong meals at Horinoya over the past few weeks.
• Cold Crabmeat & Shrimp - Nothing wrong with a generous portion of shrimp remoulade or crabmeat maison over mixed greens with maybe a few slices of avocado or hearts of palm. I'm partial to the chilled roasted beets topped with crabmeat in a horseradish emulsion at La Petite Grocery.

Or you copy my dinner from last night by skipping dinner and knocking out a pint of mascarpone and lemon zest ice cream from the Creole Creamery.

What are your favorite foods that help beat the heat?

Ye Olde College Innterview

A statue of Saint stands guard over the garden which supplies Ye Olde College Inn. Crop yields are also helped by Archbishop Gregory Aymond's weekly meals. Two months ago Brad McGehee took over as Executive Chef of the historic kitchen. A native of the Bay Area (Francisco, not Louis), he originally came to New Orleans just for a quick internship. Several years later, he finds himself with a kitchen and a garden all his own. Let's put 20 ish questions on the clock.

I was always surrounded by good food through my family. I come from a family who really enjoys good wine and good food. Plus, I had a southern grandmother who always cooked classic southern food.

I've been in the restaurant industry since I was 14 years old, but before culinary school always in the front of the house. Graduated from the Culinary Academy of San Francisco in 2003 and came to New Orleans originally only for a 6 month internship at Commander's Palace under Tory McPhail. Been here ever since. Also, trained under Tom Wolfe at Wolfe's on the Lake, Peristyle, and Wolfe's in the Warehouse. Then went to work at the Ritz-Carlton under Matt Murphy.

It is fun to balance my style of food with the food that traditionally has been served at Ye Olde College Inn. I am a big advocate of using farm fresh food. The farm across the street certainly sparked my interest when they pitched the job to me. I am not going to take the veal chop off the menu, but I may serve it with some radishes or squash from across the street.

So far been pretty well-received by the regulars and they tell me to "keep it up." Really the specials are where I am able to show my creativity. And most importantly I am starting to get a pulse on what people want changed.

Getting new tools in the kitchen. Adding simple things like a blender or chinois in order to create better sauces. Or how to butterfly the shrimp in a certain way so they cook better. I am a big believer that it is doing the little things correctly which make a great meal.

Did a dish last night called Fig St. Farm Flatbread. Basic flatbread that I top with whatever is fresh from my walk through the garden that morning. For instance, recently has been flatbread topped with basil pesto, cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and some spicy shrimp. Sold 120 in three days as an app.

Nothing tackier than dollies and clouding on buffets. But hotels are doing it again. Wish they'd stop. It is really cheesy.

Anything fresh, especially vegetables. I find myself centering a dish on the vegetable rather than the protein now.

My slotted spoon. I use it for everything. It is an oversized slotted spoon that I always have at my station. I use it to finish plates at the pass, be it adding crabmeat or some other garnish.

I really like cooking for people who challenge me. We have a regular guy who is a real foodie. He came in the other night with some folks from Georgia. I went out and chatted with them and mentioned I had some great peaches from Chilton County, Alabama and that I heard they were the best peaches. So the people walk by to the guy's house and bring back Georgia peaches. So I cooked two dishes, one with Chilton peaches, one with Georgia peaches. Georgia won.

All of the above. If the customer wants to drink wine, we can do a refined dish. If they want beer, we can cook to that. It is whatever the occasion calls for.

Taqueria D.F. on Claiborne. I really like getting the green plate special from the Farmer's Market, and Ziggy's pastries from Maple St. Patisserie. I enjoy eating simple, casual food.

New Orleans can be frustrating for a young chef because it is such a small town. Tough coming in as an outsider. Everyone always asks me where I went to school, but they really want to know is where I went to high school. (Editor's note: McGehee married a local girl. She went to Dominican)

Joy of Cooking, Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, The French Laundry Cookbook, On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee.

As a young kid, we used to always go out to eat for holidays. I remember distinctly one time going to a brunch at a big hotel in San Francisco and being struck by food as entertainment. There was a guy flipping omelets, all the carved fruits, people everywhere. That was my first wow moment with food.

Gumbo, then the flatbread pizza, then finish up the meal with the Crawfish Delacroix which is baked redfish topped with crawfish etoufee and served with rice.

I am very anal when it comes to cleanliness in the kitchen. Comes from working under chefs who drilled that into me. Kitchen has to be clean.

Spend time with my family. The Blanchers, who own this place, are big family people and understand that people need time off. I had off for Father's Day off last Sunday, my first as a dad. That was the first holiday I've had off in 6 years.

Shrimp tacos. Grill shrimp, place in corn tortilla with some cilantro, diced red onion and chipotle mixed with sour cream. Squirt of lime. That's it.

A Taste of Summer

Seasonality. It's a fancy way of saying "cook what is fresh." The best chefs and home cooks realize that food tastes best when cooked and served when nature tells us that it's time.  Right now, along with sweltering heat and humidity, summer in New Orleans brings us delicious things like blueberries, softshell crabs, creole tomatoes, and more.

If you have been following this blog for more than a week, then you know that Rene handles all of the recipe writing in the Blackened Out kitchen. My dining prowess has long surpassed my cooking skills. But if you hand me a minimal number of impeccable ingredients, it's amazing what I can do.

It helps the only "cooking" required for this recipe is a few slices of a sharp knife.

Caprese Salad

• Ingredients
• Creole Tomatoes
• These came from the garden of the father-in-law of one of the secretaries at my office. Access to home grown creole tomatoes is one of the best job perks in the legal world.
• Fresh Mozzarella
• $10/lb from St. James Cheese Company.
• Thai Basil
• $3/bunch from the Saturday morning Crescent City Farmer's Market.  Why Thai basil and not sweet basil? Because that's what the vendor had.
• Salt & Pepper
• Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar
• Directions
• Slice, chop, sprinkle, and drizzle.
• Try not to screw anything up

It's going to be a long, hot summer. We might as well take advantage of everything the season brings us.

At the Market Plus a Picture of Lindsay

On Saturday mornings, the Crescent City Farmer's Market transforms the W B Reily & Companies' Magazine Street warehouse into a scene straight out of the annotated works of Peter Mayle. Vendors sell everything from fresh flowers, herbs, and honey to chickens, shrimp, and just picked vegetables. Vivid colors of purple, yellow, red, and green overflow from ice chests and bins pile high with products. Right now, creoles, blueberries, squashes of all types, and more are just ripe for the eating.

At the market, you can overhear chef talk and culinary gossip. But if you want to partake in this, get there early. By 9:30a.m., the chefs or their sous chefs have departed for a busy day of prep. Another benefit of eavesdropping is that you can figure out how to cook the wonderful ingredients the vendors sell. Cause let's face it, when was the last time you were able to look at a cucuzza squash and do anything besides make lewd comments?

Many of the vendors sell prepared foods as well. We always have to grab one or two of Isabel's Tamales. Sometimes Paul's pesto, especially his early spring, spicy cilantro based blends find their way into our baskets. But recently we discovered these little sweet potato pies, which despite the spelling were not made by Dan Quayle.

No, they came from the weathered hands of the good folks from the B&B Farms/Indian Spring Cooperative. The biscuity, tender crust enveloped the sweet potato filling to create one hell of a good mid-morning snack. Plus look how good it made Lindsay's thumb look.

Get ye to the market.

MiLa

A plate of pan roasted halibut with tangerine hollandaise and spring vegetables gets a final dusting of spice from Chef Allison Vines-Rushing of MiLa.

A grit. As a single speck of coarsely ground corn meal, it draws little attraction or attention. But when cooked gently with friends - salt, some cream, a pat of butter - they become human. When a cook folds bits of black truffle into those grits, they become feminine. And when that heaping pile of grits is topped with crispy sweetbreads and a sherry bacon jus, you are staring at the sexiest dish in this hemisphere.

Such a dish is one of the many standouts at MiLa, a powerhouse of a restaurant in the Pere Marquette Renaissance Arts Hotel. The beauty in this dish, and what we have learned is representative of the cooking at MiLa, is how the dish seems so simple, yet so complex. Chefs Slade Rushing and Allison Vines-Rushing have assembled a well-tuned machine of cooks who seem to instinctively know how to not let technique ruin a pristine ingredient.

The craftsmanship of the kitchen crew highlights the ingredients without overshadowing them - much like a loud rock band deciding to play an acoustic first set. Take, for example, a ravioli at a recent dinner held in conjunction with the Crescent City Farmer's Market. First, they juiced kale, reduced it, and added it to fresh pasta dough. Then they stuffed the inside of the plumpy green ravioli with tender, but toothsome, greens. Under the ravioli, dijon punched up the sweetness of a beet puree. On top, a scattering of fried mushrooms marinated to infuse them with the smokiness of bacon. Earthy, rich, umami, soulful, etc... are all words one could use to describe it. But here is something simpler: delicious.

Lettuces most often find themselves relegated to salad bars, burgers, and e. coli outbreaks. But at MiLa, bitter greens and sweet lettuces are braised and pureed into a thick, satisfying soup. The bottom of the bowl holds a little treasure trove of truffles, while a poached egg serves as a raft for a chapeau of crouton. This is not the springy, grassy flavor of lettuces, but a hearty, sturdy undertone of an ingredient which endured through the winter. The assembly of the soup brought forth the image of a field in spring - truffle culled from the earth, the green grass, white cloud of egg, and peeking out from behind the cloud a single burst of bright orange yolk. Artistry, yes; but food first.

On the lunch menu the butter poached chicken deserves your attention. The chicken, plump and juicy, cradles little baby fingerling potatoes. A slight patina of red wine demi glace fortified with bacon added the deep flavors that braising brings to a dish, without sacrificing the juiciness of a well-cooked breast of chicken.

The kitchen here delights in taking a classic Southern or New Orleans dish and reworking it, with new ingredients and techniques. The example oft quoted is their Oysters Rockefeller Deconstructed. But that is not the best example, as we find the licorice root to be too emotional and attention grabbing in what should be a dish highlighting oysters.

But on an early visit, a tian of crab called to mind a variety of dishes from the New Orleans shellfish repertoire, while remaining entirely unique. Petite dice of tomato served as a base and acid component for the sweet jumbo lump tossed in a light sauce. The result was both comforting and challenging.

Shrimp remoulade from MiLa.

Desserts have always been a strong course at MiLa. The desserts bear the watermark of Slade, while Allison usually works the hot or savory side of the line. Slade's desserts call into focus most clearly the vision of the restaurant, "Tastes inspired by a Southern childhood." There are peanut butter and chocolate confections, root beer floats, and strawberry shortcakes all gussied up, without being fussed up.

Service at MiLa struggled in the beginning but has significantly improved with a steady cadre of well-tuned waiters and waitresses. They dress to fit the role of this hip eatery. Brown button downs, designer jeans, and hip sneakers. That can guide your wardrobe choice as well.

As you first enter the restaurant a wall of glass enclosed wine welcomes you. The wine list offers an attractive program where everyday promises 30 wines for $30 by the bottle. That special helps lower the check average if you are dining on a budget, as food costs come in on the higher end of the spectrum. But fear not, as you can experience MiLa at lunch for around $20 for 3 courses.

But what you are paying for is locally sourced, impeccable ingredients and very fine cooking. When MiLa first opened, while we loved the food, it seemed to be a restaurant looking for its identity. And in the same vein, as diners we were trying to figure out what kind of restaurant it was. Is it a hotel restaurant catering to New York hipsters? A place to grab a bite to eat while the wedding you were invited to finishes up next door? French cuisine with a Southern bend? What?

Luckily, for both parties, the question has been answered. MiLa has established itself as a player in the ultra competitive, New Orleans fine dining field. Look around at the number of chefs, highly regarded around the country and world, who practice their craft right here. The competition is fierce to be the best fine dining restaurant in New Orleans. While we don't know if MiLa owns the crown, it certainly belongs in the title round.

The Rankings

Food - Eagle. This kitchen can cook in a highly technical manner without messing up what nature intended. Don't miss - Sweetbreads, truffle grits, sherry bacon jus; BBQ lobster; Scallops; Duck; Whatever dessert makes you remember childhood.

Bar/Wine/Service - Birdie/Par. Great cocktails (Chris McMillan tends bar in the hotel's lobby) and affordable, broad wine list make the bar at MiLa a good place to have a quick bite and a glass of something nice. While service has improved steadily, at these price points and with this beautiful food it could be a bit more attentive. But maybe that is not the vibe they are going for.

Overall - Birdie. Ranking fine dining restaurants is going to be very hard, but MiLa delivers where it counts: with the food and booze. We consider this restaurant to be worth both your time and more importantly your money.

Full Disclosure: We were invited to attend last week's vegetarian dinner. We went and brought the women in our lives. We paid for their meals, but ours were on the house. We tasted the food on their plates, and it was no different.

Top Chef is in Town

Yesterday Richard Blais and Radhika Desai were at the Crescent City Farmer's Market. They put on a few cooking demos, chatted up the crowd, soaked in the nice weather, and took time out of their day to talk with Blackened Out.

Blackened Out (BO): First time to New Orleans?
Radhika Desai (RD): I have been here once before but I was too young to remember.
Richard Blais (RB): This is my third visit. First time I was in college and there may have been a few Hurricanes involved so I don't remember much. I was here for the finale of Top Chef 5 and I am here now.

BO: What are your connections, if any to New Orleans and Louisiana cooking?
RD: We ate at Commander's Palace last night and had an amazing meal with a lot of wine so I have a bit of a headache this morning.
RB: New Orleans, and I guess to a larger extent the South, but definitely New Orleans, has the only real, original food culture in the United States. I love being here, I am always inspired by the food of New Orleans. At my burger restaurant Flip we have a Shrimp Po Boyger which is ground shrimp with kind of a spicy remoulade, it screams New Orleans.

BO: The fans at the demo all seem to want to know "how do you think up those dishes on such short notice". Well, where does creativity come from?
RD: I think it is innate to be an artist. Some people are scientific, doctors, engineers, but being creative is something entirely different it has to come from the heart.
RB: Creativity is everywhere. I get inspired from just about everything from a leaf blowing down the street to a hot dog at a baseball game. For instance, I was at a Braves game and I had a Chicago Style hot dog. I had never had one of these before, it had hot peppers, tomato, celery salt-all these things right. Well I went back to my restaurant and had an idea to use those same condiments with octopus because octopus has a very similar texture and shape to a hot dog. Is this boring you?

BO: Absolutely not, I love this stuff. As a follow up though, isn't all creativity in some ways rooted in something you previously experienced.
RB: Absolutely.
RD: Yes, I use my past experiences, places I have been, chefs I have worked with to create my future dishes.

BO: As American consciousness about food has grown, many restaurants have begun serving a form of comfort food-meatloaf, roast chicken, etc...- almost as a reaction to the French formality of classic restaurants. Isn't part of the restaurant experience one of entertaining and doing something at a restaurant the diner can't do at home?
RB: Yes, listen I have no problem serving roast chicken and mashed potatoes and charging $24 to a diner, but my philosophy about restaurants has always been that there needs to be something entertaining and engaging about them. There is a new paradigm in the kitchen, the consumer wants something more than just being served, they want to be part of the process. They see shows like Top Chef and other food shows and the want more from dining out. And markets like this (Crescent City Farmer's Market) make it really easy for the home cook to do something great with simple ingredients. So yeah, I think a restaurant has a responsibility to do more.

BO: The "civilian" reaction to Top Chef has been overwhelmingly positive, what has been the reaction from the Chef community?
RD: Mixed. There are some that think it is bogus, fake, and just one giant product placement ad. There are others who are very supportive of it. But I think most chefs think that it gives a pretty accurate depiction of a genuine profession.
RB: I think the show reached a tipping point recently. Where it is now more widely accepted by the chef community as being very serious. There have been 75 people go through the show now, and in a business where everyone is sort of connected, people know the chefs on the show are tough, talented cooks.

BO: Radhika, are you dispelling the myth that chefs are "rockstars"?
RD: Chef's are not rockstars. We work very hard, 10-12 hour days in sweaty kitchens doing mundane tiresome work. There is very little rockstar in a kitchen. It is a hard life.

BO: Richard, you once wrote that some cheftestants look at Top Chef as an opportunity to get a golden egg, but the smart ones realize that Top Chef is a chance to get a hen that lays eggs. Can you talk about what you have done post-Top Chef?
RB: There have been literally tons and tons of opportunities. I had already had a little bit of exposure before Top Chef on Iron Chef and other FoodTV things, but I really owe a lot to Top Chef. I am doing product development with Quaker and McCormack, I do demos all over the country for corporations, foodies, and the like. I opened Flip (a burger shop) in Atlanta and we plan to open 20 more locations throughout the Southeast. We will be in New Orleans soon. Nashville and Birmingham are opening next. I have a restaurant in downtown Los Angeles I am opening that is more fine dining. So really at this point I am just focusing on keeping this incredible momentum going and going.
Richard Blais.
Radhika Desai and her dish, seared halibut with lentils, corn, and salad. Very good and a nice use of ginger in the lentils.

The back of the Top Chef demo kitchen and tour bus. Coming to a city near you soon. And I heard a little gossip of a Top Chef Master's Series which has just wrapped filming.

Shrimp Risotto

The Crescent City Farmer's Market is busting out right now. Spring is by far my favorite season. It is so less ultimate than either the heat of summer or the cold of winter. Unfortunately, I will have to miss the market next Saturday as I will be cooking a prized pig to help fight cancer, but you should go. Then come by and help destroy cancer.

Fava beans are in season. These velveteen pods hold a bean, that must first be removed from said pod and then peeled. Blanch the bean in heavily salted, boiling water until tender. This does not take long. Toss into an ice bath, dry and reserve. Do the same to some asparagus.

We also got some beautiful shrimp (U-15s) and some more Cilantro-Chipotle Pesto from Paul the Pesto Guy. Lindsay peeled the shrimp, reserving the heads and shells for me. Into a pot of water went the reserves, and that simmered for 30 minutes. Skim the fat, strain, and you have shrimp stock.

Swung by Nor-Joe's and picked up a muff and some risotto. Into a heavy pot, a nob of butter, some diced onion, and some olive oil. Then, toss in the asparagus and the fava beans. On second thought reserve the fava beans and put in at the end. They will remain crisper.
Place risotto in pan and saute lightly. Add a generous amount of white wine, allow to evaporate. Then ladle by ladle add shrimp stock until risotto is cooked through, all the while stirring.
Meanwhile, toss the shrimp in some of the pesto and grill outdoors. Marvel at man and his control over fire.
To plate, spoon the risotto and arrange the shrimp better than I did here. Grate some good Parmesan Reggiano over the top, use the real thing. Spoon left over pesto over shrimp. One hell of a good meal.
Serve with a bone dry white. I opted for a Robert Foley Pinot Blanc that I picked up from Partysist on Metairie Road. Don't let the vowel ending name fool you, risotto is quite easy to make and the possibilities are endless. Fresh mushrooms, walnuts and maybe blue cheese, grilled scallops with saffron risotto...

And if you are a fan of Electronic Medical Records, I am giving a hilarious routine on them tomorrow at the Doubletree. But please there wont be much time (only about 7 hours) for autographs/questions about food. See here for info.

Let's Play Catch Up Around The Bend

Gus, the elder hound, had a birthday recently. He turned 3, but you could probably tell that by the above picture. For his birthday Lindsay made him a carrot cake with peanut butter icing and bacon sprinkles. He loved it. The cake was devoured in 2.3 seconds.

Friday night Lindsay and I headed over to Cochon BUTCHER after work. While driving towards the mecca of meat on Tchoupitoulas, I heard an earth shattering explosion of rap-rock, Incubus-esque, tribal dance music and profanities. Frightened for my life, I glanced to the right only to see Dread Pirate Robert bobbing his head and stroking his flavor saver, while smoking what I think was clove cigarettes. "Wanna race, you hack?" he asked spitting lunch old beer and pork products onto my passenger side car door.

As the light turned green, he sped off and left me in the dust. Luckily he narrowly avoided a troupe of art loving locals. This time, Dread Pirate Robert was able to park easily outside of BUTCHER. We had a few glasses of wine, a charcuterie board, and some not so pleasant conversation; I felt lucky to escape with my wallet.

Saturday night found us with a group in the quarter for something called "the Mardi Gras"? I had never heard of it. After this Krewe with a View parade, we were all hungry. Someone suggested Ruth's due to their $40, 4 course meal. So we went. It was ok, we had to sit outside due to the large crowds and my lack of clout. And the meal was so so. Untossed salad, overcooked steak, and cold mashed potatoes are the predominant memories. Ohh and the waiter snuck a few extra charges onto the bill, which was not very cool. So here is my take on the Ruth's Valentines Day deal: its ok if you want a chain meal, if you want a real Ruth's experience skip it. But we had fun and that made it an enjoyable evening.

Also on Saturday night, I ran into a scion of the Acme Restaurant Group. The next thing I remember, I awoke in an alley missing my shoes and with ACME branded onto my chest. You do the math. Must remember to make more friends...

Now looking ahead for this week. This is from a press release sent by the wonderful people of the Crescent City Farmer's Market.

Wednesday, February 11th, avid market shoppers chef Adolfo Garcia and sous chef Joshua Smith of Rio Mar will host a 5-course dinner featuring seasonal, local products sourced primarily from the Crescent City Farmers Market. The cost is $60 per person, which includes cocktails/wine, tax and gratuity. 100% of the profits will go to the CCFM. Thanks, Rio Mar! Cocktails at 7pm. Dinner at 7:30pm. Space is limited. Please RSVP to 504.525.3474 or riomarseafood@gmail.com.

Yes, I have been writing about the Farmer's Market a lot recently, I know this. But the more we go to the Market, the more we look forward to it. And not in a look "how snooty we are locavore" elitism, but in a "wonder what they will have today" devotion. We portion off about $40-50 a week to spend at the market. This usually gets us a dozen eggs, some patty sausage and other meat products, citri, bread, goat cheese, greens, vegetables, herbs, and a few other treats. Plus, a cup of coffee for me.

I had the opportunity to interview Woody Tasch last week, so be on the lookout for a Blackened Out Worldwide Exclusive Interview (take that, Couric!) with Mr. Tasch next week. His book, Inquiries into the Nature of Slow Money: Investing as if Food, Farms, and Fertility Mattered, focuses on investing in communities and sustainable food processing. Unlike many people often quoted in the locavorism world, Mr. Tasch does not think we need to get rid of places like Wal-Mart and McDonalds. Rather through the gradual increase of capital into local and environmentally sustainable agricultural and ranching, we can transform not only the food we eat but our entire culture. So far its a good read, but I wish I would have paid more attention in my college Econ class.

Ok, tomorrow a recap of the Butcher and Grand Fete opening starring an oyster bar, suckling pigs, and a 6 Liter bottle of hooch. For now its Roast Chicken Night...

Steak and Collards

The Crescent City Farmer's Market sports an incredible bounty. From fresh seafood and citrus to vegetables and dairy, the market has the food you want to cook. Recently we picked up some rib eye steaks, collard greens, feta and garlic chevre, and a loaf of olive and sweet pepper focaccia.

The bread was consumed rapidly as good, fresh bread does not stand a chance in our house. The steak and collards were the focus of a recent dinner. The collards were rinsed and dried, then added to a dutch oven loaded with diced bacon, olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, a bay leaf and some duck stock. The simmered on low heat, partially covered or partially uncovered depending on your view of life for around 6 hours while I took a nap. Here are the collards pre-saute.

The rib eyes were pretty big so Lindsay suggested only cooking one. That was a great idea. I made a dry rub of salt, pepper, and brown sugar and let the meat soak this up for about an afternoon. Then grilled the steak on a hot grill for 4 minutes each side (rotating the steak 90 degrees after two minutes to get those pro looking marks). Let the steak rest then slice across the grain.
Those collards put off an enticing aroma. Their flavor is nearly indescribable-hearty, wet, smoky, spicy, and slightly bitter. Perfect with a dash of hot sauce or vinegar.
We drank this with a 2006 Nieto Special Reserve Bonarda which was a great match to both the greens and the beef. Then we watched Carolina get smoked by the Cardinals and that made us both very happy.

The collards cost $1. The steaks were a little bit more expensive at $24, but it is grass fed local beef. And we still have one other steak. We don't count wine as an expense in the 2009 Economical Challenge.

Evacuees Eat no Veggies

Last night, safe and sound in our home, Lindsay remarked over a plate of spaghetti and meatsauce, "I haven't, nor have I seen you, eat a veggie in about a week."

Wow. She was absolutely correct. One day in Jackson we went to a quick service deli and had salads, but that has been about it for the leafy, stuff since before the Palin announcement. Let's be honest evacuation requires one to live on things like pretzels, fast food, and beer. Lots of beer. So how can one remedy this situation?

Well, the grocery stores are working with limited resources but are coming back on line. However, you could and should go to the Crescent City Farmers Market this Saturday. Creole Tomatoes, squash, zucchinis, and okra for the veggies, maybe some peaches or pears for some fruit, Smith for Dairy, and hopefully some of Mr. Justin Pitts meat. Meat should not be discarded in favor of vegetables, just supplemented.

The market is on the corner of Girod and Magazine in the CBD. I like to go around 9 am. This Saturday, the market producers will give out free coffee. And dont worry this market has no traces of the self-important farmers markets that litter the nation (for good or bad). It is fresh produce, nice people, and a chance to keep money in the local economy. And fear not exclusive users of the Debit system, the Market has this amazing magic trick where they turn plastic into wooden nickels.

And why not?

Possible TIVO Opportunity

I am the Chairman. I do backflips and bite into apples. If you do not heed my warnings, I will summon the wisdom of my uncle and make you kiss me. I call this face Sous Vide.

I went home for lunch today. Over the weekend much food was cooked. The highlight being Lindsay's Mac-n-Cheese. It did not come out of a blue box. Lindsay likes to use recipes and follow them religiously. This recipe came from the Barefoot Contessa cookbook. I am very glad she follows recipes the way she does, as it turned out great.

On Saturday we went to the Crescent City Farmer's Market where we picked up some Creoles, Chilton County Peaches, and catfish filets. I made some Peach-esque Ice Cream. I say peach-esque because while I was making my ice cream base I forgot not to forget to add vanilla extract to the base. So the resulting product turned out to be more vanilla peach, not bad but far from perfect.

I peeled the peaches, cooked them in 1/2 cup of water with 2 tablespoons of honey. I was out of lemons so I added a touch of white vinegar. The I pureed the mixture, strained it, cooled it, and added the peach mixture to the base. The other benefit was having peach puree. We had champagne left over, so we had bellinis all weekend.

Ok, I am rambling. Here is the purpose of this post. I don't know really why I love food and cooking so much. But I do know when I first became cognizant of it. When I was in grammar school and throughout high school, there was a show on the Discovery Channel called Great Chefs. It involved one chef (usually a foreigner which required a narrator), one camera, and the set was in the kitchen of the chef's restaurant. The chef prepared from start to finish one dish. The show had three segments: an appetizer, entree, and dessert. Each segment featured a different chef. It was there I first saw foie gras sliced with a hot knife, and that is when the affair began.

I watched that show religiously when I would come home from school. Something was very soothing about the show, perhaps it was the narrator's voice which combined the soft voice of a grandmother with the smoothness of a radio announcer. Whatever it was, the show was the perfect cooking show: simple instructions coupled with the voyeurism of behind the scenes in a restaurant.

This afternoon while waiting to come back to the office I caught a show on NBC called RecipeTV. It followed a remarkably similar concept as Great Chefs. The segments were quick and the chef taught you the dish as if you were a new chef on his brigade. So, if you need to get away from 30 minute, Semi-Homemade Bar B Q Cookoff Diner Challenges, tivo this show.

Weekend in Review

Friday afternoon drinks at Bridge Lounge. Great spot only one problem. Everyone orders mojitos there. Which is great; although each one of those drinks requires numerous steps and considerable time. So sometimes getting an order in can take a while. On the flip side the bartenders have the forearms of a 15 year old boy. I am not at liberty to say which food journalist on New Orleans cuisine was also there, but lets just say he is easily the second or third most popular food journalist in New Orleans.

Another wonderful dinner at La Boca. That place is top notch. Pisco Sours, Provoleta, hangar steak for Lady, and flank for me. I got to admit the hangar steak beats the flank. Surprisingly fellow blogger Peter also showed up there for dinner (completely random) with the Palm Room Hostess, and two other law cronies. They too enjoyed their meal. Peter was coming off what many would consider a full weekend by 6 p.m. Friday evening: Lunch at Luke with the Papal Family, Old Absinthe House, 2 Hand Grenades and a lap dance. His evening continued; his dry cleaner thanked him the next day.

Then, the 25th Anniversary Rebirth Concert. Fellow Blue Jay Harry Connick, Jr. was in attendance; however the fight song was not sung. That concert blew me away. The best part about it was the Baby Boyz Brass Band; a group of tweens and teens that could really play. To me there is something so frightening and exciting about when the front line of a brass band, finishes a lyric and takes a step back before blasting notes into their instruments. That sight is the most joyous firing line one can imagine.

Saturday, Lady headed off to Shreveport for some baby shower thing. I stayed behind. The Crescent City Farmer's Market had Brian Landry of Galatoire's dolling out Shrimp Remoulade. What a breakfast. I picked up a brisket from Mr. Justin Pitts of Mississippi. Based on some personal instructions from Mr. Pitts and Steven Stryjewski of Cochon I slow-cooked that thing in a dutch oven for about 8 hours. I added a little crab boil, some creole tomatoes, onions and garlic and about a cup of water. What came out was heavenly and matched really well with the creole cream cheese grits I also made. Ok, so I totally stole that from Cochon. Judge if you must.

Saturday for lunch, before checking out The Dude's holdings, I grabbed a quick bite at Baru. A corn, cheese, pink sauce, and potato strips dish turned out to be the highlight. Sweet grilled corn, salty cheese, and then essentially mini-french fries. Also, a wonderful pair of flaky and just greasy enough to cure a hangover empanadas. The empanadas were served with this highly herbal concoction of parsley, cilantro, lime, and peppers. A tres leches cake that was really good but as I was dining solo became to sweet towards the end. Not Baru's fault; mine for having very few friends. Bring your own booze for now at Baru, but when that changes expect this place to really take off.

Sunday completely lazy. Cooked a rump roast by first triming it of some of its fat. Then, I studded the beast with garlic slivers. I then sliced the fat up into tiny pieces and used it to plug the holes where the garlic was and also to introduce fat into a pretty lean cut. Coated the rump in salt, pepper, Tony's, and garlic salt. Seared it on all sides; added onions, and deglazed with cognac and beef stock. Into the oven, covered, at 250 for about 7 hours. Served it over Romano cheese grits and with some caramelized red pearl onions. It tasted good. But the oven needs to go into hiding while the summer does what it does. Even better for lunch today as a po-boy, with Barqs, and Zapp's Cajun Crawtators.

That is in my book the definition of a New Orleans Weekend.