Sammy's Deli

In the March issue of OffBeat Magazine, we take a look at Sammy's Food Service & Deli, a neighborhood joint on Elysian Fields that serves up some of the best renditions of down home cooking to be found within the city limits. If you're craving po-boys, fried chicken and seafood and are looking for one restaurant that does them all well, then Sammy's is your place. Check out our full review by clicking here.

You know what is a sign of really good fried chicken? When after you've eaten your way through three different po-boys, a seafood platter, mustard greens, macaroni and cheese, and cornbread dressing, and then your teeth crunch into that fourth and final chicken wing on your plate, you sit back and watch the steam waft up and away from the juicy flesh. Yeah, that is damn good fried chicken.

Parkway and Parasol's may receive all of the press for their roast beef po-boys, but Sammy's own version undoubtedly deserves to be included among the best. This roast beef is sliced and dressed with enough gravy to barely avoid falling apart. Plus, besides being delicious, the roast beef is quite photogenic.

And for you gluttons looking to go out with one last hurrah before Lent, look no further than the Ray-Ray, which features crunchy Southern fried chicken breast topped with grilled ham and melted Swiss. We may have a new po-boy contender for the title of Fat Kid Special.

Sammy's Food Service & Deli - Birdie
3000 Elysian Fields Ave
(504) 947-0675
Mon-Thur: 7am-5pm; Fri: 7am-7pm; Sat: 7am-4pm

Liuzza's

Thank you RBPoBoy for providing the perfect segue into today's post. I love the onion rings at Liuzza's. The batter is not as crumbly as it once was, but still the ratio of fried goodness to sweet onion is well-portioned. Whenever I go to Liuzza's, which truth be told hasn't been as often as it once was, a schooner of Abita Amber and an order of onion rings is ordered as soon as possible.

Just look at that light golden shell. It shatters like bone china on marble when you sink your teeth into the firm, lord of the onion rings. How can one improve on this manna from Mid City? Make your own dipping sauce by combining the hot sauce on the table (which brand varies) with some ketchup. Swirl the onion through the mixture before depositing it in your mouth. Hey, it was good enough for Tony Soprano's last meal.

The rest of the meal unfolded like this. Decent hamburger steak that was a little tough, mashed potatoes that were likely frozen at one point, but a very excellent gravy. I should not have ventured from the Fat Kid Special. And if you know what that means without clicking the link, thank you for reading for this long.

Lindsay went with the eggplant parmesan. The sauce had an overly herbaceous vibe to it, as if someone in the kitchen was trying really hard to cover up Prego's name. Lindsay summed up her meal as this, "Should have stopped at the onion rings.

Liuzza's will always hold a special place in my hear,t as I have probably eaten there more than any other restaurant in New Orleans. But if you just came here for a schooner of beer and an order of onion rings (and maybe a Fat Kid Special), I'd say you would have a pretty awesome meal. Anything else and may luck be with you.

Liuzza's - Par

Monday, Monday

"Every other day, every other day,

Every other day of the week is fine, yeah

But whenever Monday comes, but whenever Monday comes

You can find me cryin' all of the time."

I always find this song playing in my head on a Monday after a Saints loss.  I have a strong belief in the truth of the rumor that productivity in New Orleans on the Monday after a Saints loss is markedly decreased.  Some people might say that we have misplaced priorities.  We call it passion for our city and for our team.

But thankfully, Monday always calls for one of my favorite meals (no matter if the Saints win or lose): red beans and rice.  It's a dish so delicious yet so simple to make that it seems ludicrous to order them when dining out.  Still, some places cook them better than others, and it's usually the neighborhood joints that do them best.  Here are a few of my favorite spots to get a plate of these delicious legumes:

1. Dunbar's - Now comes complete with a JD from Loyola.
2. Mandina's - The only day that they serve them is Monday.
3. Acme Oyster House - Sure, they don't make them in house (I am pretty sure they get them from this guy), but that doesn't make them any less savory.
   
4. Ignatius Grocery - I just wish that they would put ice in their drinks.
5. Liuzza's - And a Fat Kid Special?

Note: I hear that EAT also has great red beans; but they ain't open on Mondays, and I refuse to order red beans at a restaurant on any other day except Monday.

Greetings from the Red Stick

As Rene said, I have been riding out Gustav up here in Baton Rouge.  While I am thrilled that NOLA was spared severe damage, our neighbors here to the northwest bore the brunt of the storm.  You can't walk or drive 50 feet without seeing an uprooted tree or a downed power line.  Though such damage is thought to be minimal relative to what New Orleans suffered from Katrina, the destruction here in BR should not be trivialized just because there were no levees breached.  Baton Rouge served as a place of refuge for many of us during and after Katrina, and we hope that the city's recovery is rapid and complete.

That being said, I could really use some good eats.  Chargrilled pork from Nine Roses, a Fat Kid Special, and a FEMA Roll (how appropriate) from Sushi Bros have all crossed my mind as cravings.  I read that Luke was open.  That would work too.

The Pope safely rode out the storm with his mobile wine cellar.  Throughout the past four days, I have received such text messages as "Strip Steak with J Pinot" and "PB&J with a 2001 Cakebread Cabernet."  Oh, and the best was: "I am almost out of Grand Marnier.  I may have to make a trip back to my house."  La Papa sure does know how to throw a hurricane party.

For Lunch Today...

Fat. Kid. Special.

Liuzza's

Panneed chicken (oh yeah, it's under there) with roast beef and gravy on top. I like to add mozzarella to mine. Wash it down with an Abita Amber in a frozen mug.

Make sure to order it by name. The waiter will have no idea what you are talking about, so then you must explain and watch as he gives you a look which says: "You are ridiculous."

Get it while you can, because this kind of sandwich will be illegal if Obama gets elected.

Lunch Today, Wednesday March 27th

Get on Interstate headed towards the airport. Get off at N. Carrollton. Take North Carrollton to Bienville and turn right on Bienville. Stop at Liuzza's. If you gave up drinking during office hours for Lent, this would be a good time to pick up the habit again. Liuzza's serves beer ice-cold in frosted schooner mugs. Start with one of those.

You would do yourself a disservice if you did not order either the fried pickles or fried onion rings for an appetizer. The pickles are great but the show stopper is the fried onion rings. Home-made with a thin flaky exterior these onion rings are best with a little salt and a mixture of 50% ketchup and 50% hot sauce.

Prior to Katrina, the only thing I had ever ordered from Liuzza's was the Roast Beef Po-Boy, dressed. Following the glorious re-opening of Liuzza's they were unable to make Roast Beef for a long while. Since everyone had to sacrifice something following the storm, I began eating the Panee Chicken Po-Boy. That sandwich is so good, when the roast beef returned for a while I would go half Roast Beef and Half Panee Chicken. Finally in a Eureka moment the two were combined (WARNING: IF YOU GET NAUSEOUS EASILY, LOOK AWAY). When you go today ask them to bring you a Panee Chicken Po-Boy topped with roast beef and gravy, dressed of course. If that last sentence made you recoil in horror,, I apologize; if however, it made you go that sounds awesome, welcome to the Fat Kid Special.

Other great meals there include any of their fried seafood, plate lunches, or Italian specialities. Also, they have an original po-boy (French Fries, gravy, mayo, and cheese) and delicious fried green tomatoes with a tangy remoulade. The only drawback is that Liuzza's only takes cash. However, there is an ATM in the jernt. Which is really what Liuzza's is a perfect model of, the neighborhood jernt.