In Search of Monday Lunch: Cochon Butcher

Last weekend was a busy one here at Blackened Out, so we are starting this week off with a quick word about one of our favorites. Sometimes less is more, and Cochon Butcher is certainly proof of this minimalist theory.

Just a few high top tables and stools to eat on, bottles of hot sauce and jars of pickles lined up on the shelves, and a display case filled with about a dozen pigs worth of charcuterie. Plus, Butcher serves some of the best sandwiches around: meltingly tender BBQ pork with cool and crunchy cole slaw (above), house smoked pastrami on rye, and the only roast beef in the city worth eating without gravy. In addition to the regular favorites, those crazy kids behind the counter are always thinking up something special everyday: "GLT" of guanciale, lettuce, and tomato; a banh mi made with head cheese; or an Italian style sausage and peppers.

It's so difficult to choose which one is best, that we must put it to a vote.

And a little known secret about Butcher is that they bake some might fine desserts. Cookies and brownies are always available, but treats like cupcakes stuffed with pudding and mini chocolate bundt cakes make occasional appearances.

Is it noon yet?

In Search of Monday Lunch: Café Minh

Café Minh was one of the first reviews we wrote for OffBeat Magazine; and while the food is much the same now as it was back then, I'd say that our collective opinion on the restaurant has changed over time. It's tough to categorize and/or compare Café Minh with the more traditional Vietnamese restaurants, which our palettes have begun to favor. So Café Minh might not be our first choice to satisfy a hardcore craving for pho or chargrilled pork, but it's Vietnamese/French fusion cuisine still has a place in our stomachs. And it's open for lunch on Monday.

There is no better way to begin the meal than with a combination plate of Summer Rolls and Beggar's Purse. Cool and crisp rolls of shrimp, vegetables and avocado on one side; hand-formed pork and shrimp steamed dumplings on the other.

Main courses look and sound familiar, but there is usually an unexpected twist. The chargrilled pork sandwich adds green leaf lettuce, mayo, and balsamic vinaigrette to the traditional banh mi. Pho includes well-done brisket and meatballs but leaves out the tendon and ruby red slices of beef which barely cook through in the steaming broth. Cold salads of vermicelli noodles are spruced up with mixed greens, paneed chicken breast, and a nuoc mam based dressing.

No curry goat, deep fried quail, or grilled pork pate. Just a unique restaurant serving Vietnamese classics in unfamiliar ways.

In Search of Monday Lunch: La Guadalupana

Located in an unassuming shotgun house on Broad Street, La Guadalupana seems out of place among the numerous bail bondsmen and criminal defense offices in the area. Not surprisingly, few would be diners come upon the restaurant by chance. If you are ever summoned for jury duty at Criminal District Court, this is a good spot to beat the crowds for a quick lunch. For those in the CBD, it's less than a 10 minute drive.

The menu is quite extensive for such a small restaurant. Tacos of all sorts come topped with slivers of fresh avocado and a heavy scattering pico de gallo. Enchiladas are rolled to order and topped with melted cheese. The Salvadoran influence is shown in the warm, orange-hued salsa (served complimentary with chips to start your meal) and pupusas stuffed with cheese and/or chicharron. Fried yuca, skirt steak, and menudo are all lurking on the menu as well.

Surroundings are at a minimum - tile floors, banquet chairs, and table cloths that I swear were purchased from my grandmother's 1986 moving sale. The food seems to come slowly from the kitchen, but that's not necessarily a bad sign. Chances are that English is the second language for most of the other diners in the room, but you will still be able to figure out who they're cheering for between the soccer match on TV. I expect this to be a very popular (and entertaining) spot to watch the World Cup this summer.

La Guadalupana - Par

In Search of Monday Lunch: Freret Street Po-Boys & Donut Shop

No one has ever accused Blackened Out of being overly stereotypical in our dining preferences. While the guidebooks sing the praises of jambalaya, crawfish pie, and file gumbo, we're usually blathering on about steaming bowls of pho, chicharron tacos, and sweetbreads with truffled grits. But a recent lunch at a neighborhood joint served as a revelation of just how delicious simple, everyday New Orleans food can be.

This past September, Troy Rhodes and his wife Myra opened their restaurant just a few blocks from their children's school. Troy had been in the air conditioning business for years and decided he had become tired of climbing into attics all day. After dropping the kids off for school one day, they passed a royal blue corner building and a few months later they were open for business.

Counter service and a friendly smile make for a fast and affordable lunch. The menu is full of recipes culled from generations of family. "I just cook like I cook at home," says Troy. The gumbo is thin on roux but loaded with shrimp, chicken, two kinds of sausage, and plenty of flavor. Creamy red beans are complete with bits of ham hock (both meat and bone). This Monday staple is available everyday, either as a stand alone meal or paired with hot sausage or 2 pieces of fried chicken for $9. A rotating selection of plate lunches include smothered cabbage with potatoes, fried seafood, and stewed chicken.

Some people measure the deliciousness of a roast beef po-boy based on how many napkins are needed to consume one. The roast beef at Freret Street is not nearly as messy as Parkway Bakery, but several napkins are still required. Whole roasts are studded with copious amounts of garlic cloves and then cooked down till the debris style shreds of beef are cloaked in a gravy with plenty of body and soul.

And just in case you missed them for breakfast, the homemade donuts make an excellent dessert.

Freret Street Po-Boys not only serves quality, affordable New Orleans home cooking, but the restaurant is an example of the revitalization of the area. "I remember when Dunbar's was here," Troy recalls. "Maybe one day down the road, people will look back and remember us as a pioneer for this whole area." With food like this, Troy is well on his way.

Freret Street Po-Boys & Donut Shop
4701 Freret Street
904-9636

In Search of Monday Lunch: Mona's Cafe

Today's suggestion for Monday lunch is inspired by The Folk Singer's favorite snack from this past weekend at Jazz Fest, where a falafel sandwich made for perfect snacking during Pearl Jam. It was like 1995 all over again....

Mona's on Banks Street is a deceptively short drive from the CBD, where the only place to snag some shawarma is Sir Gyro's in the Place St. Charles Food Court. While the Mona's lacks the salutation, her gyro is a cut above most others. The thick slices of ground lamb and beef are given a nice crust from the flat top griddle and then rolled up in pita bread for a cheap and filling $7 sandwich.

Mona's has a few quirks in their salads. Instead of olive oil and lemon juice, salads are dressed with more of a traditional Italian-style dressing with lots of herbs. (I prefer the former.) Feta cheese and olives are sometimes omitted from the mix unless specifically asked for. Just a few peccadilloes which matter to some more than others.

The thick yogurt dip known as lebna is not to be missed, as is the refreshing tabouli salad. The best way to sample those selections (and many more) is the Mona's Special Appetizer, which also includes hummus, baba ganoush, grape leaves, kibby and falafel. Large enough for 2; tasty enough that sharing may not be an option.

In Search of Monday Lunch: Capdeville

Blogger's Note - Last week we received a piece of fan mail from a reader who explained his weekly struggle in finding a place to eat lunch on Monday with his coworkers. We empathize with his plight and find it likely that many of you often find yourselves in a similar situation. As men for others, your friends at Blackened Out attempt to tackle this problem with our new series: "In Search of Monday Lunch."

Capdeville is the latest project (and first foray into food service) for the Lifestyle Revolution Group. The name derives from the location - sitting in the middle of the one block side street running from Camp to Magazine just behind the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Incidentally, the street was named after a former mayor of New Orleans. For you legal historians out there, the restaurant is actually located in the space which used to be McGlinchey Stafford's cafeteria.

Capdeville is labeled as "an American interpretation of a British social house." What this connotes to me is a place where one would be as comfortable having a bite for lunch as he would downing a pint after work, and having done both, I can attest to the accuracy of the description. Even if a few lunch beers are not on your Monday agenda, Capdeville is still a good place for a bite. The menu stretches beyond typical pub grub with some innovative originals, like fried red beans and rice. These savory calas have a crunchy exterior coating stuffed with creamy red beans, while the truffled mac and cheese is in the style of carbonara and fortified with edamame

But after 3 visits, the burgers have clearly distinguished themselves as the best choices on the menu, with each component of the utmost quality. The burgers are so good that Willy Wonka, my office's resident gourmand de ground beef, has dubbed it one of the city's best. The foundation is a beef patty which is moist and flavorful without being greasy, and the soft onion roll is a noticeable improvement from the typical styrofoam bun. The namesake Capdeville Burger (pictured above) tastes almost as good as it looks. An orthodox au poivre sauce, gruyere cheese and roasted aioli provide richness; bibb lettuce and thin strands of crispy fried onions give the burger a nice crunch. The Manchego La Mancha has a nice fruitiness from green tomato jam and proves that almost any dish improves with the addition of a gratuitous fried egg.

French fries are taken to new heights with variations from Spain (manchego and chorizo) to Canada (mozzarella curd and au poire sauce), but unfortunately the former are a bit too dry and the latter too soggy. Still, there is no denying the deliciousness of Capdeville's long, thin, crispy, handcut fries - especially with a side of roasted garlic aioli for dipping.

Not a bad way to start the week off on a full stomach.