Parkway Bakery: Is It Worth It?

Like any European cathedral of note, Parkway Bakery & Tavern is always undergoing renovations. Isaac blew through recently and bent portions of the sign on the Hagan St. side but left much of the building in tact. If you are from out of town, make sure you stand in line to order at the counter before fighting for a place to sit and waiting on your name to be called.

As Parkway is often crowded, grabbing a seat at the bar is the quicker, more civil way to eat. The bar is cozy, and has all the traditional trappings of a New Orleans corner bar. There is a poster of Tulane Stadium, a chalkboard of specials, and bric-a-brac no one can quit identify. A cross segment of civilization sits at the bar debating weighty topics such as sports and local based conspiracies.

I don't really care what kind of po boy you order, but you should order a beer to wash it down. Either a traditional root based one, or a more adult grain based varietal. The grain beer selection is better than your average po boy shop and showcases more than a few craft beers in cans.

On our most recent visit, we ordered a three po boys: roast beef, meatball, and patty hot sausage. Oysters are only available on Monday; and I've never been a huge fan of the batter on their fried shrimp, which I find too coarse. Of the three, the hot sausage was the standout carrying a fiery, crusty coaster of juicy sausage adorned with the trappings of a well-made po boy. Whether or not you believe in religion, their is something magical about the confluence of cold mayo, a pickle, and spicy, warm pork that can convince you there is a god.

Whoever is supplying them with meatballs is running a con. They were rubbery, industrial, and twice as large as they needed to be. Roast beef was stringy, bland, and dry. The dryness would appear to be impossible based on the fact that the moisture from the gravy had soaked through the bread. This is a neat party trick and perhaps it makes the sandwich more Naturally N'Awlins or some other T-shirt ready slogan. However, both the meatball and roast beef cease being a po boy and become a puddle of disintegrating bread, meaty detritus, and clumps of shredded lettuce. It quickly becomes impossible to get a bite incorporating all of the various elements of the po boy. The effect is a po boy deconstructed.

I want a po boy I can eat with my hands; not one that requires a fork.

Parkway Bakery & Tavern: Is It Worth It? Nope.
Closed Tuesdays
538 Hagan Ave.
482-3047

Someone's in the Kitchen with Rhonda

Ronda Ruckman joined the Link Restaurant Group in August of 2010 as Executive Pastry Chef for all four restaurants in the Link empire, with a fifth on the way (Cochon Lafayette). A native of New Orleans, Ruckman is turning out elegant, seasonal desserts, while still always innovating; See Exhibit A: The Butcher Mini King Cakes which swept across the city like a summer afternoon thunderstorm. Recently Ruckman was kind enough to sit down for an interview. So let's put 20ish questions on the clock and get to know the chef whose chocolate chip cookies are the best in the world. Recipes later in week.

Was at LSU, quit college for a semester and started cooking at a tea room inside Fireside Antiques in Baton Rouge. Washed dishes, salads, made sandwiches, that kind of stuff. Then saw an ad for an entry level prep and pantry position at Juban's.

Wanted to stay in desserts and hoped to work with Norman Love, who at that time was cooking at a Ritz-Carlton in Florida. So I picked up the phone and called him. I got to talk to him because employees of the Ritz are not allowed to screen calls. Frankly, I got lucky. The day I called they had an opening in pastry. So I moved to Florida. Later, I  went to Los Angeles and was sous chef for Donald Russell at the Four Seasons. Left the Four Seasons, to open a retail bakery in Florida called Dough Monkey. Eventually, moved that business to Dallas.

When the economy tanked, Dough Monkey fell with it. We closed Dough Monkey in 2008. I was looking for an executive pastry chef gig. Ended up working at a country club. One day I was looking on a headhunter site and, again pure luck, crazy luck, there popped an ad for executive pastry chef position with Link Restaurant Group. I had always been a fan of Chef Link so it was a thrilling opportunity to cook for him at the try out.

I start with a restaurant. For instance, Herbsaint is the fine dining restaurant. So there I can work with a more complicated flavor profile. At Cochon, I want my desserts to have a comfort factor, a good combination of something warm like blueberry cobbler and something cold like ice cream. At Calcasieu, we often use desserts that mirror Cochon's desserts, but we also field plenty of special requests.

Not sure about food allergies. Never really had any personally nor any limitations. So if someone has an allergy, I always want to accommodate them immediately. Something deeper is going on though, if someone doesn't want to try something.

Often times we create by improvising. Say we run out of a specific ingredient, we sub something else and discover a new dessert. For instance, I have a dough recipe that calls for honey. Recently we ran out of honey and subbed in molasses, which in turn pushed the dough into a much more interesting flavor direction. Or I play with ratios, I'll sub out cream or sugar in a vanilla recipe and replace it with blackberry puree. And see what happens.

Cupcakes. However, before I offend anyone, know that my dislike of the cupcake trend is because I prefer a wedge of cake. Better proportions, better to eat, cake cooks better. A piece of cake is just better than a cupcake. May take cupcakes off the menu at Butcher. 

Chef and I have talked extensively about that. I understand where both Chef Link and Chef Stephen are coming from. I feel comfortable with flavors of this region. We follow seasonality and tend to rotate at least one dessert per restaurant per month. Soon peaches will get in and I will start working with them. You can go elegant with peaches or simple. I like that. But sometimes, I just want an ice cream sandwich.

Both a science and a skill. You miss a detail in baking and it will be wrong.

When I first started cooking, I went to Charlie Trotter's and had sweetbreads for the first time. That bite of food showed me what food can be. Then, first time I went to Cochon when it had been open about a year, I had the deep fried boudin and it just blew me away. That bite took me right back to my childhood.

Chocolate pudding cake. It is just so versatile and delicious. The rich, warm and moist cake lends itself to all sorts of things. First, we paired it with a cafe au lait ice cream. Now we use a salted caramel sauce and cashew ice cream. I love to make that dessert. I love to eat that dessert. I am a chocolate freak and that dessert uses Patrick Chocolate, which I think is the best chocolate in the world.

You want daily examples? (laughs) There are always ideas that don't work, but I tend not to dwell on them. I get mad and cut my losses. Recently, I tried to make a sausage cheese in brioche King Cake with Steen's glaze. When Stephen tried it, he just got this quizzical look on his face that said it all. I just could never get that idea to come together.

I like making pralines. If I am making pralines, it means everyone else is working on other things. And that they are working correctly. We have a solid system in place and when it is humming along, I can devote time to that pot of pralines. That is where I like to be in the kitchen.

Small offset spatula. I use it for everything from transporting things to icing cakes. There is a cake tester I really like. I also have an enormous chocolate knife that I love to use. It is huge. Wow, I can't believe I have favorite kitchen tools.

Real Cajun and the CIA Pastry book. The CIA book is the best for reference whenever I need a simple ratio. I go on the internet a lot as well. Cooks Illustrated's website is one of my favorites. I have a lot of cookbooks at home. My husband reminded me of this when we moved here.

Didn't have a favorite after school snack. I was a skinny kid, but have always enjoyed making cookies. They are easy for me to whip out. I make a snickerdoodle with this leatherwood honey from Tasmania. They are pretty amazing. But I am running low on the honey so I hoard it.

Snickers. I know they aren't good, but I love those things. Also, I am pregnant so I find myself craving those Drumstick Ice Cream Cones all the time. I am going to find a way to make that a real dessert.

Good flavor; not subtle and certainly not sweet. I want a dessert to be on the bold side. First and foremost, chocolate desserts need to taste like chocolate. Too often chocolate desserts are too sweet. If the flavor is there, I then want to see was it done correctly. In a creme brulee, is the custard cooked correctly? Flavor and technique make a great dessert.

If home cook really wants to pursue baking, try it more than once. Ovens vary. Learn to bake by sight and touch.

The key to the chocolate chip cookies is to melt the butter before creaming it with the sugar. But the real secret to any great cookie is the baking time. Trial runs are important. Cook the cookie, just until it is golden on the edges. Allow it to rest. Those chocolate chip cookies are also good with pecans. 

We eat at Butcher a lot (laughs). But I love small places with unexpected good food. Avenue Pub has a pleasantly nice cheeseburger. Parasol's is really tearing it up right now. The chef in there is from Mamou and he is learning to cook with confidence, his roast beef is exceptional and his gumbo is really good. Very good burgers as well. I am in love with the roast beef po-boy from Parkway. La Divina is always my gelato and espresso fix, when I could drink coffee. Man, I need to get out more.

Winesday

Peter: This wine takes me back to my first visit to Napa Valley with The Pope. So smooth and drinkable; the only acid I'm getting is probably a holdover from the 15lbs of crawfish that I ate yesterday. To steal a trademark saying from La Papa, "This wine tastes like eating grapes." I just want something simple and delicious. Thinking about the crusty double-cut pork chop from Rue 127.

Rene: Simple, luscious, and fruity but not overly so. Very well balanced wine. Could drink this all day and night. Dark purple, rich wine with a wee bit of spice in the back. Certainly not overrun with tannins. While a steak seems like a natural fit, for some reason I keep thinking Italian. Specifically the pasta alla amatriciana from a Mano. Also, something crazy in the back of my head says it would be perfect with a roast beef po-boy from Parkway.



Joe the Wine Guy: What you are drinking there is a 2005 Newton Unfiltered Merlot that begins with notes of sage and juniper berries. Then red and black cherry aromas accented by appealing earthy flavors give way to fine-grained tannins with compliments of cocoa powder, spice, and anise on the finish. Retails for $52 and you can find it at Besh Steakhouse, Le Foret, Gattuso's, and Elio's.

The New Orleans Po-Boy

Late one night I was flipping through channels when something caught my eye and caused me to stop on the New Orleans City Council Public Access channel. Standing behind the podium was a crowd of people in Parkway Bakery hats emblazoned with the slogan "The New Orleans Po-Boy." In the center, stood Justin Kennedy, hand on the microphone, tearing up as he accepted an award on behalf of the Parkway Bakery. He said, "I remember after Katrina... it was just me and Jay... no city, no police, no nothing. And it's hard work, we're out there serving sometimes 1000 people a day."

I think that Stacy Head put it best: "This is what New Orleans is about."

So this weekend before you sneak into the Fair Grounds through a hole in the fence, you may want to fortify yourself with a po-boy from Parkway, which we reviewed in this month's issue of OffBeat Magazine. May we recommend the hot sausage with roast beef gravy dressed, 3 beers, and a brownie? Well, maybe that might not be the best idea as squeezing through that hole is harder than it was in high school. The Rueban (sic) is served on rye toast instead of French bread, so that "light lunch" might be the better way to go.

Just think of how many more $5 luke warm Miller Lites you can drink with the ticket money you saved.

Parkway

Blogger's Note: We have been getting a lot of complaints lately that my ethnic food fetish has taken over the blog. Such sly comments as "Is Peter a Vietkong sympathizer?" and "Seriously, do you eat anything beside sushi?" have caused me to reevaluate. We've decided to only discuss "New Orleans food" this week.* So here's a start to getting back to what has made us famous.

The summer Sunday Special Po-Boy at Parkway Bakery: "One-Handed" Softshell Crab with lettuce, tomato, and remoulade. OK, first thing's first. It's expensive. This small po-boy will run you a hefty $10.95. But I swear on everything deep fried and holy, that this is flat-out the absolute best fry job on a softshell that I have ever had. The coating was very light, not in the least bit greasy, and did not slide off of the crab as I ate. Seriously, the fry cook should teach clinics, and the world would be a happier place.

And I mean look at the thing. It's almost too beautiful to eat.... Almost.

Then again, in some cases looks just don't matter. Parkway's roast beef is still one of the best in the city.

Parkway Bakery - Eagle.

* This statement is intended to goad Rene on giving his diatribe on how "New Orleans food" is a myth. Lookout for it later this week.

Top 10 New Orleans Sandwiches

Nothing like starting the week off with a little controversy.

1. Roast Beef Po-Boy - Parkway Bakery: Words cannot describe the magic of Parkway's roast beef. The beef and gravy somehow become one with each other to make for a spectacular sandwich. The only possible way to improve on this po-boy would be to add fried shrimp .... Oh, right. I believe they call that the Surf & Turf, and it's now a permanent fixture on the menu. Then again, why mess with perfection?
2. Muffuletta - Nor Joe's: Sure, Central Grocery may have started it all, but who wants to wait in line and deal with surly service? At Nor-Joe's you only have to tolerate surly service. This sandwich is not for anyone with an aversion to the finer things in life. Things like cheese, Italian deli meats, briney olives, and bread. Its about time someone around town made a Muffuletta Charcuterie Board. In fact, I just did.
3. Roast Duck Po-Boy - Crabby Jack's: This thing is amazing, if only for the fact that you can't get it anywhere else. Succulent roasted duck in a brown au jus - it also wins the "high class" award.
4. Mozzarella - St. James Cheese Company/Fernando - Stein's Deli: So similar, yet so different? Both start with foccacia, pesto, and fresh mozzarella. At St. James they use salami, while at Stein's they layer on the prosciutto. The St. James Girl (surprisingly) gives the edge to the Mozzarella because the cheese is slightly melted.
5. Banh Mi - Pho Tau Bay: The bread might be the best specimen of classic New Orleans style french bread in the city. The fillings are straight from Vietnam. My favorite is the chef's special liver sausage and rolled ham, but you can't go wrong with the char grilled pork. By the way, the sandwiches are small (and cheap) enough so that you can order both.
6. Oyster Loaf - Casamento's: Oysters - it's what they do, which is why Casamento's is closed during those dreaded summer months when oysters are not at their peak. Piled high on toasted and buttered "pan bread" with a few pickles and a couple of dashes of hot sauce. You can't get much better than that.
7. Meatball Parmesan Po-Boy - Mahony's: The fresh mozzarella alone catapults this sandwich to the Top 10, but the handmade meatballs and red gravy are integral ingredients of the final product. The anise flavor in the meatballs provides a sweet overture to the final product.
8. #4 - Bud's Broiler: Onions? Yes. Double Meat? Yes. Chili or Sauce? Yes. (Wait, I said "or" - I have always been a sauce man myself, but I don't judge the chili lovers out there.) And if that wasn't enough, you can get this sandwich late at night.
9. Fat Kid Special - Liuzza's: Have you still not tried this yet? Panneed chicken breast topped with roast beef and gravy. How can that NOT be good? And if you wanted to be really fat, may we suggest putting fried pickles on top of all that. Dear God, my keyboard just went into cardiac arrest. Someone get me a bushwacker, STAT!
10. Italian Special - R&O's: Slices of Italian sausage and meatball, covered in red gravy, and topped with mozzarella. The seedy Italian style bread is unconventional for a po-boy, but it works. Plus, ordering a po-boy called the Italian Special makes it seem like you just put a hit out on that jerk from third grade.

Coming Tomorrow - the sandwiches we once loved, but now they are gone.