Beat the Dirty Birds

As if we needed another reason to hate the Falcons, apparently a few Atlanta airport workers decided to throw eggs at the Saints team bus.

It's game day. Do your job.

Monday Night Countdown

Fact: If the Saints beat the Eagles tonight, we are only one loss behind Seattle for the final wild card spot.

Do you believe?

But before you stand up and get crunk in the Dome, you likely want to sit down and get stuffed at the dinner table.  In my younger years, a Monday night game meant fighting off hunger until just before the 8:00pm kickoff, when I made a stop by the nachos booth (extra jalapenos, please). The end of the first quarter usually called for a chicken-on-a-stick, then a Dome dog at halftime, followed by a DoveBar for dessert.

Today, I usually do most of my eating before I take my seat in the Dome. While the food options on this end of Poydras have greatly expanded since the Dome patrol days, my pre-game meal loyalties lie almost entirely with the Besh family of restaurants.

Domenica, Luke, and Borgne all run happy hour specials everyday from 3:00-6:00, and for Sunday and Monday night Saints games these deals are impossible to beat:

• Domenica - Half off pizzas, beers, specialty cocktails, and wines by the glass.
• Luke - $0.50 oysters and half off drink specials.
• Borgne - $1 pulled pork empanadas, $1 catfish buns, $0.50 crabmeat croquetas, and half off draft beers, well drinks, and wines by the glass.

Who Dat?

Who Dat?

Huge game tonight for the Saints. Get some rest, stay focused, and finish strong.

OffBeat Eats

The September issue of OffBeat Magazine is now available, and because it's "The Food Issue" there is a triple dose of Blackened Out articles for you to enjoy.

• Rene goes behind the scenes at Saints training camp to see how Pigeon Caterers satisfies the hunger of the world champions.
• Peter decides that his B.A. and J.D. are not enough, so he enrolls in St. James Cheese School.
• And finally for our Dining Out column, we take a look at Tartine, a little bit of Paris in the Riverbend.

We hope you enjoy.

"These Are Strange and Beautiful Days"

Foreword: Food is the second to last thing on anyone's mind today. Work is obviously pulling up the rear. This also applies to blogging. Win or lose on Sunday, chances are we will not be posting on Monday morning. (You know how tired you are after a full weekend of standing up and getting crunk.) Seeing as we have a parade to attend on Tuesday, we will see you then.

I remember getting trounced by the Vikings in the '87 playoff game. I remember when I knew the entire cha-ching commercial. I remember Morten hitting that 60 yarder at the end of the first half of the '91 wild card game against Atlanta and thinking, "There is no way we lose this game." I remember losing to the Eagles at home in the playoffs the next year. I remember the Dome Patrol. I remember losing a lot in the mid to late 90s. I remember when we drafted Ricky and Ditka wore dreadlocks. I remember when Hakim dropped the ball. I remember sitting in Tiger Stadium and losing to the Dolphins, Bears, Bucs, and Panthers. I remember when Gleason blocked the punt. I remember the 12th man in the huddle and when Hartley hit the fleur de lis.

I could wax on about what it means for the Saints to finally make it to the Super Bowl, but you read enough of our gibberish already. Instead, I give to you a collection of stories written about the Saints in recent weeks. So if you want to really know what it means to be a Saints fan, ask the bank VP in Biloxi or the Metairie girl who will run the game ball onto the field in Miami. If you want to know what Drew Brees means to New Orleans, read what Peter King has to say. Whether its cancelling school or continuing trials, we will do whatever it takes to minimize "distractions" from the game. Don't forget to pay tribute to those who unfortunately never made it to see this day and don't let anyone tell you that "Who Dat?" belongs to anyone other than the fans. Our apologies to the Manning family, even though Peyton is a great guy and a great New Orleanian, on Sunday he is the enemy. So get ready Miami, the Who Dat nation is coming in full force, and we are not settling for anything less than a miracle.

Yesterday's failures are what makes today's successes so sweet. These are strange and beautiful days in New Orleans. Let's enjoy them while we can.

Black & Gold in the Super Bowl

After 43 years, we all deserve a day off to celebrate. I bet this woman is already packing her bags.

Who Dat?

Let's just admit it: No one is focusing on work today. Not with the Dome set to explode at 7:30 tonight. So why fight temptation? Today is all about the Saints.

Last year Rene and I wrote a feature for offBeat on the food options at the Dome, and our shocking conclusion was that Dome food just ain't that great. Still, 3 hours is a long time to go without any food, especially if you are imbibing your fair share of Dome Foam. So you have to eat something. Our question to you is this: What are you eating at the Saints game?

Personally, I rarely ever eat at the Dome other than a bag of peanuts. However, that was not always the case. I was lucky enough to attend every Saints home game from the age of 6 until I left for college, and during those years what I ate at the game was just as important as the score at the end of the 4th quarter. The menu changed with every home game, but the 3rd quarter always ended with a Dove bar from the cart conveniently located at the entrance to my section on the terrace. I loved those things.

And I know that I'm not alone in my Dome rituals. Here is a look at a few of the characters who I've gone cha-ching with over the years.

• Mr. Joe - He was a friend of my uncle's who sat with us at every Saints game for probably 15 years. Mr. Joe had high blood pressure, so his wife insisted that he take along a bag of unsalted popcorn for him to munch on during the game. He never seemed to view this as an act of deprivation, but I always thought it was terribly mean of his wife to try to stop him from enjoying a Dome dog.
• Podnuh - For as long as I can remember, the same group of 4 guys sat in the row behind us in the terrace. I could never remember their names, but the one who sat on the aisle always called everyone "Podnuh." These were true fans: they knew every player's name, knew what the penalty would be as soon as the flag was thrown, and knew exactly what Jim Mora was doing wrong. They also knew how to eat. Podnuh was a smuggler like Mr. Joe, except instead of bland popcorn it was pork chops and turkey legs eaten straight off the bone. It was always a treat to see what appeared from beneath that foil wrapper tucked under his jacket.
• The Pope - How could this list not be complete without La Papa? During high school he appointed himself "President of the Nacho Club" and had all of the concession prices committed to memory. If you sat with The Pope, you could only get up for food when he did and were forbidden from even asking for a few of his peanuts. He has since become "kind of a big deal" and now often sits in a suite. But if you need to know how much an order of chicken tenders and a bloody mary costs, he's still the person to call.

The Saints and Food...Who could ask for more?

Ever wonder what it would be like to have Deuce place a composed cheese plate in front of you? Or what it would be like if Drew Brees tossed you a roll? Mike McKenzie pouring a vintage Burgundy as Scott Fujita unlids a Chateaubriand? Well, here is your chance. Saints, Food, and a good cause. In our book, that is a perfect evening.

If the link does not work, just go to www.neworleanssaints.com