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?

Sushi for Sendai

Can you remember the exact moment sushi became the hottest food in America? I don't. But I do know it happened while I was in college. From August 2000 until June 2004, I lived in the remote town of Lexington, Virginia (population: really small). There were two "nice" restaurants, seven Italian pizza shops/delis*, and a host of fast food outlets. Sushi would likely have been outlawed by some governing body in Virginia, as nearly everything else is.

At some point, while sleepy Lexington snoozed, sushi took over America. A first date in 2005 would just as likely have included California rolls, nagiri, and sake bombs as it had once featured dinner and a shabby chic pizza parlor (see Rom Coms). When I moved to Baton Moulin Rouge in the fall of 2004, sushi was as omnipresent as purple and gold paraphernalia. Well it is pretty safe to say, unlike slap bracelets, sushi isn't going anywhere.

If you subscribe to the internet, you are well aware that Japan is dealing with catastrophe right now. The earthquakes, tsunamis, and aftershocks have reminded many of us of the fragility of human life. If you have half a decent bone in your body, you are probably wondering, "I wish I could help."

David Glaser, Noelle Cantarano and Andy Kutcher (the latter from FSC-Interactive) have put together an opportunity for you to both eat sushi and help the Red Cross relief efforts in Japan. Sushi for Sendai will occur every Wednesday in April as local restaurants will donate a portion of their proceeds to the Red Cross. You have to do little more than eat. A full listing of the participating restaurants is here.

So eat sushi and help out. Or else it is cheesesteak pizzas for you.


*The story is because Lexington sat at the cross roads of two major interstates it was the de facto center for drug trafficking on the East Coast. Thus, all of the organized crime families in America had outposts in Lexington, VA. They all also opened up restaurants serving pizza by the slice and cheesesteaks to launder money. The stuff you believe in college (see also "Go to law school...you can do anything with a law degree").

It's Been Such a Long Time

In this month's issue of OffBeat Magazine, we profile Kanno, one of our favorite sushi spots that we have not written about in quite some time. While Kanno serves everyone's favorite crunchy, dynamite, and spicy tuna selections, the best eating comes from either those specials scribbled across the chalkboard signs or the yet-to-be-created dishes forming inside Chef Hide Suzuki's head.

So instead of a salad iceberg tossed with the typical carrot and ginger dressing, you are presented with a plate of fresh spinach leaves topped with tuna, salmon, and roe drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette. Sweet fruits like pear and kiwi are paired expertly in savory selections. Such is the curious dichotomy in Chef Hide's creations.

As for those selections on the chalkboards, these usually feature the freshest fish that Chef Hide could find. So you may dine on delicacies such as abalone sashimi or smoked salmon neck (above).  Now that is good eating.

Kanno - Birdie

3205 Edenborn Ave
455-5730
Dinner Tues-Sat

Fish Fridays - Sushi Survey

A while back, Rene and I had lunch with a fellow food writer visiting from NYC. While discussing the various cuisines of New Orleans, The Big Apple remarked: "I usually steer away from sushi when I am down here. I would rather spend my time eating things like oysters and softshell crabs in New Orleans, and save the fresh salmon and tuna for when I visit the Northwest."

I understand that when people visit New Orleans, they are looking for oysters rockefeller, barbeque shrimp, and other dishes which our city is well known for. I'll admit that when I have visitors, I take them to eat po-boys and gumbo as opposed to burritos and burgers. But to dismiss an entire genre of food based on regional stereotypes would amount to missing out on a lot of good eats.

I love sushi and firmly believe that New Orleans has quite a few sushi bars worth dining in during Lent. When I'm looking to avoid weighing myself down with fried seafood and peeling crawfish while wearing suit just isn't an option, I usually turn to raw fish. In this inaugural edition of Fish Fridays, here is my ranking of the 10 sushi bars that I have visited over the last year.

1. Kanno - After your first meal prepared by Chef Hide and his wife Lin, you will never again hesitate to make the journey to Fat City. I'm partial to the Lobster Dynamite Roll and Hot Garlic Softshell Crab, but Hide has never steered me wrong with any of his impromptu creations.
2. Kyoto - While the quality of the rice has varied on recent visits, I still believe that Kyoto serves some of the best sushi in town. Best bets: Poke Salad and the Shrimp Sara Roll.
3. Sushi Bros - Quality fish, sizable portions, and fast service all at an affordable price. The 4 Roll Lunch Special, complete with soup and salad, will run you $11. If you're into more complicated rolls, I recommend the FEMA Roll (pictured top).
4. Sake Cafe (Uptown) - Extensive menu of special rolls with unique preparations and a dizzying array of sauces.
5. Little Tokyo (Mid-City) - According to the menu, fish is flown in weekly from the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo. If the Japanese style "fish and chips" is available, order it as a starter.
6. Shogun - The first sushi bar in the area. Try the Steve Roll of barbeque eel and avocado.
7. Ninja - Some of the nicest staff in the business. Don't miss the Cajun Tuna Tataki.
8. Rock-n-Sake - At night this place resembles the Jersey Shore, but during Friday lunch the crowd is more my style. Order the Calamari Crunch Roll, but be prepared to battle on the dance floor.
9. Wasabi - The original location on Frenchman is better than the new one in West End.
10. Hana - Big fan of the complimentary noodle salad and the large portions (see the salmon box above), but unfortunately I find the fish lacks in quality behind the others.