Weekend Roundup

This weekend you can satisfy your sweet tooth, get a lesson on Southern hospitality, and drink like a Francophile, all from the comfort of your own hometown.

Sucre's Tariq Hanna was named one of the Top 10 Pastry Chefs in America by Dessert Professional magazine, and this weekend he is giving New Orleans a taste of one of the desserts he showcased when he received his award in NYC. Today from 4-7pm at the Magazine Street store and on Saturday from 12-3pm at the Lakeside store, Tariq will be giving away samples of his dessert “Lipstick on a Pig” (double dark chocolate bread pudding, feuilletine, peanut butter mousse, whipped strawberry blossom). Tariq claims that inspiration for the name came to him after watching Rene hold court at Hogs for the Cause, but we're pretty certain that he had the revelation during a magical moment at a Rush concert.

Saturday afternoon the Southern Food and Beverage Museum welcomes Martha Foose, cookbook author, James Beard award winner, and lady of Southern charm. The inspiration behind the Delta Foose Fries at MVB and object of Rene's crush will be signing copies of her cookbook A Southerly Course: Recipes and Stories from Close to Home and demonstrating her quick and easy fudge recipe. The event is free and open to the public.

Lastly, on Saturday night from 6:00 till 9:00 the Louisiana Chapter of The French American Chamber of Commerce will be hosting their annual French Summer Wine Festival at the Shops at Canal Place. The event will feature an "everything French" auction, over 20 French wines and champagnes plus selections from local winemaker James Moises, and food from La Cote Brasserie, Cafe Degas, Chateau du Lac and more. Advance tickets are $55 and $65 at the door.

Tariq Hanna is More Than Just a Pretty Face

Dessert Professionals Magazine recently named Tariq Hanna of Sucre a top toque in the pastry arts. We here at Blackened Out have gotten to know Tariq over the years and congratulate him on this huge accomplishment. Not only is it a great reward for him, but it also signifies a huge step for mankind. For if Dessert Professionals Magazine can find it in their hearts to award such a title on a man who drinks the High Life, there is hope for all awards show to start recognizing the true geniuses.

This is your year, Bieber!

In honor of Tariq's coronation, which will take place on June 6th at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, let's discuss desserts. Desserts always cause a huge dividing line among serious diners. Are they worthy of consideration, or should you order more appetizers? Is a cheese plate a dessert or an appetizer? What about specialty after dinner drinks?

Here is a good hard and fast rule: If it is listed on a menu that you are handed after you finish your main course, it counts as a dessert. Hence, the calories don't count. Congratulations, Chef, you deserve it.

Winesday will return next Wednesday.

Hey Weekend, You are Looking Good

It's the freaking weekend. You likely have big plans tonight. But let's say you don't 'cause you are a loser. Or you and your special friend want to stay at home and play Scrabble. First off, good call. Second, if the game gets too heated and you need a break, Chef Tariq Hanna is on TBS's Dinner and a Movie. The movie this week is Talladega Nights, and as Tariq is a confessed "Amateur Motor Sports Freakazoid", he will likely spice up the evening with anecdotes about cam shafts and being clutch.

Now onto our junk. This month we reviewed Bouligny Tavern in offBEAT Magazine. Our overall thoughts are this: Bouligny is a really cool space, the food more than passes muster, and the cocktails kick arse. Bouligny Tavern fits a nice need. One it is a great place for a quick drink and snack before heading somewhere else. Two, it is a good spot to have a light meal with a few drinks. Three, it is one of the most well-designed spaces in the city. We really like the place. So you can stop here. If you keep reading, know the rest of this incoherent rambling rant is directed at pretty much every wine bar in the city, and is not particular to Bouligny Tavern. Sorry they had to be the catalyst.

Numerous wine centric bars have opened in the city over the last few years, but especially recently. What do all of these have in common? OVERPRICED wines by the glass. Look, I get it. You want to have a cool bar with interesting wines by the glass. Part of your business model, I assume, is attracting sophisticated diners and winers.

Well, guess what? That segment of the population is often more knowledgeable about wine prices. So when you have a glass of wine on your list for $9 they know immediately that the same bottle of wine costs $12 at Elio's. So the precise people you want to attract, you have immediately ticked off. We know you bought that bottle for $5-6 bottles wholesale. We know you have overhead. But listen, if you charged $5 a glass, I will order two glasses instead of one. Shoot, put the bottle at $22 and I'll just order the whole damn thing. A bar is a volume based business, seize that volume.

Secondly, in Louisiana we drink a lot of beer, there is nothign wrong with this. I assume part of your goal is to introduce the largely beer drinking public of Louisiana to some wines you really like. Well, if a beer is $4 and a glass of wine is $9 it doesn't take a math minor long to figure out: "For the price of one glass of wine, I can get two beers and tip the waitress." Now you are just another bar where half the orders are for longnecks, twenty-five percent for cocktails, and the rest wine and shotzzzzz. Congrats, drop the wine from your marquee, you are a bar.

Finally, a great wine bar should change people's attitudes about the role wine can play in a happy lifestyle. Wine is not an extravagance, it is not for special occasions, and it is not solely at home in a fancy restaurant with a sommelier calling the shots. Wine is a simple luxury that people should enjoy daily for the health benefits and structure it brings to society. By charging a premium on participating in this basic enjoyment of life in cultures around the globe, you have not changed anyone's attitude about wine. So for the guy who thinks wine is "elitist, snobby, and fussy", you have just affirmed that stereotype for him. Good wine and affordable wine are not mutually exclusive.

Someone open a wine bar that has wines by the glass that are not outrageous examples of highway robbery. Don't make me get off my high horse.

End Rant.