Ode to Lost Sandwiches

The following list includes sandwiches dat ain't dere no more or ain't good no more:

1. Ruth's on Broad Street - Steak Po-Boy: Garlic bread, slathered in bearnaise, layered with sliced filet mignon, and topped with a few onion rings. Came with a side of shoestring fries for like $18. The devilish delight of eating a sandwich in a place so clubby, elegant, and borderline important elevated this sandwich to the realm of decadence. We can't talk about it anymore though, because we start to get teary eyed.
2. Parasol's - Roast Beef: Wow. Did we just say that? Yes. Here is why. On a recent visit $9 got me a barely 6 inch po-b0y dressed. Either I am getting bigger or those po-boys shrink every time I go there, both are strong possibilities. Look at the name of the sandwich again; its po-boy not rich-boy. A recent meal there caused Rene's arteries to swell up and his tongue to lose its ability to taste anything. The deer Rene had lunch with explained it best saying, "too f&cking salty." Maybe it is good on St. Patrick's Day, but what isn't?
3. Domilise's -The Whole Damn Menu: Again the prices are way to high for a po-boy. If you are going to stand in line for 2 hours, then the po-boy should be amazing. Everything at Domilise's is "just OK" except the roast beef which is not OK. We realize this is a neighborhood place, a place "you have to now what to get," a place where they "have to know who you are," and a place that people not from the Sliver by the River don't understand. And guess what, we are ok with that. All we are saying is if the Manning brother's had been fans of Parkway or Liuzza's, they are looking at a decade of Super Bowl rings instead of just two.
4. Jesuit High School - Chicken Sandwiches: On 10 minute break, a buck-fifty got you a plate of fries, a bag of milk, and a sometimes juicy, sometimes dry fried chicken sandwich. Sure, it's still there, but we arent.
5. Dino's Pizza (next to the Boot) - Was this a sandwich? Not really, but after leaving the Boot on 50 Cent (the monetary unit, not the rapper) Night, nothing was better. Folding over that grease laden flap of bread sodden with canned tomato sauce and stringy cheese provided much delight to Peter. And at the end of the day, it was bread, cheese, and sauce, that sounds like a sandwich to me. Plus, the place sowed the seeds of late night pizza love that most of us (OK, really just Rene) perfected in college.
6. Cafe Adelaide - $30 Po-Boy: We honestly can't remember exactly what made up this sandwich, but we think it went something like this: veal daube and a sunny side up quail egg with a truffle and foie gras emulsion. This po-boy first caught our attention on the Commander's Palace episode of After Hours when Ti Martin and Lally Brennan offered it to host Daniel Boulod as a challenge to his $30 hamburger. Peter tried to order it once over the summer, but alas it was no longer being offered because it clashed with the COOLinary menu. Maybe one day it will return.

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.

For Brunch This Weekend...

Though he originally became famous for his voluminous selections of vino, Mr. Cedric Martin quickly became well known around town as one to put out a great sandwich. Now the Martin Wine Cellar in Metairie is quickly becoming a favorite spot to grab Sunday brunch.

On my last visit I had the above pictured tournedos with sunny side up eggs, potato hash, and crispy ribbons of fried sweet potato. Grits and grillades is a mainstay on the menu, but the other selections change from week to week. There are always an eggs special, soup, quiche, and pancake or french toast to choose from. If the bananas nut foster pancakes are an option, your decision has been made for you.

But the best part of dining at Martin's is browsing through the aisles while you wait for your food. Need some cheese, truffled sea salt, or an '82 Bourdeaux? You have come to the right place. Last week I watched some guy load up his cart with more wine than is served at all of the masses in the Archdiocese of New Orleans on a Sunday. As I heard the clerk tell the man, "Your total is $1431.45," I told The Folk Singer: "That is what The Pope will be like in 30 years."

'

Then I thought to myself: "Wait. That can't be right. Why would The Pope pay when he can turn water into wine?"

Hogging Wine

Next Wednesday, October 1st Cochon will host a wine dinner in conjunction with Cork and Bottle and Justin Vineyards. I just called and got reservations. The cost is $50 a head so pretty affordable. But hurry, as this is limited to 20 people. All seated at one table so dont worry if you want to come alone.

Call 483-6314 for reservations.

Old Fashioned Pork Loin

Last week McCall mentioned the pecan smoked tenderloin at Impastato's. I did not have beef tenderloin as times are tough, but I did have a big plump pork tenderloin sitting in the fridge. So here is what I did.

Nothing brings as much flavor with as little work as a brine. I like molasses and citrus flavors on my pork. Lacking molasses, I decided to first make an Old Fashioned Cocktail. I combined a half cup of bourbon (in this case a purple and gold waxed Makers Mark), the zest of one orange, and 5 dashes of Peychaud bitters. Dissolve 1/2 cup of Kosher Salt and 1/2 Cup of Brown Sugar in 2 cups water. Add 2 bay leafs, 6 black peppercorns, and the juice of one orange. Combine all wet ingredients. Put loin in this bath for at least 6 hours.

Came home from work and fired up the Cameron Indoor Smoker with some pecan wood chips. Smoked the pork loin for an hour and half. Then, seared the loin (still whole) until the outside was crusty. Let the loin rest for 10 minutes.

While the pig relaxes, drain excess grease from pan and add half a bottle of dark beer or bourbon and the juice of one orange. Reduce sauce by half.

Slice pork into 2 inch medallions and spoon sauce over pork. What resulted was incredibly juicy with a crisp exterior. The smoke flavor did not penetrate as deep into the meat as I would have liked; but the flip side was that the smoke flavor did not overwhelm the dish. The bourbon hung in the background like a shifty character in a dark bar. Which is exactly what I had hoped it would do.

I served this with a vinegary and herbaceous salad. But with fall here now, I would suggest a nice risotto or even grits. In fact, at Martin's Wine Cellar right now they have a jar of Truffled Sea Salt available. I would sprinkle this on top of either the risotto or grits and make whoever you serve this dish to a very happy human.

This post doubles as your After Work Today. Go make an Old Fashioned or better yet have your grandmother make one for you, as I am sure her recipe is the definitive one in your family. Its Brown Likker Season.

After Work Today...

A few weeks ago Lindsay and I attended a presentation at SOFAB by Brian Burkey of W.I.N.O. on the topic of location. Specifically how the different locations grapes are grown effects the taste of the wine. We sampled four wines: two verdelho wines (one from California, one from Australia); two pinot noirs (one from New Zealand and one from California). We particularly enjoyed the verdelhos.

But even more interesting was the story of Mr. Burkey and how he ended up opening a wine shop in New Orleans. Hint: It involves show tunes. So today after work I would advise you, as your attorney, to head over to the Wine Institute of New Orleans and try some new wines. But Rene, you say "that would cost a fortune to try wines, plural."

Well, not really. At W.I.N.O. you can sample wines in a variety of sizes from one ounce up to a bottle. Its a good way to see what you like, and more importantly what you dont like. They also have beer and light food. Plus, they offer educational classes to bone up on some ambigious terms to use the next time you are talking about wine. And I can vouch that Mr. Burkey's teaching style will make you feel comfortable and welcome.

Bon Crevette

You might be hard pressed to find oysters around town right now - I know that Galatoire's ran out before dinner service on Sunday night. But have no fear: last Friday the first local oyster beds were given the green light for harvesting, so those pearls of the sea will hopefully be back in abundance in no time. On the other hand, crabmeat of all sorts is in short supply - Galatoire's had no soft shells whatsoever on Sunday.

Now the for the good news: local white shrimp are looking mighty fine right now. These were fresh, wild caught Louisiana shrimp sold by Gage and Evin Shrimp from down in Cut Off.

Is the Moon Made of Cheese?

In a word, yes.

But in other cheese related news, The St. James Cheese Company, a place this blog would marry if such things were in fact allowed (they aren't we checked) will host a wonderful dinner this Thursday night. Chef Ashbell McElveen (a name which sounds like an amazing 20 year old single malt Scotch) will offer up his take on the Southern focused, French influenced cooking of the Caribbean and Americas.

The cost is $60 a person and reservations can be had by calling 899-4737. BYOB. A nice white Burgundy should work well with this menu. And speaking of menus, here it is:

Grilled Louisiana Crevette w/ Ashbells Hand made Bacon aux sauce Rum Nouvelle Orleans w/ 3 Italian Cheeses Cornbread Croutons

Matatu de Crabbe la Guadeloupe Aux Mirlitons Grilled Curried Crab w plantain dumplings from Guadeloupe

Salad de Legumes Grille w Garlic, Virgin Olive Oil, & Herbs

Seasonal Grilled vegetables Artisanal French Cheese Plate

Gateaux de Pèche Tartan aux FormageDoux
Caramelized Peach Cake Tartan

Hand made Bacon? Is that even legal?

EDIT: I have been informed by Danielle Sutton that tomorrow night's dinner has been cancelled due to an illness in Chef McElveen's family. We wish him and his family well during this tough time. Stay tuned for the rescheduled date.

Will Someone Lend Me $600?

Over the weekend, I somehow scored a reservation at The French Laundry. Actually, I secured a reservation AND The Pope secured a reservation. After dialing TFL's reservation number approximately 100 times in less than 10 minutes, I finally got through and was told that there surprisingly were two available tables on that night for our party size. I chose the later time. A short while after I hungup the phone, The Pope - who himself was hitting the redial button trying to get us a table - managed to avoid the seemingly omnipresent busy signal and reserved the earlier table. We have decided to dine later, so if anyone is interested in a reservation at The French Laundry in November, please email us and we might be able to work something out.

For those unfamiliar with The French Laundry, it's regarded as possibly the best restaurant in the country. It has been awarded three stars (the highest rating) by Michelin and is ranked #5 in Restaurant Magazine's 2008 World's Best Restaurants. Reservations can only be made starting two months to the calendar date, and the internet is filled with websites touting the best ways to secure the precious few reservations available every day. Basically, it's kind of a big deal.

So on an undisclosed night this November, I will be one of the fortunate few seated at the altar of Chef Thomas Keller. I am still in shock that we were able to get a reservation, but I guess that November is the slow season for wine country. Dining with me will be: His Holiness, The Folk Singer, Battle House Honey, and The Deli King & Queen. Unfortunately (as of right now) Rene will not be in attendance, but he still has a little less than 2 months to change his mind.

Now about that $600 loan ....

After Work Today...

It's Friday. It's been a long week, and it's going to be an even longer weekend with the LSU-Auburn game tomorrow night and the Saints-Broncos game on Sunday. Still, it's Friday. Nothing like an after work cocktail to help you unwind from work and recharge for the weekend.

When the weather is warm, wet, and humid like it is today, we like to take refuge indoors. How about the Bridge Lounge? Yeah, it's kind of pretentious, but it's a well known sanctuary for local food bloggers. Plus you can bring your dog, and there is free Wi-Fi....

Why would you ever leave?

And the loser is

Thanks to all who attempted to be the 10,000th visitor to El Blog Diablo. After a careful and exhaustive auditing process by Anderson Consulting to determine who in fact won the race, the selection committee, chaired by Ed Hochuli, has determined that the winner of an all expenses paid lunch with Peter and Rene is Section 123 Saints Fan.

Someone once said that most men lead lives of quiet desperation and nothing sums up our winner in more succinct terms than this quote. Upon learning of his privilege, Section 123 remarked, "I knew all those hours which could have been spent working were not for naught. This is truly the proudest day of my life. Im pumped. Kickass."

He then asked if he could wear Jorts and a vintage Saints shirt (tied in a knot on the side). He also wanted to eat at Champions in Lakeside Mall. Mostly because he wants to kick field goals in between the soup course and the shellfish amuse. You won buddy you can wear anything you like.

Congrats Section 123 Fan and let us remind you that fifteen minutes can sometimes feel like an eternity.

We love our fan(s). No other blog can say that. We challenge any other blog to show the type of borderline stalking, Cape Fear, "that sure is a purty mouth boy" devotion to their fans as BlackenedOut devotes to its fans.

Don't take my word for it...

Either Southern Living is a huge fan BlackenedOut, or they are an equally big fan of MILA. Regardless, the accolades continue to pile up for this perfect Contemporary Southern Eatery. However, we disagree with their love for the lima bean puree.

http://www.southernliving.com/southern/travel/food/article/0,28012,1830278,00.html

Thanks to the Bride Has Been for passing along this information.