Appetites

Holy Shit.

What a game. What a night. What an incredible thing to experience after 35 years as a fan of the Saints. I really didn't know how the city would react if we lost. I think we'd have been despondent this morning. I think it would have put something of a damper on Carnival. Happily, I'll never know, because the Saints won the game, and won it handily.

Not to get all football nerd, but on Sunday morning, I watched a show on ESPN called "The Sports Reporters," and one of the "reporters" observed that Gregg Williams was overrated as a defensive coach, because the Saints went from 26th in defense in the NFL in 2008 to 20th in 2009. It was a shallow observation, because most of the yardage we gave up during the year was due to the fact that we had a lead in games, and played "prevent" defense. Also, when our starting cornerbacks were injured during the latter part of the season, our defense suffered. We had our cornerbacks back for the Superbowl, and it showed.

One of my partners, five years my junior, has a framed "Aints" paper bag in his office. It's a beautiful souvenir of a time when the Saints were a terrible team. Even then, we loved them, and even then, we always had hope. "Next year" was the refrain. I think this says it a hell of a lot better than I ever could, and if you haven't read it. Do so now.

I really haven't completely processed the game, and what it means to New Orleans. I have a feeling I'm going to break down at some point and cry like a child. I'm neither proud nor ashamed of it. It's just how things are.

I didn't make it to the Quarter last night. I met some friends at Clever, then another friend at Robert's bar, but everywhere I went last night, people were ecstatic. When I woke up this morning, I asked my son to bring me either horse tranquilizers, or adrenaline, but he didn't come through. Turns out I didn't need either. While I haven't processed it yet, I'm just unbelievably happy.

Tomorrow's parade downtown is going to be insane. I don't expect to be able to leave downtown for quite a while once things get started. And that's ok. It's going to be a catharsis, I think, and we won't be done until Ash Wednesday.

That's ok too. It's New Orleans. And if you understand, then you do. If you don't, I'm terribly sorry for you.

Whodat.

Update: this is New Orleans

You may be aware that the New Orleans Saints are playing in the Superbowl this evening. You may also be aware that I am from New Orleans. You might surmise from these two facts that I am a fan of the New Orleans Saints, and thus interested in the game. You would be correct, and should pat yourself on the back. Actually, feel free to pat yourself wherever you'd prefer.

It's been a long season; longer than any in which the Saints have ever participated. The City is in a fever pitch at the moment, both because of the Saints, and because Carnival is here. As some indication, we had a hotly contested mayoral election here yesterday, and the local media report that only 89,000 citizens cast votes. That's down from 108,000 in the last such election, which was held when the City was still recovering population from Katrina evacuees.

It doesn't make sense for adults to become so emotionally invested in a team of professional athletes, but that is what has happened. Very few people I know locally are not fans of the Saints, and I have heard more grown men admit to tearing up during Jim Henderson's call of the kick that sent the Saints to Miami than deny it.

If the Saints win tonight, the City is going to explode in celebration. No cars will be overturned, and no shops will be set on fire, but the party will otherwise be out of control. It will also last for more than a week, as Fat Tuesday is not until February 16th.

If the Saints lose, I'm not really sure what the City will be like. Subdued, likely, at least until this coming Tuesday, when there will be a parade to honor the team in downtown New Orleans. Win or lose, that's going to be an event to remember.

Whodat.

It is true. I have written another Haute Plates column. And yes, I have been neglecting this website. My apologies. I have been busy.

Please enjoy this image of whorish pasta from A Mano, as a substitute for my writing:

Pasta alla Puttanesca

My resolution to update this site when my Haute Plates blog has been updated is going well. I have been consistent for the last two weeks!

Go me!

I took a few other images for that piece; an example:

Batterra Roll

A couple of others, as well as higher resolution images of the ones you've already seen, can be found here.

My friend Todd "The Boy Wonder" Price alerted me to a competition being put on by the Times-Picayune which, if you win, will net you tickets to Tales of the Cocktail. That's pretty sweet. The contest, called Drink Like a Saint, is better explained by the PR that Todd "Crunk" Price sent me:

This week, everything must be black and gold. That includes our drinks. Think you have what it takes to create a cocktail that’s a champion? Enter the Times-Picayune/Tales of the Cocktail “Drink like a Saint” competition. The winner walks away with a fistful of free passes to Tales of the Cocktail in July.

Celebrate the Saints with a black and gold themed drink.The rules are simple. Only amateur bartenders can enter. Each drink must celebrate the Saints. And, of course, it must taste great, or it wouldn't be worthy of our team.

To enter, send your name, the drink's name, the recipe and a brief explanation of the drink to NODrinks@TimesPicayune.com. The deadline for entries is noon on Sunday, January 31. The finalists will be printed in the paper on Thursday. The winner, as selected by our panel of distinguished drinkers, will be announced before the Superbowl on Sunday at www.nola.com/drink. Points will be awarded for taste, creativity and team spirit.

The creator of the best cocktail receives a Tales of the Cocktail “Native Spirits Package,” which includes two passes to the cocktail hour, the USBG Milagro Margarita cocktail competition, the Grand Marnier Barroom Brawl and the “One Night Stand” global cocktail tasting.

In the event of a tie, the winner will be decided by a coin toss.

There you have it, kids. Looks like a good opportunity to flex your mixologist muscles. If you have them, that is. I may apply, just in case my application for media credentials is rejected. Which, if the organizers of Tales have any sense, is likely. Todd "Goldilocks" Price will, I believe, appreciate your entries. That last sentence was simply an effort to shoehorn in another Todd "the Oklahoma Whitesnake" Price reference.

I could keep this up all day, you know. But I fear if I do, Todd "I Have Eleven Toes" Price will disapprove. So I will refrain.

My son's cub scout troop held a father-son cake bake-off today to raise money for charity. The rule specified one of four categories: tallest cake, sports-related, insect, or scouting-related. I am not a baker, and although I initially thought about doing a King Cake, I ended up just making a two-layer chocolate cake with black icing and a yellow (gold) fleur de lis as a "sports" related cake.

We did not win anything, but the cake (along with a signed copy of Donald Link's Real Cajun, a $50 gift certificate to Cochon Butcher, and a few other items from Butcher, brought $70, which I think is a respectable sum.

Elliot with the Spread

Cooking with my son was fun, though I don't think I'm going to turn into a baker any time soon. Oh, and that football attached to a pound cake just behind our entry? It went for around $450, I believe. The ball was signed by all of the Saints. We're just a little preoccupied with the Saints down here at the moment...

I received word this morning that Mike's East-West, the restaurant that returns Mike Fennelly and Vickie Bayley to the Lafayette Hotel space that once housed Mike's on the Avenue, is going to open on Monday, January 25. Here's the press release:

"Asian New Year" comes early in New Orleans with opening of Mike's East-West on January 25: Bayley-Fennelly Restaurant Team Declares 2010 "The Year of the Koi"

WHAT: Sparkling Sake Toast and Declaration of "The Year of the Koi" to celebrate the opening and "evolution" of Mike's East-West in the former Mike's on the Avenue location

Chef/Artist Mike Fennelly also commemorates the occasion with a "limited life" exterior art installation entitled "Koi Polloi" on the St. Charles Avenue sidewalk at the entrance of the restaurant/hotel.

WHEN: 4 p.m., Monday, January 25, 2010

WHERE: 628 St. Charles Avenue at Lafayette Square, New Orleans, Louisiana

WHO: Co-Owners Vicky Bayley, Chef/Artist Mike Fennelly, Colette Cisco, Kenny Lobell

Mike's East-West, on the ground floor of the Lafayette Hotel at Lafayette Square, is similar to the original version of Mike's in both food and atmosphere, but with many additional menu options and a new interior that once again reflects Fennelly's talents as an artist and designer.

Mike's East-West is part of the natural evolution of the Bayley-Fennelly restaurant concept, designed to appeal to today's restaurant clientele: small plates for sharing with larger plate options, a relaxed environment with upscale comforts, affordable prices, food-friendly wines and specialty cocktails.

Cuisine: Contemporary Asian with Local Flavors

Hours: Lunch: Monday to Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Dinner: Monday to Saturday, 5:30 to 10:30 p.m.
Small Plates available at bar: 2:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Mike's on the Avenue was a fantastic restaurant, at least in my view. I'm pretty optimistic about this new venture, and hopefully I can make this event.

I've been trying to remember to post an update here when my online column, Haute Plates, is posted at the My New Orleans website.

Damned if I didn't remember today. Go forth and read about my thoughts on the Bistro at Maison de Ville.

You may note that the quality of my writing is substantially better there than it is here. That is due to the magic of editing, my friends. The magic of editing. Would that I had an editor for the more prosaic work I perform here, but alas...

A press release I received recently that I would like to pass on to you, dear readers. I will paraphrase the initial portion: Chefs Chefs Allison Vines-Rushing and Slade Rushing of MiLa are making an effort to assist in the Haiti relief effort. For a limited time, half of the proceeds from the purchase of select glasses, half bottles and bottles of wine will benefit the American Red Cross' efforts in Haiti.

Sample Wine List:

WHITES
2007 Frog’s Leap Chardonnay 50
2007 Frog’s Leap Sauvignon Blanc 37
2008 Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc 30
2008 Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc 30
2007 Yalumba Viognier Eden Valley 30
2006 Wakefield Riesling 30
2007 Fess Parker Chardonnay 28
2006 Jordan Chardonnay 45
2006 Four Hearts Chardonnay 45
2006 Newton Chardonnay 36
2007 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay 55
2007 Craggy Range Chardonnay 40
2007 Markham Chardonnay 28
2006 Foris Gewurztraminer 28

REDS
2005 Oakville East “Exposure” Cabernet 115
2006 Frog’s Leap Merlot 45
2005 Cade Cabernet 72
2004 Swanson Alexis Cabernet 80
2005 Plumpjack Cabernet 100
2004 Swanson Merlot 57
2006 2up Shiraz 30
2004 Craggy Range Merlot 35

HALF BOTTLES
2006 Roland Lavantureux Chablis 19
2008 Frog’s Leap Sauvignon Blanc 15
2006 Trefethen Chardonnay 21
2007 Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc 22
2006 Duckhorn Cabernet 44
2006 Shafer One Point Five Cabernet 40
2005 Frog’s Leap Merlot 28

* Please note that this is a sample wine list *

MiLa is the culmination of both the marriage of chefs Slade Rushing and Allison Vines-Rushing
and their respective home states cuisines-Mississippi and Louisiana. With a seasonal menu driven
by fresh picked produce from Lujele Farms, MiLa delivers a new style of Southern fare with a lighter
touch using French techniques in an elegant yet relaxed setting in downtown New Orleans.

MiLa is located in the heart of the New Orleans CBD in the Renaissance Pere Marquette.
817 Common Street - 504-412-2580

MiLa is an outstanding restaurant, and this is a pretty good way to satiate yourself and donate to a charity at the same time.

Yesterday I had lunch at Kanno, as is my habit. Another regular customer came in with a bunch of blood oranges from Plaquemines Parish, and I ended up leaving with a dozen or so. Before the Saints' victory over the Arizona Cardinals, I de-boned some chicken leg-thighs, then marinated them in a mixture of blood orange juice, minced garlic, fresh thyme and rosemary, light soy, salt/pepper, and some agave nectar. Blood orange juice is not so acidic that the marinade did any appreciable "cooking" of the chicken, even after 3 hours or so.

I juiced a few more blood oranges, along with a navel orange and reduced it with some honey, a little salt, and some black pepper for a glaze, while I preheated my broiler. When the glaze was thickened up quite a bit, I added a half stick of butter off the heat, and let it incorporate.

I started the chicken, skin side down after oiling the broiler pan, about 4 to 5 inches from the heat. I let it go for around 5 or 6 minutes, then flipped the pieces and applied the glaze to the skin side. Another five minutes and I flipped the chicken again, this time adding glaze to the other side. I repeated that process every 4 to 5 minutes until the chicken was done (another time on each side, basically.)

Here's how it looked:

Blood Orange Marinated and Glazed Chicken

It turned out well, though it could have used some chile in the glaze, I think.

Ladies and Gentlemen: I present you with yet another in a series of press releases that you may find beneficial. This particular release concerns a fundraiser for WYES, the venerable public television station here in New Orleans. It follows:

WYES PRESENTS ITS 8TH ANNUAL WYES CHOCOLATE SUNDAY

New Orleans, LA—January 7, 2010 — Those in need of mass amounts of CHOCOLATE, look no further -
WYES will host its 8th annual WYES CHOCOLATE SUNDAY Sunday, January 31, 2010 at its new venue, the Lakefront Arena, with plenty of free parking available. The VIP Party begins at 2:00 p.m. with an exclusive tasting of chocolate treats, entertainment by Rocky’s Hot Fox Trot Orchestra, handmade candy by Bittersweet Confections, and an iced fleur de lis luge by Albrecht Ice Sculptures. General admission is from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. with serenading provided by the Mardi Gras Chorus.

Attendees can expect to taste all sorts of chocolate, everything from dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, bittersweet chocolate and more brought to you by restaurants, chocolatiers and bakeries.

This is a fantastic event filled with more chocolate than you can imagine, so bring your sweetie for an early Valentine’s Day celebration, or grab your favorite gals and enjoy a scrumptious afternoon of chocolate and libations.

Participating this year are: Albrecht Ice Sculptures, Antoine's Annex, Astor Crown Plaza, Aunt Sally's Pralines, Big Momma's Chicken and Waffles, Bittersweet Confections, Blue Frog Chocolates, Bop's Frozen Custard, Chez RuRene Bakery, Chosen Cakes & Caterers, Community Coffee, Cool Brew Coffee, The Creole Creamery, Dickie Brennan's
Steakhouse, Dorignac's Food Center, Dream A' Popcorn, Glazer's Family of Companies, Kentwood Springs, Kleinpeter Farms Dairy, LLC., The Kupcake Factory, La Cotê Brasserie, Lazy Magnolia Beer, The Little Pastry Shoppe, Mardi Gras
Chorus, The Melting Pot, Mr. Apple, New Orleans Ice Cream Company, Pirate's Alley Trading Company, R & B Candy Company, Republic National Distributing Company, Rocky's Hot Fox Trot Orchestra, Simplee Gourmet, Southern Candymakers, Spa Isabell, Starc, Tastefully Simple, Tee Mimi's Original Creole Gourmet Pies, Vianne's, Vom Fass New Orleans, Young Chef's Academy and Zapp's Potato Chips.

And there’s more, besides tasting all things chocolate and savory treats, don’t miss hot chocolate paraffin hand wax treatments by Spa Isabell and a silent auction with over 20 items, including gift baskets, jewelry and tickets to museums, performances, balls and more.

Ticket prices are: $50 VIP, $35 general admission in advance, $30 for groups of 6 or more and seniors 55-or-older in advance and $40 at the door. Tickets are available for purchase five ways: 1) call WYES at (504) 486-5511 x 200 2) Blue Frog Chocolates at 5707 Magazine Street, New Orleans. Opened Monday-Friday 10-6pm, Saturdays 10-4pm &
Closed Sundays 3) Lakefront Arena box office, 6801 Franklin Avenue, New Orleans. Opened Monday-Friday 9-4pm 4) Ticketmaster outlets 5) Ticketmaster.com (added convenience charge). Visit wyes.org for all event details.

Thanks to our generous sponsors: Capital One, NOLA.COM and COX Media

All proceeds benefit WYES - Public Television & Digital Media for New Orleans & the Gulf South.

I hope this release has been sufficiently informative?

To the extent anyone is interested, here is what I did this morning with the goat shoulder roast I picked up from Ryals Goat Dairy. It was about a five pound roast:

The Whole Roast

You can't see it from this angle, unfortunately, but there are two basic pieces of meat here. On the "top" is a large muscle group that comes away from the rib-portion fairly easily, with just a little help from a very sharp knife. Doing that left me with this:

Step 1

The piece on the left is what I'll roast, or more accurately, braise. The piece on the right needs to be broken down further. There is a good bit of meat on and around the chops that I use for stew meat. The chops can be separated with a chef's knife, except for the "chine" bone that connects them at the bottom. That requires a cleaver and a mallet. Here's what it looks like when I've finished:

Finished product

The roast will be a meal for three or four people; I'll braise it and use the braising liquid as sauce for pasta, most likely. The last time I did this, I used tomatoes, carrots, onions, celery, garlic, and red wine. Once the meat was done, I put the braising liquid through a sieve, reduced it, and added cooked pasta.

The stew meat will probably be a curry, and I'll pan roast the chops. The stew will *probably* be enough for my wife, my son and I; but the chops are pretty much just for me. Because I'm a dick like that.

Children: I have yet another bit of information which you may enjoy. It concerns an event at the Ogden, on January 13:

Cooking Up a Storm: “Gone with the Wind”

Does this classic movie correctly reflect the South?
Jessica Harris and William Dunlap to discuss and debate on Jan. 13

Jessica Harris, culinary historian and cookbook author, joins artist and raconteur William Dunlap to discuss the manners and foodways of the film “Gone with the Wind.” The duo will analyze selected scenes from the film and discuss some aspects of the culture of the Antebellum and Civil War-era South.

“ ‘Gone with the Wind’ is a film that formed the opinions of many about the South and the period,” says Jessica Harris. “It's always good to go back and debunk some myths and the film is a perfect vehicle.”

“ ‘Gone with the Wind’ has, for better or worse, entered the American consciousness as a definitive portrait of a particular place and time,” says William Dunlap. “It's been parsed and dissected as to myth, fashion, politics, manners, race and language. It's about time we got around to the palate and see how it relates to all of the above. So rally around Scarlett and Rhett and join our battle cry, ‘We’ll never be hungry again!’ ”

Stills from the movie (there will not be a screening) will be featured with Dunlap and Harris discussing each one. There will be a question and answer session after.

This is the inaugural event for a series of collaborations between Dillard University and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art.

What: Cooking Up a Storm: “Gone with the Wind” featuring Jessica Harris and William Dunlap

When: Wednesday, January 13, 2010; 6 p.m.

Where: Ogden Museum of Southern Art, 925 Camp St., New Orleans, La.

Admission: Free to museum members; $10 nonmembers

I keep forgetting to post an update here when my Haute Plates blog goes online every Thursday. So... uh. Yeah.