appetites

Root opened recently in the space formerly occupied by Feast. I’ll be writing about it in the near future; in the interim, here’s an image of the restaurant’s “KFC” wings – Korean-style fried chicken wings.

No, not me. Rather this is an image that I took recently at an event which I will discuss tomorrow in my Haute Plates column. Enjoy.

“I used to run a restaurant in Santa Fe, N.M., another far-flung spot for an oyster to show up. We garnered quite a bit of fame for the fried-oyster sandwiches we served at lunch. The reasons for their much-deserved success: the plump fellows were coated in flour and egg, rolled in soft bread crumbs and shallow-fried in clarified butter until crisp and golden. To this day, it’s really the only way I like to cook them. ”

The above quote is from the increasingly hilarious New York Times food section. David Tanis, whom I’m sure is a fine chef, should probably pontificate on things other than the best way to fry an oyster.

Perhaps that’s just me.

Hello, kids. I haven’t been updating here with any regularity for quite a while; long enough that the absence of posts has become the norm. But I also haven’t been writing Haute Plates for the last two months, and that has caused at least some of you to ask me why. I took a short hiatus, but it’s over. This Thursday, September 1, I’ll be returning to weekly postings there.

My first post back will include a bit about a restaurant that opened a few weeks ago, and where I ordered the food depicted below. Can you guess where I ate?

I won’t pretend that I’ll be updating this site all that often, but I will at least try to post some pictures every week or so. As always, feel free to drop a comment or send me an email if you have any questions.

Your pal,

Robert

The Beasts & Brass benefit for Nathanial Zimet that took place on July 10 was pretty successful from my perspective, though I will admit that I was only there until about 9:30. The food was excellent, the music was great, and it was well attended. The best part was seeing Nathanial for the first time in months. He spoke briefly, and he looked good.

Here are a few images from the event

And you may find it here. It’s about Dat Dog, on Freret Street. Unlike previous occasions when I’ve alerted you to a new Haute Plates, I don’t really have another image from the meal to share. I trust you will forgive me?

I heard the other day from my pal Jay Forman that Rene Bajeux was coming back to town to take the helm at the Rib Room. I got the press release shortly thereafter. To say I’m a fan of Chef Bajeaux is an understatement. I’m pretty excited to hear he’ll be back in town. I hope he has the freedom to go beyond the standard menu at the Rib Room.

Yesterday was the father/son cake auction for Elliot’s cub scout troop at St. Martin’s. There were five different categories from which to choose. We went with the Patriotic theme, at least in part because it’s the only one I could remember last Wednesday night when Elliot and I cooked. We made a cheesecake that I planned to top with fresh strawberries and blueberries. I was going to slice the strawberries thinly and layer them in an overlapping pattern on top before adding a ring of blueberries around the outside edge. I didn’t want to put the berries on too soon, lest they deteriorate before the auction.

I had two pints of berries from the farmer’s market, and they had begun to suffer just a bit by Friday night when I’d planned to finish the cake. Instead of slicing them, I decided to make a purée. I stemmed the berries and put them in my food processor with a little lemon juice and a little sugar. Because the purée was a little loose, I added some unflavored gelatin that I first bloomed in hot water. After I let it set up for a half hour or so, stirring it occasionally, the purée was the perfect consistency. I had more than enough blueberries to more ring the cake, so I just made a pattern with the remainder.

Because the cakes were being auctioned for charity, we were encouraged to add items to increase the bids. I put in copies of the Cafe Degas cookbook; my cousin David’s cookbook of New Orleans-style desserts, Dam Good Sweet; a copy of New Orleans Home Cooking by Dale Curry; and two books by Kit Wohl, New Orleans Classic Seafood, and New Orleans Classic Desserts. The package went for $120 after a brief bidding war largely because my son was hell-bent on getting a taste of the cake we baked.

Yes, we (well, my father and mother) bought our cake. My son and his mom took half and then delivered the remains to my parents, who had a couple of slices before bringing what was left to me. I had a slice last night, and I’m glad my son was so enthusiastic about bidding. It was really good. Here’s what it looked like at the auction:

In other news, Jazz Fest is in full swing, and the weather has been really beautiful. I haven’t made it out yet, but I’m planning on going this afternoon, and I’ll try to take a few pictures of the food while I’m there.

When I first started writing Haute Plates, I typically put a post up here to alert you to each new edition. I accompanied that post with an image from the meal that was not used in the column. I stopped doing that around the time I stopped writing here with any frequency, but in the spirit of days gone by, here is an image of the warm crab dip about which I wrote in my last column.

Hello. I would like to announce that, as of this time, I have not been devoured by squirrels or otherwise incapacitated. I have been incredibly busy lately, and unfortunately when I have a lot on my plate, this site is the first to suffer.

Having said that, I thought I’d take a few minutes this morning to post a couple of things that might be of interest to you.

First up, my most recent Haute Plates column includes a bit about the New Orleans Home and Garden Show that’s being held this weekend at the Morial Convention Center, and more specifically the Culinary Center Stage cooking demonstrations that are a part thereof. Go check it out for a list of the chefs participating, what they’re cooking, and when they’ll be onstage.

Next Saturday, March 26 the annual pork-fest Hogs for the Cause will take place at City Park rugby fields. The event has grown remarkably in the short time it has been in existence; this year 45 teams will participate, and bands such as Amanda Shaw and the Cute Guys, Soul Rebels Brass Band, and Anders Osborne with Big Chief Monk Boudreaux will perform. Perhaps best of all, Rene “Tickle Me Elmo” Loupre will perform his interpretation of “I Kissed a Girl.” I’ve seen the leotard he’ll wear, and I can’t wait to see him in motion. I won’t be cooking at the event this year, instead, I’ll be a judge, so if you didn’t attend last year because you feared I’d poison you, you should reconsider this year.

From the website:

The purpose of Hogs For The Cause is to provide aid and relief of those variable expenses and economic burdens which families face while their child is being treated for pediatric brain cancer. Hogs For The Cause will operate as the premier funding source for pediatric brain cancer outreach services in the United States.

While money devoted to pediatric cancer research is dwindling, there is an even bigger void in the periphery and variable expenses associated with cancer treatment. We will fill this void. Hogs For The Cause will take care of the small things, so families can worry about the big thing.

And don’t forget that Hogs for the Cause is a 501(c)(3) organization, so your donations are tax deductible under the full amount as allowed by the IRS.

Gates open at 11:00 a.m. I’ll see you there.

There was a time when I had my finger on the pulse of the local food blogging community, but then I was arrested for battery. Apparently you can’t just walk up to people and try to take their pulse. More surprisingly, food bloggers are in fact considered “people” by the authorities. Anyway, I was happy to learn of Bistro Katie, a local blog about vegan food and cooking. The current post at the website discusses greens, including information about their nutritional value and how to buy and cook them. I’ve been cooking a lot of greens myself lately, though I’ve stayed closer to the Southern tradition of adding cured pork to everything. I’d recommend checking the site out whether you have an interest in vegan cooking or not.

That’s it for now. Hopefully it won’t be a month before I update again, and hopefully I won’t be devoured by squirrels in the interim. As always, send me an email if you have any questions about the site, or want a mailing address to send me gifts or money. ($US only, please).

Some months ago I was asked to contribute a foreword to the Café Degas Cookbook. I have always loved Café Degas, so I was pleased to do it. I’m also pleased at how well the book turned out. I hope you like it too.

There are going to be some dinners celebrating the cookbook’s release and the 25th anniversary of the restaurant, and I’ll keep you updated as appropriate.

I’m not getting a cut from sales of the book, whether through Amazon.com or otherwise. I don’t have an affiliate program with Amazon, so when you see links here for cookbooks or products, it’s simply because I find it convenient. At any rate, check the book out and buy it if you like it. In addition to the link in the first paragraph, copies are available at the restaurant and likely at local bookstores as well.