Let's talk about food.

[Jeeves]

La Famiglia, Oaklawn behind the BK, just South of Vets. Owned by T. J. Qutob. Jameel's brother (Maple Cafe). I cannot understand why the place is never busy. I had fantastic bracciolini there recently, osso bucco the time before that. Tchouppie introduced me to some great fried oysters bordelaise there once. (Served as an app, but try them as an entree sometime.) Quiet, neat, excellent service. Give T. J. some business.

[jodyrah]

Laura, I make these adjustments to Kung Pao:

velvet coating replaces marinade:
1/2t. salt
1T sherry
1T cornstarch
1T oil
1 beaten egg white

I also use considerably more heat in the form of fresh chilis, plus more ginger and garlic

I just ordered what are supposed to be (per many reviews) 2 more excellent Chinese cookbooks. One is strictly Sichuan. Should I come up with a better recipe, I'll let you know.

[flyinbayou]

This is a little late as I was out of town all last week.

We did Pelican Club last Sunday. The FQ was surprisingly packed with pedestrians. Perhaps it was due to the heavy rains that occurred earlier that day and people were stir crazy. I don't really know but it was a good sign for business considering all the negative PR the oil leak is bringing.
I had an early morning departure so we made reservations for an early dinner. First stop was at Antoine's Hermes bar. I like this place and they have an excellent selection of spirits although my dc was disappointed when her Kir Royale showed up sans raspberry.

We were seated right after a rather large group and the restaurant continued to fill as the evening proceeded. My dc opted for the 4 course prix frixe while I just ordered off the menu.
Her first course was a crawfish and corn bisque. A little light for a bisque (which turned out to be a good thing with that amount of food) but better than your average ho-hum corn and ______ soup/bisque.
I ordered the seafood martini, a martini glass filled with lobster, shrimp and crabmeat...lots of crabmeat! with a potato salad and the dc, a big oyster fan, got the baked oysters for an app. The martini is always good but her oysters were fantastic. Plump and juicy topped with a parm herbed butter.
For entrees the whole crispy flounder caught my eye. Unfortunately, they had no flounder so I chose the paneed gulf fish with jumbo lump while my dc had the duck 3 ways. The fish was a black drum (I like it. Many I know do not) lightly breaded and paneed. It was a very large piece of fish sauced with a creole meuniere and jalapeño hollandaise.
The dc's duck was a trio of leg confit, (blah. Tasted too much like bbq sauce), Asian BBQ duck (my favorite of the 3) and pan seared breast. It came with a side of dirty rice that was off. It had an allspice/clove taste. When we told the server, she said that neither was an ingredient in the rice but would check with the chef. She returned to tell us the chef told her she was crazy and wouldn't let her taste the rice herself. I'm guessing the chef has a healthy ego, as many do. Either way, it was a fun conversation piece (guess the spice) and they offered an alternative but we had enough food.
For dessert I let the dc choose since I am not a huge dessert fan.
The vanilla bean and brandy creme brulee was silky smooth and not overly sweet for me. The spoon of coconut creme pie I tried was good, but dc said it was above average.
All in all, a nice meal with excellent service.

Some friends and I were out all day Saturday and ready for a nice, relaxed home-cooked meal. I was in the mood for lamb and headed to Kasel Brothers on Williams to pick up a rack. They have just about any cut of lamb and goat you may want, although all he had cut were chops but he was happy to cut me a rack fresh. Marinated and crusted then baked. The meat was excellent. A friend made an excellent fresh blueberry compote which we ladled on top of some Creole cream cheese ice cream made by New Orleans Ice Cream. For not being a fan of dessert I licked the bowl.

[ratcheese]

ratcheese,
Just curious, what part of the country did you grow up in?

I'm grew up in Texas, mam.

I left after college and lived on the East Coast primarily, before I settled here in the nineties.

Why, did you detect an accent?


Paz said, You live in a neighborhood full of places worth exploring:

One, Sara's, Barcelona, Saltwater Grill, Maple St. Patisserie, and Pupuseria La Macarena are the first ones I come up with off the top of my head

We know all those places except One and the new Patisserie, which sounds wonderful. The menu at One never excited me for some reason.

We tried the Papuseria not long after it opened, but $70 + for two without alcohol, seemed to be way too much for what it was.

My favorite in this part of town is Cafe Madrid--highly recommended.

Cote Sud and Jamilla's are good spots, also. Vincent's is nearby, Brigtsen's, Mat and Naddie's, lots of good places up here. Dante's, which I always forget about until I pass by the place.

Like I said, our dining ventures have been mostly for convenience, lately. She won't be on this diet forever.

We stopped by Kyoto after work today (she's still good for sushi, thankfully).

[Isabella Maja]

Paz said, You live in a neighborhood full of places worth exploring:

One, Sara's, Barcelona, Saltwater Grill, Maple St. Patisserie, and Pupuseria La Macarena are the first ones I come up with off the top of my head

We know all those places except One and the new Patisserie, which sounds wonderful. The menu at One never excited me for some reason.

We tried the Papuseria not long after it opened, but $70 + for two without alcohol, seemed to be way too much for what it was.

My favorite in this part of town is Cafe Madrid--highly recommended.

Cote Sud and Jamilla's are good spots, also. Vincent's is nearby, Brigtsen's, Mat and Naddie's, lots of good places up here. Dante's, which I always forget about until I pass by the place.

Like I said, our dining ventures have been mostly for convenience, lately. She won't be on this diet forever.

We stopped by Kyoto after work today (she's still good for sushi, thankfully).

I have to agree with PAZ about your neighborhood. I was fortunate to live nearby for a few years. No one ever mentions Chill Out Cafe. I know, strange name! More than likely, you'll recognize the owner. He owns a sushi joint too & worked at another for years. For the life of me, I can't remember his name at the moment. Too early.

[ratcheese]

I have to agree with PAZ about your neighborhood. I was fortunate to live nearby for a few years. No one ever mentions Chill Out Cafe. I know, strange name! More than likely, you'll recognize the owner. He owns a sushi joint too & worked at another for years. For the life of me, I can't remember his name at the moment. Too early.

Isabella! Yeah, I love living in this area. Residents of the Warehouse District may have claim to more upscale restaurants, but all-in-all I wouldn't live anywhere else.

I am not familiar with the Chill Out Cafe though.

And I notice in my post, I referred to Cafe Granada as Cafe Madrid Kinda hard to recommend a place when you can't get the name straight. We've only lived in this neighborhood for 3 years though, so maybe I'll get it right eventually.

Lining up a Mex lunch for next week. Let me know if you're feeling brave. It'll be fun.

I'm getting my brake lights fixed in case the food requires extra beverages to wash it down.

[Isabella Maja]

Isabella! Yeah, I love living in this area. Residents of the Warehouse District may have claim to more upscale restaurants, but all-in-all I wouldn't live anywhere else.

I am not familiar with the Chill Out Cafe though.

And I notice in my post, I referred to Cafe Granada as Cafe Madrid Kinda hard to recommend a place when you can't get the name straight. We've only lived in this neighborhood for 3 years though, so maybe I'll get it right eventually.

Lining up a Mex lunch for next week. Let me know if you're feeling brave. It'll be fun.

I'm getting my brake lights fixed in case the food requires extra beverages to wash it down.

The scary part is I didn't think twice about it & knew you meant Cafe Granada. I've meant to go there, but Lebanon always hooks me. Siren call.

Chill Out is on the corner of (hmm, it's just way too early - brain not fully in gear) Maple & maybe a block from Fern. There's a small porch out front & it's just down the block from Jamila's. It is Thai & they have some American items. Last year I had an office on Dante & would pop over for a little protein boost sometimes. Bacon wrapped shrimp with a sweet chile sauce did the trick nicely. For those times when I wasn't working - noodle dishes were tasty & comforting in those winter months. I haven't gone enough to make it thru the menu, but what I did get was very good. I heard skip the American tho (hmm, whatcha 'spect? but that is hearsay). It's a laidback little place - very casual & they do have salads too.

I'm game for a Mex lunch next week. Keep me posted.

[Suzy Wong]

I'm grew up in Texas, mam.

I left after college and lived on the East Coast primarily, before I settled here in the nineties.

Why, did you detect an accent?


Paz said, You live in a neighborhood full of places worth exploring:

.

HA That was funny!!!
re accent
You said one or 2 things that just sounded non local (not good or bad) as odd as my statement comes across.
Mam? Polite, but do I look old????

I live within walking distance of Adult Video, a strip club and a Taqueria Sanchez taco truck. NAH... hope that counts for something....

[ratcheese]

The scary part is I didn't think twice about it & knew you meant Cafe Granada. I've meant to go there, but Lebanon always hooks me. Siren call.

Chill Out is on the corner of (hmm, it's just way too early - brain not fully in gear) Maple & maybe a block from Fern. There's a small porch out front & it's just down the block from Jamila's. It is Thai & they have some American items. Last year I had an office on Dante & would pop over for a little protein boost sometimes. Bacon wrapped shrimp with a sweet chile sauce did the trick nicely. For those times when I wasn't working - noodle dishes were tasty & comforting in those winter months. I haven't gone enough to make it thru the menu, but what I did get was very good. I heard skip the American tho (hmm, whatcha 'spect? but that is hearsay). It's a laidback little place - very casual & they do have salads too.

I'm game for a Mex lunch next week. Keep me posted.

I know Chill Out. I just didn't know the name. It is good. I live not far from there.

Granada is money. Full menu but we always stick with Tapas because the list is so long. Actually, its very affordable compared to comparable quality elsewhere. I like eating around small dishes until I've had enough. Good wine prices; short list but good. It is the type of casual fine dining establishments I wish we had more of; reservations not needed if you go early like we do.

Mex is mid-week from what I'm hearing. I'll get with you.

Susy Wong

HA That was funny!!!
re accent
You said one or 2 things that just sounded non local (not good or bad) as odd as my statement comes across.
Mam? Polite, but do I look old????

I live within walking distance of Adult Video, a strip club and a Taqueria Sanchez taco truck. NAH... hope that counts for something....

Anyone that closely associated with porn and tacos can't be all bad.

Do you eat off that truck?

[Bob B]

For pics of Chill Out Cafe and food, please refer to:

http://www.meetup.com/The-New-Deal/phot ... /#12254059