Festival Weekend Eats
Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 4:48 pm
Incredibly, because I felt guilty about not working today, I insisted I get something accomplished with the day I'd been blessed with. For today, this meant crawling from the cool recesses of my summer lair and going down to the Quarter to try out food, for you, my esteemed colleagues.
Sauntering down Dauphine, my nose was assaulted with the smell of Eau de Quawta - not yet fully ripened to its full bouquet, but on the way, for sure. Threading my way down Conti through the sweating masses who know no shame, I pass some EMT's from Acadian scraping some poor soul off the pavement going to God knows where; the only hint of joy was the half-consumed Big-Assed Beer near the aformentioned cadaver-in-waiting.
On to the French Market where I found people massing in Dutch Alley. The first dish was the best: ceviche from Galvez, about the only thing I ate appropriate to today's heat. I had an empanada from them, too, which was just OK. The sauce accompanying it was too spicy. After nearly spilling my Sangria (good!) down the front of Peggy Scott Laborde's sun dress, I made my way across to Vaucresson's stand, where I tried the boudin snd crawfish sausage. Both of these were respectable offerings, although I like a bit more noticeable liver flavor in my boudin. Next was the smothered okra, hot sausage, shrimp and creole tomatoes (natch) from Praline Connection, which I mainly got because, despite living here for close to 30 years, I have never eaten there. This was basically okra gumbo rendered as a stew over rice, but I thought it was pretty good.
I moved on to see the French Market area, which I hadn't looked at in a few years. It is nice and clean and the ceiling fans do their job as well as could be expected for summertime, but there is little more than tourist junk there. Another grouping of restaurants were assembled in this area, with the zydeco stage on the uptown side of the Mint. There were a ton of people out there. I couldn't eat anything else with the heat. Did I tell you it was effing hot?
As the first stage of heat exhaustioon set in, I decided to retreat to my vehicle and return to the Quarter in October. But not before strolling into the vaunted Jaeger Haus on Conti. As I entered, there was some German guy correcting his boy's table manners auf Deutsch. This was looking promising, although no one else was there. The only thing missing was some dog too tired to lift its head off the floor. Then I spied - Thank God!! - Erdinger Weissbier on tap! Served appropriately in the requisite 0.5 liter weizen glass. This was the only really good item. The only other beer on tap was Stella Artois (WZT!! - that's German for WTF?). No Pils or Dunkel or Helles on tap at a German restaurant? Unglaublich!! Despite the heat, I couldn't resist ordering a jaegerschnitzel - the sacrifices I make for y'all! The basic schnitzel cut was fine enough, but the mushroom gravy was pathetic, watery, flavorless and lifeless. Service was indifferent - but I would be too in this heat. Did I say it was hot? The spaetzle needed some nutmeg and something else to add a little zing. The short story? This is not the new Kolb's. But I give them an A for at least trying. Anyone opening a German restaurant in NOLA has got to be an optimist!
Sauntering down Dauphine, my nose was assaulted with the smell of Eau de Quawta - not yet fully ripened to its full bouquet, but on the way, for sure. Threading my way down Conti through the sweating masses who know no shame, I pass some EMT's from Acadian scraping some poor soul off the pavement going to God knows where; the only hint of joy was the half-consumed Big-Assed Beer near the aformentioned cadaver-in-waiting.
On to the French Market where I found people massing in Dutch Alley. The first dish was the best: ceviche from Galvez, about the only thing I ate appropriate to today's heat. I had an empanada from them, too, which was just OK. The sauce accompanying it was too spicy. After nearly spilling my Sangria (good!) down the front of Peggy Scott Laborde's sun dress, I made my way across to Vaucresson's stand, where I tried the boudin snd crawfish sausage. Both of these were respectable offerings, although I like a bit more noticeable liver flavor in my boudin. Next was the smothered okra, hot sausage, shrimp and creole tomatoes (natch) from Praline Connection, which I mainly got because, despite living here for close to 30 years, I have never eaten there. This was basically okra gumbo rendered as a stew over rice, but I thought it was pretty good.
I moved on to see the French Market area, which I hadn't looked at in a few years. It is nice and clean and the ceiling fans do their job as well as could be expected for summertime, but there is little more than tourist junk there. Another grouping of restaurants were assembled in this area, with the zydeco stage on the uptown side of the Mint. There were a ton of people out there. I couldn't eat anything else with the heat. Did I tell you it was effing hot?
As the first stage of heat exhaustioon set in, I decided to retreat to my vehicle and return to the Quarter in October. But not before strolling into the vaunted Jaeger Haus on Conti. As I entered, there was some German guy correcting his boy's table manners auf Deutsch. This was looking promising, although no one else was there. The only thing missing was some dog too tired to lift its head off the floor. Then I spied - Thank God!! - Erdinger Weissbier on tap! Served appropriately in the requisite 0.5 liter weizen glass. This was the only really good item. The only other beer on tap was Stella Artois (WZT!! - that's German for WTF?). No Pils or Dunkel or Helles on tap at a German restaurant? Unglaublich!! Despite the heat, I couldn't resist ordering a jaegerschnitzel - the sacrifices I make for y'all! The basic schnitzel cut was fine enough, but the mushroom gravy was pathetic, watery, flavorless and lifeless. Service was indifferent - but I would be too in this heat. Did I say it was hot? The spaetzle needed some nutmeg and something else to add a little zing. The short story? This is not the new Kolb's. But I give them an A for at least trying. Anyone opening a German restaurant in NOLA has got to be an optimist!
