AlwaysInvestigating: Cheeky Sandwiches
GutterGourmet — August 23, 2010
A half shrimp & Half oyster Po’ boy, and “Ben-Yay’s” at Cheeky’s Sandwiches on Orchard Street,
Calvin Trillin used to joke when asked where to find the best po’ boy in New York that you have to go to Queens then take a plane from LaGuardia directly to New Orleans. I agreed until I wandered into Cheeky Sandwiches on Orchard and ordered a half shrimp, half oyster po’ boy, fully dressed, of course.
In Philly, only hoagies or cheesesteaks made with Sarcone’s Bakery bread are the real McCoy. In Miami the only bread worthy of a Cubano is Cuban lard bread. So it is with the bread for Cheeky’s po’ boy. Cheeky gets its bread from John Gendusa Bakery, which, in 1929, created the New Orleans French bread without which po’ boys would be naked rather than fully dressed.
AlwaysTraveling: Acme Oyster House (New Orleans, LA)
Jeff Zalaznick — May 28, 2010
In honor of the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience we are sharing a little more Big Easy love from our archives…
Crawfish Boil at Acme Oyster House in New Orleans.
Restaurant: Acme Oyster House
Address: 724 Iberville St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Contact: (504) 522-5973
Hours: Sun-Thur, 11:00am-10:00pm; Fri-Sat, 11:00am-11:00pm.
Grade: C
Recommended Dishes: Oysters, Chargrilled Oysters
Founded in 1910, as Acme Café on Royal Street in the French Quarter, Acme Oyster House relocated nearby to its current location on Iberville after a fire destroyed the saloon in 1924. It has weathered the natural ups and downs you’d expect of a local institution. One of those down periods is actually responsible for Acme’s famous “Waitress available sometimes” neon sign. In the early 80’s, Acme closed at 4:00pm and had just one waitress on staff.
More About Acme Oyster House >>
AlwaysTraveling: Johnny’s Po-Boys (New Olreans, LA)
Jeff Zalaznick — May 26, 2010
In honor of the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience we are sharing a little more Big Easy love from our archives…
Clockwise from top: Johnny’s Special Po-Boy, Surf and Turf Po-Boy, Big Egg Biscuit.
Restaurant: Johnny’s Po-Boys
Address: 511 Saint Louis St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Contact: (504) 524-8129
Hours: Mon-Thur, 8:30am-3:00pm; Fri-Sun, 8:00am-4:30pm.
Grade: A
Note: Cash only.
Recommended Dishes: Big Egg and Sausage Biscuit, Johnny’s Special Po’ Boy, Surf and Turf Po-Boy.
I have eaten my fair share of Po’ Boys, both in and out of New Orleans, and the ones at Johnny’s are the first that have ever really excited me. They are perfectly proportioned, expertly dressed, and conveniently located in the French Quarter, which is the icing on the cake. The best Po’ Boys that I tasted were the Johnny’s Special (Ham, Roast Beef, American and Swiss Cheeses), and the Surf and Turf (Roast beef and Fried Shrimp). The Big Egg Biscuits are also worth noting as they provide a fabulous breakfast option and a top-notch hangover cure.
AlwaysTraveling: Mother’s Restaurant (New Orleans, LA)
Jeff Zalaznick — May 26, 2010
In honor of the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience we are sharing a little more Big Easy love from our archives…
Famous Ferdi Special Po’Boy at Mother’s Restaurant in New Orleans.
Restaurant: Mother’s Restaurant
Address: 401 Poydras St, New Orleans, LA, 70130
Contact: (504)523-9656
Hours: Mon-Sat, 6:30am-10:00pm; Sun, 7am-10pm
Grade: B-
Recommended Dishes: Famous Ferdi Special Po’Boy, Jerry’s Jambalaya, Black Ham.
Mother’s Restaurant is one of those places whose name actually refers to someone. In this case it’s Mary Landry, who along with her husband, Simon, opened Mother’s to feed longshoremen and laborers in 1938. The Landry’s sons sold the business in 1986 to Jerry and John Amato, and the restaurant is a little tattered with love, but the tradition of the Famous Ferdi Special and its lexicon lives on.
Always Hungry: A Taste of New Orleans
April 28, 2010
A sampling of great New Orleans food.
In today’s Dining Section, Sam Sifton’s Critic’s Notebook was a peripatetic tour of New Orleans’ post-Katrina dining scene. Sifton hit the biggies, Cochon, August, and Emeril’s, among others. It’s nice to see a great food city getting some more attention.
If you’ve been reading, you know that Always Hungry did its own tour of New Orleans’ culinary scene just a few months ago. If you happened to miss Jeff’s write-ups of his meals at Emeril’s, Cafe du Monde/Central Grocery, August, and Cochon, this is a great opportunity to check them out. And if you did read them already, you might want to revisit them for the photographs.
AlwaysTraveling: Emeril’s (New Orleans, LA)
Jeff Zalaznick — February 05, 2010
At Emeril’s, clockwise from top: Black Pasta with Crawfish Meatballs, Andouille and Boudin Sausages, and Banana Cream Pie.
Restaurant: Emeril’s New Orleans
Address: 800 Tchoupitoulas St,New Orleans, LA 70130
Contact: (504)528 9393
Hours: Lunch, Mon-Fri, 11:30am-2pm; Dinner, Mon-Sun, 6pm-10pm
Grade: B+
Always Hungry Recommends: Gumbo, Black Pasta with Crawfish Meatballs, Rabbit Remoulade, Boudin Sausage, Banana Cream Pie.
About five years ago, I attended a small dinner in the tasting room at Italian Wine Merchants that was being cooked by Mario Batali and Emeril Lagasse. Aside from it obviously being an epic experience, the one thing that I have never been able to forget was a white gumbo that Emeril served. It has been seared into my food memory as a wonderful flavor profile that I have not known since. So, there was little choice but to make a pilgrimage to the place where these flavors brewed long before the country become familiar with him as the screaming Food Network star.
As I expected, the meal had highs and lows, but one thing that it did deliver was that flavor that I had been yearning for. Both the Gumbo and the Boudin were perfectly rendered, and the black spaghetti with crawfish meatballs gave the perfect fusion twist.
But the highlight of the meal was a conversation I had with the restaurant’s general manager. He was telling me how he used to be one of Emeril’s executive sous-chefs. When I told him that I was from New York, he said that he had once visited the City with Emeril to cook a dinner, and that he would never forget it because he had been responsible for the gumbo, and that he made an experimental white gumbo that people are still talking about. My night was complete.
AlwaysTraveling: Café du Monde & Central Grocery
Jeff Zalaznick — February 05, 2010
Clockwise from top: Café du Monde, Powdered Sugar-Covered Beignets from Café du Monde, Central Grocery, Muffuletta from Central Grocery.
There is a long checklist for New Orleans eating, and it is no mistake that both Café du Monde and Central Grocery have found themselves at the top of this list for over 100 years._ These Decatur Street institutions are symbols of one of the country’s great cities and a reminder that the people of New Orleans have been eating and drinking better than we have for a long, long time.
When you visit, there is no better way to start your day than by taking a stroll through Jackson Square, sitting outside at Café du Monde and having Chicory Coffee and Beignets, and then strolling down the street to pick up a world famous Muffuletta at the Central Grocery. Last week, I did it three times in a row, and I cannot tell you how natural it felt. It is the most pleasurable morning routine that I have ever experienced. There is no question that both Café du Monde and Central Grocery deserve their iconic reputations.
Click for More About Café du Monde and Central Grocery >>
AlwaysTraveling: Restaurant August (New Orleans, LA)
Jeff Zalaznick — February 04, 2010
Clockwise from left: Salad with Beets and Crabmeat, Potato Gnocchi with Blue Crab and Truffle, Slow Cooked Venison Shoulder, and Redfish “Courtbouillon.”
Restaurant: Restaurant August
Address: 301 Tchoupitoulas St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Contact: (504)299-9777
Hours: Lunch, M-F, 11am-2pm. Dinner, daily, 5-10pm
Grade: A-
Always Hungy Recommends: Oyster Trio, “Chop Salad,” Trout Pontchartrain, Duck & Foie Gras.
Classic New Orleans cocktails, local ingredients, and contemporary French food done by local celebrity chef John Besh. It is a prerequisite when it comes to New Orleans fine dining, and while it may not be the most exciting meal that you have in town, it will most certainly be one of best.
AlwaysTraveling: Cochon (New Orleans, LA)
Jeff Zalaznick — February 03, 2010
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Clockwise from top: Exterior, Oyster and Bacon Sandwich, Dining Room, Oven-Roasted Gulf Redfish.
Restaurant: Cochon
Address: 930 Tchoupitoulas St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Contact: (504)588-2123
Hours: Mon-Fri, 11am-10pm; Sat, 5:30pm-10pm; Closed Sunday
Grade: A+
Always Hungry Recommends: Wood-Fired Oyster Roast, Fried Boudin, Mushroom Salad, Oyster and Bacon Sandwich, Oven-Roasted Gulf Redfish, Banana Cream Pie
Cochon, and its chefs, Donald Link and Stephen Stryjewski, have received much praise since the restaurant opened in 2006. The James Beard Foundation, which named Link the Best Chef: South, in 2007 for his restaurant, Herbsaint, also nominated Cochon for Best New Restaurant that same year. It has been celebrated for its in-house preparations (whole pig boucherie and homebrewed whiskey), its gourmet renditions of New Orleans classics, and a commitment to fresh, local ingredients. In fact, they source most everything from within a 100-mile radius.
Still, even amidst the hype, it is so rewarding when a great restaurant can live up to its reputation, and so rare when it can surpass expectations. This restaurant does both in stride. Cochon is New Orleans food done the best way it can be done. Everything here is good, but the dishes that truly shine are those that take New Orleans’ tradition and combine it with a skilled hand and a creative touch.
AlwaysTraveling: Who Dat Nation
Jeff Zalaznick — February 03, 2010
A scene from the Saints’ January 24th victory over the Vikings.
Who dat? Who dat? Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints? Who dat? Who dat?
For the New Orleans Saints it has been a very long road to their first Superbowl, but finally, the people of NOLA have a football team that lives up to their wonderful food.
There is no question that New Orleans is one of the greatest, and possibly most unique food cities in the world, and we would like to make sure to celebrate that appropriately. Thus, what better way to show our Superbowl endorsement of the team than by bringing you coverage of some of the greatest meals that the Big Easy has to offer for the rest of this week. And besides, there is really not much food worth noting in Indianapolis.
First stop: Cochon.
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