Wednesday, June 29, 2011
The Big New Orleans Summer Specials List
With July only one day away, I figured this would be the appropriate time to launch the Summer Specials page on the blog. The 100 degree temperatures of July and August kill the tourism industry in New Orleans. But for locals, this is the best time of the year to take advantage of summer dining specials and bar promotions. I've compiled these specials, promotions, and coupons, and put them on one comprehensive specials page. You can find this page by following this link or by clicking the "Summer Specials" link there on the right side of this page.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Cabernet Marinated Venison Steak Sandwich
It’s been way too long since I’ve posted a recipe from the kitchen of L’hôtel Gordon (my attempt to try and make our kitchen sound fancy). I’ve seriously neglected this part of the blog, so be looking for me of these recipes to come soon. Follow this link to the relatively small, but soon-to-be-growing recipe page, or just click on recipes link on the right.
Anyway, Erin was out of town for the weekend, I was still hungover from the company picnic, and, besides a few leftovers, we had no food in the fridge. Even though the grocery store is less than 5 blocks away, I didn’t feel like running to get any groceries either. I could have resorted to Chinese delivery from Green Tea, but I decided I love cats too much to make them my lunch.
I dug through the freezer and found a few pounds of vacuum-packed tenderized deer steaks from last season. The tenderized steaks are usually just small steaks that have been pounded thin, and are usually battered and pan-fried or used to make what I call gut rockets- cream cheese and jalapeno stuffed steaks, wrapped in bacon, and grilled. I didn’t feel like frying and we were out of cream cheese and bacon, so that idea was quickly shot down. Besides, Anthony Bourdain was in town. I vacated the recipes found in mobile homes (hey I lived in one for 3 years), and whooped up something I assumed would be worthy of a No Reservations appearance. With ingredients scattered throughout the near-barren fridge, a decently stocked pantry, and leftover duck and andouille jambalaya, I was able to throw together a ridiculous sandwich plate that can serve equally well on a brunch, lunch, or dinner menu.
CABERNET MARINATED VENISON STEAK SANDWICH WITH GRILLED ONIONS, GORGONZOLA AND FIG MUSTARD
2, 6oz tenderized venison steaks
Cabernet marinade, recipe follows
Creole seasoning
½ red onion, sliced
fig mustard, recipe follows
2 oz Gorgonzola cheese, divided
4 slices bread, toasted
(Yield: 2 Sandwiches)
1. Place steaks in marinade, and refrigerate for 3-4 hours (can be marinated overnight).
2. Remove from marinade and liberally dust steaks and onions with Creole seasoning.
3. Grill steaks over medium-high heat until cooked to medium to medium-well doneness (2-3 minutes per side).
4. Grill onions until soft (2-3 minutes per side).
4. Allow steaks to rest 3 minutes.
5. Assemble sandwiches on toasted bread: 6 oz. steak, grilled red onions, 1 oz Gorgonzola, and 2 Tablespoons fig mustard per sandwich.
Marinade
½ cup Cabernet Sauvignon (drink the rest of the bottle, or BOX, while grilling)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon cracked black pepper
1 Tablespoon crushed red pepper
¼ cup olive oil
1 sprig thyme (stems removed)
2 sprigs rosemary
5 dashes Crystal hot sauce
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1. Combine all ingredients in a gallon storage bag and refrigerate.
Fig Mustard
1 ½ Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 ½ Tablespoons fig preserves*
½ Tablespoon Steen’s Cane Syrup
½ Tablespoon Creole mustard
1. Combine all ingredients and refrigerate.
*Note: I used my grandma’s homemade fig preserves from Attala County, MS
Anyway, Erin was out of town for the weekend, I was still hungover from the company picnic, and, besides a few leftovers, we had no food in the fridge. Even though the grocery store is less than 5 blocks away, I didn’t feel like running to get any groceries either. I could have resorted to Chinese delivery from Green Tea, but I decided I love cats too much to make them my lunch.
I dug through the freezer and found a few pounds of vacuum-packed tenderized deer steaks from last season. The tenderized steaks are usually just small steaks that have been pounded thin, and are usually battered and pan-fried or used to make what I call gut rockets- cream cheese and jalapeno stuffed steaks, wrapped in bacon, and grilled. I didn’t feel like frying and we were out of cream cheese and bacon, so that idea was quickly shot down. Besides, Anthony Bourdain was in town. I vacated the recipes found in mobile homes (hey I lived in one for 3 years), and whooped up something I assumed would be worthy of a No Reservations appearance. With ingredients scattered throughout the near-barren fridge, a decently stocked pantry, and leftover duck and andouille jambalaya, I was able to throw together a ridiculous sandwich plate that can serve equally well on a brunch, lunch, or dinner menu.
CABERNET MARINATED VENISON STEAK SANDWICH WITH GRILLED ONIONS, GORGONZOLA AND FIG MUSTARD
2, 6oz tenderized venison steaksCabernet marinade, recipe follows
Creole seasoning
½ red onion, sliced
fig mustard, recipe follows
2 oz Gorgonzola cheese, divided
4 slices bread, toasted
(Yield: 2 Sandwiches)
1. Place steaks in marinade, and refrigerate for 3-4 hours (can be marinated overnight).
2. Remove from marinade and liberally dust steaks and onions with Creole seasoning.
3. Grill steaks over medium-high heat until cooked to medium to medium-well doneness (2-3 minutes per side).
4. Grill onions until soft (2-3 minutes per side).
4. Allow steaks to rest 3 minutes.
5. Assemble sandwiches on toasted bread: 6 oz. steak, grilled red onions, 1 oz Gorgonzola, and 2 Tablespoons fig mustard per sandwich.
Marinade
½ cup Cabernet Sauvignon (drink the rest of the bottle, or BOX, while grilling)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon cracked black pepper
1 Tablespoon crushed red pepper
¼ cup olive oil
1 sprig thyme (stems removed)
2 sprigs rosemary
5 dashes Crystal hot sauce
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1. Combine all ingredients in a gallon storage bag and refrigerate.
Fig Mustard
1 ½ Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 ½ Tablespoons fig preserves*
½ Tablespoon Steen’s Cane Syrup
½ Tablespoon Creole mustard
1. Combine all ingredients and refrigerate.
*Note: I used my grandma’s homemade fig preserves from Attala County, MS
Monday, June 13, 2011
NOLA Brewing Brewery Tour
After streaming the Mississippi State-Florida Super Regional on ESPN3.com at “work”, I decided I had had enough of the relelentless scoring of Florida’s offense (at least Nick Vickerson delivered on Saturday). Serious drinks were necessary to ease the pain of the shellacking I had just received. With less cash money than BG and Juvy, I quickly had to figure out a way to drown my sorrows without sinking my bank account. Following countless minutes of blank stares, it finally hit me- NOLA Brewing Brewery Tour. Since they’ve been in operation about as long as I’ve been in town, I figured this trip was long overdue.
As I pulled up to the small red warehouse within the industrial thoroughfare at the corner of Tchoupitoulas and 7th, I saw that I wasn’t the only person suffering from drinking pains at 2:00 on a Friday afternoon. Around 40 people were already there, drinking free beer out of their free NOLA Brewing pint glasses. I grabbed myself a pint and then hit the taps directly across the warehouse from the stash of glasses. Once in front of the tap handles, I had to make the toughest decision of the day.
Feeling pressure from the growing line that had formed behind me, I grabbed a Hopitoulas right before the tour began. Free beer is nothing new to a brewery tour, but the actual tour itself is what set NOLA’s apart from others I’ve partaken in. This was no Pawtucket Brewery, people were WORKING. That’s right, while we were enjoying an ice cold ale, employees were actually doing real work.
It’s a brewery (the only one in the Crescent City). They brew beer. Really good beer. That is all. There were no fancy tasting rooms or frilly gift shops here, just a wide open, dimly lit warehouse with a few tanks and kettles.
NOLA set itself even further apart from its competitors’ tours by providing a guide who actually works at the brewery. She wasn’t a marketing director or a weekend volunteer giving us some generic 5 minute incoherent spill; she was just a rubber-boot-wearing brewery worker. So, when someone had a question about the hop additions in Hopitoulas I was drinking, or the dry erase board that contained the day’s tasks, she was able to answer without hesitation.
I had already heard they were moving to canning their beer by the end of the year, but towards the end of the tour, our guide revealed that they would be releasing a new brew very soon. The Smoky Mary, named after a former Street Car and a ride at the defunct Pontchartrain Beach theme park, is an ale brewed with grains that have been smoked for 2 hours over pecan wood.
Wait, wait, wait. I can’t believe I fell for it. I’m off work, 3 beers deep on a Friday afternoon, and I was being tricked into learning something. That shifty NOLA Brewery, forcing me to drink free beer and encouraging me to also learn a little something, too. I will NOT be going back. Who the hell am I kidding? I’ll be back, and it’ll likely be this Friday at 2:00. This time, I’m signing out a keg from the complex checkout system next to the oversized walk-in fridge and most likely starting a premature one-man red dress run training session.
Unless you’re one of the seersucker-wearing guys that takes a 5 hour lunch down at Galatiore’s, a free Friday afternoon is pretty scarce. If you do get a chance to get away from the daily grind after lunch, or you decide you’re going to pull a Ferris Bueller like I did this past Friday, you seriously need to get over to NOLA Brewing on Tchoup for a brewery tour.
As I pulled up to the small red warehouse within the industrial thoroughfare at the corner of Tchoupitoulas and 7th, I saw that I wasn’t the only person suffering from drinking pains at 2:00 on a Friday afternoon. Around 40 people were already there, drinking free beer out of their free NOLA Brewing pint glasses. I grabbed myself a pint and then hit the taps directly across the warehouse from the stash of glasses. Once in front of the tap handles, I had to make the toughest decision of the day.
Feeling pressure from the growing line that had formed behind me, I grabbed a Hopitoulas right before the tour began. Free beer is nothing new to a brewery tour, but the actual tour itself is what set NOLA’s apart from others I’ve partaken in. This was no Pawtucket Brewery, people were WORKING. That’s right, while we were enjoying an ice cold ale, employees were actually doing real work.It’s a brewery (the only one in the Crescent City). They brew beer. Really good beer. That is all. There were no fancy tasting rooms or frilly gift shops here, just a wide open, dimly lit warehouse with a few tanks and kettles.NOLA set itself even further apart from its competitors’ tours by providing a guide who actually works at the brewery. She wasn’t a marketing director or a weekend volunteer giving us some generic 5 minute incoherent spill; she was just a rubber-boot-wearing brewery worker. So, when someone had a question about the hop additions in Hopitoulas I was drinking, or the dry erase board that contained the day’s tasks, she was able to answer without hesitation.I had already heard they were moving to canning their beer by the end of the year, but towards the end of the tour, our guide revealed that they would be releasing a new brew very soon. The Smoky Mary, named after a former Street Car and a ride at the defunct Pontchartrain Beach theme park, is an ale brewed with grains that have been smoked for 2 hours over pecan wood. Wait, wait, wait. I can’t believe I fell for it. I’m off work, 3 beers deep on a Friday afternoon, and I was being tricked into learning something. That shifty NOLA Brewery, forcing me to drink free beer and encouraging me to also learn a little something, too. I will NOT be going back. Who the hell am I kidding? I’ll be back, and it’ll likely be this Friday at 2:00. This time, I’m signing out a keg from the complex checkout system next to the oversized walk-in fridge and most likely starting a premature one-man red dress run training session.
Unless you’re one of the seersucker-wearing guys that takes a 5 hour lunch down at Galatiore’s, a free Friday afternoon is pretty scarce. If you do get a chance to get away from the daily grind after lunch, or you decide you’re going to pull a Ferris Bueller like I did this past Friday, you seriously need to get over to NOLA Brewing on Tchoup for a brewery tour.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
A Tale of Two Tacos
With all the weddings and all the field trips (not the fun elementary school kind) for work, I’ve been eating out more often outside of New Orleans. Just last week, I had to run to Montegut, and within 24 hours I was on the road again- this time 250 miles away in Vicksburg. In both cases, I was road weary and starving. I’m sure it had something to do with heat and boredom, but in both instances I went for a roadfood staple- tacos. Even though they were mutually delicious and shared similar names on the menu, the tacos from Taqueria D.F. in Houma, LA and Taco Casa in Vicksburg, MS were polar opposites on the taco spectrum.
It’s appropriate that after all this writing that I would end up writing from the same place where the blog began almost a year ago. Much like the first entry, I began the day “working” by collecting wetland data near Montegut. It was hot, I was hungry, and I only had $6 cash. Not to mention, my options were limited in this run-down town. Thankfully, a co-worker suggested a nearby taco stand he had seen on the side of the road on a previous field trip. I’m all about street food, so I was all over the idea. When we pulled up to the taco stand (basically a converted sno-ball stand), the sign in front of Taqueria D.F. made ordering seem almost too easy.
Not so fast, my friend. Yeah, the options were limited to quesadillas, tacos, tortas (Mexican po-boys), burritos, and gorditas, but the fillings of these things were undeniably limitless. There were the familiar shredded chicken and brisket and the semi-recognizable carnitas, but my eyes quickly wondered to the bottom of the menu taped to the sliding glass window.
"lengua (beef tongue), barbacoa (beef cheek), cabeza (beef head), buche (pork stomach)"
There were more entrails on the menu of this tiny kitchen than on the prop list of an early ‘90s Nickelodeon game show. Even though I was feeling more adventurous than Andrew Zimmern, and was willing to try one of these terrible delicious sounding tacos, the translator inside the small stand said they weren’t ready yet (we were the first customers of the day). Somewhat disappointed, I ordered 1 chicken taco and 2 carnita tacos.
My frustration quickly dissipated. It’s amazing how something so straightforward can turn out so amazing. Griddled corn tortillas, carnitas, white onion, cilantro and a limed wedge. That’s it. This was simplicity and fill-you-up-for-cheap at its best. Not to mention, I got to wash all the pork goodness down with a Mexican Coke (sweetened with real sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup). Giggady.
250 miles away in Vicksburg, freshness and authenticity were forsaken (that really came out sounding like the narrator of Swamp People). From outside, Taco Casa appears to be some rundown spinoff of Taco Bell that could have been featured on the Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia.
For those who actually make it inside, they quickly realize this is not the Americanized Mexican fast food we’ve grown to love at 3:00 in the morning after $1.00 Night- it’s much better, and worse at the same time. The carpet hasn’t been changed in 20 years, or even cleaned in the last 20 days. There are only 4 combos posted on the newly refurbished menu behind the counter, but I’ve never seen anybody order them. Like all other frequenters of this local chain (the one in Tuscaloosa, AL can’t be the same), I’ve always ordered from the à la carte menu that includes tacos, burritos, sanchiladas, and their specialty, taco burgers. I’m still not even sure what a sanchilada is, so I ordered my usual.
Like the 400 other times I’ve been here, I gave the lady $6.00 or $7.00 (they don’t take cards or checks), and she gave me my order number from a hand written receipt. I waited around for a minute or two while the old lady smoking behind the counter threw together my custom combo. Once I heard the microwave ding, I knew my order was complete and walked over and picked up a handful of the mini containers of hot sauce, and got my brown tray of oh-so-unhealthy deliciousness- 1 combination burrito, 1 soft taco, 1 chile con queso, and a medium sweet tea.
You’re probably wondering why I would continually expose myself to microwaved ash tacos. Hell, I ask myself that every time walk in this musty, humid restaurant. Maybe it’s the crushed ice. Maybe it’s nostalgia. Maybe it’s the fact that I can walk out miserably full for really cheap. Or, maybe it’s something in the hot sauce or the “beef”. I’m not sure what it is, and I may never know why, but it seems like every trip home, I get a craving for a combination burrito and my car somehow auto-pilots to Taco Casa.
It’s appropriate that after all this writing that I would end up writing from the same place where the blog began almost a year ago. Much like the first entry, I began the day “working” by collecting wetland data near Montegut. It was hot, I was hungry, and I only had $6 cash. Not to mention, my options were limited in this run-down town. Thankfully, a co-worker suggested a nearby taco stand he had seen on the side of the road on a previous field trip. I’m all about street food, so I was all over the idea. When we pulled up to the taco stand (basically a converted sno-ball stand), the sign in front of Taqueria D.F. made ordering seem almost too easy.
Not so fast, my friend. Yeah, the options were limited to quesadillas, tacos, tortas (Mexican po-boys), burritos, and gorditas, but the fillings of these things were undeniably limitless. There were the familiar shredded chicken and brisket and the semi-recognizable carnitas, but my eyes quickly wondered to the bottom of the menu taped to the sliding glass window."lengua (beef tongue), barbacoa (beef cheek), cabeza (beef head), buche (pork stomach)"
There were more entrails on the menu of this tiny kitchen than on the prop list of an early ‘90s Nickelodeon game show. Even though I was feeling more adventurous than Andrew Zimmern, and was willing to try one of these terrible delicious sounding tacos, the translator inside the small stand said they weren’t ready yet (we were the first customers of the day). Somewhat disappointed, I ordered 1 chicken taco and 2 carnita tacos.
My frustration quickly dissipated. It’s amazing how something so straightforward can turn out so amazing. Griddled corn tortillas, carnitas, white onion, cilantro and a limed wedge. That’s it. This was simplicity and fill-you-up-for-cheap at its best. Not to mention, I got to wash all the pork goodness down with a Mexican Coke (sweetened with real sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup). Giggady.250 miles away in Vicksburg, freshness and authenticity were forsaken (that really came out sounding like the narrator of Swamp People). From outside, Taco Casa appears to be some rundown spinoff of Taco Bell that could have been featured on the Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia.
For those who actually make it inside, they quickly realize this is not the Americanized Mexican fast food we’ve grown to love at 3:00 in the morning after $1.00 Night- it’s much better, and worse at the same time. The carpet hasn’t been changed in 20 years, or even cleaned in the last 20 days. There are only 4 combos posted on the newly refurbished menu behind the counter, but I’ve never seen anybody order them. Like all other frequenters of this local chain (the one in Tuscaloosa, AL can’t be the same), I’ve always ordered from the à la carte menu that includes tacos, burritos, sanchiladas, and their specialty, taco burgers. I’m still not even sure what a sanchilada is, so I ordered my usual.
Like the 400 other times I’ve been here, I gave the lady $6.00 or $7.00 (they don’t take cards or checks), and she gave me my order number from a hand written receipt. I waited around for a minute or two while the old lady smoking behind the counter threw together my custom combo. Once I heard the microwave ding, I knew my order was complete and walked over and picked up a handful of the mini containers of hot sauce, and got my brown tray of oh-so-unhealthy deliciousness- 1 combination burrito, 1 soft taco, 1 chile con queso, and a medium sweet tea.
You’re probably wondering why I would continually expose myself to microwaved ash tacos. Hell, I ask myself that every time walk in this musty, humid restaurant. Maybe it’s the crushed ice. Maybe it’s nostalgia. Maybe it’s the fact that I can walk out miserably full for really cheap. Or, maybe it’s something in the hot sauce or the “beef”. I’m not sure what it is, and I may never know why, but it seems like every trip home, I get a craving for a combination burrito and my car somehow auto-pilots to Taco Casa.
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