Master BREAD BAKER Strikes Again

Last night, Jackie and I was invited out to dinner at a friend's house. Of course, I was reminded to double check my 4 Steps To Being a GOOD GUEST post that I ranted and raved about a few weeks ago (for a reminder, click HERE). So, I called ahead, found out what the hostess had in mind and made an offer to bring something. She had planned a dip and chips, Lasagna and salad, along with a dessert. All that was missing was...

BREAD from the MASTER BAKER!

So, I followed my second step to being a good guest, and offered to bring a loaf of bread. My hostess agreed, and whoo whoo... I got to make another loaf of bread. Now, I only have one success under my belt, but it was very successful. So, I used my one and only recipe for FUGASSE BREAD that you can find by clicking HERE.

Now, if you happen to double check that post (which you will need in order to see the recipe, easy to follow, and no need to reprint again so soon as it's already out there), you notice that the above loaf does not look anything like my original loaf. Well, you can blame Wandering Coyote from RETORTE for the new look of my one and only bread recipe. In my comment section, she mentioned "traditional Fougasse shape". So, I did some checking, and found out that as visually appealing a big hunk of bread was (to me), there were more options to shaping this recipe other than a ball. Still wasn't willing to use the shape of the traditional Fougasse, but I was inspired to see what I could do...

Here's what I did...

A long snake! That I twisted into a more interesting shape (still not traditional, I'm not a traditional kind of guy).

OK, I got a little tip for you (Master Baker's like to pass on tips)... I carry my insulation around with me, so as President Ford suggested back in 1974, in order to create oil import independence (thank god we paid attention back then so future generations would not be stuck with that burden), I keep my heat set at a lower temperature than average (I am comfortable at 60 to 65). The recipe suggests during the second rise to cover and let it sit in a warm spot. Well, I had no warm spots in my house, so I started pre-heating the oven and set the bread on top of the stove, covered it and was STUNNED at how much it rose!

I sprinkled some more cheese so that it would be pretty, and some sea salt so it would be tasty. I baked as suggested in the original recipe...

And everybody... OHHH AHHHH

So, some things I learned... This recipe works great for shaping bread. HMMM, I wonder what else I can shape this as??? And, oh yeah, I altered the recipe just a bit, by adding a finely diced jalapeno pepper. Added a lot to the taste.

This was very well received, as I followed my other three rules, I was on time, appropriate for the event, and brought a bottle of wine. My mother would have been proud, and a great fun time was had by all.

I have another party to go to tonight (spend a summer cooking meat for friends, and suddenly you are on a bunch of folks invite list). This is kind of a neighborhood tradition, when our fun neighbors, Tom and Lucia host the post trick or treat wienie roast. About 8:30, we all shut off the porch lights, blow out the punkin candles and meet in their back yard with their firepit and our weenie sticks... And a surprise or two... One of which I will blog about tomorrow, the other is...

This work of culinary art in the making...

While the first twistybread was cooking, I started making my art project... Two circles, and a couple of bone shapes, and let them rise on the top of the stove...

Skipping ahead, cause I forgot to take more photos in between, I took the smaller of the two circles, turned it upside down, and put the larger of the two circles on top of the bottom of the first... Kind of looks like a cauldron doesn't it???

Tonight, I will fill the little bowl with some marinara dipping sauce (looks like blood), And I will need a couple more bowls of dipping sauce. Once people ohhh and ahhh, I will disassemble, tear the bread into manageable chunks, and let the natives go wild! Use your mind's eye to imagine the Bones in a cauldron of blood (bread with the marinara sauce), and it will be a treat for everyone!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
with the...
CAULDRON OF BLOOD BREAD!

OK... That kick ass award I invented yesterday (the I CAN COOK THAT AWARD) now goes out to three inspirations for this days' project...

The original recipe Fugasse Bread recipe comes from ADVENTURES WITH THE WOODS. I would not be the master baker I am now without her easy to follow and SPECTACULAR recipe. Take a look at her blog for more wonderful things...

Also, WANDERING COYOTE from RETORTE certainly deserves some of the blame/credit for letting me know there was more possibilities for this bread beyond just a ball (good looking though that ball was). Her comments are always welcome, but absolutely encoureaged when a simple off hand remark makes me dig into making this better. Someday, I may even make the bread in the traditional shape, but before I do that, there are just too many shapes to ponder, and Shelly's recipe is just too much fun to shape, but credit Coyote with planting the bread shaping idea in my head.

And finally, Mary over at ONE PERFECT BITE made this post yesterday, about the bread of the dead (pictured here). She had a terrific story behind this Bread of the Dead that tied into the Mexican Holiday, Day of the Dead. My finished product only slightly resembles her masterpiece, but I would be lying if I didn't give Mary credit for the idea and look of my cauldron of blood bread.

So.. (THA TA TATA), I present my newly created award...


To these three wonderful bloggers, and remind them of the simple rules...
1) Take inspiration from or outright steal a recipe from a fellow blogger
2) Actually make the item, or make a close copy of the item
3) Blog about your efforts, giving proper credit and links to the inspiree
4)If you receive the award, be honored, as there is no greater feeling than having your efforts not just recognized, but duplicated! That is the only real rule, is to feel honored. BUT, feel free to post this in your side bar and to pass it on to one of your favorite bloggers which you have made one of their recipes.


Thanks guys, and grilling posts are coming soon!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN - and I'm Stealing Recipe Inspirations Again!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN and I am inspired! Yesterday was a horrible day here in god's country (Kansas). Rained all day, and I just didn't want to grill out. So, what do I do, open a Hungry Man TV Dinner, and ponder the sad state of my holiday decorations. I am no Rainey from THE PROJECT TABLE, so I needed inspiration... So I started looking around some of my favorite blogs to see what other people did...

And oh yeah, I have received my fair share of awards, and I like the idea. Not so much the receiving, but I genuinely like pointing out terrific bloggers and what they do. I can think of no greater honor than seeing what someone else has done, and either duplicating that, or being inspired to add my own touches to create from their inspiration...

So.. (THA TA TATA), I present a brand new award...

Take a close look at the photo, we used that as a Christmas card once (my Mother was so embarrassed). My two cats (Chang and Eng) are watching a fish that we grew from about 2 inches to this Great White Whale of a fish (who eventually committed suicide, but I digress)... If this photo doesn't scream, I CAN COOK THAT, I don't know what does!

Here's the rules...

1) Take inspiration from or outright steal a recipe from a fellow blogger
2) Actually make the item, or make a close copy of the item
3) Blog about your efforts, giving proper credit and links to the inspiree
4)If you receive the award, be honored, as there is no greater feeling than having your efforts not just recognized, but duplicated! That is the only real rule, is to feel honored. BUT, feel free to post this in your side bar and to pass it on to one of your favorite bloggers which you have made one of their recipes.

So, the very first "I Can Cook That" award goes not to food, but to the first pumpkin I have carved in 20 years. And here is what I stole (was inspired by...)

Miranda from MY FOOD AND LIFE ENCOUNTERS (which you can find by clicking HERE) made this wonderful whimsical pumpkin. Now, I had been to the store just the night before, and noticed that they had put their punkins on sale, for $1.99 each. Well, I couldn't resist, and decided that I COULD COOK (carve) THAT!

But, a little difference had to be done...

Here's what I did...

Assemble your tools (same as cooking a recipe, when you are elbow deep into the goo, you don't want to go looking for a scraper). But, take a close look at my toothpicks, somehow we had this big bunch of colored fancy toothpicks... This could be fun...
Draw your image on the punkin first, it is very difficult to carve freehand.

This guy was gonna get sideburns (should have done Elvis nuttonchops, but next year is another opportunity...

Cut everything out, and start putting the toothpicks in...

It's an old punkin, so she was gonna get blue hair.

And yellow teeth

And red blood shot eyes

And green snot dripping from the nose

Your friends and neighbors will stare...

Here she is in all her glory...

All Dressed up and no where to go, but will shine tomorrow!

******************************

But wait... I was inspired again...

What the heck... Toasted Punkin Seeds! Thanks to BITE ME NEW ENGLAND, which you can find by clicking HERE, I decided to give toasted Pumpkin Seeds a shot... But with a twist...

Recently, the good folks at POM WONDERFUL sent me a batch of their product to try. I will be making some BBQ sauce, and will be using it for a turkey soon, but today, I wanted POMEGRANATE INFUSED PUMPNIN SEEDS for a snack...

Here's what I did...

Cleaned the goop off of the seeds, and then put them in a simmer pot with

3/4 of a cup of POM, and 1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce, brought to a gentle boil...

In about 15 minutes, the liquid had either boiled out, or been absorbed into the seeds (they plumped up nicely when I cooked em). There was no need to drain, as all the liquid was gone, just wet seeds...

I then spread them out over parchment paper, sprinkled on a bit of sea salt and baked in the oven at 400 degrees for 10 minutes...

WHOO WHOO, were these ever good!

So, there you go. Two worthy websites with terrific inspirational posts (at least to me)! Take a second and drop by...

BITE ME NEW ENGLAND, which you can find by clicking HERE,

And

Miranda from MY FOOD AND LIFE ENCOUNTERS (which you can find by clicking HERE)

and thank them for having such a great blog that makes even me say... "I CAN COOK THAT"! Like I imagine most of you, I see dozens of sites a day. I have a data base of more than 100 recipes I want to make someday. Soooo many recipes, so little time. Eventually, I hope to get to them all (but by then, I will have 1,ooo recipes in my base... sigh

Ernie Banks, My favorite CUB, says - Let's Play Two (AWARDS)

Two awards in one day...

I finally got a few free minutes (hours) to catch up on all the blog postings I missed during my vacation. I was very happy to notice that earlier this week, I was honored by a terrific blogger! I was amused to receive this award for ANGEL IN THE KITCHEN (Click HERE to read her blog). Why amused, because she could not possibly have any free time to waste reading my blog, when this brand new addition to her family must be taking up all her free time.

But if Jack's mother thinks I have a blog worth reading, who (humble as I am) am I to argue. So, happily accepted, and it gives me a chance to honor someone that I LOVE READING (her) BLOG...

MARY, who writes ONE PERFECT BLOG (Click HERE to go to her site) is the one blog I most look forward to READING each day. Sure, she does great recipes, and she does great photos, but she also tells a little background story behind each recipe she posts. Take a look HERE, for a recipe and the story behind the timely posting of BREAD OF THE DEAD in celebration of the Day of the Dead celebration. She does these wonderful stories behind what we eat every day, and is a wonderful read! So, Mary... I LOVE READING YOUR BLOG, and this awards for you!

But Wait... There was MORE!

Nat, from GIRLS ARE MADE OF - Sugar and Spice & All That's Nice (which you can reach by clicking HERE) passed on the 360 degree Foodie Award to me! Honored, of course, but I think I was rewarded with the award due to the wine glass and liqueur bottle in the background than my "all around cooking ability", but of course I am going to jump on receiving this award!

But Mostly, I like receiving this award because it gives me a chance to recognize someone that really has all around 360 degree cooking skills, and deserves a 360 degree Foodie Award, Penny from the LAKE LURE COTTAGE KITCHEN (which you can find by clicking HERE)!

Take a look at her site, and you will see what I am talking about. While many of us just call ourselves cooks (and a few of us (me) desperately try to achieve that modest title), Penny works at gourmet cooking, and making it look easy. Beautiful settings, very pretty presentations and doable recipes, always with a little back story glimpse into her life. Everything I like in a blogger.

Take a look HERE, as she recreates a dinner party she had 34 years ago, complete with same guests and same incredible menu (brandy flamed Tournedos Henry IV with Artichoke Bottoms and a Bearnaise Sauce as an example).

Now this is a 360 Degree Foodie indeed, so I pass this award on, and well deserved. I LOVE reading her blog!

So, thanks for these two awards, I will of course display them with honor, but mostly thanks for letting me take a moment to recognize and advertise two more terrific bloggers!

Food Finally - SPARERIBS with a Wet Rub Glaze

After a week of letting my Cajun Brothers cook for me, I wasn't sure if I still remembered how... So, for my first cook after my vacation, I trod on familiar territory.

I have already blogged about cooking spareribs. You can click HERE for that post. If you need to check the basics, go ahead and take a look at that post for the nuts and bolts of smoking spareribs. For those, I used a spicy dry rub. For these, I wanted to use a combination of Chinese 5 Spice rub and a wet rub of jelly...

Here's what I did...

I had just put my wife's delicate taste buds through the ringer with a week of Cajun food. She had to carefully read each menu to make sure that she got just the right combination of spice without the painful heat she does not care for. As my last tribute to JACKIEtober, I agreed to sweeten these up a bit.

So, after doing a bit of trimming of the fat, removing that membrane from the bottom of the ribs, I added just a light coating of the Chinese 5-spice rub I got from Steven Raichen's Book, HOW TO GRILL. He taught me how to make my own, but a store bought batch can do in a pinch. I selected this rub because it has no salt added. I generally avoid salt, and never add salt at the table. I did notice that after a week of eating out, my salt level was feeling pretty high. I vigorously rubbed the rub into the meat (it's called rub, not sprinkle). Especially when applying a wet rub (jelly in this case, usually a mustard base), you want to get the seasonings into the meat so that when you do start adding the jelly it does not lift the rub off.

I added some jalapeno peach jelly to each side of the ribs. While there is some jalapeno kick, the peach sweet balances the taste nicely (hey, you didn;t really think I was going to make candy ribs did you). The jelly does not need to be rubbed in as vigorously. Just get a nice thin even coating. About any brand of quality marmalade will do, never tried Welch's grape, that combination does not appeal to me, but I have heard of others using that. I really like the peach or raspberry flavoring.

Onto the smoker...

If you look closely, you can see that I used my double stack rack for these. This way, they laid flat. Spareribs take up a LOT of room in the smoker. It is possible to use a rib rack and stand them straight, but then you need to trim the rack to the rib bones and cook the "bonus" meat section separate.

Low and slow... 225 degrees for about 5 hours. I checked temps, and they needed about another hour or two. While the smoker was open, I applied a final layer of jelly on the ribs to act as a glaze. The original layer of jelly had already soaked onto the meat and/or dried out. I wanted to add a layer of moisture (and it will glaze up pretty)!

2 hours later (7 hours total)... cooked, moist and tender!

see... Glazed up pretty!

Spareribs, unlike babyback ribs provides not only the meat around the ribs, but also some "spare" meat that is perfect to trim off and use for other things...

Like this meal I made the next night... Just a little cut up onion, a little red and green pepper, a little garlic and some of the "spare" rib meat diced up and a quickie stir fry. I still have enough "spare" rib meat left to make grilled pizzas on Friday night.

Said it before, say it again... Spareribs need a press agent like babybacks must have. You get all the great taste that you associate with babybacks, plus that extra bit of meat can be used for leftovers. I paid $1.19 a pound for these (on sale). I never see babybacks for less than $2.99, and usually much more.

I am cheap, but I eat like a king... And oh yeah... Just as good as they look, the combination of the dry rub and the jelly really made these stand out!

My Flying Nun Fantasy Continues - You Like Me - You Really Do!

Whoo Whoo... I am an award winning blogger!

I have received a few of these now, and I am always honored. Much Like Sally Field's Oscar acceptance speech, all I can think of to say is, "you like me... You really like me". I won't bore you all too much, but blogging is now a focal point to my life. I have started defining myself as a blogger, and my life is better because of it. Not only the better food I am making because I follow you all, but also the fun of sharing.

So, thanks to Frugal Southern Mom for this award! I will certainly display it proudly, but it also gives me a chance to honor a few of my RECENT finds...

First, here are the rules for accepting the award...

The Best Blog Award rules are:

To accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his/her blog link.
Pass the award to 5 other blogs that you have recently discovered and think are great! Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Well, first of all, I am going to break two of the three rules (hey, call the blog police).
I am going to nominate only two. I really want you all to take a look at their blogs. I know when i see five new links, i would be hesitant to start the process with that many. So, hopefully, with just two links to click you will give these deserving folks a look.
Second, I follow them, and check in whenever the post something new... Will be more fun to see if they do the same, and discover their honors. So, feel free to direct them to my site, but let them get the thrill of discovery...

So, here are my two nominees for RECENT discoveries, best blog...

Joanne from EATS WELL WITH OTHERS.

Joanne has a fascinating back story, young living in the big city (22 year old, living in new York City), but she is beginning the Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan-Kettering Tri-Institutional MD/PhD program this year (2009) and hopes to do cancer research in the future. Isn't that a mouthful. BUT, in her spare time (???), she just finished the San Fransisco Marathon in three hours, 35 minutes, and will be running the next Boston Marathon. But, she also takes time to blog terrific recipes and stories of her life. Joanne is someone deserving of every award I could think of... And she has a lovely blog too!

And, since it is called a lovely blog award... there is no lovelier blog on my blogroll than...

Rainey from THE PROJECT TABLE.

I have written about here site before, and even stolen a recipe idea from her. But she really does go all out. Wonderful ideas, and hands down, the prettiest sight on the web! Today's post has her Halloween table decorations, and they are wonderful. Take a minute and stop by, you will be stealing her ideas too! Oh, and BTW, we recently exchanged a couple emails... In a former life, she used to be the only female (the cook) on an all male fishing boat. I want to hear more of those stories (hint hint).

So, there you go, and I think I can hear a couple people saying, "You like me, you really like me"; cause I really do.

And one more little bit of business...

I have seen my share of contests, but this one kicks ASS! Twirl and Taste is sponsoring an amazing contest... 6 of the above wine glasses, combined with a matching pitcher. Click HERE to take a look at her site and the details to enter.

How I single handedly rebuilt New Orleans

The Sazerac cocktail was created in New Orleans. It is a strong whiskey (rye whiskey) based drink, with pre-civil war origins. I have been drinking these for a long time whenever I was lucky enough to be in New Orleans. Unfortunately, the rest of the world is too busy drinking their sex on the beaches and sloe gin fizzes to realize what they lost, and it is a very rare bar that offers these, and an even more rare bar that gets it right.

New Orleans is still rebuilding from that bitch Katrina. My taxes help pay for the federal effort, and I have donated to hurricane relief when it was fresh in my memory. All of that is and was vital to the continued refurbishing of this important national treasure. But honestly, the people of New Orleans want to welcome you with open arms and receive the aid they really want... continued tourist dollars that allow them to be what they are.

So, in addition to my taxes, and some personal charitable donations I have made in the past...

My mission...

Rebuild New Orleans, one Sazerac at a time...

"Hurricanes are for tourists. Sazeracs are for natives."

1/2 teaspoon absinthe, or Herbsaint
(a New Orleans brand of anise liqueur)
1 teaspoon of simple syrup
(or 1 sugar cube)
4 dashes Peychaud's bitters
1 small dash, a scant drop, of Angostura bitters
2 ounces rye whiskey.
Strip of lemon peel

Life should come with a soundtrack... This will be one of my longest posts ever, as I do a final wrap up of my vacation... Go ahead, click the little arrow and enjoy some modern jazz as I review my efforts to restore New Orleans, one Sazerac at a time...



Our first night in town, we got in late... about 10 PM (my wife's inconvenient day job strikes again). But one of our favorite places is the Carousel Bar in the Hotel Monteleone. It is a great place for a quiet rest following my 10 minutes of hopeing Bourbon Street has changed (it gets louder every time I visit). Classic old style bar (do you sense a pattern, I like the classic stuff) with a twist. Here I am, enjoying the first of many Sazeracs. The 1st Sazerac was perfect!

The aptly named bar features different embroidered African animals on the back of each chair, a wonderfully whimsical carousel top. The ceiling has fiber optic stars twinkling, If you watch closely (or have fallen down in a drunken stupor), you will notice periodically one of the stars shoots across the sky. Perfect for wishing upon a star that you will return soon. William Faulkner, Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote and Winston Grooms (Forrest Gump) are among the famous authors who have enjoyed drinks at the Carousel Bar. Today, the Carousel still attracts celebrities, including some recent sightings – Michael Jordan, Dennis Quaid, Greg Allman and Sally Struthers (a meathead like me loves the thought that I am sharing a seat that Gloria sat in). There is an adjoining small nightclub setting with a piano. The bartender told us that Liberace used to stay at the hotel, and would often tinkle those very same ivories. No one was playing the night we were there, and armed with the sazerac courage, my wife and I sat down and played a sad duet of chopsticks. Yeap, me and Liberace entertain regularly at the Carousel Bar!

Our next night, we met up with my niece and her husband (by luck, they were attending a convention). They were staying at the modern TALL (50 stories plus... convenient to find when staggering home), Sheraton Hotel. Personally, this was not my first pick for a hotel, I prefer the classic to the modern, but it was convenient for their convention, so... This night, we started at the Pelican bar in the lobby of the Sheraton. But, proving that New Orleans works hard to entertain, I was thrilled to see a display of some of the artwork of George Rodrigue. Some of you may know of this artist work as the guy who paints the Blue Dog (click the dogs nose below to get to the web page of George Rodrigue.


I felt right at home, when I spied a Cow that was featured in the original Chicago COW PARADE collection. If you have never seen a painted cow, click HERE for a more detailed explanation. But, bottom line, around the world, artists have been asked to decorate fiberglass cows and these are displayed around a city. To date, 5,000 artists have participated, 100 million people have viewed the cows and 20 million dollars has been raised through charity auctions and licensing fees. Kansas city featured the cows one year, and it was great fun spending the year hunting them down. But I am digressing... The photo above is of me with the cow, and my 2nd Sazerac of the trip...

The Pelican bar is located in the center of the lobby of the hotel. It is a beautiful bar, reminiscent of a French Quarter courtyard with its magnificent tiered fountain, lavish landscaping and hand detailed wrought iron. The bartender did serve my Sazerac in a martini glass (should be served in a rocks glass only). But that mistake was overlooked by the quality of the drink. Perfectly proportioned, and a beautiful drink in a wonderful setting!

This was the night we went out with my niece's friends. 13 of us hit the town with no reservations, and no real plans. I already wrote in detail about my night at ARNAUD's. If you need memory refreshing, click HERE to read that story. But, I certainly headed to the bar to see what this classic old restaurant could do with that classic old recipe... top notch!

This bar is what I think of for a turn of the century (the last century) joint! From the beautiful wooden bar, wonderful little seats around the tables, full mirror, educated staff, professional bartender that really knows his stuff, this bar is a work of art. I do not know the rules about smoking, but they prominently display a fine selection of cigars, so I assume you can smoke in the bar. As I have already said, I loved everything about our night at Arnaud's, and the bar added to the magic... Perfect in every way (including my 3rd Sazerac)!

Next night my wife and I finally got to get into the swing of the amazing dining options of the city. K-PAUL's LOUISIANA KITCHEN, home to PBS star, Chef Paul Prudhomme. Classic old style New Orleans cuisine was largely based on French Creole cooking. Crawfish Etouffee is a fancy name for meat over rice, "smothered" in a sauce. That's French... That's Creole. And for centuries, French Creole cooking defined New Orleans cuisine. But in 1979, Chef Paul opened K-Paul's, and he introduced Cajun spices to the fine dining community that frequented the city. Overnight, blackened redfish became the defining dish of New Orleans. K-Paul's was not the first Cajun restaurant, but it was the first to become successful. It is difficult to believe, as New Orleans is largely thought of as "spicy", but pre-Paul, these spices were largely unknown outside of the swamps surrounding the city. Had there never been a Chef Paul, there would have never been an Emeril, had there never been a K-Paul's New Orleans dining would not look anything like it does today. Imagine, in our lifetime, one chef could have such an influence on the history of food.

This would mark the 5th time I have dined at K-Pauls, and it certainly will not be my last. Always just right, my wife claims that his Blackened Stuffed Pork Chop Merchand de Vin is her favorite meal ever. I usually order something different each time, but his Fried Green Tomatoes with Shrimp Caper Dill Remoulade appetizer is among my very favorite items ever! And for dessert, don't miss his Sweet Potato Pecan Pie! Reservations are always needed, and here's a great tip for foodies... ask to sit towards the back. The kitchen is walled in with glass, so watching all the chefs makes for dinner and a show! And, here, I enjoyed one of the best Sazeracs of my trip (#4)!

My next Sazerac was a joy to behold... The historic ROOSEVELT Hotel is home to the Sazerac bar... Here's the details I lifted from their website...

Any bar can make a drink. Few make history.

Named after what many consider to be the world’s first mixed drink, The Sazerac Bar carries with it as much history and lore as its potable namesake. Just gazing at the famous Paul Ninas murals that flank the long African walnut bar takes you back to the grandeur of old New Orleans—a time when Huey P. Long would stroll in, order a Ramos Gin Fizz and spend the next couple hours talking to his constituents.

Restored to reflect the spirit of the original establishment, the elegant barstools and plush banquettes of today’s Sazerac Bar invites locals and visitors alike for well-crafted drinks and free-flowing conversation.

But this hotel/bar/DRINK comes with a story... the Storming of the Sazerac! The Sazerac Bar was always a bastion of men. Women entered only on Mardi Gras day. In 1949, though, the bar relocated to the Roosevelt Hotel and on September 26 the management opened the doors to both genders. In this famous photo of that day, the ladies completely crowded out the men. Ever since, women have claimed their rightful place at the Sazerac Bar. And the world is a better place for it. I drank my 5th Sazerac in a cathedral, and I worshiped every drop!

OK... I need to be careful here. Following the cathedral, we enjoyed a night at Emeril's New Orleans. And why careful... Well, of everything we did, everywhere we ate, this was the single disappointment. Now, I am not a reviewer, and I don't want to spoil any one's expectations. Whatever I say needs to be prefaced with the idea that Emeril has created an empire from the quality of his cooking and his innovation at the stove. Having said that, the meal just left me flat. Not much seasoning (certainly not stepped up a notch), and the presentation was... just average. Perhaps it is a matter of expectations, and I just had too high of expectations.
BUT... the restaurant is beautiful. Like K-Paul's, there is an open kitchen for dining with a show. If you click on the photo of my wife to the left, by the magic of the Internet, you will see a larger image. Emeril has filled frames glassing in different spices and seeds. With a light bulb shining, it is a wonderful image! The bathrooms alone are worth the trip, with lots of gold and sparkle.
And, as to my drink... This was indeed my biggest disappointment. The Sazerac is mostly a whiskey drink (rye whiskey). That is the strongest flavor in the drink. Sure, there is some flavoring, as well as sugar, but the drink should taste of whiskey mostly. Emeril's bartenders put too much of something in the drink, and it was just too sweet. It tasted of too much vermouth, but there should not be any vermouth in the drink. Sure enough, when i complained to the bartender, he offered to make one without any vermouth. Note to emeril (like he needs advice from me): experimentation is great, but rename what you create. If you substitute simple sugar with vermouth, it changes the drink. My 6th Sazerac left a literal bad taste in my mouth before the food even arrived. Ah well...
Next afternoon on my cocktail tour was an afternoon stop at Pat O'Briens Courtyard! World famous, this is a tourist spot that lives up to it's reputation. A BEAUTIFUL courtyard, open air and filled with plants and umbrellas and even a flaming water fountain. A hurricane from pat O'Brien's is on most people's must do list in N'Awlins. Live music enhances the atmosphere, and everything about the place was perfect!
Whether searching for a romantic evening under the stars, a fun night out with friends, or an afternoon meal with the kids, Pat O's Courtyard Restaurant is ready to serve your needs! It does take a little hunting to find, as the main entrance is the size of a courtyard entrance, with very little street frontage. But that's part of the charm. Oh, and when you order the drink, the hurricane glass can be yours for only $3 extra. A nice little souvenir. And Sazerac number 7 was fabulous!

Finally, our last night in the city, we dined at NOLA. Now, NOLA is also an Emeril restaurant; he has three in the city. I was a little concerned about trying another Emeril joint, but it was a Friday night, and I already made reservations. So, in for a penny, in for a pound... we bravely wandered into a GREAT dining experience!
First, the Sazerac was PERFECT! Look at that smile, compare that to the shot of me at Emeril's above... Forced smile vs a real smile. My 8th and final Sazerac was perfect! And the food was fabulous. We shared the crab cakes for an appetizer, and the bed of spiced corn relish the cakes rested on was an explosion of flavor like nothing else! Everything that was bland from the night before exploded at NOLA. My wife had the filet, that was over cooked, exactly as she ordered it (sadly, she likes her meat well done). But she did let me sample it, and it had plenty of flavor. Imagine what ot would have tasted like had it been medium rare... I LOVED my BBQ Salmon with a Creole Choux. I could not imagine much better...
Look at that smile! I had let the staff know that we were celebrating Jackie's birthday, and the arrived with a candle and the wonderful presentation. The Banana pudding layer cake was just right! It was the perfect cap to JACKIEtober, and she deserves every good thing that happened to us during the week.
And there you go. Tomorrow, I will be back with cooking posts (first day back, I smoked a couple racks of spareribs). If you've been lucky enough to have visited New orleans, I hope I wetted your memories a little. If you've never been, consider investing in the city with your tourist dollars. They need it, but more importantly, they want you there. From that terrific waiter at Arnaud's, to the piano players at 3 bars that all knew "our" song (Gershwin's the "Way you Look Tonight"), all the bartenders, the cab drivers who had great stories coming and going to the airport, right down to the maid who gave us turn down service with the chocolates on the bed... Everyone wanted us there, everyone wanted us to have the best time possible and there is no place like it in the world.
Charities and Government aid can and should rebuild the infrstructure. An entire city needs extra care that Americans are famous for. We should be taking care of our own. But tourist dollars and only tourist dollars will keep New Orleans what it was and is again. If those dry up, the working side of the city will continue. The oil rigs and their profits will keep the city running. But without tourist support, the heart and soul of the city will slowly die. A Vegas/Disneyland version of the French Quarter will replace it.

Before it is gone, and to keep it as it should be...

Next time you are thinking about a vacation,
even a long weekend away...

You really ought to give New Orleans a try.