Panchita's Mexican Criolla, New Orleans

I have a new restaurant obsession: Panchita's Mexican Criolla on South Carrollton in the Riverbend area is, by far, the best Mexican food I've had outside of California.  Ooooh, it's delicious.  Authentic, flavorful, delicious.  Handmade, fresh corn tortillas like discs of heaven.  Good beans.  Really good beans.  With lard.  So much goodness. 

Gaze upon my tostadas.  One chicken with black beans, one shredded beef with pinto beans and one bean only.  Completely fabulous tostadas.  I want to tell you about the nuances of flavor and preparation but I was too busy gobbling them up.  Bad food blogger!

Kid Cayenne had the chiles rellenos with rice (which she loved), refried beans (which she detected the lard in instantly, unfortunately for her... fortunately for me since they then became mine).  The poblano pepper was stuffed with cheese and fried beautifully in an egg batter then served with tender, steaming hot corn tortillas.  *sigh*

I would have no problem with eating here every day. Has anyone else gone?  What did you think?

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Culinary Adventures in Cleveland

My friend, Melissa, describes herself as "wife, writer/editor, petmom and with 20 years in newspapers as a homes writer, sportswriter, news reporter, features writer and entertainment writer. I'm a native of Connecticut, a New Englander at heart, living in the Cleveland suburbs with my husband, cat, iguana, and turtle."

I describe her as a sweetheart.  She was kind enough to take time from her own busy life and blog to share with us a Guest Post about restaurants in her area, and a family dinner recently shared at Bar Symon in Cleveland.

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One of the things I love about reading blogs like Julie's is discovering the everyday food of a region, the stuff people grab for lunch and the places people go for date night. She brings New Orleans and its food to life in a way no tourist brochure can.

When my husband went to Boston recently, he felt he had to try Union Oyster House since it was a local institution. While the seafood was fine, the experience was a bit disappointing as he realized the place has become a bit of a tourist trap. He was happier at places recommended either by locals or by family and friends who went there frequently.

When my New England family comes out to visit me where I live now, Cleveland, we don't go to the high-end restaurants. We find the good neighborhood places, and hit the markets to find delicious local treats for cooking and enjoying at my house.

Many people would be surprised at how much good eating there is in a city with a lunch-pail, meat-and-potatoes reputation. But local chefs are taking our prosaic comfort foods, our ethnic treasures and our All-American classics and turning them into fine dining.

One of the people leading that movement has become a celebrity chef. Michael Symon has been straddling the worlds of the Food Network and his Cleveland roots since he worked on "Melting Pot."  He's now one of the network's vaunted Iron Chefs.

The foundation for his business remains in Cleveland. While high-end Lola satisfies those seeking a white-tablecloth Dining Experience amid the twinkling lights and bustle of downtown, he keeps his other restaurants accessible and affordable. The east side's B Spot is a burger joint where the beers are cold, the condiments are homemade, and the juices drip down your arm. Lolita, located in the grit-meets-gentrification neighborhood of Tremont, is a neighborhood spot that serves up bistro-style dishes with the flavors of Symon's Mediterranean heritage.

Bar Symon opened in Avon Lake in 2009. The name says it all. Its Symon's take on bar food and pub grub. John and I took my parents and my sister there when they visited last week.

Appetizers are a lot of classic bar/pub snacks kicked up several notches. House-made potato chips come with whipped avocado, bacon and blue cheese. Sliders are a recent culinary trend. Symon does duck confit sliders, with peppery radish and bright cilantro. The duck is so rich and velvety, that one makes a perfect starter. Succulent wings come in either a sriracha hot sauce, or a citrus-cilantro sauce.

Symon puts some quintessential Cleveland foods together for an entree called a Cleveland Classic. It's got all the goodies that my Kowiako ancestors in Cleveland's Warszawa/Slavic Village neighborhood loved: pierogi, kielbasa, cabbage braised in hard cider and some Stadium Mustard on the side.

Fried chicken is a bar food staple. And you can't throw a stone in Northeast Ohio without hitting a perch fry, especially during Lent. Bar Symon has both. The fried chicken is drizzled with honey for a savory-sweet punch. The fish fry, featuring Lake Erie perch in a batter made with Dortmunder Gold beer from Great Lakes Brewing, is an upscale take on fish 'n chips.

Need comfort? Mac and cheese is one of the ultimate comfort foods. Symon's features goat cheese and rosemary.

Symon is known for his love of pork. The man has a pig tattoo. I don't know where he found the pork shanks he braises with beer and apples, then serves with spaetzle and Brussels sprouts, but mine was the most flavorful pork I've tasted since pork unfortunately became "the other white meat."

Sometimes, you just can't beat a good burger. My mother fell in love with the savory lamb burger, with a sauce featuring feta, dill and cucumber.

As fans of "Iron Chef America" know, host Alton Brown always gets excited when someone fires up the ice cream makers in Kitchen Stadium. Symon used his imagination to fashion a dessert out of a classic bar combination. The beer and pretzel sundae features homemade Guinness ice cream, caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, and crumbled pretzels. The slightly chocolatey, slightly bitter ice cream blends with the sweet chocolate and caramel, and the salty crunch of the pretzels to wow the tongue.

Hope you've enjoyed this culinary trip up north!

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Sleep Blogging and Tartine New Orleans

I blog in my sleep.  Does anyone else do that?  I wake up thinking that I have a fully written post and am ready to hit publish, but suddenly it fades away.  Last week, I sleep-blogged about the orange jam I picked up at Little Morocco.  Also, about how hard it is to find a really excellent orange marmalade.  Last night, it was about the Peugeot Pepper Mill giveaway, how much I adored everyone's comments (I really, really do) and to keep them coming.  Needless to say, no posts were actually written.

Yesterday, I went to the lovely new Tartine for the first time.  Everyone is talking about it in blogs and Twitter and for good reason.  It's a truly wonderful cafe, hidden on a tiny block in a tiny corner of Uptown, close to Audubon park, a stone's throw from the river.  One would think that the location was less than ideal, but when we walked in, there were more than enough people to show that the word is getting around.

I had the pork rillette tartine (a smooth shredded pork spread on a toasted baguette with herbed butter, cornichons and onion marmalade) which was so good!  Not too rich, scrumptious cornichons, very satisfying and delicious.  Accompanied by a bright, lively black eyed pea salad and some pickles and olives, it made a perfect light  lunch. The portions are quite generous, the quality high and the prices very fair ($8 for my tartine).  I had to take half of the tartine home for another time, because I couldn't finish it all.  Oh, and I made it a not-so-light lunch by enjoying a milk chocolate mousse ($1!) for dessert.  Mmm, fantastic!

My lunch companion, Celeste of Bouillie, had the tuna nicoise salad ($9) which looked heavenly and like very much a meal.  I spied green beans, potatoes, olives, roasted red peppers, beautiful anchovies, oh all sorts of delicious salad goodies on her plate and it's definitely the next thing I'll try there.

I have a feeling that this is going to be a go-to spot for me.  I strongly approve!

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Mahony's Po Boys, New Orleans

It's been yeeeears since I last went to Mahony's.  So many years that everything is completely different now.  I remember a small dining room that was very much like sitting in someone's front parlor.  It is now opened up and light, airy, still cozy but with far more space.  An extensive po-boy menu graces the front wall.

I went with a friend and we split the Fried Green Tomato and Grilled Shrimp 12 inch po-boy.  While the remoulade was a little too Creole-mustardy for me, she pronounced it the "best po-poy I have ever eaten."  High praise, indeed.

The tomatoes were freshly fried in a crisp cornmeal batter.  Shrimp were perfectly grilled.  The sauce was heavily flavored with green onion, Creole mustard and more (too much flavor for me actually but my lunch companion was fine with it).  All in all, a very nice po-boy.

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Café Reconcile, New Orleans

Last week marked my first ever visit to Café Reconcile and it surely did not disappoint.  I had the pleasure of lunching with Celeste from Bouillie.  She is a wealth of information on Southern Louisiana food and food culture.  Learning more about the history of this remarkable organization from her was a treat.

Café Reconcile is non-profit restaurant that focuses on training youth (ages 16-22) from at-risk communities in the art of food service and restaurant management.  There are a slew of people, restaurants and organizations that contribute to this goal, including some of the best executive chefs in New Orleans.  The culinary training is outstanding but more than anything, the kids are amazing.  The energy in this restaurant is warm, positive, full of strength, pride and hope.  You can't not feel it.  It's infectious and wonderful.

And the food?  Fantastic!  Celeste calls it "your grandma's food" but my grandma isn't from South Louisiana and she didn't sure didn't cook like this.  We were lucky enough to come on a day when the special was Palace Cafe's signature preparation for Crabmeat Cheesecake.  It was absolutely lovely.  Celeste chose macaroni and cheese and stewed okra with shrimp as her side dishes

I had the Thursday special of shrimp and white beans with sides of potato salad and collard greens.  The main dish was packed full of shrimp, savory and with a gorgeous depth of flavor that has me smitten.  Everything was exactly as it should be.  Comforting and familiar while also being surprisingly nuanced and complex.  Beautifully prepared and served with enthusiasm, it was an excellent meal.  I don't know how it has taken me 11 years of living in New Orleans to go, but I have truly been missing out.

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Domenica Happy Hour

Domenica is getting lots of lip service right now for rolling out their pizzeria style order and pick up service, which is great, but I'm more over the moon about their Happy Hour.  From 3-6pm every day (even weekends) pizzas and cocktails are half price.  No kidding.  That makes their glorious pizzas $6.50 and your whole bar tab (excluding bottles of wine) half of what it would normally be.  Perfect.  So far, my favorites are the Margherita and the Spicy Lamb Meatball, but I haven't made my way through the entire menu yet.

My favorite cocktail at the moment is their Battle Of Pavia, consisting of Hendricks, limoncello and a bit of strawberry.

If you have any room leftover, the desserts (while not half off during happy hour) are nice too.  Not excellent, but nice.  Here is blackberry panna cotta with biscotti (foreground) and a ricotta cheesecake with blueberries, lemon and candied pistachios (background).

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Freret Street PoBoys and Donut Shop

I am rapidly becoming a big fan of Freret Street PoBoys and Donuts.  The Garlic Roast Beef Po-Poy is an excellent version, tender shredded roast beef dripping with gravy and made all the more delicious because of a hearty seasoning of garlic.  I'm sold.

The red beans and rice are creamy and flavorful, loaded with ham and sausage... really nice.

I've also had the Creole gumbo which included shrimp, crab (alittle light on the crab actually) and what seemed like at least 5 kinds of sausage or ham.  It's a slightly runnier gumbo, which is the way I prefer it.  Perfectly good gumbo.

Oh, and the bear claw donut was superb.  Prices are fair.  Portions are good.  All in all, a great little neighborhood spot.

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Il Posto Cafe, New Orleans

Il Posto Cafe is a quaint and adorable little Italian cafe, located in a charming but so-off-the-beaten-path residential New Orleans Uptown neighborhood (on Dryades near Napoleon and St Charles) . The dining room is rustic, calm, filled with gorgeous raw wood tables and bentwood chairs, cool dark floors and flowers.

When you walk in, the staff is likely to be up to their elbows in rosemary sprigs, Brussels sprouts or cupcake batter, navigating your meal between fresh ingredient preparations. They are friendly, if a bit preoccupied.  The counters overflow with baskets of beets or lemons or breads.  The menu features an elegant, well edited array of antipasti, panini, tramezzini (cold pressed sandwiches as opposed to hot... I learned that today), salads and desserts. They are, quite simply, right up my alley.  I can't believe I didn't even know it existed 'til a month or two ago.

I've been twice since then, both times for lunch, although they are open for dinner and breakfast as well.  The first time, I enjoyed the Insalata Bresaola.  It was my first time eating bresaola, a beautiful dark red, very thinly sliced cut of air dried salted beef somewhat like a dry prosciutto.   It was the main feature of the salad, piled high over greens that were very lightly tossed with a lemon herb vinaigrette.  The salad was topped with generous shavings of Parmesan Reggiano.  What a lovely salad.  My only complaint was that it was so light that I was still hungry at the end.  At $9, that seemed unfortunate.  I think it might be better shared with a friend as an accompaniment to a sandwich.

Today, I went again with a friend.  We both ordered Italian sodas (hazelnut, vanilla or strawberry are the Monin syrup options) and were happy to find them not overly sweet.  My friend ordered a cup of tomato basil soup ($5.25), which was served with a slice of fresh bread.  The soup was nice, well balanced, not too tangy and tasted of San Marzano tomatoes, celery, garlic and basil (if my taste buds serve me well... who knows.).   

Inspired by the gorgeous basket of beets near the cash register, I ordered the Beet and Walnut Salad ($9), which was generously proportioned and beautiful to behold.  Deep red cubes of beet, walnut halves and chunks of incredibly good Mountain Gorgonzola from St. James Cheese Company nestled among lettuce dressed gently in a balsamic vinaigrette.  The ingredients were all excellent, but it could have benefited from a bit of bite.  I think the entire salad would have been better over arugula or a more bitter salad green.  Nonetheless, it was very good.

My friend selected the Italian Tuna Salad ($9.50) which was also large and beautiful.  Well flaked Italian tuna with a barely there, lemony dressing was flanked by sliced avocado, red onion and grape tomatoes over Bibb lettuce.  Parmesan Reggiano was showered over the top as well.  A delightfully light and refreshing lunch salad.  

I think Il Posto is great.  It is obvious that the ingredients take first priority and that much thought and attention is given to creating fresh, genuine dishes.  Our only wish is that they would offer half sized salads at half the price making it easier to enjoy more than one thing at a sitting without overeating and overspending.  

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Beaucoup NOLA

I thought that the first time I tried Beaucoup NOLA, I'd want a fresh fruit juice snowball.  That was my plan going in.  But, I got there and there was this whole wall of smoothies beckoning me and I caved.  You might too.

Dustin, the guy behind the counter, told me that the most popular smoothie is The Tipitina (or The Local) featuring ponchatoula strawberries, farmer's market peaches, banana, local honey and soy milk.  Since peaches aren't in season yet, he would substitute with something else that was good and delicious.  I left it to his judgement and he added pineapple and a bit of watermelon.

Delicious.  Fresh, beautifully textured and super satisfying.  My favorite part was how wonderfully present the honey is.  I tasted it throughout the entire smoothie and it made my heart sing.

In summary, Beaucoup NOLA smoothies are 1000x healthier and more delicious than Smoothie King (super official scientific data *slurp*)  They have a great Freret St location, are full of local art and have a full juice bar.

Next time, I'm definitely going for the snowball.  Just look at the flavor options!

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a Mano, New Orleans

I gave up going to Italian restaurants in New Orleans a long time ago. None of them ever gave me what I was after. I craved restaurants more like those I've experienced in tha San Francisco Bay area like Oliveto, Incanto,  the blissfully Sardinian La Cicca or even Delfina Pizzeria . I wanted local ingredients, house cured salumis, handmade pastas!  New Orleans doesn't really do artisanal, rural Italian food. At least it didn't (that I knew of).  When I heard that Domenica and a Mano had opened, both offering just these things, I was thrilled.

For my birthday, we went to a Mano for the first time. What a treat.

We started with glasses of Fantinel Prosecco di Grave.  They are currently doing a version with local strawberries as well but we stuck with it straight.   I am crazy for salumi so I greedily ordered the Affetati Misti even though I knew Kid Cayenne wouldn't be eating any of it.  The plate of house-cured meats included duck and lamb which were both delicious.  A bit of pickled vegetables and a pickled strawberry helped cut the richness of the meats.  Pickled strawberry!   I could only eat about half, but brought the rest home for a snack.

Kid Cayenne ordered the Burrata con Barbietola e Balsamico (Burrata cheese, roasted beets, balsamic and local greens).  It was great and I stole many bites from her plate.  Creamy and sweet, balanced by the beautiful pepperiness of the arugula and tartness of the balsamico... wonderful.

We considered making a meal of starters but in the end decided to try a couple of the entrees.  Kid Cayenne got the Pici all'Aglione, handrolled pici pasta with olive oil, garlic, chili, parsley and breadcrumbs.  It sounded perfect for her right off the bat but when our server warned her that it was very garlicky, it became all the more alluring.  This was incredibly good!  The pasta was perfect, the seasoning was perfect, the texture from the toasted bread crumbs was also perfect.  For such a simple dish, it was executed beautifully and I wish I had more of it right now.

Kid also ordered a side of Rosemary Potatoes.  Again with the perfect.  Just stupidly delicious, really.  I mean, I know... it's just potatoes, but so crisp, so golden, so beautifully seasoned.  Crazy, crazy good.  I wonder what they cook them in.  I should have asked.

I ordered the daily pork preparation and maybe I could have made a better choice because after the salumi, I had had quite a bit of meat (and fat) already.  The pork selection was thick slices of coppa, braised and then grilled.  They were placed over a thick slice of grilled polenta and then topped with a salsa verde that included capers, oregano, and a few other nice things that I've forgotten already.  The dish was nice, but rich and so meat-centric that I couldn't finish it.  I might have done better by ordering one of the pasta dishes.  Next time.

Our server provided excellent service and advice, recommending lovely glasses of wine and two delightful desserts.  We got the chocolate and pistachio semifreddo (packed to the rafters with pistachios, yumyum) and the panna cotta with saba and strawberries.  Both were nice.  Not outstanding, but quite nice.

I was happily surprised by the relative affordability of the menu because it means we can go again soon.  I am truly looking forward to it.  Highly recommended!

P.S.  No parking, no valet but two pay lots within 2 blocks.

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Hansen's Sno-Bliz 2010: Four New Flavors!

WOOO!  Hansen's Sno-Bliz opened today for the 2010 season!  Hooray!  I hustled down fast to get my favorite Nectar Cream Sundae (I've been craving since last summer) and because I was so quick on the draw, I only had to stand in line behind one person!  I'm the luckiest.

What's more, Ashley Hansen gave me the scoop on four new, all natural flavors she is bringing out this year and gave me a sneak peek taste test.  The flavors are Vanilla Bean, Raspberry, Gingersnap and Cardamom.  I tasted the Raspberry (delightful) and the Cardamom.  When she first told me Cardamom, it was so unexpected that I didn't even recognize the word and had to ask her to repeat it a few times.

Ashley: "Cardamom."
Me: "Huh?"
Ashley: "Cardamom"
Me: "What??"
Ashley: "Cardamom!"
Me: "What is that?"
Ashley: "It's a spice."
Me: "OH, YOU MEAN CARDAMOM?!?"  

Yeah, I know.  I'm an idiot.  Anyway, cardamom does happen to be one of my all time favorite spices so I was thrilled to get a taste and guess what, it tastes exactly like cardamom!  Only cold.  And sno-blizzy.  It's utterly delicious.

On my way out, I stopped at McKeown's Books and picked up copies of Simple Cuisine by Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper by Fuchsia Dunlop and Comfort Me With Apples by Ruth Reichl.  Looking forward to some leisurely perusing this evening.

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La Boulangerie, Magazine Street

It's been a little too long since my last post but in my defense, my camera is causing me major fits and is on it's last little camera leg, making it hard to document anything.  I haven't been eating anything very interesting lately either.  All I've really been up to is worrying about subground drainage, incredibly expensive plumbing repairs and the horrible, mysterious smell that seems to be coming from one of the AC vents in my house.  Woe is the fledgling homeowner.

That said, I did pick up lunch today at one of my favorite spots in New Orleans, La Boulangerie on Magazine Street.  I've been going here for hm... it must be 10 years now.  They are wonderful.   In addition to having (hands down)  the best croissants, chocolate muffins (there's a proper French name for those that escapes me at the moment...), pastries and fresh baked breads in town, they offer a really fab lunch.  Several types of sandwiches, small pizzas, quiche and soups are available.  I tend to go with the sandwiches.  They are simple with nice ingredients, cheap (less than $6) and generously portioned.  I like that they are not overworked, just a really good, simple sandwich.  My favorite is the ham, swiss, butter and pickle on crusty French baguette sandwich.  Its crumbs are littering my keyboard as I type.  Delicious.  The butter and pickle really, really make the sandwich.

Follow that up with a gorgeous fruit tart and I'm in heaven.  This one is raspberry but they are all excellent and not too sweet.  Exactly the way I like them.

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A Half Dozen Raw at Casamento's

I absolutely love raw oysters and will eat them at any opportunity.  Casamento's on Magazine is my favorite spot for oysters for lunch (if I can make it there before their lunch hour ends at 2pm).  It's a great, old place with gorgeous original tile work everywhere.  Non-pretentious, but clean and welcoming.  The service is warm and friendly.  You can get serious advice about their excellent oyster-centric seafood menu.    I went today with the intention of having a half dozen raw and then following it up with an oyster loaf.  Unfortunately, I forgot they were cash only and only brought enough to have the half dozen (only $4.25!) and a side of fries.  It was fine.

I'm no oyster expert, but I do know that gulf oysters are different than any other oysters I've ever had.  First of all, they're HUGE.  Seriously, GIGANTIC oysters.  Next, not nearly as briny as other varieties, sometimes hardly briny at all, as was the case today.  Always sweet, plump, succulent... delicious.  They're great for cooking and perfect for lightly dipping, whereas I think that would be a sin with some of the more delicate and flavorful oysters of the world and wouldn't dream of it.

My dipping technique is to squeeze a slice of lemon in to the dipping dish, then add a nice pinch of horseradish and 2-3 drops of Louisiana hot sauce.  Spear the oyster on fork, quickly dredge in sauce, eat oyster, moan with pleasure, repeat.  What are the oysters like in your neck of the woods and how do you like to eat them?

Oh, Casamento's fries are great too.  Crrrisp!

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