Leftover Pizza

Prosciutto, avocado, pineapple, mozzarella, parmesan, bottled sauce, pre-made crust.

Gonna have to step up to making crust and sauce from scratch. The crust and sauce were weak, but the toppings were awesome.

Minh Againh

Here’s my take on Cafe Minh:

I met Brother O’Mara at his place of work for lunch today. We had planned on dining at the ol’ tried-and-true, Pho Tau Bay, for our Vietnamese food fix, but luckily remembered it was closed on Thursdays before we crossed the river to the Westbank. Still craving Asian, we took a promenade over to Cafe Minh on the corner of Canal and David in Mid-City.

Here’s a blurb from the Times-Picayune:

Cafe Minh is a folksy New Orleans version of a type of restaurant that you tend to find wherever large herds of young professionals graze: the affordable, stylish cafe specializing in Americanized Asian cuisine. Namesake Minh Bui comes upon the style honestly, having instinctively merged his native cuisine with that of his adopted home. He was the first local to fix Vietnamese cuisine with new American wings, and when the kitchen is on its game — as it is with its nut-crusted oysters and lacquered ducks — the fusion still tastes fresh.

We were there around noon on a weekday, but thankfully it wasn’t crammed full of people shoveling food into their mouths on their lunch hour. The decor was nice–contemporary and clean, yet unobtrusive. We sat near the bar, which appeared welcoming and well-stocked. I bet it’d be a pleasant place for Happy Hour. The bland Top 40 floating in over the speakers was mildly off putting, but easily ignored.

I don’t know if we came just after the rush or what, but when we walked in the door we were met by a host who was running around like it was 7:30 on a Friday night. He brushed passed us at a rapid pace and pointed to a table without even stopping to see if we were behind him. Not a word of greeting, whatsoever.

We got our menus and drinks, then ordered our food. Pho for Brother O’Mara (I think he could be relatively happy eating nothing but good pho for every meal), and chargrilled pork soup for la fille. The host took our orders and again displayed not a lick of interest in us and gave us no more conversation than, “Are you ready?”

Brother O’Mara already talked about his, so I won’t repeat it. Mine was tasty as well. I love the way Vietnamese restaraunts prepare their pork, but I’d never had it served in a soup. It used a different broth that wasn’t quite as full of interesting flavors as pho, but was definitely serviceable. (I did, however, add some sriracha and a little hoisin.)

The service continued to be utilitarian, but nothing more. Our water glasses were refilled, but no one wasted any energy on making sure we were pleased with our meals. The financial transaction was completed in almost complete silence and our receipt dropped off without a word at all.

Bottom line: the food was great, but the atmosphere created by the staff made me feel rushed, herded, and not particularly welcome or appreciated for being the unique flower that I am. I’ll probably stick to Pho Tau Bay, even if I do have to cross the Mighty Mississip to do so.

Pho shoah

The missus and I walked to Cafe Minh today to check out what is ostensibly the closest real Vietnamese restaurant to where we live. I ordered the pho (or phở if you want to get fancy) because that’s what I do on my first visit to any Vietnamese joint.

It was perfectly tasty, the broth was well crafted, the beef brisket was just tender enough, the beef sausage flavorful enough. Yet somehow the dish as a whole was lacking. It didn’t stop me from eating until I was about to pop … but it just wasn’t the pho that I wanted.

The service was borderline atrocious - zero personality. So! A decision has been made! My stomach was happy with my lunch, but my brain was dissatisfied, so to Cafe Minh I will not be returning.

I hope YOUR lunch was tops of the pops.

Self Promotion

Y’all.

I love tumbling my lunch. I love it so much that sometimes, when I’m eating a really good dinner, I get a little sad because I can’t tumble it because it ISN’T LUNCH.

So I’ve started a big ol’ food blog. In said food blog, I will talk about meals that aren’t lunch, restaurants, beer, wine, recipes, and whatever else winds up in my belly.

THIS IS MY NEW FOOD BLOG. BOOKMARK THAT SHIZ, YO.

Turkey Sandwich with Doritos

I made a turkey sandwich with provolone cheese & dijon mustard on toasted white bread. I ate it with cool-ranch Doritos and a Cherry Coke Zero. I then proceeded on to have four chocolate chips-ahoy cookies.

I did not photograph this. I just ate it without thinking of you at all. I apologize. I was very hungry.

That is all.

The other evening I made a…salsa?…by sauteeing corn, green bell peppers, and onion in a little olive oil with salt, pepper, and cayenne. We didn’t use it all for dinner that night, so today I threw it back on the stove with some ham and got it all warmed up. This concoction went over some lettuce with cheese and avocado ranch dressing and I ate it all up.

Right.

PRALINE BACON.

Damn, brah.

Also I had shrimp and grits with leeks, tasso gravy, and a yummy biscuit.

But for realz, y’all.

PRALINE.

BACON.

Sunday brunch again

It’s that time! Today we went to Elizabeth’s in the Bywater. I had French toast (of French bread) stuffed with cream cheese and strawberries and topped with powdered sugar. But that is not the important part although it was quite awesome.

The important part is this:

For an appetizer I had PRALINE BACON.

It was the most delicious bacon ever. Ever.

Sunday Brunch at Mere Bulles

(yeah, a day late… but does it really matter?)

We joined a couple of friends for Sunday brunch at Mere Bulles in Brentwood (which, by the way, much cheaper than I would have expected).

We all decided on the breakfast-plate-followed-by-lunch-plate strategy. So:

• Breakfast plate: chocolate chip pancake, crème brûlée french toast, bacon, potatoes, mixed fruit, coffee (black, as God intended).
• Lunch plate: pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes, broccoli, field green salad with raspberry vinaigrette dressing, she-crab bisque, water.
• Desert: chocolate covered marshmallow & strawberry (they have a chocolate fountain), bite of cheesecake, turtle cookie.

No photos, as our company weren’t the kind of folks who would probably understand me taking food-porn shots of my plate rather than just eating.