Tuesday, July 18, 2017. Twenty-One Years In Two Ways.
Today is the twenty-ninth anniversary of the launching of The Food Show. It's a miracle in radio broadcasting that such a non-mainstream program would get on the air in the first place, let alone keep going with the same host and station all that time. It's by quite a bit the longest-running show of any kind in New Orleans radio.
Mary Ann figures strongly in the show's history. She hired me for the gig, and then made the mistake of going on a few dates with me. It was nine months before we were married, and things kept escalating until we were an actual family with kids.
Our first date was at a wine tasting in the Pontchartrain Hotel. That suggested to MA that we should have our celebratory dinner in the Caribbean Room. The place was nearly empty--but it is a Tuesday in early summer, one of the worst times of the year for restaurant volume. That probably explains the mildly lackluster performance of the kitchen. Dead times are the worst time for restaurants. Nobody can work up any enthusiasm.
We began with amuses-bouche of scallops and shrimp. Then an unusual salad with watermelon and a few other oddities. A seafood gumbo was the low point, which was followed by two recoveries: soft-shell shrimp (which are just like what you'd imagine, with skins so soft that you really could eat them whole. Also here was snapper Pontchartrain--with crabmeat on top, I'm sure you know.
My entree was dicey, I thought: a lamb loin, selling for $42. I was very pleased to find it tender, flavorful, and juicy. It came with an odd turnabout on bearnaise, creating in the end a very sharp--almost like horseradish--sauce.
A thought entered my mind that had never before entertained. Which will last longer: our marriage or our radio show. We plan on sticking together, and I have no plans to retired from the microphone. But at this stage, it wouldn't be aberrant.
Okay, I thought. Stop. Let it go, because it's still going and successful. I'm pretty sure.
Caribbean Room. Garden District & Environs: 2031 St. /Charles Ave. 504-323-1500.
Wednesday, July 19,2017. Sala, With No D.
The neighborhood of the New Orleans Marina has long hosted an array of restaurants, although there's always been a good deal of coming and going. The restaurant that established the vicinity of Robert E. Lee at Pontchartrain Boulevard as a place to look for a meal was the long-gone Masson's, a very good eatery in its day (the 1950s through the 1990s) and still fondly remembered. After that in longevity is Russell's Marina Grill, a breakfast specialist ahead of its time.
Others include Wasabi (a long-running sushi bar), Two Tonys (Italian and seafood), Ming's (a Chinese place) and the latest addition: Sala.
Sala took over the building that over the years has hosted a Ground Pat'i, a big Mexican outfit, and the second location of the Maple Street Café. Its Uptown location has done well for twenty years, but it was never the right concept for West End, and it shut down about a year ago.
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Sala's panneed chicken. [/caption]
The current establishment comes to use from the family that owns the Peppermill and Café Navarre. And--now long ago but never forgotten--the Buck 49 Pancake and Steak House. The name "Sala" is Italian for "hallway," with a suggestion of elegance. There's not a lot of elegance here, but that wouldn't fit the neighborhood anyway. Instead, we have a mixture of Italian and seafood here, in a place that still resembles the hybrid steakhouse it once was.
Mary Ann said she would meet me, but she changed her mind. I wound up ordering far too much food, starting with fresh-cut fries accompanied by an aioli and parmesan chees. I ate too many of those, but I couldn't stop.
The soup of the day was potato and leek. Did they serve this hot or cold, I ask the server. She didn't know. I accepted the hot version, which is certainly more popular than the better (especially this time of year) vichyssoise, which has the same ingredients served quite cold.
After that I had the panned chicken, cut into strips and rearranged as they were before they ere served. I asked to have this served not with the standard linguine, but angel hair with a spicy red sauce. I was happy to get no hesitation from the kitchen about this.
I was stuffed at this point, but for research purposes I tried the zeppole--little dense beignets with powdered sugar. I think I detected a little cinnamon or the like.
The owners, who were on the radio show a few weeks ago, say that things are going well. They certainly had a good crowd at the bar and also at most of the tables. Sala might be able to create a latter-day version of Masson's.
Sala. West End & Bucktown: 124 Lake Marina Ave. 504-513-2670.
