Party Hearty

Food is everywhere in New Orleans all the time, because we are a food-obsessed bunch of folks. And why not? Our food is the best. That’s not me saying that, though I do. We’ve made the top of the list in a lot of places, even globally, for a lot of years. So it should come as no surprise that we have a lot of food around for our biggest annual party.

I checked around for who was doing what as special food options for Mardi Gras, and a few were featured in the last newsletter, like Friday lunches, etc. But these were too limiting for me. I was looking for to-go types of food for parades. And finger sandwiches. I rarely eat New Orleans finger sandwiches, with the exception of parties, the beach, and Mardi Gras. Even if I am not going to a parade I will get some finger sandwiches. I stumbled on some really cheap ones I bought individually at Fresh Market and assembled them into a nice platter for a party. 

These were thicker than most, fluffier than most, and made on a white bread that resembled milk bread. They just seemed of better quality. Usually they are special order only, but they stocked them for Mardi Gras. This is where I will get all finger sandwiches in the future, even if I have to special order them. 

I also wanted to pick up some parade food from restaurants. I wanted to try some different ones this time, so I went with a special all-day everyday (during Mardi Gras) Happy Hour from Trenasse. I have made no secret of my fandom of Trenasse. Tom was just as big a fan, often calling Trenasse “The Oyster Hub of New Orleans,” for its great oysters and the variety of ways to consume them. The chargrilled oysters menu is the largest in town, the raw oysters are terrific, and the fried oysters are done masterfully. But it’s the rest of the food that I adore. ML, our gumbo connoisseur, has dubbed their award-winning Fowl Gumbo the very best in town. And there is no better crawfish pie anywhere.

These people share my palate for things Cajun, as well they should. The founders are from Cajun Country, and have been at it for over ten years, in New Orleans only. They have a much longer track record in Cajun country and in the Florida panhandle, where they have exported Cajun deliciousness to 30A in the whimsically-named Stinky’s Fish Camp. They have since sold Stinky’s and are working on bigger projects there, but Trenasse remains on St.Charles Avenue in the Intercontinental Hotel, turning out the best food that hotel has seen.

The Intercontinental Hotel has provided our family with great Mardi Gras memories. For many years it has hosted a buffet brunch as part of a Mardi Gras package that included bleacher seating for parade watching. We did this while the kids were little, and it was a great way to see the parades safely.

The bleachers are still there but the buffet isn’t. Instead, Trenasse offers a less-committal way of enjoying Mardi Gras food. Beginning with the Friday heading into the 11-day Mardi Gras peak, they offer a Happy Hour all day every day. I dropped in last weekend to pick up a few things for the parade route. The stuffed chicken wings here are just insanely terrific. They are stuffed with housemade chicken and jalapeño sausage, deep-fried and served with a piquant and fruity pepper jelly that is a great counter to the spice. I can’t stop eating these. The chicken wings are so meaty, crispy and delicious it’s easy to lose control, but I had to save room for other things on this menu.

I had just one because I had to share them. If there is a better wing out there, someone show me.

Stan Meadows, who is part owner of Trenasse and a friend of The Food Show, has had a campaign going as passionately as one of Tom’s, and both involve or local sandwich, the poor boy. Stan feels that lettuce is the wrong thing to dress a poor boy. He prefers finely shredded cabbage. I am starting to turn his way on this, as I have for all of Tom’s campaigns. On this Mardi Gras Happy Hour menu there is a fried shrimp poor boy which allowed me to check his theory again. But mostly I wanted the trio of local favorites: the Fowl Gumbo, Red Beans & Rice, and a Crawfish Hand Pie.

I went to the hand pie first. I was expecting more of an empanada crust, which I love. It is thick and baked, but this was impossibly flaky and light and fried. Inside was a creamy crawfish etouffe that had a wonderful crawfish taste, but the texture of filling to crust was a definite plus. I didn’t share this at all, and I’m not apologizing.

I did have to save the Fowl Gumbo, but I did get a bite when it was delivered. It was as dark, dense, spicy, full of chicken, duck and sausage as every other time I’ve had it, and just a fine example of our local favorite as ever there is and has been.

The Red Beans & Rice were so good I ate them cold. And loved them. (I was too busy with these other items to get to them.)

When the poor boy came I was intrigued by its appearance. The cabbage on one side of the bread was so fine it resembled a cloud. The shrimp were on the other side of the bread. They were drizzled with a smoked tomato tartar sauce and mayo that when layered it resembled a much richer Remoulade. This was delicious mixed with the cabbage.

This was an excellent sandwich. I had to save half and that was difficult. The shrimp are fried in a delicious batter with spices that make a great fried seafood. I love all the fried seafood here. The fries were nice bistro fries.

There is also a fun drink menu for this special, though the house signature Stink Juice remains a favorite. I left munching on all of this, wishing I had made plans to sit in the bleachers, where I could keep going back to eat this food all evening.