Diary 12|26, 27|2015. Bean Soup. Forks & Corks. Brunch Burger.

Saturday, December 26, 2015. Return To Air. Bean Soup.

For the first time in months, I have a radio show on WWL. I wonder if any of the listeners remember me. They do, but thought I had been fired or something. Before that, however, Mary Ann and I have lunch at La Carreta. I make certain that we will meet at the location in Mandeville. Last week we showed up at opposite locations. Another reason to dislike chain restaurants. There is a difference between these two. The bean soup served in Mandeville is much better than the one in Covington. The former is brothier, and made with a smaller, better bean. I am happy to devour an entire bowl of the spicy caldo. I follow that with the avocado salad with chicken. The best part of this is a brilliant cilantro vinaigrette. Never had anything quite like it. They ought to bottle the stuff--although the cilantro might not survive the packaging. (If you ever want to taste an herb with no flavor at all, try dried cilantro.) The two hours on the air are busy, but it seems that nobody who dines out on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day listens to the radio. Mary Ann swore that she would be eating nothing more after the La Carreta lunch. But at dinner time we head over to Zea. We are not the only ones. We have to wait ten minutes for a table. For me some roasted garlic hummus, corn soup, and the three spicy crab cakes. MA has half of a rotisserie chicken. She says it's not cooked enough, but she says that about everything. All day we have been talking about what to do on New Year's Eve. This is the first time since our first one together--twenty-seven years ago--that it's just the two of us, with no children to determine the nature of the celebration. We decide that we will get a suite at the Windsor Court and invite some friends over. But our call meets with the news that the hotel is full. Now what? [divider type=""]

Sunday, December 27, 2015. Brunch At Forks And Corks.

After Mass I check out the larger of the two nearest Walgreens stores to pick up some bulbs and perhaps a few other items of decor for the Christmas tree. It all will be on sale for a few days, then gone until. . . well, it seemed to me that the Christmas stuff was on the shelves in August. I am running low on the old-style bulbs in green, red, blue, yellow, and white. I find all those colors, but when I get home I see that the bases of these bulbs are too large for my light strings. With large sections without bulbs, our tree looks a little half-hearted. Which it is, with no kids around. [caption id="attachment_50101" align="alignnone" width="480"] Baked oysters 2-2-2 @ Forks & Corks. [/caption] [caption id="attachment_50100" align="alignnone" width="480"] Eggs Sardou, Marvin's way.[/caption] We decide that we will go out for only one meal today. It will be at Forks and Corks, the newest restaurant from Osman Rodas. The abbreviated brunch menu has the spirit of Arnaud's, with good baked oyster appetizers, turtle soup, and crab cakes. I ask for Chef Marvin Tweedy's take on eggs Sardou, with a creamy artichoke sauce in lieu of hollandaise. Mary Ann eats a hamburger. A big hamburger. Looked good. [caption id="attachment_50099" align="alignnone" width="473"] Brunch burger @ Forks & Corks.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_50098" align="alignnone" width="480"] Creme brulee.[/caption] We are the last customers at Forks And Corks today, but Marvin says things have been very busy, above expectations. I'm glad to hear this. The place is the only restaurant on the North Shore with the food of an Uptown bistro like Clancy's or Gautreau's. As I did yesterday, I get in only three laps on my trail around the Cool Water Ranch. It has been raining mightily, and some areas are inaccessible. It has also been hot. Eighty-two on Christmas. High seventies today. There will be a major change tonight, I hear. Strange weather.

Forks & Corks. Covington: 141 TerraBella Blvd.

985-273-3663.