Thursday, March 10, 2016.
Pre-Theater Dinner, Red Fish Grill. Book Of Mormon.
Mary Ann had it in her mind to see a performance of "Book Of Mormon" at the Saenger. She heard that there was a lottery for discounted tickets the day of the play, and she scored two ducats for us. She didn't notice that the tickets were on extreme opposite sides of the house. This didn't matter much, because open seats were scattered throughout the grand old theater. We wound up with what I would consider the best possible seats: in the front row of the orchestra, dead center.
How do I describe "Book Of Mormon"? Words like "irreverent" don't come close. My first thought as I stepped onto the Canal Street sidewalk after the play was that anyone with even a slightly religious background would be hard-pressed to avoid discomfort in watching this spectacle, even if he were laughing through almost the entirety. That the jokes are aimed at a real religion and its real dogma make me wince. Beyond that, the language and the depictions of sexual acts are gross and adolescent, to put it mildly. Finally, the play portrays African people egregiously. By intermission, Mary Ann was ready to leave.
And yet, we couldn't stop laughing. I'm ashamed of myself for that. I don't want to say another word about it, and I hope I don't think about it much ever again.
But. . . well. . . the acting, singing and the dancing are extraordinarily excellent. But that was like putting a doily on a garbage can.
Between the time I went off the air and the moment we found usable seats at the Sanger, we had enough time to have a light dinner at the Red Fish Grill. Every time I go there, I leave with the idea that this is a restaurant I don't visit or talk about enough. It was Ralph Brennan's first restaurant on his own (he now owns more eateries than any of the other branches of the Brennan family). It's in a location (first block of Bourbon) that draws a heavy tourist clientele, and has a look and a menu that is attractive to discriminating visitors as well as to locals.
[caption id="attachment_48547" align="alignnone" width="480"]
Barbecue oysters at the Red Fish Grill.[/caption]
Mary Ann didn't tell me that she had already eaten a full meal today. Her total consumption at the Red Fish Grill is a side order of spinach and one oyster from my dozen barbecued. The latter is the signature of the restaurant, and a simple one at that: it's fried oysters finished with the blue cheese and pepper butter you'd find on Buffalo chicken wings. The dish is much better with oysters instead of chicken.
I scarfed down eleven of those, after a generous serving of the soup of the day--oyster artichoke. The oysters were very soft--they should have added them right before serving--but the flavors were good.
On our four-block walk to the Sanger (during which predictions of extreme rain did not materialize--we noticed that the Yat Pack is still playing every Thursday night in the Saint Hotel. We considered stopping there for a drink and maybe to work myself onto the stage. But by the end of the play, the rain was beginning. It would be pouring by the time we made it to the Causeway, and it didn't relent at that till we were almost home. I'm glad we beat it.
Red Fish Grill. French Quarter: 115 Bourbon. 504-598-1200.
Barbecue oysters at the Red Fish Grill.[/caption]
Mary Ann didn't tell me that she had already eaten a full meal today. Her total consumption at the Red Fish Grill is a side order of spinach and one oyster from my dozen barbecued. The latter is the signature of the restaurant, and a simple one at that: it's fried oysters finished with the blue cheese and pepper butter you'd find on Buffalo chicken wings. The dish is much better with oysters instead of chicken.
I scarfed down eleven of those, after a generous serving of the soup of the day--oyster artichoke. The oysters were very soft--they should have added them right before serving--but the flavors were good.
On our four-block walk to the Sanger (during which predictions of extreme rain did not materialize--we noticed that the Yat Pack is still playing every Thursday night in the Saint Hotel. We considered stopping there for a drink and maybe to work myself onto the stage. But by the end of the play, the rain was beginning. It would be pouring by the time we made it to the Causeway, and it didn't relent at that till we were almost home. I'm glad we beat it.
