Thursday, April 6, 2017.
Domenica Pizza Precedes Unique Concert By The LPO.
Daniel Lelchuk--also known as the Gourmet Cellist, especially when he guest-hosts my radio show--intrigued Mary Ann with a an offer last week. Dan has a composer friend whose latest work will be performed a couple of times in the next few days. YoTam Haber is a professor of composing at UNO, and spent enough time in New Orleans that he can hold an interesting conversation about New Orleans food.
Mary Ann spends a lot of her time booking guests for my radio show, and YoTam was a good score for us. He composes modern music, which right away places him in a controversial part of the music world. His pieces have been performed by the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (among many other ensembles). One such was on the program last year, with Beethoven. This time Yotam shared the evening with Handel's Water Music. A new work just finished, "New Water Music," will be performed on Lake Pontchartrain this weekend. It's hard to explain, but easy to simmer down enough that one's brain enjoys figuring it all out. Personally, I am amazed that the orchestra is capable of playing this complex score. Not that the LPO lacks skill, but because the music is. . .well, let's say very dense.
I managed to get a skit together based on all the above. When YoTam was in the radio studio for my interview with him, I told him that my lack of skill in playing the violin gives his music just that certain quality that might make listeners believe that my mistakes are in fact part of the music. I checked with him before I did this. I didn't want to insult him. But YoTam has a great sense of humor. And I play my violin so badly that I don't think anyone bought the shtick. It was a good laugh for the radio show, however.
After the show, I walked over to the Roosevelt Hotel to meet up with MA. She made it just in time for the concert in the Orpheum. The music was everything we were expecting, which meant different things for each of us. Once again, the abilities of the LPO is impressive. And YoTam's music, accompanied by a long video that required full attention--was also something different.
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Calabresi pizza at Domenica.[/caption]
Mary Leigh joined us for dinner after the concert. As always, it was at Domenica in the Roosevelt Hotel. We order a Calabresi pizza, which could be called a salumi pizza, with lots of very spicy deli meats. Of course, Domenica's co-owner and chef makes all these himself. And I get the penne pasta arabbiata. "Angry pasta," that means. But we weren't.
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Friday, April 7, 2017.
Kristen Effig From Coquette. Re-Usable Oyster Shells.
This has been a good week for guests on The Food Show. Today we are visited by Kristen Effig, a young chef who has turned up--in every case brilliantly--in the kitchens of quite a number of restaurant in and around the French Quarter and the CBD. She most recently is working and partnering with Michael Stoltfus in Coquette, the rustic bistro on the corner of Magazine Street and Washington Avenue.
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Upstairs at Coquette.[/caption]
I have liked Coquette since it opened, but I've never felt that I had a good feeling for the category it belongs in. (One of the first duties of a restaurant critic is to slot everything.) I kept asking questions that I thought would elucidate the situation, but I failed at that. Instead, we had a delightful hour-long conversation about the art of cooking. If that doesn't get people to buy HD radios, I don't know what will.
And that was just the first half of the show. Ali Loftin stopped in to show off her oyster shells. She was also packing a new gadget designed to easily move things like oyster shells and small au gratin dishes off a hot grill.
The shells are very useful in way swell beyond just grilling oysters. They are made of a special kind of ceramic that allows the chef (or the home cook) to take the ice-cold oysters Bienville (or whatever the recipe of the moment is) and put them right on a hot grill. No cracking. They look just like real oyster shells, at least from a short distance. You get a sack of twelve to the order. Gourmet shops around the area stock them.)
Coquette. Garden District: 2800 Magazine St. 504-265-0421.
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