Monday, May 22, 2017.
Blackened Redfish And Red Beans: A tasty Combination.
Tremendous rain over the past two days, but I somehow managed to steer around it all day long. One of the errands is to come up with hardware to re-mount my mailbox on the road. I'm happy to find a chuck key, which in my past experience is not easily done. My old drill--bought in 1971--is stll doing its job. However, I still need a cordless drill. I wind up attaching the box with cable ties. This is pure jerry-rig, and but I will replace it as soon as I can.
Mary Ann meets me late for lunch at New Orleans Food & Spirits, our regular Monday lunch spot. New specials today, one of which is a half poor boy sandwich made with blackened redfish. I should have asked for it the way Mary Ann does: hold the bread. The special comes with a cup of soup. The kitchen is happy to make that a cup of red beans and rice. It is Monday, after all.
I wrap up the day with two hours of rehearsal with NPAS. Doing that is an essential part of my day. Nothing else puts my mind at ease, even when the music is all-Motown and Stevie Wonder, as it is.
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Tuesday, May 23, 2017.
The Real Pet Bunny. A Dreary Place For Dinner.
Lots of rain overnight, but the Cool Water Ranch is not flooded anywhere. I do find that the very beginning of what might become a river has formed in the front yard. The dogs are to blame for this.
I am proud to say that I am now an expert at the art of falling asleep in an office chair. I used to take a nap in my radio station office, on the floor. But now I find that I need only sit down, turn on WWNO's HD2 classical music channel, and space out. More than a half hour of wood gets sawed before I perk up.
The Marys call to ask me to join them for supper at Boulevard. That's the restaurant that took over the former Houston's in Metairie some months ago. I am no fan of Houston's, which still is in business on St. Charles Avenue. This is my second time at Boulevard, and I think I like it even less than the first time. It is utterly ordinary, despite the glee of its fans at its remaining where it is after Houston's went away.
The Marys eat salads. I have a ribeye steak marinated in pineapple juice. I recall that idea from some thirty years ago, and I wanted to taste it again. That was difficult. The meat was tough, probably because it was undercooked. and the pineapple was interesting but no savior of tenderness. I begin with the soup of the day--their most popular all week long--and find a chicken-chili pepper job with a light brown broth that could have come from the rankest kitchen beginner. What is the appeal of this place?
There was one interesting moment during dinner. The waitress, a real sweetheart doing her job perfectly, gave me an answer I'd never heard before to a gag question of mine. When servers ask "Is there anything else I can get you right now?" I say, "Yes! I'd like a pet bunny!"
Tonight, the server said, "I suppose you can have a bunny, but you can't have mine!" Seems she indeed is a rabbit owner. That shut me up, to the Marys' delight.
Boulevard American Bistro. Metairie: 4241 Veterans Blvd. 504-889-2301.
