Monday, September 12, 2016.
Buster's. We Pass The Audition.
I often make it clear that the best roast beef poor boys come from restaurants (or bars) that cook the beef and make the gravy in house. That seems like a solid premise. But things are changing, as more and more of what used to be cooked-in-house food is being cooked at big commissaries, whose bags are slit open at the restaurant, the contents rewarmed, and it's just put out here. Chef Warren LeRuth, who had a strong opinion against that procedure, accused commissary-based kitchens as being retail stores taking a restaurant markup on everything.
I generally go along with this idea. But today I had a roast beef from Buster's in Covington. It's in the space that once was the Acme Oyster House in Covington before the hurricane. I wasn't wild about it at first, but I've been a few times lately and found a much improved restaurant. A couple of weeks ago I had a plate of excellent red beans with hot sausage. About a month earlier, I had the same dish, with the same result. So there's consistency.
Today I get a roast beef poor boy. I didn't ask anybody, but my guess is that the beef and gravy were prepared elsewhere. A texture thing, mostly. Too much gravy, but almost every shop makes that mistake. The sandwich was overstuffed and needed to be eaten with a fork and knife, which made me feel stupid. But still, I can't say it was bad. I even took half of it home and had it a couple of days later. I don't like leftovers, so this is really saying something.
You will experience much more of this as time goes by. But it's still better than fast food. Only one Buster's.
I perform the radio show, then immediately race to NPAS's rehearsal spot. I meet up with Mike and Paula, who will audition with me in the performance of "Tumbling Tumbleweeds." We deliver our well-rehearsed cowboy song, and Alissa Rowe, our conductor, makes only a couple of small changes in it. We will be in the show in October! Yip-ee-yi-oh!
Buster's Place. Covington: 519 E Boston. 985-809-3880.
