Wednesday, February 22, 2017.
Saying Good-Bye To Beef Early.
Mary Ann arrived from Los Angeles late last night, after six days spent in a cruel mix of delight with our grandson and bad weather. The thunderstorms, mud slides, and sinkholes you saw in the news last week are the very ones. MA goes there for the wonderful California weather, and having to put up with this instead did not make her happy.
We call our friends the Swifts to join us for a coming-home dinner for MA at Keith Young's Steak House. I guess she didn't want to wait until Mardi Gras for the farewell to beef.
This was a memorable dinner for us because 1) the food was even better than usual, which is saying something, and b) Keith has news of a new catering facility he is building for himself in the coming months. Ths man not only cooks deftly, but his sense of business and marketing are sharp.
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Keith Young's oysters Bienville, sold in quartets. [/caption]
But let's get back to the food. I love the oysters Bienville, which Keith tells me is based on the recipe in my cookbook. I order four of them> That's how it's offered, because the oysters in their shells are bigger than most. After six of then, nobody could eat an entree. Mary Ann also asks for four Bienvilles. I know before they arrive that she will only eat one or two of these. So I get six anyway. (The Swifts hadn't arrived yet.) And I eat them all with relish.
I am not a filet mignon eater when a credible New York strip is available. But this dinner will work out better if MA and I split the 14-ounce filet and have it as an entree for two. I bypass the strip.
I am quickly convinced that this is a great idea. The filet is the way I remember filets back when I was just learning the ins and outs of steak. Crusty and dark on the outside, juicy and red on the inside. (We send MA's half to the kitchen for a bit more heat.
The Swifts take much the same tack. Fourteen ounces of ribeye delivers the goods as effectively as did the filet. There's certainly more than enough meat-eating available at this table. Salads. Creamed spinach. A beer. An iced tea. A glass of a wine called Tank Garage, a red blend that does everything I hope for in the liquid department.
I tell Dr. Swift (who is also good at fixing his own cars) about the breathing/sleeping test I took a few days ago. He tells me something I hadn't thought about. If I get the sleep-apnea gear, I will have to shave off the central zone of my beard. I haven't done that since November 8, 1972.
Life sure takes some strange turns. Fortunately, most of them are easily followed if one doesn't think about anything a long time.
Keith Young's Steak House. Madisonville: 165 LA 21. 985-845-9940.
