Friday, March 30, 2012.
Taste Of The Town.
After a few days of heavy rain off and on, it looked as if the Taste of the Town would catch a break. In its eleven years, thunderstorms have chased would-be celebrants at the big grazing event under shelter. It happened again this year, although the drizzle was so light that people either pulled out umbrellas or ducked under the large pavilion, waiting to get back to eating and drinking.
A few people expressed relief that the Taste had not been moved to the parking garage of the East Jefferson Hospital, as it had been twice in the past. That is such a dreary venue--especially compared with the breezy greenness of Lafreniere Park--that it was decided a couple of years ago to have an alternate rain date instead. I happen to know that this good decision was rescinded for this year, and the parking garage was once again waiting in the wings. The problem with postponement is that so many festivals take place this time of year that the conflicts are as big a problem as the weather.
The Taste of the Town has been a richer nibblefest than most since its inception. I'd say it's at least as good as the Zoo To-Do. Forty-three restaurants were there, and the food was as fine as ever. But having been involved in other (if smaller) such events, I know imperfect coordination when I see it. Mary Ann noticed the same thing I did: four shrimp remoulades. This is not what could be called a disaster. If too many restaurants are serving the same dish, shrimp remoulade is a pretty good dish to overdo. Especially when Antoine's, Galatoire's, and Arnaud's are among the makers. But. . .
There were other examples of this. Too many stuffing-like items. Too much pasta. Too much rice. It's understandable that the restaurants--who cover all their expenses for being there--try to keep their offerings uncomplicated and within some kind of budget. But the LRA needs somebody to ride herd over the chefs to avoid duplications, no matter how good they are. More than anything, I think there's a need for more original cooking. A cooking demo would be fun.
More than a few attendees told me that for the $90 ticket they expected not better food, but more variety. But then again some of them blamed the bad weather on me. Foodies love their food enough to get unreasonable at times.
The best dish I had--aside from Drago's incomparable char-broiled oysters, the Acme's raw ones, and, yes, Arnaud's shrimp remoulade--was a barbecue plate from a new place called Saucy's. It was a pulled pork sandwich with a vinegar-based Carolina-style sauce. They also had a game sausage I thought was excellent. It was one of the few meaty dishes here--but it's a Friday in Lent. (I heard complaints about that scheduling, too. But sometimes the Taste of the Town is in Lent, and sometimes it's not.)
