Friday, March 26. Taste Of The Town Catches A Break. I don't broadcast or dine alfresco very often, because this is New Orleans and it's hot out there. But today was perfect. That was very welcome news, after terrible weather the past three years plagued The Taste of the Town. Of all the grazing events around town, this one is the best for actual eating. It was organized by the restaurants themselves, who always give their food and service away on behalf of charities. The Taste of the Town raises money for the education of young people who want to make a career for themselves in kitchens and dining rooms.
The result of that commitment is that a) the food here is always a cut above what turns up at other events and b) they never seem to run out of food. The wines, cocktails, beer, and other libations flow equally freely. There's always a good band (the Bucktown All-Stars tonight). And the venue is beautiful: an island in the middle of Lafreniere Park in Metairie.
The radio program was goofed up. Even though this was a paid remote, the radio station cut the show off an hour early to go to the LSU baseball game. There's nothing that can be done: the contract the stations have with the Tigers is ironclad. Tonight, though, it caused another problem: by some fluke, I had seventeen live commercials to perform, and that would have been a tough assignment even with all three hours. So the program was gappy. Visits by Tommy Cvitanovich (who is the event's ramrod), Greg Reggio (of the Taste Buds), and a few other chefs kept the calls to a minimum. But it's the calls that make the show work. Well, once in awhile.
As soon as the bar opened, I copped a martini and walked a few feet to the right to scarf up a few char-broiled oysters from Drago's before the line got too long. (You can find the Taste of the Town by looking for the smoke and steam cloud that rises from the oyster grills.) That was, of course, one of the best dishes at the fair. Also outstanding was John Besh's Steakhouse at Harrah's, which offered the chef's superb barbecue shrimp, enormous and buttery.
Mr. B's was searing enormous sea scallops. Their GM Randy Stein told me that the scallops were costing the restaurant about two dollars apiece. That is extravagant for something like this. Vincent's had its standard cannelloni, which know no peers. Ruth's Chris was making filet mignon sandwiches. Both Arnaud's and Galatoire's served their shrimp remoulades, which are Numbers One and Two in the ranking for that dish, in either order. There was plenty more from which to make a great meal.
The skies were clear, the temperature was cool but not too, light breezes blew, and it was a great party. What a contrast with 2008 and 2009, both of which took place out of the rain in a parking garage!
I heard from neither of the Marys all day today. I missed having Mary Ann with me tonight. She loves this event.
