Friday, March 29
No Holy Catfish. Lakehouse Returns.
Mary Ann is usually in a sulk when her travel plans get nixed. But she says this morning she's glad we didn't go to St. Augustine, Florida, as planned. If for no other reason than that she would be able accomplish another goal.
For years, she has wanted to make the rounds of Friday Lenten catfish suppers. Almost every Catholic church parish puts forth a fish fry for the duration of the penitential season. Every year, we talk about trying as many as we can each week, and writing a blog about it. But we never remember to do it. Not even once.
But today we seemed to be poised for a breakthrough. My radio show ended an hour early (more basketball), and as soon as I turned the mic off we were out the door, heading for the first mess o' catfish. First stop: St. Jane in Abita Springs.
"Oh, sorry--we don't do it on Good Friday," said the man in the empty parking lot. To Our Lady of the Lake. Nobody there. How about Mary, Queen of Peace? Lots of cars, all attending Good Friday services. St. Anselm's in Madisonville? Nothing.
So the plan failed again.
By now we were very ready for supper. Where shall we go? Mary Ann has been trying to get me to join her at Keith Young's new seafood house, the Crabby Shack, formerly Coffee's Boiling Pot. It is open just weeks. I explained again that with the enormous crowds this place is pulling in, they don't need me right now, and it's too soon for me to go. And indeed there were dozens of people sitting on benches, waiting for tables.
La Carreta? We eat there way too often, I said. Café Lynn? MA: No. Villa Vancheri? MA: No. Carmelo? MA: No. Nuvolari's? MA: No.
"What about the Lakehouse?" I asked, knowing that was a longshot. Cayman Sinclair's restaurant on the Mandeville lakefront--the former Bechac's, a historic structure--has become notorious for its unpredictable hours. Lately it hasn't been open at all. Cayman uses it for weddings and meetings, and the rest of the time he's out catering movie production sites.
So we were actually astonished to see that it was, in fact, open, with quite a few tables filled in the covered patio facing the lake. We all but ran to get one for ourselves.
The story was that a woman who's been in the business for a long time struck a deal with Cayman to operate the a la carte side of the Lakehouse on a regular schedule, starting this week. She also told us that a new chef was in the kitchen, and a new menu. My standard inclination was to wait until the plan has some momentum. But we were so frustrated by the catfish massacree that I said we'd stay. (There was no way I could have pried MA away from an outdoor dining venue on a pretty afternoon.
We got lucky. The new chef is creative and well skilled. We started with freshly-fried potato chips and homemade caramelized onion dip for the two of us, and a Manhattan for me. Then a startling pretty plate of Greek appetizers: stuffed grape leaves, hummus, feta, olives, herbed mozzarella, caper berries, mini-tomato bruschetta, and tzatziki. We loved all of this, which except for one item was meatless.
Then some shrimp en brochette, spicy out of the pan and onto polenta. And sheepshead meuniere with crabmeat and shrimp. All beyond reproach. For a restaurant whose operation has been so helter-skelter, somehow these guys manage to stay at a three-star level.
By this time we and the people at the table next to us realized that we knew one another, from the days when our respective children were much younger. We had a lengthy conversation about things in general, with enough laughter to make it a real pleasure. (Few things please me more than finding friends who get my humor.)
I'm happy that our catfish quest was a failure. So was MA.
Lakehouse. Mandeville: 2025 Lakeshore Dr. 985-626-3006.
