Fridays have become a source of serious stress here at The Cool Water Ranch. It all started a few weeks ago with an email from a PR lady whose A-list clients had a collective gourmet fish fry for $15. Preorder only, they were all sold out by 2:30pm for a 4pm pickup. We learned that the hard way. The next week I resolved to preorder earlier but they had moved on to carlines. ML our delivery driver felt comfortable ignoring my dire warnings about the competition for these gourmet fish plates for $15. She tried to just go at 5 after I had gotten a text about 50 cars in the line she was heading for. She tried a few other places with all the same results. And now all but one of those A-listers have closed, leaving the regular-neighborhood-but-still-delicious places who do this all the time. I felt a tinge of relief when this was no longer an option until I looked at the list below. The stress was back. And Ralph’s On The Park, part of the original A-list group, is still in the game. ML informed me that we could preorder at 9am. I checked the clock. It was 9:36!!!!! My hands nearly shook as I dialed the number. Would this be week THREE in missing out on the gourmet fish fry??
I am a veteran of the amateur Catholic School fish fry Fridays. I so wanted to be part of this gourmet thing. As I write this I am anxiously awaiting a call back from Ralph’s. Did we make it??? And then ML informs me that Patois has one. I break out in a sweat. And she reads the menu for Brown Butter with its ...Thin fried catfish, hand-cut fries, Fresno chili hushpuppies, smashed minty pea salad with olive oil and lemon, pecan cane slaw, crab boil tartar sauce with pickled corn, house-made pickled vegetables, house-made curry ketchup. Huh???
All I can say is that our driver is going to burn some gas traversing the city in a hunt for the fish fry upgrade of our dreams. My only question is… what will the poor Catholic Schools do when all this is over? And the catfish population?
For a less manic take on the opportunities today, here is the list:
Copper Vine
Fish, shrimp, oyster, or combination fried platter. Served with fries, coleslaw, and Texas Toast. $10 online with code CVEAT. Combination platter $12 with code.
Brown Butter
Fried catfish feast $15 for 1, $30 for 2, $50 for 4
Thin fried catfish, hand-cut fries, Fresno chili hushpuppies, smashed minty pea salad with olive oil and lemon, pecan cane slaw, crab boil tartar sauce with pickled corn, house-made pickled vegetables, house-made curry ketchup
Katie’s
$12 Lenten fried fish plates
Felix’s
Boiled crawfish, fried shrimp and fried fish platters 3PM-7PM
Mandeville Lakefront, and popup at St Stephens school 12PM-7PM
Zea
Wild-caught Des Allemands Catfish and crispy fried shrimp platters.
Lula Restaurant and Distillery
Family meal $40 for 4
Fried fish, crawfish mac and cheese, garlic bread, salad
Please U Restaurant
Fried catfish po'boys.
Johnny Sanchez
Fried Shrimp Sandwich and crawfish boil
Ralph’s On The Park
Corn fried local catch, coleslaw, white remoulade, hushpuppies
Single serving $15, a meal for 2 is $25, a meal for 4 is $50
Patois
Fried Catfish Plate, potato salad, sweet peas $15
METAIRIE
Andrea’s
Fried shrimp, fish or oysters poor boys, jumbo shrimp kebabs, family-style fish platters. Call ahead to preoder. Benefits Second Harvesters 12-7
HARAHAN
YaYas Comfort Food
Fried catfish YaYa special
NORTH SHORE
Pardo’s
Family meal-$42 served with salad and fries. Fried fish or fried shrimp
Pyre Provisions
Fried oyster, shrimp, or catfish po'boys
Oxlot 9
$13 Cornmeal fried catfish, white remoulade with two sides
Abita Roasting Co.
Drive-thru catfish boxes
$12 includes fries, slaw, and dessert
