Tom used to follow up on tips from listeners, usually to a dead end. I have had somewhat better luck with this, because as I often say, The Food Show works on me first.
Over the weekend it brought me to not one but three places we have spoken about on The Food Show, but only one will be featured in this piece. (The other two will be reported on separately, and subsequently.)
The first is Burger Nerds, an adorable little joint in Metairie run by adorable burger nerds. The second was Dr. Jones, another much more glamorous and upscale but equally tiny place literally steps away from the nerds, and the third is a new concept from Michael Stolzfus of Coquette fame, (and a few other places not nearly as famous.) It is that one featured here.
My kids told me when I took over the business I had to watch what Eater was doing. Because I respect them both a lot, I listened to them. For about two weeks. Then I realized the folly in that. Eater is focused in that whole “other realm,” which is antithetical to what we do and what Tom was about. Tom had one focus: Does this taste good? That mindset appears way down the list of things that matter to an unfortunately substantial segment of restaurateurs and diners now. And that’s okay for us all. They do them and we’ll do us.
Many of our listeners and readers do follow the other ones though, and it is from them that I will occasionally get good tips. I also post on IG (@theneworleansmenu) and see what’s happening out there.
I was sent an Eater list by someone who does it mainly to troll me, and there were a few new places that intrigued me, mainly because the owners had some good history. Billy from Blue Giant (a place I enjoyed) who cut his teeth at Trey Yuen, has turned up as a partner at Dr. Jones, and Michael Stolzfus of Coquette heads up Here Today, a rotisserie chicken place.
In the good old days Tom had a few rules that I don’t follow. The first was to wait until a restaurant was open six months before visiting. ML and I didn't go for this one even then, but the world is entirely different now and things move much faster. The business is structured differently, and takeout in a post-COVID world is a reality Tom wouldn't even want to contemplate. It was the way we kept the business going in the last years of his life. So I set out yesterday in the drive-by model to sample a few of these new kids on the Eater list. This piece is just about Here Today.
My first thought is about the necessity of another rotisserie chicken place. I guess reasoning here is about offering an elevated rotisserie chicken, which has merit of course, but chicken as a restaurant menu item is a menu item mainly as a default. And rotisserie chicken is a supermarket staple. In fact, I’m venturing a guess that supermarket rotisserie chicken is the way most people consume the bird, and in restaurants it’s as a grilled breast added to a salad.
That said, I expected a first class version of the signature menu item here, and it was certainly that. The chicken was tender and plump with a nice coating. I’m a hard judge of roast chicken because I always overcook it in an attempt to get a crispy skin. But when I am in the presence of a perfect roasted chicken, I do notice. This was quite the presentation, with six accompanying sauces and six sides offerings.
I started the meal with a small chicken andouille gumbo. This had a very dark roux and was filled with chicken and pieces of andouille. It came with rice, but the rice was coarse brown rice that on sight could have been another grain, or an ancient grain. My thoughts about this were strong enough that I consulted my gumbo expert, Mary Leigh. She said exactly what I was thinking. “It’s very good”…then paused to think some more before elucidating my sentiments word for word. “But it’s…too…much.”
This "too much" thing fascinates me. If something is good, going further is better, yes? No. Not always. I won’t say I see this a lot, but I do see it. Or rather, taste it. This was too dark. Too thick. Too flavorful.
This Little Gem salad was terrific. I’m a fan of Little Gem lettuces anywhere I find them. These little baby Romaine hearts are perfectly fresh and crunchy but are devoid of the thick spine of Romaine. I love their taste and texture and the way they handle creamy dressings. This was an especially good salad, because it included another personal favorite, pickled cauliflower. Toasted seeds and cracked pepper were liberally sprinkled on top of the creamy Buttermilk Ranch Dressing. Superb!
The half chicken dinner came with a Little Gem salad, two sides, and the Garlic Mayo and Celery Hot Sauce. Two extra sauces I got to try were Chili Oil and Cilantro Ranch. And the sides I chose were Rotisserie Potatoes and Collard Greens, and I added Chicken Fat Rice.
I loved this expertly done chicken. And I loved the Cilantro Ranch dipper, as well as the Celery Hot Sauce. The Garlic Mayo didn’t move me, and the Chili Oil had sesame oil in it, which I always leave.
The roasted potatoes were very good, as were the collard greens. The Chicken Fat Rice was the same very coarse brown rice that came with the gumbo. Not a fan of this, which surprises me because I usually like brown rice.
All of this was top quality. The bill was $50, and I didn’t even mind. It’s located in that space in the LGD on Constance at Thalia. Very residential area full of their customer base of young people. I wish them well.
