Monday, August 22, 2011.
Le Rentree. Return To Acme.
So much for summer vacations. Back to work today, although not with what I would call a vengeance. I've been running on momentum most of this year. I recognize the condition. It happened to me in 1973, 1978, 1981, and 1987. But not since then. Big, exciting life changes came along at regular intervals since Mary Ann and I were married. Now I see I must force a change, or I'll just be filling in blanks the rest of my life. First I have to figure out which old projects to ditch so I can start in on new ones. That's hard, because I need to keep doing everything just to pay the bills.
Enhancing my motivation is the traditional beginning of the school year. Le rentree, as the French call it. A time to take inventory, marshal one's forces, step into the breach, rip off your breeches, and. . . well, blindly move ahead, I guess. Sounds like fun.
Actual classes begin for Mary Leigh in a week. She is lolling around, enjoying the last lazy days. We thought it would be appropriate to dine at the Acme, as we almost always do upon returning from a trip. I had my red beans yesterday, so got a dozen grilled oysters. They were big enough, given the time of year. Also a house salad. Every time I order a salad here, I forget how large the Acme makes them. The prices--I think it's just $5 for the house salad--create an illusion of, well, side salads. Mary Leigh once again enjoyed her favorite wedge salad, another bargain at $6. Mary Ann just sat there and watched us eat. What a killjoy.
Business at the Acme was dead. I'm sure that the opening of the Chimes in Covington took a bunch of their business. The Chimes also has an oyster bar, and a cool environment. They pack them in every night. I still have my loyalty to the Acme, but I must say I'm a bit tired of the menu. They need to upgrade.
I did the show from home, and learned that the four programs Mary Ann hosted last week were boffo. Several callers said so, and wondered when Mary Ann would take over the show again. Her two theme shows--one about restaurants where you watch sporting events, the other featuring restaurants that have been spotlighted on television "reality" shows--established her as The Anti-Tom. (So she says.) Even the shows without guests were very busy. She will make me look to my laurels if this keeps up.
Acme Oyster House. Covington: 1202 US 190 (Causeway Blvd). 985-246-6155.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011.
Mary Mahoney's, Liz's Where Y'At Diner, Martin Wine Cellar, Mark Uddo. Dockside.
Back in the radio studio for the first time in a week, and with the usual Tuesday roomful of guests. Mike Mahoney, co-owner of Mary Mahoney's Old French House in Biloxi. Cedric Martin, the owner of Martin Wine Cellar. Mark Uddo, who manages the food services at Country Day School. And Liz Munson, the owner of Liz's Where Y'At Diner in Mandeville.
Mahoney seemed to have everything he wanted to say memorized. As the dining room boss at his family's long-running seafood house, he bats out a well-rehearsed description of any dish on the menu. All one has to do is ask about it. He also had a lot of funny stories about the customers, and how the place came back as quickly as it did after Katrina. He also had the honor of being the final guest in Mary Ann's slate of people from restaurants requiring a long drive from New Orleans. (It was her summer theme.)
Mark Uddo and I talked about the old G&E Courtyard Grill, which he his twin brother Michael operated for eight years in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Its closing (because of a large rent increase) was a sad event for lots of diners, myself among them. (I included the place in our soon-to-be-published Lost Restaurants Of New Orleans book.) Mark went on to run a cooking school for awhile, then to get involved in school food service. He seems to like his Country Day gig, but on the other side of the coin he puts a good deal of effort into the Edible Schoolyards project in a number of New Orleans Public Schools.
Liz Munson was a load of laughs. She said she'd just come back to work after taking her entire staff to the Gulf Coast for a week of vacation. Well. That should fire up their enthusiasm. Or keep it fired: the Where Y'At is a perky place, serving breakfast and lunch. She seems to have found a sweet spot. Her restaurant is always busy. It dovetails nicely with my theories. I think the food there is unusually good, notably a couple of egg dishes they do with a wealth of crabmeat.
I haven't seen Cedric Martin in quite awhile. My first question would have been asked by the first caller if I hadn't: when will the original Uptown location of the iconic wine store reopen? It took a heavy flood hit after Katrina, and although the Metairie store has thrived, the Baronne Street place has just been sitting there. "Fall 2012," he said. This is later than what I'd heard a few months ago. "We can't get it done in time for this fall, and fall is our busiest time. We've cleared the lots and driven the piles, but the rest will take awhile."
Cedric brought a couple of interesting wines from the antipodes. The first was a dark, purplish wine from South Africa. Chakalaka is made by a winery called Spice Route, from Rhone-style grapes. Cedric actually went there, and that gave him a story to tell about the remoteness of South Africa's wine country. The second wine was even better: a pure Malbec from Argentina, made by Paul Hobbes from old vines. Its proprietary name is Bramare, the vintage is 2009, and the price is $35--high for Argentine Malbec. Huge flavor with roasted coffee-like tones. I'll have to get some of that.
After the studio cleared out, I recorded a commercial for MiLa and hit the road for Harahan. I wanted to take one more taste of the food at Dockside for the CityBusiness column I will write tomorrow. The waitress said that they were running a special on grilled oysters: ten bucks a dozen. That's a little more than half what these go for around town. And since Dockside boasts an oyster bar, I know they're serious about bivalves. Well, even though I ate grilled oysters yesterday, I couldn't resist ordering them again today. They were along Drago's lines, but with a more pronounced herbal flavor. The oysters were big and the sauce was bubbling and aromatic.
The entree was less good. It was fried catfish, cut into the small (but not thin) pieces that fry best. But the oil wasn't hot enough to give the fish a thorough cooking or the cornmeal crust any snap. The coating could have been seasoned better, too.
I was impressed by the answer to a special request. Instead of the fries, hush puppies, or mixed veggies, could I have a small dish of pasta with red sauce? They have a few pasta dishes, and pasta is not expensive. But that's different enough from the routine that most servers would say they'd have to check, or just plain no. But this server thought about it for a second, then said the right answer: "Sure!"
Dockside. Harahan: 1820 Dickory Ave. 504-736-9666.
