Monday, July 12. Mandina's. The radio station is giving me well-deserved grief about my on-again, off-again vacation. I knew it was a mistake to let Mary Ann plan it. She's waiting on Jude to tell us when he can take off. But Jude never takes off. He no sooner finishes one movie gig as he starts another. Right now, for example, one production is being held up for a few days until he can join the crew.
I swelled up my dewlaps, stood up on my hind legs in a display of alpha male authority, and dictated to the not very submissive females that we would be having dinner at Mandina's in Mandeville tonight. I wanted to eat some seafood meuniere, preferably a couple of big soft-shell crabs. MA was amenable, ML less so. I persuaded her by saying that Mandina's could put out a good plate of pasta with red sauce.
In actual fact, I've never thought much of Mandina's Italian dishes. My daughter and red sauce reference confirmed this after picked at chicken parmigiana with spaghetti, saying it was just okay. Which translates, "I'll never eat that again."
The soft-shell crabs, on the other hand, were everything I had in mind. Big, crisp, hot, greaseless, covered with toasted almonds, awash in Mandina's old-style brown meuniere sauce. I'm glad Mary Ann was in the mood for the half-plate of red beans and rice she had for supper. I hate missing red beans at Mandina's, especially on a Monday.
Dessert: caramel custard, which is as good as any other in town. All this was a very satisfying supper (at least for me), and pure Mandina's. The restaurant was busier than I've seen it since right after it opened in 2006. The word appears to be getting out at last.
Mandina’s. Mandeville: 4240 La. 22. 985-674-9883. Neighborhood Cafe.
