Saturday, December 15, 2012.
The Calendar Fills. The Sonniers Perform A Great Catering Job.
Busy day. Mary Ann has decreed that I will trim out the upstairs bathroom, which Jude's girlfriend will use while she's here. What's her hurry? That bathroom ha only been in that not-quite-finished state for two years.
But she wanted to have breakfast first. Mattina Bella, of course. One of the daughters of the owners is a Saintsation--a cheerleader for the Saints, a highly competitive job. The restaurant was selling Saintsation calendars. I needed a calendar. I had to print my own last year, because for some reason none came my way. The Saintsations calendars cost $20, but these are friends, so I bought it. I was astonished when, opening the thing up, I found that the monthly calendars themselves were only about two inches square, with most of the space on the oversize pages taken up with photos of the Saintsations modeling bathing suits. I must say they seem to be very fit. But where will I pencil in my appointments on this thing?
We have a Christmas party to attend, but I was asked not to say where. I must talk about the food, though. It was catered by Greg and Mary Sonnier, the long-suffering couple that has been in a battle to reopen their restaurant Gabrielle since Katrina. In the meantime, they've done a lot of catering. If this job is an example of what they always cook up, then this is one of the best caterers in town.
The table was filled with good stuff. A creamy, rich crab dip. Miniature pigs in blankets with a mustard sauce. Roasted beef tenderloins served on slider buns. A casserole of mirlitons, crabmeat and shrimp. A salad of quinoa with crunchy vegetables. A baked ham. Freshly-shucked oysters. Five or six other dishes, all terrific. In a different room was an array of cakes, pastries and cookies from the esteemed bakery of Maurice's. Quite a spread, all served elegantly.
I couldn't help but compare this with the dinners we do at our house. The food is good at home, but the event is totally chaotic, like everything else at the Cool Water Ranch. Embarrassing, really, compared with this layout. And I'm supposed to be the food guy.
To browse through all of the Dining Diaries since 2008, go here.
