Sunday, December 27, 2009. Departure Crisis. VooDoo On The Saints. Copeland's. Mary Ann and Jude were supposed to leave for Los Angeles this morning. Mary Ann is not sure it's the right thing to do. It would split us apart on New Year's Eve, with half the family here and half there. On the other hand, she has a reservation at the Del Coronado off the coast at San Diego. The Marys were going to spend a few days there on the beach. But now Mary Leigh doesn't want to make the trip. She has alluring social possibilities here in town, and doesn't want it to slip through her fingers. (I have been forbidden to so much as hint at what they are. Not that I know a lot myself.)
They didn't go. The new plan has MA and Jude flying to L.A. Wednesday. We'll see about that. But for today, both are relieved. And MA wanted to watch the Saints game. Jude talked the Marys out of Zea in favor of VooDoo BBQ, which also had big screens and plenty of open tables. (Saints games continue to wipe out restaurant business when they're in progress.) I went, too. One must eat.
The Saints seemed to be beating the. . . whoever that other team was. The Marys were feeling sorry for the other team. Meanwhile, we filled the table with brisket, pulled pork, collard greens, beans, and barbecue chicken on the bone. I saw Jamaican-style jerk chicken on the menu, and couldn't recall having had it before. I'm glad I did today. It's more grilled than smoked (that is the essence of Jamaican jerk), and the sauce was different from any of the three kinds on the table at VooDoo. As the Saints ran all over their opponents, we turned our discussion to the merits of VooDoo compared with the other barbecue joints we like. We decided that VooDoo has the best side dishes, the best sauces, very good brisket and chicken, pretty good pulled pork, and not-so-good ribs. Great! I can get a review out of this and what we learned from two other recent visits.
I left during halftime to undertake my big project for the day. Yesterday, Jude and the Marys went to check out the chandelier I saw at Home Depot. Mary Ann approved and bought it. Now all I have to do is hang it. And, first, to figure out how to turn off the power. The old chandelier was on a two-way switch, and since it didn't work I couldn't tell whether the power was on or off. Mirabile dictu! The circuit breaker for the connection was actually labeled as such! I switched it off, then tested it: no juice! Hurray! It took an hour to get the thing up, but there it was, glowing above our dining room table. We need not eat in the dark anymore!
Somehow, everyone was hungry again after dark. I don't know who suggested Copeland's. It may even have been me. But there we went to have our third consecutive chain-restaurant meal. It was the worst of the three. The main reason I came was that I was in the mood for a steak, and haven't had one there in awhile. They were doing a reasonably good job with steaks, using beef of good quality and serving it sizzling. This filet showed neither of those merits. The red beans came out cold.
Mary Leigh ordered the cheese toast. She ate one piece and gave it up. "This is like something you'd make at home when you can't find anything to eat," she said. She was right. Dry, uninteresting. Jude had grilled chicken atop pasta with a chunky red sauce; he was the happiest of the bunch. A long time passed between courses, and the server was a little testy. Every time I go back to Copeland's, I keep hoping that the great place it used to be will reappear. But it has not, in a long time.
VooDoo BBQ. Mandeville: 2999 Highway 190 985-629-2021. Barbecue.
Copeland’s. Covington: 680 N. US 190 (Causeway Blvd.) 985-809-9659. Creole. Cajun.
