Sunday, September 25, 2011.
Saints At Chimes.
Ever since the year when the Saints won the Super Bowl (1998--is that right?), Mary Ann has insisted on going to a restaurant to watch the game. That grew from of our lack of cable television until the point in that magical year when it looked like Archie and the boys were on their way to the big time. Even after we got cable, going to a restaurant to watch the game was such a tradition that it lived on. Like all those people who say they like dried salted codfish, we had better but stuck to the old ways.
Mary Ann says she goes out to the game to find other people showing enthusiasm about the contest. As opposed to my apathy about it all, which only makes her mad. This is especially true since Mary Leigh discovered that watching the game at Tulane puts her in simpatico contact with the usually unapproachable male students in her circle.
All of this is why we wound up at The Chimes at gametime today. Mary Ann went ahead. I showed up around halftime, when I got hungry. Mary Ann said she was already starving and ordered something. She paid the price: I was not there to warn her that the "lagniappe sandwich"--a burger-like job with a patties of nondescript seafood stuffing instead of the beef--was very unlikely to be good. Which it wasn't.
Restaurants take a hit on Saints game days. Even sports-oriented places like Chimes. We had our choice of many tables. I was surprised that MA was not sitting out on the deck when I arrived. She had been until a guy at an adjacent table fired up a cigar. Mary Ann is one hundred percent intolerant of smokers, with an extra measure of revulsion for stogie suckers. (She once refused to give away one of our many kittens when she discovered that the adoptive home harbored a smoker. The cat she saved was Twinnery, who became my best animal friend. So that was a good thing.)
While the Saints let a big lead get away from them, we had a half-dozen bacon-wrapped, grilled shrimp. These were large, fresh, well seasoned and blackened here and there. The plate was filled out with brown-striped French bread and a strikingly excellent cole slaw. Mary Ann guessed it was made with blue cheese, and she was right. I will remember the idea next time I make cole slaw. And we will remember this whole platter next time we're here.
I went on to indulge in Chimes' brunch menu--something I didn't know they had. The special was a boudin omelette. That was a first for me, but one bite reminded me of the fried boudin balls I had here the first time we came a couple of months ago. I thought then and now that Chimes's version is a good example of how the exciting flavor of boudin is slipping away from us. I liked neither the texture (almost like a pudding) nor the flavor (where was the pork liver?). The cheese grits also were a little over the top--too rich, too thick.
The bread pudding, however, was an uptick. Large, sweet, and rich, it was covered with a dark pecan praline sauce. I ate too much of it.
The Saints won. Mary Ann and I took a walk on the long wooden ramp that leads from the restaurant down to the Bogue Falaya River. These guys did a tremendous job of building all this. I heard a rumor that it cost $10 million. We are not seeing those dollars being lavished on five-star restaurants anymore. Only on casual restaurants with burgers, ribs, fried seafood, and the like. I may need to write a book entitled, "The Death Of Fine Dining In America."
Back at home, I re-read a press release announcing the future opening of Borgne, John Besh's eighth restaurant, in the Hyatt Regency Hotel. It will be a casual, midrange restaurant, of course. I noticed something in the release that I missed the first time. At the end was this disclaimer:
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release, which are not historical facts, are “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include statements about our plans, strategies, financial performance, prospects or future events and involve known and unknown risks that are difficult to predict. As a result, our actual results, performance or achievements may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “may,” “could,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “seek,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” “likely,” “will,” “would” and variations of these terms and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by us and our management, are inherently uncertain. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, among others, the rate and pace of economic recovery following the economic downturn; levels of spending in business and leisure segments as well as consumer confidence; declines in occupancy and average daily rate; hostilities, including future terrorist attacks, or fear of hostilities that affect travel; travel-related accidents; changes in the tastes and preferences of our customers; relationships with associates and labor unions and changes in labor law; the financial condition of, and our relationships with, third-party property owners, franchisees and hospitality venture partners; risk associated with potential acquisitions and dispositions and the introduction of new brand concepts; changes in the competitive environment in our industry and the markets where we operate; outcomes of legal proceedings; changes in federal, state, local or foreign tax law; fluctuations in currency exchange rates; general volatility of the capital markets and our ability to access the capital markets. A more complete description of these risks and uncertainties can be found in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K. We caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which are made as of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to update publicly any of these forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, new information or future events, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable laws. If we update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.
A quick calculation shows that this run-on paragraph takes up forty percent of the entire release. No wonder we're not getting as much done as we could. Tort reform, anyone?
The Chimes. Covington: 19130 W Front St. 985-892-5396.
