If you are in the chips...fabulous French Quarter rental !!

[Laura PourMeADrink]

I can't believe this gorgeous place is now for rent. I used to live next to it. It is where Delta Burke lived. My balcony was right next to hers. They used to have glamorous parties and they would wheel the great-grandmother out to the street during festival nights. She'd sit in her wheel chair in her mink coat..a drink in one hand, a cigarette in another.

Apartment Listing:
http://www.vrbo.com/348055

The home is beyond fabulous. The pictures don't do it justice. And, you get a piece of history...Elvis filmed a scene of King Creole on the upper balcony.




Apartment Listing:
http://www.vrbo.com/348055

[cbayer]

1. Happy Mardi Gras Season!

Looks fabulous, but a bit pricey for me. But it could be a wonderful treat for someone.

I will be going to NOLA this spring, but will be staying somewhere uptown.

Enjoy!

[Laura PourMeADrink]

2. yes, pricey...but if you split it up among people not too bad. We went

for Thanksgiving and it was good...but rented a third floor walkup on St Louis (between Bourbon and
Dauphine). It had a roof garden that was really cool. BUT...despite us staying up each night
til about 2 or 3 am.....we would be woken up at 4 by people leaving the quarter. must have been the main egress out...but from 4-6 am it was a steady stream of hundred upon hundreds of loud, laughing, yelling, fighting people leaving. It was impossible to sleep.

La Provence was great and bad. Turkey was dry...and roasted pig - dry too. Loved the ambiance though and other menu items were great as was service. Would probably try again sometime.

Are you going after MG? My favorite two times of the year are Halloween and St. Patty's

Eww....this just made me think king cake - gotta order one next month.

[cbayer]

3. Your experience is why I don't stay in the quarter.

I worked on Bourbon Street my first year in NOLA and definitely got my fill of it. I much prefer surrounding negihborhoods.

Really sorry to hear about La Provence. I haven't been in years. Might be better to go on a non-holiday.

I'm definitely going in May, but I'm not sure about other dates.

Have you ever been to the big Halloween circuit party in NOLA?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

4. I don't know what I was thinking, renting on St. Louis...I love

the lower Quarter..where you wake up early and walk around and
see the locals, walking dogs and watering their balcony plants, smell
the croissants and beignets, and strong coffee.

Where did you live there? Uptown? It is lovely there. We often
think about...if we didn't have a place in the quarter - where? And
we always say...a place in the lower quarter and a proper home
in uptown, upper garden, or Algiers (river side).

I think it is totally possible (because I did it) to live in the Quarter
and never set foot on Bourbon.

I know you love food - don't you think it becomes harder and harder
to find a perfect meal - the more you learn and grow as an amateur
chef? I do. I can not even remember the last "great" meal I have
had out...anywhere. It's not bragging...it's just that you grow in
skill and it's impossible to enjoy without thinking - man, I could do
better...or if only they had done this or that?

No...what's the Halloween circuit???

[cbayer]

5. I lived uptown, between magazine and pyrtania.

Pretty perfect.

I just had a perfect meal here in La Paz. It was possibly one of the best meals I have ever had.

But, in general, I agree with you. I am more often than not disappointed with meal I eat out and my own cooking. But when I hit one out of the park, I know it.

There are a series of yearly parties mostly attended by gay men. The big New Orleans party is during Halloween. It is costume required and people spend all year making their costumes. It is a spectacle, to say the least. If you love New Orleans at Halloween, you might want to check this out.

http://www.halloweenneworleans.com

[sir pball]

6. Just to stick my nose in - as your cooking game grows, so should your dining game

I totally get what you mean about good meals being harder to find as your skills grow; it happens in much compressed form with everybody who goes to culinary school - after a few months, you have an understand of what's going on and you start to think about how you'd do it differently. Eventually though, once you've done it for a while, you do begin to realize that, at the really good places at least, the changes you might have done yourself would actually detract from the quality of the dish.

I think it comes when you've reached the level where you can not only think of this-or-that but be able to mentally picture, taste, how the final, integrated dish is going to come out, which to be honest is a level very few amateur cooks ever get to - not necessarily for lack of skill but because very few amateur cooks ever get into creating dishes from a blank plate. A lot of cooks don't either though, it's what separates chefs from the line. I've been in kitchens 18 years, really gung-ho for 4, and I'm just beginning on that trek.

The point of all this though, one of the best meals I've ever had, definitely in my top 5 was at August. We were known to the souschef in charge that night which did help us get a multi-course tasting with a couple of offmenu items, but regardless. I know in my limited skills that there's nothing I could have done differently or better. Maybe Keller or Dan Humm could have improved on the menu but I sure couldn't have.

Cochon and Cochon Butcher are also right up there..

[cbayer]

7. I also had a fabulous meal at August… once.

This was shortly after it opened and we had a tasting as well.

But I went back a few years later and was disappointed. This sometimes happens in NOLA.

I recently had one of the best meals I have ever had at a restaurant here in La Paz. I am going back later this month for his tasting menu and am really looking forward to it. Interestingly, Mexico is developing some amazing chefs and small, exquisite restaurants.

Allowing the chef to create small dishes from the ingredients s/he has personally selected is my ideal way to eat.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

9. What was it? I am so ignorant about Mexican cuisine...It's never my choice

to eat. Will be in Cabo first of February so any hints of things to order would be appreciated.

[cbayer]

10. I don't like cabo and really don't have any recommendations for you.

It just too gringified.

You might check trip advisor for food recommendations. They are often spot on.

I love, love street food in Mexico - tacos, tamales, cups of stewed meats, empanadas.

And local markets (open air) often have food vendors that cook up some of the best and least expensive food you can imagine.

Look for places with locals and gringos - generally a good sign.

Now, if you can get up to La Paz, I can make some recommendations. The restaurant I ate in last week is called El Tupe. Absolutely incredible.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

11. Yep...wish we had a choice. Checked out El Tupe - presentation

incredible !
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g150771-d4101827-Reviews-El_Tupe-La_Paz_Baja_California.html

[cbayer]

12. How long do you have?

It's possible to take a day trip to Todos Santos or even to La Paz.

At El Tupe, we were served by the chef, who spoke little english but was obviously enthralled with his work. It has only 5 tables.

We started with an herbal cold tea. But he brought our glasses upside down on a piece of smoldering wood. This infused a smoke that was strongly reminiscent of a campfire and was really intriguing.

He said that was his point in cooking - to evoke memories of other places and feelings.

It was almost magical.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

8. I understand, totally. I can equate to that process of imaging in my mind how the

end result will taste when I make sauces and soups....to me, for these, you must take the time to perfect.

I have never been to August - but you seldom hear anything bad about it. For me, I am more about, great dishes rather than restaurants. One of my all time favorite meals ever is the garlic crusted Texas drum with bacon butter sauce at Emeril's NOLA. And the filet mignon with demi glace at his Emeril's New Orleans location. Both superb because you could tell the sauces were made with care, and time, and the flavors blended to perfection. But, at Thanksgiving I was in NOLA and ordered the drum and I swear they seemed to just have sprinkled seasoning on the fish and that was it. Opposite of what I heard Paul Prudonne say on a show not too long ago - sauciers have to take enough time to melt the spices and layer them if they want to be successful.

Maybe there is a point when Emeril and Besh need to take a sabbatical and actually eat the food at every one of their restaurants.