Rachael Ray should be banned from New Orleans for life.

[KamaAina]

This 15-year NOLA exile was hoping to get a quick 'n' easy fix last night with "$40 A Day: New Orleans".

Or as Rachael Ray put it, over and over again, "New or-LEENZ". Ouch.

Did you know New Orleans was founded by French Canadians, on Mardi Gras day, like she said? The explorers did make their first landing on Mardi Gras day of that year, but downriver from Nouvelle-Orleans, in present-day Plaquemines Parish. (In fairness to Ray, she may have been confused by the producers' insistence on cutting to scenes of Mardi Gras every 30 seconds or so, when clearly she wasn't there at Mardi Gras.)

We managed to get through breakfast at Cafe Beignet without incident. I even learned something: chicory is the root of the endive plant. Wonder if all those tops would be good to eat in salad?

Lunchtime, and off we go to Central Grocery. Rachael wisely orders only half of its famous sandwich -- a "muff-oo-LET-ta." Though it is spelled "muffuletta", it should sound more like "miff-oo-LOT-ta". Jeepers, I was only there for two years, and even I know that! She then proceeds to wax rhapsodic about the topping, with its chopped olives, more black olives, etc., but does not mention "olive salad". :eyes: I'm surprised she didn't get a "griss-griss doll" at the nearby voodoo shop!

Time to head uptown for some sightseeing. She somehow manages to ride the streetcar (this was clearly taped in pre-K days) without getting lost, perhaps in my old neighborhood near the end of the line. She then informs us that riding the streetcar is the best way to see the architecture along St. Charles Street! :banghead: I know of a St. Charles Place, which must be in Atlantic City because it's on the Monopoly board, and of course St. Charles Avenue, where streetcars should be running again by next year :( , but NO St. Charles Street! :grr: What a :dunce: !

Somewhere near St. Charles Street :sarcasm: , she finds a local woman who clues her in on a bargain prix-fixe menu at one of the city's newest restaurants -- Brigtsen's. The show may be pre-K, but it can't be that old; Brigtsen's was "one of the city's newest restaurants" in my day, fifteen years ago. Plus they put Brie in her spinach and oyster soup :puke: , though she seemed to enjoy it that way.

That was it; she managed to order a beer, an Abita, no less, on Bourbon St. without making even more of an ass of herself, and before I could find a brick to throw through my new TV.

Maybe, instead of being banned for life, she could come back under these conditions: that she study up a little bit with some of our stalwart NOLA DUers first, and that she showcase the restaurants that are back open, which is most of them, in the touristy areas at any rate. As further penance, she could help start a "Chefs' Village" analogous to the Musicians' Village now being built in the Upper Ninth Ward.

There. That is all. Maybe next time I'll tune in "Celebrity Poker Showdown: New Orleans" instead. :P

[Placebo]

1. Hey! HEY! HEY!!!

Take it outside.

SCRAM!

:nuke: :kick: :banghead: :rant:

[RagingInMiami]

2. I loved Central Grocery's muffuletta's

But what I discovered was that even though the locals say something like, "muff-a-LOT-ta", the people who run the joint pronounce it in a very authentic Italian accent: "moof--oo-LET-ta"

[seemunkee]

3. muffuletta question

I was going to make some olive salad for sandwiches this weekend. In the Central Grocery recipe do they use pepperincini? What about carrots and celery? I was trying to find a recipe this AM and some had those ingredients and some did not. I've only been to NO once and can't remember for sure what all was in the olive salad.

[KamaAina]

4. Wikipedia says yes to both carrots and celery

and even throws in cauliflower for lagniappe (a little something extra).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muffuletta

The olive salad is considered the heart of the sandwich, and consists primarily of olives, along with celery, cauliflower, and carrot. The ingredients are combined, seasonings are added, covered in olive oil and allowed to combine for at least 24 hours. Prepared olive salad for muffulettas can also be bought by the jar in New Orleans grocery stores.

Maybe you can spot the ingredients in here:



Enjoy!

[mzteris]

7. I don't *remember* carrots or celery

being the in the muffaletta's I used to get in NO and Mobile (where I lived for a while) - but maybe they were .... some had pepperocini, some did not - depending on whether you liked it "spicy" or not...

DEFINITELY no cauliflower. And as I get to thinking - I'm pretty sure there were NO carrots.

[markus]

5. Well, watching the Perky One is just asking for trouble

At first I thought she was kind of cute in a "chamah", Chalmette girl sort of way. Then, like any I dated, that cute faded real quick.

I've been tempted to buy one of her cookbooks, since we both work and have kids and making something in 30 minutes to eat sounds awfully tempting, but then I start flashing back to watching one of her shows and I lose my appetite for cookbooks.


The person I'd like to see come to NOLA is the fellow who's name escapes me, the NYC chef who wanders off to strange places and eats strange food. I think having him go looking for what's to eat in NOLA today would be a fantastic show.

[Taverner]

6. Don't you be dissing my Rachel!

She is a divine creature, touched by angels, cherubim and seraphim.