EAT THIS!: NEW ORLEANS yaya

You'll never go hungry in New Orleans. Here is my VERY EXHAUSTIVE list. I did not narrow it down!

First We Eat has been renamed to EAT THIS!, which will be the bossy new title for my food, travel and restaurant guide. First We Eat, I casually caught as I was reading another Substack, seems to be a very popular thing to call food writing essays, et al, courtesy of MFK Fisher and there are many things out there working with that title. This new title works for me. Pretty to the point. Hope it works for you, too!. Love, L

/ Red Beans and Rice with a side of Fried Chicken at The High Hat Care /

I’m a definitely a romantic. There’s no real doubt about that. Hopelessly, at best. But I fall into the category of romantics that like their romance a little dark and complicated.

This kind of obnoxious statement immediately reminds me of that very good scene in When Harry Met Sally - the one where Harry tells Sally he always reads the last page of a book in case he dies because he is always thinking about death and Sally shouts in disgust, “this doesn’t make you DEEP or anything!”

I am fully aware that this kind of thing, me needing my love to be gritty and full of hard truths, doesn’t make me deep or interesting or anything. But it does mean that I fell head over heels in love with New Orleans, the grittiest most romantic city on the face of the earth, not the first time I met her (for I was just a young girl who still thought the hardest part of living was missing an artist lover in a Parisian cafe à la Joni Mitchell), but the second time I met her after a few years of real living and a few nasty hardships of my own and carried with me the ability to understand that what she had in store for me, and anyone else who was paying half attention to her gifts for that matter, was a handshake agreement to see me and feed me, boy does she feed me, and love me no matter what kinds of messes were being made in my life, no matter what kind of mistakes I might have made, no matter what kind of misery I might be fighting off.

New Orleans will love you when your teeth are kicked in and you have no where else to go, just so you know.

She will also love you when you are shiny and bright and every street corner will be your well-lit stage. There will be music somewhere, don’t you worry. And it will be all for you because you are expected to feel yourself and be yourself, no questions asked.

This is the only kind of love I am interested in these days and she has it all.

I recently took my mom to New Orleans with me, which was a different kind of trip. She does not live her life by food like I do - at least, not the way I do. I spend so much time with other chefs, I forget that not everyone can eat for 24 hours straight. She gave it her all, though! I was proud of her. But it was funny to be reminded that this isn’t really a normal way to be. I don’t buy clothes so I can eat at restaurants. I don’t spend money on anything for myself, really, because it means I can travel and spend three days not worrying about a single dime spent on food. I’d rather sit over a long, langorous lunch with a person I love and talk and eat and drink and drop a few hundred bucks a few times a year than buy any single thing or object to display in my house or wear on my body. I also have the good fortune of being a chef with very good friends so I’m the lucky benefactor of their generosity very often - one of the few perks in the hard knocks life of a restaurant chef.

But, I promise no favoritism on this list - I mean, all my favorites are on this list and some of them are my friends, but I don’t really know anyone who is bad at their job, especially in a kitchen, so if they are on here, they are GOOD!, not just my friends. I also am going to do this in bullet point form and try for brevity so as not to require you to read every single little thought that lives in my head, even I get tired of me. But I will have notes on any important info that seems pertinent, so don’t you worry.

Three categories - which are my favorite categories to travel by in New Orleans:

• First: A Proper Luncheon (not to be confused with regular old lunches)

• Second: A Well Rounded Dinner

• Third: Late night, Casual Lunches and In-Between Meals - because you have to keep your stomach stretched with snacks and cocktails and regular lunches whenever you’re not taking a three hour luncheon or an important dinner by one of the best chefs on the planet.

Let’s begin! There’s so much to cover!

A Proper Luncheon

1. Friday Lunch at Galatoire’s: Under no circumstances should you miss Friday lunch at Galatoire’s. Gentlemen, wear a jacket. Ladies, get ready to stir that gimlet and sip it slow, because this luncheon is long and boozy and brilliant - just brilliant! This place, and this lunch in particular, is legendary for a reason. You will walk out of there sideways and upside down and you will be happier than you have likely ever, ever been in your life.

2. Herbsaint: What a real New Orleans gem. The menu is spectacular, the specials are *always* worth blindly agreeing to and the cocktails are not to be missed. There’s a sidewalk patio for beautiful days, but I love sitting inside with the white table cloths and the impeccable service staff’s good and friendly vibes. I said “vibes” because it’s that good.

3. Dooky Chase* : You will note this is asterisked because this is also one of my favorite dinner spots. You simply cannot go wrong at Dooky Chase - it is a mecca and quite deservedly so. I hope Ms. Chase (RIP, we love you) wouldn’t mind me saying so: this is my favorite hangover late luncheon spot. My go-to is the red beans & rice with a side of fried chicken and that fried chicken saves my life every time. If you haven’t a church you believe in, you might find one here. Leah Chase did god’s work. You can learn more about Ms. Chase here at the Southern Foodways Alliance page where her oral history was recorded.

   

   Leah Chase / Photo Credit: Southern Foodways Alliance

4. Brennan’s: Much like Galatoire’s this is a good, good time and you might be careful to not plan anything too civilized on the other side of this luncheon. There has a slight dress code, but it’s more to keep the flip-flops out, amen. Just maybe glance over it so you’re not attempting to walk in with your sleeveless WWF tank top. The food here is old school, ladies-who-lunch and I am a straight SUCKER for it. From the Shrimp Remoulade to the g’dang Eggs Sardou, this menu has me chomping at the bit every single time. You’ll want to try the turtle soup at least once, it’s very delicious if you can get over the turtle meat, and also make sure to pay homage to the fact that Bananas Foster was invented here by letting them flambé an order table side.

5. The High Hat Cafe : This is a new standard for me. Monday lunch is my favorite because their red beans is top notch. Service is perfect and on points, try not to be in too much of a hurry (this goes for ALL these places) because the idea for a proper lunch in New Orleans is to take it easy. We had to be in a bit of a hurry for reasons I still don’t understand and our server, bless him, was so confused. I think we even hurt his feelings a bit. But! Here is where I can tell you my rule for any good southern restaurant: if the vegetables are good, everything is good. At The High Hat Cafe, the vegetables are very good. The fried chicken, to be perfectly honest, was not my favorite kind, but every other thing I’ve ever eaten there is spectacular. It’s a lively crowd, a great service staff and an orderly wait if you have to wait on a table. Unlike the others, this place could and should be added to your list of regular, less ritzy, less costly spots in New Orleans for a proper luncheon. Another words: There’s no dress code and you can hit it up any time without breaking the bank.

Not to be missed but certainly doesn’t need to be added to another list: Commander’s Palace is worth every bit of press and all the accolades it receives. Add it to your list and check out what the brilliant CDC Meg Bickford is up to in there.

A Well Rounded Dinner

1. Piece of Meat: This incredible haunt used to be a butcher shop but now is a dinner and weekend brunch only straight up steakhouse. I have had many, many good meals in New Orleans and, this is a tall statement but a true one: I have had one of the best meals of my life sitting in this place. Make a rezzie, order the vegetable sides and your favorite steak cut and be very, very happy.

   

2. Lengua Madre: Ana Castro is my new favorite chef in America. Go here. Eat this. She requires an entire essay by me, which is forthcoming to celebrate her recent short listed James Beard Nomination for Best Chef South. It is well deserved and I am rooting for her in every single way!

   

3. Marjie’s Grill: I just loooooove Marjie’s Grill and I just love tucking into a table full of their spicy South Eastern Asian inspired vegetables and fried catfish and tom sum. Also, you’ll notice a theme here: the fried chicken is freakishly good. The atmosphere can’t be beat - it is one of the best places to eat and laugh and drink very fun cocktails.

4. Mosquito Supper Club: This family style prix-fix menu by the brilliant and wonderful Melissa Martin is simply lovely and civilized and utterly delicious. You can read more about Melissa and her good work educating about and preserving the LA coastline here. And you should buy her book here if you don’t already own it. It is stunning and smart and chockablock full of good recipes. Reservations only

   

   Chauvin Craw Stew / Image courtesy Mosquito Supper Club

   (Now we’re gonna roll through a quicker bullet point because there is SO MUCH TO NOT MISS in New Orleans.)

5. Mosca’s! : don’t miss this old school Italian Creole gem. Trust me, it is worth the little drive!

6. Tân Dįn! : Vietnamese when you can’t eat another red bean

7. La Boca! : A Chef’s Chef kinda steakhouse - Argentina in New Orleans.

8. Here’s where Dooky Chase gets mentioned twice!

9. Willa Mae’s Scotch House! : more fried chicken, but this time: the BEST

10. Fritai! : Haitian food New Orleans side!

11. Compere Lapin! : Nina Compton never goes wrong. Ever.

12. Dakar ! : Senegalese food by Serigne Mbaye has to be mentioned though, full disclosure, I have never been to Dakar proper. I have eaten Chef Serigne’s food twice however (one at an event and one at Mosquito Supper club) and can only imagine how he shines in his home kitchen. Dinner and reservations only.

13. Sukeban! : Don’t miss Jaqueline Blanchard’s new izakaya place. She’s known for her New Orlean’s based (with a Nashville outpost) knife shop Coutelier and this place is her first solo restaurant. She’s been training for this for a long time and it shows.

Late night, Casual Lunches and In-Between Meals

1. Bracato’s : I am starting here and going to take a minute to tell you about this place because it is very, very special. Then, I’ll get back to a quick fire numbered list.

   

   Angelo Bracato’s is a true to the bone Italian pastry, gelato and espresso shop. It’s not some pretty pastry shop that tastes like oleo and powdered sugar. It is a dream come true - old style, old world style (cream horns! pignola cookies! rhum baba!) with absolute skill and care and quality ingredients. I could go on, but you simply just have to trust me: go, order as many things as you can eat and carry and sit and drink espresso and enjoy the families coming in after school to get their regular treat. This place has my whole entire heart.

   

2. Turkey and the Wolf! : Naturally! Get the collard melt! Do it!

3. Casemento’s! : Go to this iconic spot for a diner style oyster lunch!

4. Stein’s Deli! : I love a sandwich and Stein’s is one of my favorite places to enjoy that pastime. Truly, they got the good stuff.

5. Bacchanal! : Need an outdoor place to listen to music and drink very good wine? Here ya go!

6. Plum Street Sno-balls! : there’s a sno-ball season - when it’s too hot to stand. This is my favorite. No website. You can find it uptown. Get the sweetened condensed milk cuz it’s proper that way.

7. Luizza’s by the Track! : finally! A poboy on the list! This is one of my favorites. You betcha.

We’ll stop there!

But first, I’ll let you in on my son’s (a resident New Orleanian) sweet little secret. The best Sunday in New Orleans is spent at City Park where you can, not for nuthin, also get the (IMO) the best beignets around. There is a Cafe du Monde right there along the pathway so you can eat your fritters, drink your cafe au lait and walk arm and arm with a person you might love more than life itself while the five hundred year old trees shade your stroll and the ducks who all look like they’ve been in a few knife fights promenade behind you. Your own little powdered sugar parade.

Love, L

Me and my first born, New Orleans artist Joseph Donovan, last week - City Park Cafe du Monde.