slave_to_the_passions's Profile
Need Help eating myself to death in 2 days.
Abita Amber is better than Bud or Michelob, but it doesn't hold a candle to hundreds of regionally produced beers around the country. There's an underlying cheapness to it-- no body, no finish. I'm no expert, but I suspect this has to do with skimping on quality ingredients. Or maybe it's just trying to appeal to folks who like their beers unassuming.
Good restaurants that don't mind kids?
Thanks for the reply. I'm getting the distinct impression that in this town, fine dining = no kids. That's too bad.
Good restaurants that don't mind kids?
I'm not at all worried about finding something for my daughter to eat, since she is a very adventurous eater. The main thing is that since I don't especially like forking over a bundle to eat alone, I have been waiting for these guys to come into town in order to try some of your great local restaurants. So, what are the best restaurants in town that it *would* be okay to bring a kid to -- given that finding something for her to eat is not a concern?
Good restaurants that don't mind kids?
If you don't mind, jreedtattooer, I'm going to piggyback onto your question. I've been working in New Orleans away from my family this year, but they are coming to visit in March. I'd love to take them to a few top notch restaurants, but I'm not sure which places would welcome a (well-behaved) 4-year-old. I was thinking Cochon, Brigtsen's, Dante's Kitchen, or Bayona. Are any of these definite no-no's? Would it be better to go for lunch, or early in the evening?
ethnic cuisine
I just had the best baba ghanoush I've ever tasted (and I've tasted a lot) at Mona's Cafe on Magazine.
Food in a tortilla is just better
I have to admit I'm having a hard time imagining how your onion, tomato, tofu, mustard, and soup (!!) combination could have been edible, but you did the tasting so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. I do see how the ice cream and tortilla combination could be nice.
This is quite a bit less adventurous than your midnight snack, but my wife makes a middle eastern style dish with grilled meat and vegetables (usually red bell peppers and green onions), tahini sauce, and warm flour tortillas. It seems to me that the tortillas are superior to pita bread in every conceivable way (except authenticity).
Dinner at Squeel - finally real BBQ
I've been told that barbecue cognoscenti frown on ribs that are "falling off the bone," since this is supposed to be a sign that the ribs have been boiled.
Best catfish poboy
In the thread on Parasol's somebody offhandedly mentioned that Guy's has the best catfish poboys. Well, I've had a catfish poboy at Guy's, and it was indeed very good. But the best catfish poboy I've had in New Orleans is, surprisingly, at Zara's on Prytania. The fish was perfectly fried and seasoned, the bread was wonderfully fresh and chewy, and the whole sandwich eating experience was simply transcendent. I was surprised to get such a good sandwich at Zara's since their roast beef poboy is mediocre to bad. But the catfish is out of this world. I'm starting to realize that there is an awfully lot of good food to be found at grocery stores and convenience stores in this city.
Any challengers for best catfish poboy in New Orleans?
Nirvana: rude; Kyoto: nice!
We stopped by Nirvana rather late (9:30 p.m.) in the hopes that they were still open, and were pleased to see that they did not close until 10:30 p.m. We walked into a mostly empty restaurant and were greeted by several grim faces-- nobody smiled or acted remotely welcoming. After being seated, the waiter told us in a very brusque and hurried tone that we would have to order within a few minutes, because the kitchen was shutting down in ten minutes. We mulled it over for a few seconds and decided to leave -- I'm not interested in paying full price to be treated like an annoying afterthought. We were also pretty sure that the quality of the food would match the surliness of the service. I understand a restaurant shutting down earlier than its posted hours because there's not enough business -- all they had to do was smile and say, "sorry, but we're closing for the night," and there would have been no hard feelings. But if you're going to be open for business, then you owe your customers the same level of service that they would receive earlier in the day. Maybe Nirvana's service is universally lousy-- I certainly won't be back to find out.
Anyway, at 9:50 p.m. we popped our heads into Kyoto, which closes at 10:00 p.m., half an hour before Nirvana was scheduled to close. We received a warm greeting, excellent service, and a fine meal. We never felt rushed. What a difference!
Mahoney's Po-Boys on Magazine
I went there today and got a roast beef. This is the second roast beef poboy I've gotten in New Orleans. The first (from Zara's) was nasty: sliced processed roast beef in a gelatinous gravy; it tasted just like canned dog food smells. Mahoney's was much better: it was like a pot roast sandwich. Still, it was hardly perfect. It was underseasoned, and didn't have the kind of concentrated beef/vegetable flavor that slow braised beef, properly done, can achieve. I guess I'm saying that if I made pot roast and put it in bread, it would taste way better.
By the way, do real New Orleanians really order roast beef poboys dressed? It seems weird to me to eat braised beef and gravy with mayo and lettuce. I've ordered them plain so far. Am I missing out?
Healthy inexpensive food in New Orleans?
Wow, this is great information! Thanks so much for taking the time!
Healthy inexpensive food in New Orleans?
I have only recently moved to New Orleans. I don't cook much and don't have a ton of money to spend at the fine dining restaurants, so I've been eating a lot of sandwiches. Many of these are delicious and affordable, but they are really meat and fat heavy. I've begun craving vegetables and lighter, healthier fare, but that has not been easy to find. Any suggestions for healthy, vegetable focused restaurant food that won't break the bank? I live near Riverbend and don't have a car, so I have mainly been exploring places that are accessible by streetcar.
Could Athens, GA, support an "indie" butcher shop?
I saw Boar's Head natural casing dogs in the refrigerated section under the deli case at the Kroger on Alps and Baxter.
Cooter Brown's
I'm new to the area and I am still reeling at the exorbitant prices for restaurant food around here. I'm not talking about fancy places in the quarter, either. How about just a sandwich? I went to Cooter Brown's to get a sandwich and was shocked to find they are typically over $8. Worse: that doesn't include fries or any kind of side. If you got fries too you'd be paying more like $12. I got a sandwich anyway because I was hungry and didn't have many options: the 'streetcar', a grilled chicken sandwich with mushrooms, peppers, and cheese. It was a good size, but almost completely flavorless. Those grill cooks need to get acquainted with salt and pepper.
Could Athens, GA, support an "indie" butcher shop?
Went to Simply Meats on Saturday afternoon. The selection was pretty scant, as apparently they'd been bought out of most everything over the course of the day. Glad they appear to be doing good business. They don't have hard to find meats like duck breast or veal, but (before they're sold out) they have a nice selection of beef and pork, including oxtail, many kinds of ribs, and several different roasts. The place is clean and the proprietors are knowledgeable and friendly. The prices are very competitive, and the steak we got was excellent. If the quality, cleanliness, and pricing keep up, we will do most of our meat shopping there from now on. I really hope they continue to draw in customers -- Athens needs more businesses like these.
Latin options in Athens, GA
Thanks for the recommendations! We will try Las Conchitas again.
Latin options in Athens, GA
Sabor Latino is on the Atlanta Highway, in a little strip mall right before the real mall if you're heading west.
Latin options in Athens, GA
What are the best Mexican and Central American restaurants in Athens? My wife and I are not rich at the moment, so we tend to go for tacos and a la carte items like tortas, tamales, and empanadas. We really like La Estrella's tacos, and the nice people who work there, but our current favorite is Sabor Latino. Great salsa, excellent, flavorful tacos, and delicious tamales (the masa is beautifully creamy and tender -- maybe this is non-standard since most other tamales I've had are firmer, but it definitely works). So far everything we've ordered there has been good to excellent.
Places that have come recommended on this board but that have not wowed us:
Agua Linda (meat in tacos lacks flavor -- needs more salt, marinating, something)
Cali N Tito's (same problem)
Las Conchitas Calientes (I thought this place was really quite bad -- tamal was cold and tasted slightly off, tacos were blah at best, empanada almost certainly came out of a box, and the one Peruvian specialty we had, which the waiter specifically recommended, tasted like the chef had dumped several tablespoons of dried thyme into it)
Also, we do not like the new place on Baxter, Tu Metapan. Nothing really terrible about it, just blah. Seemed like they did not put enough care into their food, which strikes me as a pretty common problem in Athens restaurants generally. The place that used to be there (Los Pepes) was better. I got a fish sandwich there that was really out of this world, served with some kind of delectable creamy spicy green cilantro sauce. I wish I could find a sandwich like that somewhere else, but so far no luck.
Are there some other places we should visit for really flavorful, well prepared, inexpensive Latin food?
