Remander's Profile
Simple Cream of Jalapeno soup
Fish City Grill served me a bowl that I liked very much. I don't recall any cilantro in it.
Should prices of specials be told up front?
I appreciate the few places that do tell the prices of specials as they describe them.
If I am considering ordering one of the specials, I always ask the price. At lunch one day at a place where entrees usually range from $10 to $18, I asked about a fish special. It was $27, so I passed. A friend who was not listening asked for a repeat of the specials. He ordered the fish w/o asking the price. After the waiter left, I told him he must really like that dish to pay $27. "Waiter! I need to change my order."
Some people seem embarrassed to ask. I think it is stupid not to.
Looking for restaurant on I-49 in old farm house
You may be thinking of Prejean's. It is located right where you describe, and the current menu lists Eggplant Pirogue Louis (a pirogue, like a bateau, is a kind of small boat)
$19.50
Half an eggplant lightly breaded and fried. Filled with shrimp, crawfish and crab topped with our creamy Louis Sauce served with rice dressing and corn macque choux.
I don't think Prejean's has anything to do with Paul Prudhomme, though he did grow up in nearby Opelousas, and the names sound similar. Maybe that's why you made that connection.
http://www.prejeans.com/
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Prejean's Restaurant
3480 NE Evangeline Trwy, Lafayette, LA 70507
Overheard at next table...."Sorry, your card has been decined..."
Good job!
To the lecturers: Don't assume card-declined equals deadbeat. I had mine declined once on about a $7 tab at El Chicos.
Reason: I was snapping up a $1,000 I Bond online each day while the interest rate was good, and Discover shut my card down after 5 days in a row because they feared fraud. I had a message from Discover waiting for me at home. I verified the $5,000 in charges and was good to go again.
Wop Salad?
Here's a little different one here: http://www.gumbopages.com/food/app/wop-salad.html
They call it: New Orleans-style Italian Salad (or, as it was once called locally, "Wop Salad")
Here is another thread about it: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/470774
$10 meals - did I miss anything?
Dairy Queen, Bob Tuschman won't hire anyone unless they constantly tell stories about their granny and their stupid kids. Any time a NFNS contestant makes such a reference, the camera cuts to Bob, and he just beams. Makes me want to slap him.
I join those who think the concept/title for the show is pitiful.
How shall I roast my chicken tonight? Suggestions pls!
Here's my favorite, copied from my recipe folder. So simple, and the chicken comes out great every time.
My Favorite Simple Roast Chicken
adopted from Thomas Keller, Bouchon
Ingredients
One 5 lb or so typical chicken (Can do 2 chickens at once if they fit on top of your broiler pan)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 or 3 potatoes
one large onion
olive oil
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 450̊F. Rinse the chicken. Dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out. The less it steams, the drier the heat, the better.
Salt and pepper the cavity. Truss bird with cooking twine.
Salt outside of chicken liberally with a Tbsp or so of kosher salt. Season with black pepper.
Line the bottom of a broiler pan with foil.
Slice (into about 1/4 inch rounds) 2 or 3 potatoes (skin on) and an onion. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread combination on the foil in bottom of broiler pan.
Place slotted top on broiler pan. Spray with cooking spray. Place chicken on top.
Roast all until chicken is done, about 1:15 to 160+ in breast and 180 in thigh. Remove from oven and let chicken rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board.
Potatoes and Gravy
When you remove the chicken to rest, pour off the excess drippings in the bottom of the broiler pan into a heavy skillet. Remove the potatoes and keep warm. I usually put them in a bowl and park it in the microwave.
Heat the drippings over medium heat and make a gravy with a little flour, salt and pepper, and more liquid (such as beer or stock).
Serve
Carve chicken. Serve with potatoes and gravy.
Use a pen and get the order right!
I love the way the did it at Pastime Lounge in Baton Rouge when I lived there.
You take a pencil and write your order on a pad. If it's screwed up, it's your own fault. But it never is, because they cook what you write.
I am my own best waiter, and I am happy to write my own order if it guarantees it will be correct. Much better than worrying whether the busy waiter remembered to cut the mayo and then tipping him for getting that simple task right, when I easily could have done it myself.
I'd be delighted to do this at a fine dining establishment if given the option. Really.
Which brings to mind Panchos Mexican restaurant and the flag you raise at your table when you need service. If I'm tipping 20%, I'd love a little flag that brings instant service.
I've paid hundred of $$ for meals that would have been better if they had just tossed me an order pad and given me a flag to raise when I needed a glass of wine.
Do you have a favorite soy sauce?
San-J Tamari sauce beats the pants off Kikkoman, which I used until reading a review in Cooks Illustrated. Tried them both head to head, and the San-J was so much more smooth and rich. The Kikkoman tasted harsh and vinegary in comparison.
The San-J site says it "is different than ordinary soy sauce. While regular soy sauce contains 40-60% wheat, San-J Tamari is made with primarily soybeans and just a small amount of wheat. San-J Organic Wheat Free Tamari is made with 100% soybeans and no wheat. The high concentration of soybeans gives Tamari a richer, smoother, more complex taste."
I agree that the taste is richer and smoother. Found it at my local Target. They also have a low-sodium product.
First Trip to New Orleans - Recommendations?
Another vote for Brigtsen's. It's a $15 plus tip cab ride from the French Quarter, located on Dante off St Charles, and you'll need reservations, but DO IT! We go to N.O. a couple of times a year, and we just now visited Brigtsen's. It's now at the top of my list. Why did we wait so long?
New Orleans Restaurants
Just dined at Brigtsen’s. Excellent!! It's about a $15 plus tip cab ride (one way) from the French Quarter, but worth it. Have reservations. The staff is very friendly, and the food is top notch. The seafood platter is awesome. None fried. It's like a tapas platter of top-notch oyster, shrimp, and fish dishes. They'll call you a cab as you eat your pecan pie, which they added a scoop of homemade ice cream to at our request. I am not a dessert fan, but that pie was something memorable.
NYT Garlicky Sesame-Cured Broccoli Salad?
Made this tonight, and it was very good. Added some sesame seeds. Let it rest about 4 hours at room temp. No one died.
I'll make this one again, and would make for company. It's not quite like any dish I've had before, so it is a good conversation starter.
