From a Hungry Tiger:

mouthfools: Mini King Cakes View Post shared via...

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 23:47:54 -0600

mouthfools:

Mini King Cakes

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looks delicious

Food wrapped in leaves. I feel that foods that are wrapped in...

Sat, 22 Dec 2012 12:13:10 -0600

Food wrapped in leaves.

I feel that foods that are wrapped in leaves and then cooked are popular among lots of cultures. It’s so tasty!

In this case, it’s seasoned glutinous rice with braised pork inside. The rice tends to pick up hints of the leaf’s aroma.

So that means foods with different types of leaves used as a wrap taste slightly different. Some are boiled, some are steamed. And this changes the way the rice is composed. Sometimes the rice is cooked beforehand, sometimes it’s raw before cooking.

I know in other cuisines, rice isn’t the only thing that is wrapped in a leaf. So my question is: What other cultures do this? And what types of foods are wrapped in leaves??

Pizza Consegna, a delivery only pizza place, had a “Pop Up...

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 01:00:57 -0500

Pizza Consegna, a delivery only pizza place, had a “Pop Up Restaurant” in the Hyatt of New Orleans yesterday. A pizza buffet style meal with pizza, salad, and dessert pizza! I had a really good time sampling everything they had. Pictured from the bottom to top are the quattro formaggi, pepperoni, bbq chicken, and pulled pork. They were all so great. I was a huge fan of the cheese pizza, and I never order cheese pizza. But the attention and care they put into designing it made it filling and flavorful. The pulled pork came in a close second. Smoky pork, a little on the dry side (from the baking process I imagine), but the taste won me over. BBQ chicken was really moist and popular with my friends. The most special thing on it was cilantro leaves, which really complimented the red onion and bbq sauce flavor. The pepperoni was a classic. Can’t go wrong with that.

The crust really won me over. Thin crust, crispy goodness. I love flatish breads.

After tasting all of their pizzas, I’m definitely going to have to order this sometime. Their usual operation includes 18” thin crust pizzas for $11. Free delivery to limited areas around CBD. I love the message that these guys are sending: locally sourced, organic foods, delivery on electric bikes. Does that sound like something I would like… or what? I would love to support local businesses like this.

Manning’s Jambalaya with Braised Short Rib. Also had...

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 20:00:00 -0500

Manning’s Jambalaya with Braised Short Rib. Also had brussels sprouts w/ onions. I think the jambalaya had salted pork, instead of sausage, and chicken. It was full of Southern spices and packed solid heat. The braised short rib was cooked just long enough so it was full of flavor and fell apart with the tug of the fork. The brussels sprouts were crunchy and the onions were sweet and tasty.

The feeling I got from the restaurant was… weird. Sports bar TVs and noise mixed with elegant and fancy food. I guess if you order like the table next to us did— rare steaks and french fries —then it would have felt more fitting. It was difficult to have a conversation without yelling, which detracted from the experience. Service was fine and fast, though.

Anyway, thanks to Ms. Cindy for bringing me along!

NOLA blonde and bacon, cheddar, ranch fries at Dat Dog. Great...

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 21:07:32 -0500

NOLA blonde and bacon, cheddar, ranch fries at Dat Dog. Great combo. Plus they were celebrating national drink a beer day and ran happy hour all day. Yum.

NOLA blonde and bacon, cheddar, ranch fries. Dat dog was...

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 21:07:00 -0500

NOLA blonde and bacon, cheddar, ranch fries. Dat dog was celebrating national drink a beer day and has happy hour all day.

Amazing homemade gumbo by Chef Vi! Sausage, chicken, shrimp,...

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 16:06:36 -0500

Amazing homemade gumbo by Chef Vi! Sausage, chicken, shrimp, crawfish, okra, mushrooms. Thanks so much for bringing a piece of home in my life.

Drago’s in the Hilton in downtown NOLA specializes in...

Sat, 08 Sep 2012 18:08:59 -0500

crab au gratin

charbroiled oysters

Drago’s in the Hilton in downtown NOLA specializes in charbroiled oysters and other seafood. Were these dishes hits?

Good to try, but not going to return. In my slow, slow journey through New Orleans’ many, many restaurants I won’t be venturing back here. The crab au gratin was creamy and crabby tasting, but any lumps of crab meat that may have been in there were disintegrated. The crust on top was easily broken by the provided tortilla chips. They chips were thicker than what I’m used to, which is restaurant style tortilla chips and… Doritos chips.

The Charbroiled Oysters, which are highly recommended by many, were quite good. But the taste of the oyster was really covered up by the toppings. I’m not sure what all was on there, but I feel that it was predominantly cheese and herb butter. The flavor of being charred was there, and the shells show it too. That was a nice touch. I guess I’m just a purist, or a minimalist. Whatever the word is, when I’m going to eat oysters I want to taste oyster. Instead, I got a mouthful of cheese and butter.

On that note, the butter herb was amazing. That french bread served on top? It’s made to absorb all of butter that’s sitting at the bottom of the plate. It’s the vector that the butter will use to wind up in your stomach. The star of the show: Bread and butter!

Yet another San Dong dish, but in HQ this time. Instead of the...

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 22:31:50 -0500

san dong fried chicken w/ rice

juice box shaved ice w/ strawberry ice cream

Yet another San Dong dish, but in HQ this time. Instead of the noodles I got the rice dish this time. Steamed white rice, fried chicken, braised egg, steamed broccoli, and a meat sauce (rou zhao that happens to have a lot of do ban jian and/or zhajiang… hard to describe, but very delicious). I think the fried chicken uses a sweet potato flour, which gives it a unique flavor. I also believe it’s a deboned thigh in there, marinated, giving it a slightly sweet taste. If you don’t like sweet meat… what a shame. This is a very filling dish. So full after eating this. If you know anything about the way I eat, that’s quite a statement. If I lived near this place I’d go everyday.

The second picture is shaved ice from a place called Juice Box. In the complex that Juice Box is in, there are actually a number of shaved ice spots. We just went with the one that was recommended. For around 7 dollars you get a shaved ice dessert that any normal person will need to share. A scoop of strawberry ice cream, balls of melon, pineapple, strawberry, mango, and a generous squirt of condensed milk covers the shaved ice on this one. I think it’s called the “mixed fruit” or something like that. Honestly, I couldn’t tell if these fruits were sweet or not. But the flavor of them came through the condensed milk. I have a feeling that the milk just made the flavors a lot stronger than they were. Condensed milk to the rescue!

Just hitting these two places up in Chinatown was worth it.

Not as good as Lay’s. Pretty disappointing. Has the crunch...

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 19:51:36 -0500

Not as good as Lay’s. Pretty disappointing. Has the crunch but lacks the flavor.

Hole in the wall style places win my heart. In this case, it was...

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 23:26:15 -0500

Hole in the wall style places win my heart. In this case, it was with a half of a chicken, 4 slices of white bread, and a lot of sweet, sticky BBQ sauce. Taking a bite of this seasoned and smoky chicken was a bit underwhelming at first, but the more I ate the more I enjoyed it. Moist white meat, smoky leg, great sauce, great portions! I think the part I enjoyed most was using the bread to sop up the sauce. Next time, I’ll definitely be trying the pulled pork sandwich. They don’t sell it by meat only. The only thing I wish they had was beef brisket. I’m sure they would do it seriously right.

When you walk in, it feels like a New Orleans house. And even though they don’t seem to have a liquor license, the bar takes up most of the front. But if you walk in the back, there are a few large tables set up. We chose to sit at the tables in the back, where we enjoyed a bit more privacy since we were the only ones there. Because this place closes at 7, it feels more like a lunch sort of place. And you can put in your order if you want. I hope to be returning to this restaurant to try their other food!

Firecracker quesadillas from Casa Mañana. It is a chicken,...

Sat, 18 Aug 2012 19:26:36 -0500

Firecracker quesadillas from Casa Mañana. It is a chicken, cheese, and special spicy stuffing. Sorta too salty. has a kick but not blisteringly so. Strong cumin flavor. Good to try, but we will get the regular chicken quesadillas next time.

Cantina Bowl. Taco Bell. You’re guaranteed to like it or...

Sat, 04 Aug 2012 01:41:31 -0500

Cantina Bowl. Taco Bell. You’re guaranteed to like it or they’ll replace it with something you will like. At ~5 bucks I’d say that this is one of those premium items on a Taco Bell menu that you might not always order. I dunno about you, but I usually get the things that cost around a dollar, and I order a ton of those things.

As advertised, it’s got meat, pico, black beans, guac, corn and pepper salsa, romaine, creamy cilantro dressing, and it’s all sitting on a bed of fluffy rice. Underneath all of those veggies, there’s some steak product in there.

As a rule, I usually don’t get salads are restaurants. But the commercials got to me and I felt like the next time I went to TB I had to get it. I don’t regret it, but I think I’ll get my usual burrito and 2 tacos instead of this.

I have to say the best part of this was that green dressing and that rice. Which i believe are both infused with cilantro. And I also think that the veggies are on top to cover up how much meat is in the Bowl. The guac was better than I expected, but also disappointingly too creamy. Does that make sense? I usually cut an avocado in half, minimally mash it with a fork, and consume. Fast food guac is so dissatisfying. Why do people eat it?

A geometric meal.At the intersection S. Claiborne and Louisiana...

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 01:29:16 -0500

A geometric meal.

At the intersection S. Claiborne and Louisiana Ave sits Little Korea, a Korean restaurant built into the skeleton of a former Taco Bell. It opened up pretty recently, and it’s one of the few places in Louisiana that serves Korean cuisine. The interior is nicely decorated. Wood tables, booths, a nice painting of a tree on the wall. It looks nice inside.

I got the Bibimbap ($10.99) that came with ‘banchan’ or sides that consisted of miso soup, japchae, kimchi, and this marinated/braised potato thing. I liked the kimchi because it tasted fresh and spicy. This is in contrast with the more sour stuff that I’m used to, which I also really enjoy. The soup and the potato were normal tasting. The japchae however was kinda bland. It had a hint of sesame oil in it. And the texture was great. I hope that if you order japchae as an entree that it has more taste.

I was pretty satisfied with the beef Bibimbap. I added all of that spicy, fermented soybean paste stuff that they gave me and then asked for some more. I wish it had a bit of a stronger flavor. The beef was well marinated but the portion was small. The veggies were great, but it was kinda hard to break up with shredded carrots.. I wound up eating it in one or two large chunks. The biggest disappointment was that the egg wasn’t raw. It was sunny side up..! It was served in a hot stone bowl too! Oh well.

I’d like to go back and try the other stuff, like the table grill/Korean bbq!

My first time experiencing Krystal Burger! We went there on a...

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 18:11:39 -0500

My first time experiencing Krystal Burger! We went there on a whim after our Immunohematology (Blood Bank) final. A great idea on Vi’s part, a great decision for everyone. From what I recall about hamburger culture, sliders are steamed rather than cooked by traditional methods. And it shows! The meat juice soaking through the white bread reminded me of Steamed Pork Buns (baozi). See that delicious looking juice in that bread? That’s what this burger had.

The toppings on a regular slider were rehydrated onions (like those 99c McD burgers from my childhood) and a single pickle.

These guys were small but tasty. I can definitely see why these addicting (I had 4 but probably could have eaten a lot more if desired) guys are on Bourbon St.

Sometimes I enjoy eating like I’m in poverty. On a side...

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 17:19:00 -0500

Sometimes I enjoy eating like I’m in poverty. On a side note, this flavor is amazing. A college kid’s instant lunch. Yum.

Mother’s on Poydras..Something missing from Adam...

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 09:50:17 -0500

Mother’s on Poydras..

Something missing from Adam Richman’s plate is the sloppy watery gravy sitting at the bottom of it. While the show says, “Shove me down your gullet cause I’m so good!” My “Ferdi Special” was falling apart and somewhat.. tasteless. The “debris” was mushy. The gravy was watery. The roast beef and ham? Pretty average. The bread was listless and without personality. I remember other po boys bread.. but not this one. The bottom bun was soaked through, providing no support for the sandwich. And that’s all you need to ruin a sandwich eating experience. Half of my sandwich fell out on the plate. So I smothered it with a great house hot sauce they had on the table and finished it off that way.

A disappointment because Adam seems to like it so much.

I sampled their etoufee though. And that was delicious! Avoid the debris. Get something else.

I’ve got a back log of pictures to upload. I’ll...

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 02:11:00 -0500

I’ve got a back log of pictures to upload. I’ll start with this.

Chocolate chip cricket cookies. With the crickets on top. Tasted like chips ahoy with the knowledge that you’re eating a critter with it. I could taste exoskeleton a few hours after eating this too.. Even though it tasted fine, knowing that you’re eating a bug definitely brought up the gag reflex.

I also tried a chocolate covered waxworm. It exploded in my mouth with this.. dusty sunflower taste. Turns out they are deep fried in oil. I now have this weird association of certain granola and sunflower seeds with the taste of waxworm.

Taste your own bugs at the Audubon Insectarium on Canal.

Grilled eggplant, mini muffulettas, a killer bruschetta, and...

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 14:17:43 -0500

Grilled eggplant, mini muffulettas, a killer bruschetta, and chicken salad on a croissant. I didn’t know how to smell any of those foods. I had to Google them all. I think it reflects how fancy LSUHSC School of Allied Health’s Family Day reception was. Oh, and some great chocolate covered strawberries are hiding behind the mountain of sandwiches I got. Yum.

Whole Foods on Magazine, the surprising place to get good BBQ. I...

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 17:39:21 -0500

Whole Foods on Magazine, the surprising place to get good BBQ. I got the brisket, which I still think is great without bbq sauce. Full smoky flavor, and unlike the fatty brisket I got in BR, this was a lot leaner. It was still good though!