Clinical Laboratory Scientist. Louisiana State University. Taiwanese. American. Footbiker. Dreamer. Food Blogger; Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and some other places too.
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!
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!
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!
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!
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 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.
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!
Manchu Food Store on N. Claiborne and Esplanade. Chicken wings, no sauce. 25 for 11.25, coming out to 45c a wing.
Tasty, utterly Chinese. Says it’s cash only, but they took my card. It took forever for it to register though, so I’ll bring cash next time. I’ll also get BBQ wings next time. That is, the next time I feel like braving this sketchy looking place. This convenience store’s cash registers are behind a sheet of plexiglass, and you order through the holes in the glass. I guess to protect the employees…?
