New Orleans Top 10 (and then some)

A friend of mine and fellow-foodie recently posed a question to me (admittedly on Facebook), so I'm taking the liberty (and opportunity) to make our drool-fest public. I haven't posted about New Orleans yet (because I haven't been home since I started blogging!) I've been chomping at the bit and this pretty much covers it.

"Say you were touring with guests in the city. What ten restaurants would you take them to (3 fancy, 3 casual but nice, 3 poboy or cheap restaurants, and 1 any category restaurants)?" - Scott Crawford

My responses were as follows:

3 Fancy: Broussard's, Antoine's, Dick & Jenny's

Runners' up (because I just can't help myself): Emeril's NOLA, Breakfast at Brennan's, Rib Room, Le Parvenu in Rivertown

3 Mid-Fancy: Pascal's Manale for BBQ Shrimp, Drago's for the BBQ Oysters (only for the oysters and a cocktail ) then head to Clancy's for a soft-shell crab and a bottle of wine

Runners' up: Mandina's, Cafe Rani, Irene's, Upperline

3 Low-on-the-Fancy: Parasol's for a roast beef poboy, Uglesich's (open again?!), a sliced-in half hotdog on a hamburger bun with grated cheddar cheese at Bud's Broiler

Runners' up: Bobby's po-boys in River Ridge, Port-of-Call, Camellia Grill, The River Shack, Cooter Brown's, and of course, Brie Oysters at the Shimmy Shack in The Ridge, my Nanny's Turtle Soup...

Because NOLA restaurant favs are a very personal thing, here are mutual friend Ginger's picks:

3 fancy: I can't pick just three but here's some off the top of my head. I'd try Bistro Daisy again. Lilette. Haven't been in a few years but I also always really liked Peristyle. Commander's. Depending on who I was eating with, maybe Galatoire's.

3 casual but nice: Jacques-Imo's, Crepe Nanou, maybe Cafe Degas. And not because it's necessarily awesome food but more for sentimentality I might take them to Venezia's. That might be more for me than my guests though.

3 cheap eats: Mona's Middle Eastern (preferably the Banks St. location). Felix's for turtle soup and poboy. And maybe Liuzza's, or if they were interested in muffulatta then maybe Cafe Maspero. Maspero's good for visitors since visitors always want to go to the quarter anyway.

Finally, Scott's responses to his own posing:

Upper class:
1. Stella! Best restaurant in the city, aka the world, as long as you stay away from the fish and chips and shark fin soup.
2. Brigsten's. Often forgotten, but never overrated.
3. Gotta go Galatoire's.

Upper-middle:
1. Clancy's. Katie knows the truth about the softshell.
2. MiLa. Hidden treasure downtown.
3. Commander's Palace for lunch. They used to have a 3 course set lunch for $14. It has gone up in price, but it's still one of the better deals in town.

Middle Lower:
1. Impastato's. Best pasta I've had. Better than anything I had in NY or Italy. $25 for 5 course fixed meal.
2. Maple Street Cafe. Uptown could use a few more places like this.
3. Crazy Johnnie's. Cheaper than a grocery store. Better than Ruth's Chris.

Working Class:
1. Parkway Bakery. Favorite poboy spot for taste and atmosphere.
2. Central City Grocery. Best muffaletta anywhere.
3. Hobnobber's. Best roast beef poboy I've had.

Crazy, but I feel like we still haven't even scratched the surface (post your NOLA favs in my comments!). Amazing that there's not much overlap, though I guess favorites are largely influenced by where you grew up and where ya-mamma-an-dem ate. Although I still felt the urge to yell 'Amen' with almost everyone of their picks...

Canlis Bliss

I'm no high-roller, but being from New Orleans my fine-dining restaurant standards are admittedly high. My father has made sure of this. I know how good service can be, and I know that it should be a given, a non-negotiable. I know how good food can be too. In fact, just 'good' is not good enough. The food, like the service, must be excellent, perfect, memorable. If either falls short, a restaurant cannot be considered elite. Exceptional atmosphere comes in a close third, but food and service tie for most critical in my book.

Seattle has a viable competitor in Canlis. I've been twice now (minimum required for fair judgement) and their consistency champions their excellence. This is a family-owned, family-run restaurant that has been around since 1950, and in the restaurant business that's a testament. It is evident in the architecture. I liken it to 'Brady Bunch' style: you know, split levels, lots of browns, blacks and white, stacked stone and wood and blackened iron, very planer elements, expansive glass. It's timeless. Add to that contemporary fixtures, modern furnishings, oh and then there's the menu...

"Cooking is like love – it should be entered into with abandon or not at all." -Canlis website

I will be brief about the food, because duh, it's amazing. There are the 'anchor' menu items so enduring that they've taken the name: the Peter Canlis prawns with vermouth, garlic, red chilies, and lime. The Canlis Salad of romaine, bacon, mint and egg is touted as one of the most famous salads in America. Pacific NW staples of halibut and salmon, perfectly prepared with hearts of palm and truffle sweet corn cream, respectively. Lamb chops, beef tenderloin, lobster, a repertoire expected by most any fine diner, are complemented by choices like truffle fries, red beet and goat cheese salad, and yellow tail shashimi, keeping this menu fresh and relevant. The food is exceptional, but really it's the grander experience that makes this place sing.

Canlis is like your hip grandmother. Classically styled, but attuned to the contemporary as well. Imagine my surprise when I hear the guy at the Steinway in the corner rocking Apologize by my current fav One Republic (Tuesday night at the Paramount in Seattle, can't wait). This is a band who did a collaboration with a guy named Timbaland and whose music is in the Hip-Hop genre in iTunes, people. And they were playing it at Canlis! They obviously get it (as opposed to the Republicans who need to get with it, but that's another story). Their one big unwavering gun is requiring that men wear a sport coat, a tradition that is all but extinct these days in a world that is diminishing of chivalry and respect.

"Consistently excellent. Food that makes you smile. Time deliciously spent." -Canlis website

Attention to every detail, from the architecture and artwork, to the attentive waiter, to the after dinner drink menu, dining at Canlis is as personal as dining in someone's home. And finally, let's talk about the view.

'Nuff said. Now, if only you can afford it...

i Napoletani

Rather than be 'that girl', I have decided to only blog about positive dining experiences, and so I have been delayed for a few weeks with a few not-so-blogworthy dines, but I have to report about our tried and true Seattle pizza place Via Tribunali.

I have an ongoing/ever-changing 'visitor list' of Seattle restaurants for out-of-town guests, or if I am recommending restaurants for someone...Via Tribunali always makes the list (the rest to follow in an upcoming blog, so stay tuned). It is the perfect trifecta of atmosphere, food and price, a rarity in Seattle or really any city. It's also a true testament to the place that it's become one of our staple everyday-weeknight joints to grab casual dinner and drinks with friends. We get quite a lot of guests, but this place is so great, sometimes we just can't wait that long between visits.

The original location in Capitol Hill is my favorite. It's in an old building with tall wood ceilings, hefty beams and exposed brick walls (the architect in me speaking). The space is overall dimly lit with candlelight from these gorgeous blown glass lantern pendants over the bar and stained glass decor that create this sort of rustic ecclesiastical romantic feel. Sitting in the big wooden high-back booths in the back, not only can you get a better view of the studly pizza-tossers, but you feel like you are in your own little world amidst the loud, bustling conversations and goings-on of a busy restaurant in action. (We've recently been to their new location in Queen Anne - they have done a good job of trying to create a similar atmosphere here, but trading brick for drywall and candle light for dimmable incandescents, it's just not the same - with the exception of the food).

After Jeff's tall order of Peroni (in the special glass shown here) and house-Italian-wine-by-the-glass, we always start with the Misto Salumi aka the 'meat plate' - thinly sliced prosciutto, salami, fresh green olives and chunks of fresh Grana cheese (similar to Parmesan). Magnifica!

Our favorite pies are the Margherita (self-explanatory), the Funghi (cause Jeff's a fun guy - ha!), the Lasagna (ricotta and prosciutto with pomodoro sauce), and the Salsiccia (basil and Italian sausge with pomodoro sauce). Delizioco! They even have these special pizza scissors to cut the pies into large wedges!

So, this is true Neapolitan pizza (board certified no doubt) - extremely thin, hand-tossed crust baked in their signature right-of-the-boat-from-Naples mosaic-tiled mega wood-burning brick oven that makes it nice and toasty, perfectly lightly charred in places like it was cooked on a camp fire. The website indicates that the bricks in this oven were made from the ashes of freaking Mt. Vesuvius!, which apparently allows the oven to achieve higher temperatures than that of lesser ovens.

People, it doesn't get more authentic Neapolitan than this, in Seattle that is.

Moxie to the rescue

Anyone who knows me knows that I will never be known for my punctuality. Friday night I was not the only one running behind schedule. The plan was to meet Alysa at 6:30 at Moxie to grab a bite to eat and glass of wine before attending Pacific NW Ballet's All Tharp program at 7:30. Alysa is my token cultural-event buddy as she is typically willing (cultural events are a hard sell these days), and Moxie is our favorite pre-ballet spot in lower Queen Anne as it is just blocks from McCaw Hall where PNB performs.

Well, when I was the first to arrive at 6:45, I knew I had to move quickly. I snagged a bar table for 2, and soon the bar tender/server arrived to take my drink order. I explained the situation, and indicated that I was going to order not only drinks for 2, but our food as well to try to make the 7:30 show. A nod indicated he was on board. Not to worry.

First things first: wine-by-the-glass. Expecting to have to debate over which one to order, I was thrilled to see Hedges CMS Red 2005 blend. Not only a know quantity, but a fabulous full (affordable) red! 2 glasses please. Check. Next, food. I was looking for a few things to share, a nice combo of meat, veggie, cheese...mini steak frites? baby greens salad? clams? (Alysa and I usually have similar tastes but you never know). The server must have sensed my deliberation, and boldly recommended the gnocchi, their new vegetarian dish which he really liked and said was easy to split. I typically don't go for vegetarian, but in a rush, I went with it and the greens salad with Gorgonzola & candied walnuts.

The handsome waiter did not disappoint (the handsome part being a bonus). He had the wine at the table within minutes, and Alysa soon arrived, relieved to not have to make any decisions. We barely had time to hug and explain to each other where we'd parked when our food arrived. So far so good. The salad was great - but really, how can you mess up green salad with Gorgonzola and walnuts? Pomegranate seeds added a nice, unexpected touch. The moment of truth: The gnocchi. Awesome. The gnocchis themselves were drier than your typical Italian gnocchi, but it worked well with the dish - an overall sweet flavor of roasted corn and kale, pine nuts and finely-grated sharp, dry cheese (I'm guessing Asiago) lightly mixed with olive oil. The roasted corn kernels made the dish! Bravo.

Alysa and I finished each and every bite, split the wonderfully-affordable bill, and made it into our seats at McCaw as they were flashing the warning lights. Moxie nailed it, and we gave Tharp a Bravo as well.

B'opping Atlanta

I just returned from spending a long weekend visiting my mom and sister in Atlanta. Regardless of where you are (no offense to Atlanta), it's hard to beat quality time with family.

First, let me explain the term b'opping. If you haven't already figured it out, this is an apostrophized word combo of bar and hopping, newly-coined by my sister Lauren and her boyfriend Brian (I'm sure they will both claim to be the brain-child of this term, and I'll let them fight over it). It is an official method of experiencing a city via the finest local establishments, and has become a tradition associated with any gathering of 2 or more members of my family in the same city. We've b'opped Seattle, we've b'opped New Orleans. I'm sure you will hear me reference this term often, so become familiar.

So we continue. Lauren recently moved to the Virginia-Highlands area of Atlanta, and we spent quite a bit of time b'opping around her new 'hood. Friday night, we b'opped into Pozole Neuvo Latino y Tequila Bar. The atmosphere was lively and loud: the good kind of Friday-night loud and rowdy where you can tell people are on a mission to drink their week away. My husband Jeff being no exception, Patron Silver shots with Mexican beer chasers for the boys, despite Pozole's extensive tequila menu. Can't blame him - if it ain't broke, don't fix it. For the ladies, a tall carafe of red sangria, with a paint-stirrer stirrer that was excellent for preventing too much ice from falling into your glass, like a tongue-depressor. I LOVED this sangria - taste, presentation, the whole thing. It was the perfect proportions of wine, brandy and citrus - not too milky as some sangria can be from too much juice.

Set with drinks and seated quicker than expected with 6 on a busy night, we ordered and quickly devoured their chips and salsa trio including pineapple salsa. Yum. For main dishes, I believe I was the only one at the table who did not order some combination of their choice-of-two taco plate. Rave reviews on the slow-roasted pork and braised beef from the gallery. I opted for the special, a chile relleno stuffed with ground beef & spicy goodness, grilled and topped with queso fresco and tomatillos, sided with black beans and Mexican rice. Heaven in my mouth. This dish was EXCELLENT and made me want to work on mastering the art of the chile relleno myself. I was only disappointed with how fast we were seated and served so that the experience didn't last longer. As it goes with b'opping, off we were to the next place...

This was a great stop on our b'opping Atlanta tour, and I have to admit, just one example of how Atlanta grows on me with each visit.

Here goes it.

And so it is October. And so goes the summer. And so might as well start talking about what we're eating (and drinking). The idea is to savor the notable details of my eating & drinking outings, observations and experiences for your viewing pleasure, or whatever. Just for fun. Here goes it. Enjoy.