Food Thoughts #2 November 14, 2014

"99% of food photos are terrible photos. They are poorly lit, blurry, and unfocused. Then they get displayed on facebook and twitter like something that is worth looking at."

Food Thoughts #1 November 5, 2014

"Why does all sliced American bread taste like nothing?"

 "Brunch makes weekend afternoons the worst time to eat out."

- Shadi Khoury

Sylvain NOLA

625 Chartres St New Orleans

The story of the building at 625 Chartres is alluring. I read an article that said when Sylvain closes at night the bartender lights a candle and pours a Sazerac for a former madame who used to and maybe still inhabits the building. There are other cool stories that add to the noir chic vibe of this restaurant. Really though, I went there to eat. At night the dining room is dark, and everything feels old but elegant.

The food is worth coming back for and my server was amazing. Shoutout to Eleanor at Sylvain for being one of the best servers in New Orleans. You have to try the Wagyu Beef Belly that sits on a savory pancake that soaks up the delicious dark sauce. The beef was so tender I didn't use a knife. That gravy was a great connection between the pancake and the beef. My guess, this is Sylvain's most popular starter. I also would recommend the Squash Griddle Cakes.

I had a refreshing citrus champagne cocktail. But Sylvain's cocktail program emphasizes whiskey as the prevailing liquor. This evening was a quick visit to Sylvain but what lasted was the memory of dessert. Their Chocolate Pot de Creme was so good it would have been worth the visit by itself. The cream was so light and airy you could barely feel the dairy. The chocolate was like silk, just the right spot between rich and light.

Last note about Sylvain, the entrance is around the back. Because back in the day cool people didn't want the squares to get in.

Cane and Table NOLA

1113 Decatur Street New Orleans, LA

When you walk in it is pretty and it smells good. At night the lights are warm and the air smells boozy mixed with fruity and aromatic. The bar is functionally decorated with fruits, herbs, some veggies. And you can smell them because they are ingredients in most of the drinks at Cane & Table. They are one of many New Orleans dining spots that pair their alcohol program with the food. 

They do a great job with drink presentations. I ordered a couple of drinks and they looked and tasted great. I am a light drinker I prefer mellow flavors like champagne and fruit. The Watermelon Man cocktail I ordered was watermelon and basil shrub poured over sparkling wine. It was damn good. Caveat, I am a sucker for champagne cocktails. The tiki vibe is well done at Cane & Table. I saw lots of drinks walk by. They all looked cold, colorful, and tropical. 

The drink menu pairs nicely with the dinner menu. I tried three small plates while I drank. A pineapple arugula salad, red peppers stuffed with crab and cheese, and avocado salad with marinated crab fingers. The menu has more detailed descriptions you can look at here.

The menu and the drinks are successfully tropical. It is not a gimmick. The pineapple was grilled and on top was arugula. There was a little jalapeno in there to spice it up. The contrast with the pineapple worked. The stuffed peppers were good but not that exciting. I could taste the crab flavor but it was not obvious the crab was there. 

My favorite plate and Cane & Table was the avocado salad. It was really simple, And like everything I tried it was cool and refreshing. Cold marinated crab fingers went really well on top of the avocado salad that had its own built in flavors. There were little Szechuan looking pepper rings that brought a little heat to go with the fatty avocado and light crab. 

If you like a good alcohol program paired with your dinner. Add Cane & Table to your NOLA list. Just look at that pretty picture I added up there. It tastes as good as it looks.

Square Root. 15 Courses. $150. Is it worth it?

There is only one restaurant in New Orleans doing a tasting menu nightly in New Orleans. Square Root opened in April 2014, and they are the most ambitious restaurant in the city.

These are high risk high reward type restaurants. Root has been around 2-3 years and it must be a success. One it is still open, two Square Root is open now too. The Square Root team is taking a huge risk while attempting something unconventional. The night I went to dinner the menu was successful. But when there are 15 courses, some things catch you by surprise and then your opinion could go either way.

I am not going to review 15 different plates here. I am going to tell you if I feel like I would pay the cost again to dine at Square Root. 

To get a thorough answer I am going to answer a few questions:
Are any of Square Root's plates good enough to get into the best dish canon of NOLA restaurants?

There were two dishes I would put in the NOLA canon. One was an amazing oyster (it wasn't a Gulf oyster, Virginia or New England maybe?) and it had this great horseradish concoction made with liquid nitrogen. It was like horseradish ice chips that evaporated when you ate the oyster. The other dish was a multiple mushroom pasta. They made the pasta from the mushrooms. The pasta looked like little bells. I don't remember all the mushrooms but the pasta was topped with ultra savory chanterelles. 

Was it worth $150 compared with the rest of NOLA?

Yes. This is a unique experience. It is most definitely worth doing once.

Would I pay the cost again this month? In one year? In two years?

I wouldn't spend $150 again there this month. I would think about it next year. If they stick around two years from now? Sure I will go back.

I have to mention the upstairs bar (Root Squared) is open daily. I would go there happily anytime. The drinks are ten out of ten. Excellent decor, a wonderful modern Gothic lounge vibe.

Square Root is a place food nerds have to check out if they already haven't. To try once, I am glad I went to Square Root it was a great dinner. Except for this pretty salad, that had some ugly tasting gelee as a base. Pound for pound I could get a lot more in NOLA for $150. But for a one night 15 course tasting menu, Square Root is worth a shot. 

 

Unchained: 3 Baton Rouge Restaurants That Can Change Chain Culture

In October 2013 I wrote about the proliferation of chains and fast food in Baton Rouge. My article "Baton Rouge Restaurants: Now and the Future" focuses on the how chain restaurants stifle modern cuisine and local entrepreneurs by using their majority as power. Chains thrive because of us, we consciously choose to support them. The best places to eat in Baton Rouge are small local eateries.

I have three picks for this article. These restaurants are all local. The menus have nothing to do with any typical Louisiana cuisine. The through line is these picks are local to Baton Rouge but also local to food and culture from other countries.  Nino's (Italian), Dim Sum Restaurant (Eponymous), and Rama (Thai). These restaurants are all local to Baton Rouge and I believe they have the elements that can progress our restaurant culture.

My selections for this article have one location each and they are in Baton Rouge. Dim Sum Restaurant and Rama have casual atmosphere and prices. Nino's atmosphere and prices are higher.

Dim Sum Restaurant (225-926-0909) 9431 Delcourt Ave. Baton Rouge , LA
This place is what a Dim Sum joint should be like. The menu has all the ranges of plate sizes. For example the dumplings and different types of rolls (spring rolls, egg rolls, etc.) are small plates. Then you have larger plates that are clay pot entrees, or stir fry dishes with rice or noodles. My favorite thing to do here is to order all of the dumplings. Don't miss the dumplings with shrimp (Steamed Chive Gow & Ha Gow). The food nerds I know also respect the clay pots and rice noodles here.

Nino's Italian (225-757-9300) 7512 Bluebonnet Blvd Baton Rouge, LA
Nino's is the best Italian restaurant in Baton Rouge. They are one of the Baton Rouge restaurants proudly representing the modern cuisine movement which is utterly dependent on fresh ingredients and fresh ideas. This is their mission statement that is on their website: "A modern take on traditional Italian cuisine. Handmade wheat sourdough, hand-rolled pasta, locally grown produce, and fresh Louisiana gulf seafood."

They live up to their ideals. I gave the other Baton Rouge Italian joints a chance and they are far behind Nino's. Nino's plates are all pretty, the portions are just right, and the pasta is fresh and chewy without being grainy. It has that smooth al dente texture without being too firm, great pasta hits that sweet spot when it is not too chewy (undercooked) and not too soft (overcooked). I would recommend anything on the menu here. When it comes to Baton Rouge Italian this is the only place I recommend.

Rama (225-387-5943) 2919 Perkins Rd Baton Rouge, LA
This is a hole in the wall Thai restaurant that has good food for a good price. Appetizer, entree, and a beer would cost you about twenty bucks. And you will have leftovers. I don't see clear noodles often. Rama has a clear noodle dish with shrimp and pork. These clear noodles are light like Pho rice noodles, a starch that doesn't leave the stomach groggy. The menu is also sprinkled with different curries that come with rice or noodles. Unique dishes like green duck curry. The duck was cooked to a well temperature in the green curry sauce. I liked that because I prefer duck to be cooked closer to well done than most.

If you are trying to get away from fast food and chains try these places out. The strongest area of the Baton Rouge restaurant game is the local eatery/restaurant. There are many other places I could mention like Fleur de Lis (pizza), Zeeland St. Market (awesome plate lunches), and Viet Garden (Pho). These places share the strategy of having a simple food concept and executing it well and consistently.

Baton Rouge could come up in the restaurant game. All we need is the market to step up and demand more. 

2 Chainz Freebase Mixtape Review

"Watch how I'm a kill em for the summer" says 2 Chainz on Flexin on my Baby Mama. The Freebase mixtape dropped May 5. The beats on this EP are hard as cement and the intent by Chainz is to keep his peers on notice and to keep the heat on high for fans. 

Beats on this EP are menacing. These tracks could play in a club, but the results might be rowdy. There are seven tracks on Freebase. Track one is a spoken intro by some white person with a southern drawl talking about how they used to base. Its funny and it complements the theme of the tracks.

Trap Back is the second track it introduces the dark hammering theme of the beats. This EP is all about flowing finesse. 2 Chainz is rhyming on time and on top of these beats. He is especially talented at adapting his cadences and subject matter to the beat. His massive success on features illustrates this. The lyrical content isn't enlightening but it is effective. Freebase is for the the people who like flows, ladies, money, and strong weed.

FREEBASE is the eponymous track on the EP. Its about staying uncut and strong. Freebase. This track goes at Funkmaster Flex. Other content on this track; introspection, gas station nostalgia, great one liners, and fine flows that put it together.

My favorite track on Freebase is Flexin On My Baby Mama. This song doesn't need much criticism. 2 Chainz drops obscure clever references like Lee Haney and Ernie Barnes. Definitley worth a google if you listen to this track.

Wuda Cuda Shuda features Lil Boosie. 2 Chainz verse is good but I have been skipping the rest of the track because of Lil Boosie. Boosie gets respect among rappers. I wish 2 Chainz would be more restrictive in his features because his verses are at such a level where most rappers dilute his tracks.

Crib In My Closet features ASAP Rocky and Rick Ross. ASAP's verse is good but Ross is bringing nothing of value to this track. "All designer shit I got a crib in my closet" The chorus is a fine summary of this song.

The last track is They Know and it has some watery features by Cap 1 and Ty Dolla Sign. One of my favorite bars on this EP is 2 Chainz "I'm offended by co defendants" A great example of 2 Chainz mastery over one liners.

This mix tape does what its supposed to do. Most importantly its a good rap EP. The flows and beats are super hard. This mix tape is a success and 2 Chainz knows he will be hot in the street this summer.

Booty's Street Food New Orleans Bywater

Booty's is located at 800 Louisa St, New Orleans, LA 70117

 

Booty's continues the NOLA Bywater tradition of ambitious restaurants. The dinner menu has tacos, dumplings, octopus, mofongo, ramen, and other assorted soups and vegetarian items. This type of restaurant is not operating solely for profit. You don't do a menu with proteins and dishes from all over the globe without ambition. It is a huge challenge to do such a versatile menu for such a great value. We ate four dishes and each of them were memorable and above average.

I started with a bywater bomber, which is a elevated daiquiri. It was delicious like a fresh citrus fruit slush. A good drink should be pleasing to anyone, and this was a good drink. We ordered tacos, fries, Korean dumplings, and octopus skewers. Now the details.

The item I was most critical of was the octopus skewers. The octopus was grilled well but the chili sauce on it was overpowering. Octopus has a delicate flavor and the chili sauce was too loud to be complementary.

The Belgian fries were great, creamy and uniform. The shape of each fry was similar, like long finger width 3-D rectangles. We ate these on the side while we ate tacos and dumplings. The tacos are served in a sampler format. Four different tacos each a different style. One a Caribbean style with drum and pineapple salsa, a Korean pork kimchi taco, and two different South American styles. My favorite taco was the drum, good white flaky fish taco with clean flavors. 

Booty's menu items are global.

Korean dumplings, were crispy crunchy and the sauce for them was soy citrus. Soy sauce tends to be overly salty but the citrus flavor made it light and aromatic.

The challenge for Booty's is doing a hundred different things while maintaining a high standard. Booty's meets this challenge. People don't do difficult things just for the money. They do it for satisfaction. 

New Orleans is lucky to have an ambitious restaurant scene. Booty's is definitely a factor. Today's food nerds want excitement and surprise. They want to learn new cultures. Restaurants are evolving to stand for more than food and drink, purely for profit. New Orleans restaurants have to power to be catalysts. I think Booty's and the New Orleans Bywater are moving things forward.

Oh and did I mention, the most expensive thing on the menu is $10! Man this place is some One Hundred plus type shhhhhhh.

Suis Generis Bywater NOLA

Suis Generis is located at 3219 Burgundy Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70117

Suis Generis is another ambitious New Orleans Bywater restaurant. Ambitious is the first thing I think of when I look at the menu here. The menu and drink program are global in scope. The vibe here is a young one that is striving for new challenges. There was a DJ with turntables playing international music from actual records. Ambitious.

For example, we started with a mezze plate which is a middle eastern concept. The plates contents were not all middle eastern. It had olives (good and not too salty), which are typical Arabic sides/condiments. Also on the plate was gouda, danish blue cheese, and cured hard salami. The gouda was more creamy than tart and the danish blue was light, and both cheeses had excellent finishes. The danish blue finished with airy, dry blue cheese flavor. The gouda finish was creamy and dry. There was also a really good vegetable dip for the breads.

Pork belly with chard was excellent. The cookery on this dish was great the temperature on everything was hot. The seasoning on the chard is spicy and stimulating. The unique soy chili flavor wakes up your taste buds instantly.

The third small dish we got was watermelon charred organic tomato, cilantro, lime, salad. This salad was complementary with the other dishes we ate. That melon tomato flavor is really good after a bite of pork belly. 

I have to come back here and get some bigger plates and try the rest of the small ones. The product here is really fresh. The menu is really challenging for the chefs and your taste buds. The drink/wine/cocktail/beer menu is extensive. 

At a place like this, reviews are like a snapshot because in a few days these chefs will have some new ideas and new menu items. And that's what keeps the food nerds writing and coming back to eat and drink more.

2 Chainz ft French Montana - A-Rod : Video Review

A-Rod is a new track by 2 Chainz. A-Rod is a non album release. This track was released free to the public and the rappers made a video for it. Watch it then read about it.

2 Chainz ft French Montana - A-Rod

This is a swag record produced by Young Chop. The sound is slow tempo, dark tones, drill and trap foundations. Lots of cymbals, synth, and bass. New York Yankee visuals are the basis of the clip. Of course this connects to A-Rod and thus steroids. "Smoking on that strong that's that steroid" The other play off A-Rod is cocaine which is routinely mentioned by Chainz and Montana. "I used to run the base like A-Rod"

Those two quotes are what this duo uses to swag on this song. Lyrically, 2 Chainz is taking it easy and French is not even rhyming. There is one of the hugest asses in this video, this song isn't about lyrics or rap technique a fat ass is a good distraction. 

2 Chainz has some funny lines on here that are hard and stylish like, CUI and "I need a chinchilla fore I get frostbite." The A-Rod chorus is simple and capitalizes on airtime, effective for a club record.

French's verse is like Birdman swag rhetoric. Basically hes just talking about doing extravagant flamboyant shit and not rhyming. French talks about calling Madonna, cars, chains, and other material subjects.

This is a track for the club. It's for jamming and dancing. If you want to learn something this is not the song for you.

Schoolboy Q ft 2 Chainz - What they want - Video Review

Schoolboy Q got a hell of a verse from 2 Chainz for his new LP Oxymoron. This feature is a good choice to get people like me to listen to Schoolboy Q. The only black hippy I heard before this was Kendrick Lamar, because he had a couple radio smashes in 2013. 

2 Chainz popularity helps his ability to succeed on features. 2 Chainz has a rare ability to transfer his fans to another artist.

In the video for What They Want Schoolboy Q has good verses and 2 Chainz is naturally flamboyant and stylish in videos.

This video was shot in cemeteries, churches, and strip clubs in New Orleans. If you know the city you would agree this is a complementary combination, especially visually. The initial shots of the video show New Orleans unique, ornate above ground tombs.

Schoolboy's first verse shows him walking around the cemetery while characters with skull masks appear in the alleys of tombs. The darkness of the beat links well with the haunted slow visuals.

The second verse is 2 Chainz coming with some punchlines I haven't heard before. For example: "If I stand on my bankroll I'd be scared of heights"  and "Watch my flow in four inches oh lord she in christians" This is the body of the video and it is bathed in neon red lights, strip clubs, and big twerking asses.

The end of the video is Schoolboy's second verse. The closing visuals are a reprise of the video, Schoolboy is rapping in a church while the clip flashes back to the strip club and cemeteries. There are characters in all black wearing skull masks appearing like ghosts throughout the video. The skull characters are essential to this video because they become part of the ominous tone of the track.

New Orleans was a stellar choice for this video. The dark track is paired well with a haunted city that thrives on contradictions like this video does.

Taco de Paco: Baton Rouge Taco Truck

I have been stalking Taco de Paco on twitter for a while now. Just waiting for a time and place where it would be easy for me to get there. Finally, today they were near me at University Baptist Church, 5775 Highland Rd.

The taco menu is short, that is a strength because tacos are simple and the menu should be too. I tried three tacos. My favorite was Dat Foo taco with roasted pork, spicy hoisin sauce, and Thai slaw. The flavors work great together in this
Chinese/Vietnamese/Thai inspired taco. A little spicy, good crunchy slaw, and savory pork. 

The presentation is pretty. All the tacos I ordered had fresh crispy colorful vegetables. Also, the meats were cooked well.  The next taco, New Skool is a progressive take on the traditional ground beef taco. Instead of lettuce and pico, it had purple pickled onions, radishes, and raisins. Again the execution is planned to be crunchy, spicy, and savory. 

The Juan taco (grilled steak, roasted corn, black beans, jalapenos, lemon creme fresh, cilantro, crispy romain lettuce) was the most traditional I ate of the three. These are easily the best tacos I have had in Louisiana. 

There are some vegetarian options but I didn't get that far today.

Taco de Paco does a great job of executing presentation and flavor. Presentation is simple but appealing and the bites are savory, crunchy, and hyper flavorful. I hope they post up more often at that location at the church on highland. Anybody who likes tacos in Baton Rouge should check out this good food. Chomp chomp.