Where did the blog dude go?

Yes, it's true. Overworked and underblogged is the story of my recent life. But fear not kin, I am making a comeback. I am re-firing up the front burners and ready to dive into to another chapter of exciting, family get togethers and tasty new recipes. So don't count me out, I just had to make some halftime adjustments. Happy Eating!

Wii had a great time!

Wii are so glad that you all could make it to our treso de mayo celebration. Can't wait till next month.

Love,

Missy, Bradford and Wrigley

Festive Food

As New Orleanians, it's no secret that eating is a way of life. I don't mean simply food as sustenance, but more of how it is part of the fabric of who we are. The food we eat here is symbolic of our culture. It's over the top, over indulgent, but darn hard to resist. New Orleans is a unique in the sense that one could identify this city purely on taste. In one day you could have beignets at Cafe du Monde, a shrimp poboy at Domilise's and dinner at Antoine's, and walk away saying that's what New Orleans tastes like. There's not many places you can do this, anywhere. Yesterday I was walking through all that is the French Quarter Festival with 400,000 of my fellow neighbors when I realized how great is it that you have an opportunity at $4-5 a pop to tastes so many aspects of New Orleans cuisine, while listening to the best music this city has to offer on 18 different stages. Now of course the hordes of people undoubtedly can slow things down considerably, but what you are waiting for is unlike anything else you could find. Certainly it is easy to get discouraged at all the lines and waiting, but the truly good news is that all these people want to come out and celebrate what's great about our city, and the more people that do that, the better off we will be. Look out Jazz Fest, you're little brother is growing up.

Treso de Mayo

The April event has been moved to May 3rd.

For this family get together we will be celebrating the Mexican independence day a little early with a family style fiesta. There will be plenty of margaritas and fajitas and cheese dip to go around.

We will being early at 11:00 a.m., 317 Henry Clay.

Dyed or Dead Eggs?

Is it ok to eat a blue, yellow, or multicolored, hard boiled eggs? This is always an interesting question the day after Easter because many ponder the safety of eating the prized easter decorations. The truth is, the dye won't hurt you and making green deviled eggs or pink egg salad could prove to be a good conversation piece. However, the enemy lies in the temperature and not the color. Hard boiled eggs should not sit out at room temperature for more than a couple of hours, they are supposed to be refrigerated until eaten. So, if your colorful dozen had been hanging out in the Easter basket since Saturday, its time for the trash.

I Dig Pig

Ah, pork. The mere mention of the word and I can practically smell the bacon frying. By all accounts, pound for pound, pork has to be the most flavorful meat on the planet. In fact when I do a quick run in my head of my all time favorite foods, I believe pork is in every one. Pulled pork sandwich: yep that's a gimme. Chicken and andouille gumbo: yep, pork butchered and smoked to local tastes. Pasta carbonara: yep, panchetta because italian speaking pigs count too. I did say planet. Of course bacon, but that's another gimme. To quote Emeril Lagasse, "pork fat rules." In celebration of the pig and oh yeah, my birthday, this Friday we will be eating at Cochon in the warehouse district. Cochon is french for you know what, and having been here before, I am already thinking of all things pork. Sad I know, but that's just who I am. Chef Donald Link, who also owns Herbsaint, has put together a great menu that showcases the pig from trotter to tail and how traditionally it has become a part of the cajun/southern palate. There is everything from homemade boudin and cochon du lait, to pickled pig's tongue and crispy pig's ear salad to a fried oyster and bacon sandwich. Digest that for a second...a fried oyster and bacon sandwich. My heart hurts, but you have to admit that sounds pretty tasty.

Sucre is Sweet

Actually, Sucre is a sweet boutique. French for the word "sugar," Sucre has brought something truly unique to Magazine St. and uptown New Orleans: High quality, artisanal chocolates and confections. But don't let the impressive display of bite-sized chocolates distract you from all this place has to offer. Where do I begin and where do I stop? Homemade ice cream, gelato and sorbet. French macaroons, parfaits and marshmallows. Croissants, foccacia and breakfast pastries. Did I mention all this is made fresh right there in the store's kitchen? I have to say it is easy to feel like a kid in a candy store because there are just so many things that you want to try. For Vivienne it was easy, for upon entering the front door, the beautiful display of colorful gelato and sorbets were directly in her line of sight (clever planning). "I want chocolate ice cream." Done deal. For Lauren and I, considerably more deliberation, then we finally decided to try out the lunch menu. Oh by the way, the also have a super lunch menu. We split a grilled portabella on foccacia with fresh mozarella and a just-made chicken salad on croissant, then of course a chocolate covered macaroon. By far what blew us away about Sucre was the freshness, quality and attention to every detail that is really hard to find in just about any restaurant, cafe or ice cream parlor. Throw in the friendly, helpful service we received and I'd say it was a top notch experience. Honestly, I could probably go on about this place for another hour, but I will stop here and leave you with this - one of the truly valuable aspects of Sucre is that it feels like you could be anywhere in the world. It's the kind of place that somehow suspends time and that right there should be treasured by all.