La Boca: Run, Don't Walk. Just Get There.

Incredible. It may not be fair to give them such lavish praise but after our failed dinner attempt at Cafe Adelaide, the comparison between the two for service, food and drinks was night and day.

We were immediately acknowledged, sweet! Given four menus for all four people and told about specials, thank you! Thursday is service industry night at La Boca, even better! We just looked at that menu, which did not include the pastas and salads but had all the cuts of meat, empanadas etc.

We got our cocktails immediately, God, I'm really loving this place! Fresh watermelon and vodka, which was really tasty and not watery like I feared. For starters, we ordered the morcilla, provoleta and bruschetta. I didn't really dig the bruschetta but it wasn't bad. The provoleta, I maybe expected more, it was just cheese to me. A really good cheese appetizer is the fried cheese with lemon at Mona's. Also, it had oregano sprinkled liberally all over it. I used to think I wasn't crazy about oregano until I went to Sicily and tasted their oregano and had an epiphany that what we have here in the US is just stuff they sweep off the oregano factory floor. I don't even like fresh oregano that I've tasted out of many gardens so maybe Sicily has the advantage with all that volcanic ash in the soil or something, I don't know. This was definitely factory floor oregano but not everyone is an oregano elitist like me. The morcilla though, oh, well, the morcilla. Fan-flipping-tastic. Just order it and get over the fact that it's blood sausage. It's pretty much just like boudin so if you like that, you should really try it.

The steaks were out of this world, some of the best steak I've ever had and I have eaten bife de chorizo in Buenos Aires. Fried brussel sprouts are the most genius thing ever. Asparagus and fries are also not to be missed. The brussel sprouts even taste good cold for breakfast. I can't wait to go back and try the empanadas and the gnocchi and of course, dessert! Love, love, love La Boca!

Current Drink Obsession

A Negroni is one of those cocktails that I've heard of but never actually knew what was in them. I didn't really ever give the subject much thought until I read about Orangette drinking them with her mother and it sort of stuck in my brain. (If you click on the Orangette link, make sure you click in turn on her link, I really like the accompanying article that discusses Negroni variations). Like so many things, it did indeed get stuck in my brain but under a pile of exceedingly heavy other tidbits. I'm starting to suspect that I have had more than a few mini-strokes with all the things that fly out of my head, never to return. Anyway, I remembered the Negroni when I read this article in the New York Times about the Negroni Sbagliato. I actually love saying this but it's a bit much and would probably earn me cold reception from the bartender if I blithely ordered one of these.
So, picture this this. A steamy May evening in the port city of New Orleans. I enter May Baily's, a perfect reproduction of what I imagine the elegant parlors of Storyville's sporting houses to look like; Victorian wallpaper, sumptuous carpets and cut glass light fixtures. I want something to match the decor, refined and classic. The bartender had no idea what it was but she had no problem whipping one up based on my vague instruction. If you don't like Campari (bitter) you won't like this but I really enjoy that flavor, especially as an antidote to the heat. And then, about halfway through the drink, when the ice got all melty, something happened to the alchemy of the cocktail and it turned into something altogether different and even more delightful. If you don't like gin (and I don't really either but somehow it works for me here), make it with sparkling wine. I bet the effervescence really enhances the drink.

Meals From the Market

I went to the farmer's market on Saturday and picked up a ton of local strawberries and fava beans. Those berries found their way into my yogurt, my oatmeal, salads and even fresh margaritas but I still had some more to devour so I made strawberry shortcake. To complement the perfect spring dessert, I made a simple fava bean pasta for our entree. I have to say, I was bored by the pasta. I put shallots and lemon zest and a generous splash of cream and yet still didn't achieve the understated elegance I was looking for. I blame it on the orecchiette from Whole Foods that I used, they had a gummy, almost slimy texture.

For the shortcake, I whipped some heavy cream and added a bit of sugar and lemon to my berries. I made little muffins using a recipe that is actually the base of a tres leches cake but I figured it would work here too.

1 cup flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
3 eggs, separated
3/4 c. sugar
zest of one lemon
juice of one lemon
1/4 c. milk

Sift the dry ingredients together in one bowl and set aside. In another bowl, beat the three egg whites with the sugar until soft peaks form. Begin adding the flour mixture to the egg whites, then the egg yolks, milk and lemon, alternating in between. don't overmix because you want to keep the airiness you created by whipping the egg whites. Pour into a cake pan that has been greased and floured and bake until lightly golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.

I made this recipe as mentioned above for a tres leches cake and it was okay. I made it again for the shortcake simply because I knew the proportions in my head and didn't have to look anything up. I'm not thrilled with the texture of the crumb with this cake, it's okay, but that might be my fault for using part white and part whole wheat flour. But I mean really, I could put strawberries and whipped cream on top of a shoe and eat it contentedly so if you can keep it easily in your head like I can, it's not a bad vehicle for other toppings. Although I think I will use this recipe next time.

Viva San Giuseppe!!!!

Today may very well be my favorite holiday of the year and I never miss the chance to celebrate, even if I am not with my nearest and dearest. If you don't know about the tradition, check this out. Last year I had my own altar and table but this year, well, I am just so tired of entertaining and having a house full of people (Mardi Gras was great but I'm glad it is over!). So instead, I decided to altar hop. I ended up going to SIX different altars today, ate my own body weight in cuccidati, made my own abbreviated dinner in Joe's honor and ended the day with some gelato. Love this day and LOVE celebrating it in New Orleans where the tradition is still going strong!

First, I went to St Alphonsus. This was the church I went to for my first St. Joseph's Day in New Orleans many years ago. There weren't nearly as many people there as I remembered but it was still lovely; we ate at tables set out in a pretty courtyard with azalea bushes in full bloom. This is where I ate my main meal of the day and it included baked redfish, shrimp risotto, artichoke milanese, pasta with egg and salad. THe risotto was new for me and it was delicious. Everything else was good, not outstanding, but solid. Next year, I will have to bring my own red pepper flakes (absent) and a bottle of wine (not box).

Next, I went to St. Stephen's. I didn't eat there but they looked like they had pasta con sarde! It was also a much bigger crowd. Not only did they have an elaborate altar, but there was also the lady playing "O Sole Mio" on the ukelele. Awesome.





I love in New Orleans that they have bread shaped like crabs, crawfish and alligators. I'm used to just plain old crosses and staffs.



Next I went to someone's house that was open to the public, how cool is that! This was an extremely lavish altar, with bowls of boiled crawfish and plates of stuffed crab (that was only for the altar, the food offering was just pasta and some fried cabbage and artichokes). I don't know if people there knew each other or not but I really got a kick out of overhearing other people talking about which of their family members came over from Sicily and other little personal tidbits.





St Augustine's, small but sweet. And the first altar I saw with honey balls! (Pignolata)

St Joseph's, apparently the largest church in the South.

Finally, I went over to the gelato shop around the corner, Brocato's.

Weary and heavily laden with cookies, prayer cards and fava beans, I returned home, all altared out. But I wanted to make an appropriate meal so I made Gramma Bondi's cabbage patties and cooked up some skate with a butter-lemon-caper sauce. It fit the bill perfectly! Then, what the hell, I walked back over to Brocato's, where Ben and I finished up with gelato and espresso, a very fine day indeed!

Chocolate Guinness Pudding

It often surprise me how pervasive St Patrick's Day is in this country. It really doesn't seem to matter much what your ethnicity or race is, people love to drink green milkshakes and swill beer on March 17th. Although I am approximately 1/16 Irish, I don't connect much with that part of my heritage, nor do I care much for St Patrick's Day. I don't have anything against it, mind you, it is just overshadowed by MY FAVORITE HOLIDAY, St Joseph's Day, which happens to fall two days after. More on that come Saturday. Anyway, I saw this recipe for Chocolate Guinness pudding and I could not resist. It is just as delicious as it sounds!

* 8 large egg yolks
* 1 cup sugar
* One 14.9-ounce can Guinness Draught
* 3 cups heavy cream
* 7 ounces high-quality bittersweet (70 to 72% cacao) chocolate, finely chopped


In large nonreactive mixing bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar.

Open can of Guinness and slowly pour into 4-cup measuring cup, pouring down side of cup to reduce foaming. Pour half of Guinness (about 7/8 cup) into heavy-bottomed 3-quart saucepan. Add 2 1/4 cups cream and whisk to combine. Set over medium heat and heat, whisking occasionally, until bubbles just begin to form at edges. Remove from heat, add chocolate, and whisk until smooth.

Slowly pour hot chocolate mixture into eggs, whisking constantly to prevent curdling. Return mixture to saucepan and set over moderately low heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens and coats back of spoon, about 15 minutes. (Pudding will look separated.) Pour into blender and blend on high for 1 minute. Divide pudding among glasses, leaving at least 1 inch of space at top of each. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled and set.

Meanwhile, pour remaining Guinness into small saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to moderately low and simmer, uncovered, until reduced to 1 tablespoon, about 20 minutes. Pour syrup into small bowl and let cool.

Beat remaining cream until soft peaks form. Add Guinness syrup and beat until combined. Divide cream among 6 glasses of pudding and serve.

My thoughts: I halved this and I still got six, er, um five (I swear I don't know what happened to that sixth one!) 4 ounce servings. This is rich so I think 4 ounces is fine, although, who am I kidding, I could easily eat 6. I also halved the half of cream it called for because I didn't have any more and also because I wanted a more unadulterated chocolate flavor. It worked. Finally, I thought the reduced beer in the whipped cream tasted sour and not good at all but when you eat it all in one bite, it comes together but I might skip that next time. The pudding itself is just so perfect on it's own.

Last Night I Spotted a Unicorn!

No, not really, but I felt like I did when i spotted the elusive Hubig's king cake at the grocery store! I've been scouring the city to find one since Three King's Day and finally got my hands on one. It looked a little worse for wear and quite honestly, it wasn't nearly as good as a plain old Hubig's pie that you can get all year round but hey, now I can say that I tried it!

What's Your King Cake Pleasure?

I am a king cake aficionado. I have heard some blasphemous talk that they are just big cinnamon buns but when was the last time you had a moist, springy cinnamon bun that was filled with almond-scented cream cheese and fresh berries? And covered with purple, green and gold sprinkles?

I admit, part of my obsession can be attributed to the laws of supply and demand. Their supply is only around for a few months of the year, therefore my demand for them is on high when 'tis the season. I also enjoy tradition and ritual and so if my forebearers ate cinnamon buns, umm, I mean king cakes, during Carnival season, then by golly, so will I! Each year, I like to sample just about as many as I can, I'm a king cake flirt if you will and see no reason to stay in a rut with just one bakery's king cake for the rest of eternity.

Last year, I sampled Randazzo's (my favorite), Rouse's (just fine and the best bang for your buck), Winn Dixie (nasty, inedible even), Cake Cafe and Sucre. Cake Cafe does have that wonderful goat-cheese apple combination and Jackson Pollack like frosting, unfortunately their "cake" is more like dry bread and so that was the last of Cake Cafe for me.

Sucre's iteration was a pastel-sparkly number that my friend Corinne gasped at and called it "unicorn food" when she saw it. It is awfully pretty but it is also awfully expensive, just like everything at Sucre, and it wasn't really worth the price to me. It was smallish and had a poor filling-to-cake ratio.


This year, there are some new players on the field! And mini king cakes are all the rage, which is great, because then I don't have to live in a constant sugar-glazed haze of guilt after demolishing a regular size king cake in just one evening. La Divina Gelateria has minis filled with Nutella! Must try this. Hubig's, that elusive beast, has made minis as well but I can't find them anywhere. Cochon Butcher has minis too and last night I picked up a chocolate one. I was sort of expecting chocolate pudding or a Nutella type filling but instead it was a drier, crumbly, cocoa powder based filling. It was STELLAR!!!!! The cake was soft and moist. The frosting was right on, filling super and all three were in proper proportion to each other. Definitely my favorite so far this year and that says a lot because last week, we took down an entire Chantilly Berry king cake from Whole Foods, also very good. We've got more than a month left until the season is over so I anticipate many more king cakes in my immediate future. I'm even going to make my very own for the Endymion party I am having so come on by and indulge in a slice or seven with me!