“Real Cajun” Book Giveaway (And Citymeals-on-Wheels Benefit Recap)
Last night was the Citymeals-on-Wheels “Global Street Food” benefit at Rock Center that we gave away tickets to last week. Midtown Lunch favorites like the Dessert Truck and the Treats Truck parked themselves alongside famous chefs from all over the country who were all serving “street food” inspired fare. With a ticket price of $450+ it’s too expensive for most of us, but all the money went to benefit Citymeals-on-Wheels and I have to say- if I had money, this is what I would spend it on. It’s easily one of the best food events of the year (although admittedly this years street food theme catered more to my personal tastes than previous years.)
It was also funny to see all these rich folks sidling up to one of the Red Hook Ballfield Vendor trucks for pupusas and fried plantains, and the Kogi BBQ table for kimchi quesadillas (most of them completely unaware of the madness that took place yesterday.) I overheard one lady ask her son what kimchi was, and listened to him confidently explain that it meant “to cook something in the proper way.” (It’s actually fermented Korean veggies, most commonly cabbage, but close enough guy.)
Of course none of this really has anything to do with finding lunch in Midtown, so for humoring me reading this useless post I’m going to give away my favorite new cookbook! (Which also has nothing to do with eating lunch in Midtown, but whatever.)
Last night I was most looking forward to the boudin from Donald Link, chef of Cochon and Herbsaint– two of my favorite New Orleans restaurants. It completely lived up to expectations, and since Donald Link was in Midtown yesterday I’m going to give away 3 copies of his new cookbook “Real Cajun: Rustic Home Cooking From Donald Link’s Louisiana”. It doesn’t have anything to do with Midtown Lunch’ing but I know there are a ton of closet N.O. fans on this site, so whatever. The book has got great recipes for good Louisiana home cooking, and even better food porn. Why wouldn’t you want it?
To win a copy, post your favorite New Orleans food memory (or, if you have never been, what’s the first thing you would eat if you got to visit the crescent city?) Comments will close at Noon on Friday 6/12 and the winner will be drawn randomly. Good luck!
Posted by Zach Brooks at 8:30 am, June 9th, 2009 under Event, Free Stuff, New Orleans.
46 Comments | RSS comments feed for this post
46 Comments
-
-
i couldn’t agree with you more, steve, on the point that the service industry is a highly-regarded career path in new orleans and that lifers were the norm at institutions like commander’s, galatoires, etc. but, it’s no secret that a lot of these lifers were displaced by the storm for one reason or another, and the service industry has suffered in replacing the ones that left.
the service at commander’s has consistently improved with each of my post-katrina visits, but they are still working towards achieving the seamless pre-katrina level. and please don’t get me wrong, i believe that the community needs to support all of these restaurants while they “rebuild”; i was simply making the point that the flawless service i was accustomed to at commander’s was one of my favorite new orleans food memories. -
lol @ vjchin at the lot and lots of boobs. And there’s okra in jambalaya? There’s okra in gumbo. I’d need to have authentic gumbo and etouffee too if I get to visit the Big Easy.
I think like jambalaya because it’s similar to paella, another fav. rice dish.
-
the eating options were endless in new orleans and definitely didn’t spend enough time there so i’ll have to go back. loved cochon and herbsaint both, but one of the other highlights was fried chicken at willie mae’s.
-
eating a dozen freshly shucked oysters at the bar at Acme Oyster House knowing that they were done right in front of you.
-
Fav memory – starting in on a bucket of crayfish with a beer in hand. Peeling each shell away carefully at first, not wanting to waste a morsel. Halfway through, eating only what I could get with a single swipe at the shell. Three-quarters through – game over. The bucket beat me. Then watching a drunk conventioneer flag down a police car thinking it was a taxi. A perfect day in all and the start of a love affair with NO.
“The pre-katrina service at commander’s was something you couldn’t find anywhere else.”
Commander’s current wait staff is heavily composed of pre-Katrina individuals. The service industry is as important to NOLA as the financial industry is to NYC. Therefore, it is quite common and in no way thought of negatively to be a “lifer” in the service industry. The unique feel of a wait staff that is more like family is simply another one of the treasures that makes dining in NOLA so special.
Also – for bread pudding I implore everyone to taste the Chocolate Bread Pudding at Red Fish Grill on Bourbon St., a Brennan establishment. You have to order the Bread Pudding with your entree because it takes over a half hour to bake and prepare. When it comes out, OH MY GOD.