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frogprince

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Everything posted by frogprince

  1. Well we left DC for New Orleans almost 10 years now and there’s still only 3 culinary things that I personally miss: Steamed crabs (not a huge deal as live crabs are easy to come by and available year round, I just have to cook them myself and sometimes I’m lazy), Frank Ruta (irreplaceable), and 2 Amy’s. What a stellar, delicious, consistent, wonderfully warm, I’m running out of compliments here. Stunning in its simplicity and quality of ingredients (less is more I always tell my young cooks and I wish I could’ve brought them so they can really taste and understand the mantra), knowledgeable, thoughtful staff (a few even recognized me after a decade!) it really goes to show you don’t need bells and whistles, tablecloths, tweezers, mixologists with silly aprons, chefs boasting on instagram, reservations, social media lemmings barging down the door, Michelin stars, all you need is diligent, thoughtful shopping (as my current chef Donald Link says “cook it properly, season it properly, plate it properly”) and a staff committed to the ethos of the project to create a special, special place. Bravo and thank you Peter and team
  2. It’s CARNIVAL TIME y’all!!!! ⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️
  3. Wow, y’all really packed some stellar eating (and walking) inside a short trip! Lil Dizzy’s is the real deal- and not because we live a block away but because it’s that good. My favorite fried chicken, gumbo and hot sausage po boy in the city- which is saying a lot given the competition. My go to hangover cure: Lil Dizzy’s hot sausage po boy, dressed, add American cheese, no fries sub 2 piece dark meat fried chicken (yes I’ll gladly pay the up charge) and a cup of gumbo- that and nap will cure whatever ails you. Norma’s in mid city probably has the best Cuban. What did y’all have at Peche?
  4. Taxim in Wicker Park- we went during the Beard Award weekend before Covid and had a stunning time- real deal regional Greek, unlike anything I’ve had on this side of the Atlantic
  5. We evacuated to my in laws in Greenwood, MS in the middle of the night as Ida intensified to a 4 (which is when I started to worry) and jogged east toward Orleans parish. World Central Kitchen is a great organization to support in this time, as is Second Harvest Food Bank (full disclosure: my wife works there). Closer to home and more grass rootsy, Culture Aid Nola has been organizing meals out of The Howlin’ Wolf to serve the community, staffed by largely hospitality workers who rode the storm out and supported by dozens and dozens of restaurants who cooked everything in their walk ins and brought it over and donated everything frozen; the smoker from Cochon Butcher is there as I type this cooking whatever is on hand. And lastly, we must not forget the thousands of acts of kindness and decency being displayed by all our residents- this is all I hear from friends, loved ones and colleagues who are there RIGHT NOW, in the blistering, last summer, south Louisiana heat and humidity. Through sporadic social media contact (cell service is next to existent still) and communiques with industry folk who evacuated and are heading back to pitch in, there are tremendous bonds of deep love, empathy and affection for all of us who call New Orleans home. I personally am headed down tomorrow with my unfortunately small sized car that will be packed with the essentials and whatever requests restaurant folks and neighbors have made; Secure my house and return back to Mississippi to continue to cook for my in laws who are elderly and facing surgery in a week and need a freezer full of heat and eat meals. Local Entergy sources are saying power restoration will take up to 3 weeks and the Sewerage & Water Board says the sanitation systems are running on flimsy generators- I will leave it to the worst depths of your imagination to consider what will happen if these fail, even in some minor fashion. What this also means is that showers, toilets, washing machines and running water are in the DO NOT USE category for residents so as to not overload the system so that 1st Responders, Hospitals and the like can function without overloading the system. Take care y’all, hug your loved ones extra tight and we will see y’all in the Big Easy once the lights are on and stoves are lit. Sam Whittington Executive Sous Chef, Herbsaint Restaurant, New Orleans, LA
  6. Things I never thought I’d do on Mardi Gras day wake up at 915 drive a car eat 10# crawfish be conscious for the meeting of the courts of Rex and Comus HAPPY MARDI GRAS YALL!!!🦞🦞🦞⚜️⚜️⚜️
  7. Schultz’s is an absolute treasure, cherished by several generations of the Bawlmor side of my family 🦀🦀🦀🦀
  8. Fabulous restaurant, run by even more fabulous folks, Marcus and Caitlyn. And yes they are dear friends of mine, Herbsaint alums both
  9. Y’all havent REALLY lived/had Popeye’s till ya have it in south Louisiana- it truly is a radically different dining experience; service, decor, food are all wildly superior
  10. I was gonna say something snarky, along the lines of “well, man can’t live on crawfish and boudin and etoufee and gumbo and po boys and bread pudding and Pontchatoula strawberries and meat pies and bbq shrimp and crab meat Yvonne and hot tamales and yak a mein and cochon de lait and...” oh wait...
  11. Ups and downs aside, y’all should be exceptionally happy that 2 Amy’s exists; we ain’t got nothing like it down here and that is a downright shame. 2 Amy’s is the best around (till Frank shows back up...)
  12. It’s pretty bad in Terrebone and Lafourche
  13. For Orleans Parish, at least backatown, it is also a non event thus far; Wednesday on the other hand... 1594C33E-3EA5-4C15-9DC8-9E05E56360FB.mp4 5B0ED31C-9F70-46EC-AFC5-AFA917292614.mp4
  14. Mopho is fun and different, definitely no egg brunch things; if it’s the 3rd Saturday then you will be in great luck as that is spit roasted lamb day! (Its pork the other saturdays...)
  15. Does that Cowgirl Creamery joint still exist? That’s the only thing comparable in DC that I recall (granted that was many many moons ago)... Stick to St James Uptown, it is light years better than the downtown farm team
  16. The Galley in Old Metry and Harbor Seafood out in Kenner (brah) also fall into this most noble of restaurant categories; indeed, ask any industry folk and I would wager that most spend their hard earned time off in establishments such as these (if they choose to go out to eat at all but that’s a whole different topic...) The crawfish at both are exemplary, also the gumbos, fried things, honestly you can close your eyes and point and it’ll be fantastic (but defitnely the crawfish). Yall can find me at either, sometimes both, on my hard earned days off
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