Phoenix's O.H.S.O. Eatery + nanoBrewery

Craft Draft at O.H.S.O. Eatery + nanoBrewery

Of course my trip to Phoenix for the MLB FanCave couldn't be ALL baseball.  I had to sneak some Bite and Booze in at some point.  Fortunately after getting picked up from the airport by Veronica, a good friend from back in my LSU days, we had time to swing by the O.H.S.O. Eatery + nanoBrewery for some catching up over brews and a little food.  OHSO had a handful of house-made beers on tap as well as plenty of other options from around Arizona.  There were some really interesting and wonderful beers that I sampled such as the White Chocolate Ale out of Sonoran Brewing (third from left) in Scottsdale and OHSO's own Roasted Apricot Nitro (far right).  I think my favorite may have been the Coconut Joe Coffee Stout (second from left) out of Papago Brewing, also in Scottsdale.  The roasted malt and coffee flavors were nicely accented by the hints of coconut for a refreshing variation on a dark coffee beer!

Moving on to the food, I ordered a signature dish at OHSO, the gnocchi bolognese.  The potato pasta had plenty of cheese mixed in with the beef and sausage bolognese.  The basil added a little freshness to keep the dish from being too rich.  The single plate of it filled me up and could easily be ordered as a dish to pass around and share.  I'm going to have to remember this idea for later, because it was delicious!  Nothing like a good brewpub to get a trip going.  Cheers!

Gnocchi Bolognese 

Food Porn from an Airstream: Ignatius Reilly's Gourmet Street Food

Some chefs just get it.  Marcus Day is one of those chefs.  His cuisine is uncompromising.  Food and flavor before all else.  No shortcuts.  Handmade pastas, sauces from scratch, and creativity daily.  The story becomes even more remarkable because Chef Day does it all out of a vintage Airstream trailer.  And he has a name that came out of local literature: Ignatius Reilly's Gourmet Street Food.  For anybody living under a rock, Ignatius Reilly is the name of the main character in John Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces.  Ignatius Reilly is an educated, eccentric, but often slothful 30 year old living in uptown New Orleans.  And he loves to eat.  To know more, read the book.

Bolognese with Fresh Pasta and Parmesan

Marcus also clearly gets the overall Food Truck movement.  The idea of a concession stand on wheels is as old as traveling carnivals.  However, gourmet mobile eateries slinging restaurant quality grub at affordable prices... well that's what turns a trend into a revolution.

Chef Marcus Day's Ignatius Reilly's Gourmet Street Food

Social media has played a large role in the surge of meaningful mobile food vendors.  Chef Day has been on top of his branding from the beginning, posting pictures of dishes of Facebook and interacting with his customers on Twitter.  He also uses the channels to tell his fans where he is set up for lunch, dinner, and even brunch on the weekends.

Carrot Ginger Soup with Mint Creme Fraiche 

Ignatius Reilly's concept is fresh and local, to every extent possible.  His signature items are handmade pastas, carefully crafted soups, and specialty sandwiches.  The top photograph of the bolognese is perhaps Chef Day's signature dish.  Ever on the menu, the pasta with beef sauce and layers of Parmesan lives up to its permanent place on the menu board.  After one bite you can taste the freshness of the homemade noodles and the unique bolognese.  The latest dish that I've tried from Marcus is the above carrot ginger soup.  The delicious and nutritious soup is finished with a little butter to add that wonderful extra richness and then topped with a dollop of mint creme fraiche to just take it over the top. 

Eggs Cancienne: Poached Eggs, Grilled Don's Andouille, French Bread Toast, Fresh Cheese Grits, Tasso Hollandaise 

As I mentioned earlier, Ignatius Reilly's sets up for weekend brunch around Baton Rouge as well.  Make an effort to track him down any weekend and you won't be sorry.  The Eggs Cancienne represent a fantastic all around dish that would be worthy of any brick and mortar joint.  Chef's Day own spin on the classic Eggs Benedict, the tasso hollandaise is bright and rich and is simply superb with the cheese grits on the bottom.

Creme Brulee Pain Perdu: NOLA French Toast, Steen's Cane Syrup, Candied Pecans, Powdered Sugar 

Not to stop there, also found on the brunch menu at times is a French toast dish with some Louisiana favorites.  I could eat this creme brulee pain perdu for breakfast or dessert at any time and be completely content.

Everything that Ignatius Reilly's serves comes in containers made from recycled products which just furthers the notion that Chef Day has it figured out.  Next time you see his stainless steel Airstream around town, make sure to stop by, order some great food, and tell him hey.  You won't be sorry!

Dining at DeAngelo's with Fantastic Friends

Another day, another lunch!  This time I met Hannah, Robert, Kevin, and Shawn at Louis DeAngelo's Casual Italian Dining on Jefferson Highway.  DeAngelo's is a Baton Rouge original with multiple locations around town.  They offer a pretty traditional Italian menu with various pastas and pizzas.

DeAngelo's on Jefferson

We met for lunch as a follow up from the previous dinner at the Romero's house and the lunch at the Roux House.  It was certainly great to see Robert again before he heads off to New Zealand, and it is always a pleasure to hang out with Hannah Lane, artist extraordinaire.  Kevin and Shawn were still in from Chicago, so we had quite a fantastic group.  I ordered the Nona's Lasagna because I had been craving some of the layered Italian dish and wanted to compare DeAngelo's variety to others around town. 

Nona's Lasagna at DeAngelo's

The lasagna was layered with plenty of cheeses from mozzarella to ricotta in addition to the meaty Bolognese sauce and the marinara.  The overall flavor was a mixture of sweet tomatoes and lots of basil.  It was good lasagna, but certainly not my favorite.  I felt like it lacked something in the texture and thought that it almost needed to be eaten with a spoon rather than a fork.  While it was good, I certainly did not think it was spectacular.  I was also able to sample a couple shrimp from Hannah's salad.  They were delightful little grilled crustaceans but the quantity did not meet the price in my opinion and they were rather small for a typical grilled shrimp in Louisiana. 

Banquet Room with Paintings by Hannah Lane

One of my favorite parts about DeAngelo's was the fact that the decorations around the restaurant largely consisted of paintings by Hannah.  Walking around the banquet room felt like taking a tour of Italy as Hannah's collection of paintings from her trip to the European boot were hung around the dining space.  Her artistic style is refreshing, colorful, and just the right amount of abstract to know that it requires a great amount of creativity and imagination.  I left DeAngelo's very happy after getting my fill of lasagna and an art show!

Cheesecakes and Assorted Sweets from L'auberge Du Lac in Lake Charles

My day of delivering delightful dishes to my neverending belly was not over after DeAngelo's.  When I got back to the office I found a box of cheesecakes on sticks and other assorted mini-cakes from the bakery at the L'auberge Du Lac casino in Lake Charles.  I couldn't believe my eyes when I opened the box lid to find such amazing treats staring back at me as if they wanted to be eaten.  Since cheesecake is one of my all-time favorite desserts, I picked out a good one and plunged it into my mouth.  Wow!  First, what a great idea!  Whoever thought of putting a cheesecake on a stick is brilliant!  Secondly, these were really good cheesecakes with a beautiful mixture of cream cheese and sugar.  I couldn't resist and had another.  And the next day, since nobody else in the office was eating anything, I had the carrot cake too.  It was pretty good, but not as amazing as the cheesecakes on a stick!