Damn! Toups' Meatery Impresses.

Jay takes a shot of Jameson out of a beef bone at Toups' Meatery

You know you're at a uniquely fantastic restaurant when you are requested to take a shot of Irish whiskey using a sawed in half bone out of which you just consumed the marrow. It turns out, the marrow bone works quite well as a whiskey luge and the flavors picked up from the remains of roasted goodness enrich the water of life quite well. Michele took a shot too as we dined at Toups' Meatery, a mid-city New Orleans restaurant that has quickly shot up the charts of not-to-miss dining locations in the Big Easy.

The bone marrow dish, as if the rich marrow followed by a shot of Jameson weren't enough, came topped with escargot and served with chicken liver mousse. We followed that up with some mussels in a white wine chili broth that tasted absolutely incredible. French bread is made for mopping up sauces like this. I also couldn't go to Toups' without indulging in their housemade cracklins. The morsels of pork skin, fat, and muscle are fried twice until they crack in the hot grease. There's nothing wrong with that!

Michele prepares herself for a shot of Jameson with bone marrow remains

Bone marrow with escargot

Mussels, white wine chili broth, grilled bread

Cracklins

We weren't finished at Toups' Meatery just yet. With a bottle of Horrow Show from the Vending Machine Winery to split, Michele and I continued our feast on more meat. We were dining at Toups' Meatery, after all. This is no place for vegans or vegetarians, nor is it a place for a standard cut of meat. You must have at least a slightly adventurous mind and palate to truly appreciate Toups', which is probably why I loved it so much. The Toups' Meatery Board came loaded with a chef's selection of house cured meats. We got more chicken liver mousse, hogs head cheese, sausage, rillons, and a smorgasbord of accoutrements. They were all delicious. Our final course came in the form of duck and pork belly, two of my favorite meats on earth. The confit duck leg and fatty pork belly were accompanied by more sausage and some potatoes and a balsamic duck jus. 

The Menu at Toups' rotates and changes fairly regularly, so while some of the options that I tried may not be available all the time, you can rest assured that whatever new dishes are on the menu, they'll be as unique and fantastic as mine. This is definitely a restaurant in New Orleans that I could see myself going back to over and over again!

Horror Show from the Vending Machine Winery

Meatery Board, selection of house-made fresh and cured meats and condiments

Duck, pork belly, weisswurst, petite potatoes, balsamic duck jus

COOLinary New Orleans: Superior Seafood

Oysters Superior: Four Ways to Deliciousness

During the entire month of August the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau partnered up with a multitude of local restaurants to offer a special COOLinary dining experience.  Locals and tourists alike were treated to special prefix menus at a small price tag of $20 for lunch and $35 for dinner.  With that kind of price tag at some of NOLA's newest as well as most legendary restaurants, there's no reason not to eat out!

The New Orleans CVB invited me to experience a few of the COOLinary meals for myself.  Since I was in town anyway for the Louisiana Cookin' Magazine Chefs to Watch dinner, I figured it couldn't hurt to grab a couple lunches as well.  My first stop brought me a newer restaurant on St. Charles Avenue called Superior Seafood.  The restaurant has the same ownership as Superior Grill in New Orleans and Baton Rouge and Superior Steak in Shreveport.  The latest concept, a truly supreme seafood restaurant and oyster bar, is captained in the kitchen by Chef Justin Ferguson.  Chef Ferguson is a graduate of the Louisiana Culinary Institute in Baton Rouge and has worked at several Red Stick restaurants.

Fried Green Tomato topped with Crab Meat and Hollandaise

Strawberry Basil Mojito

While I came to Superior Seafood to enjoy the three-course COOLinary menu, there were a couple dishes that Michele and I just couldn't pass up.  Since Superior Seafood also dubs themselves as an oyster bar, I couldn't resist the Oysters Superior which came with four preparations: Bienville, Rockefeller, Char-grilled, and Angels on Horseback.  The Bienville, which contains bacon and shrimp in a creamy stuffing, were my favorite. The Angels on Horseback also featured bacon, but it was wrapped around the oyster then battered and deep fried!  Another appetizer came out before our sensation salads.  The crispy fried green tomato beautifully topped with crab meat and hollandaise tasted every bit as appetizing as it looked.  I'm a fan of fried green tomatoes so I knew I'd like it, and this dish did not let me down one bit.  I also managed to add a strawberry basil mojito to my lunch.  With rum, fresh strawberries, fresh basil, and lemon juice, the fruity cocktail refused to be overly sweet so I rather enjoyed it.

Glazed Salmon Entree from the COOLinary Menu

Summer Upside Down Cake

While Michele went with the Shrimp Vieux Carre for her entree, I stuck to the prefix COOLinary menu and had the glazed salmon.  I'm typically not a fan of salmon any way other than raw, but Superior Seafood proved me wrong.  The pan seared salmon had a honey and balsamic glaze that freakin' rocked.  This dish easily wound up being my favorite salmon preparation of all time.  The grilled asparagus also impressed me.  It remained rigid while being tender enough to eat with a fork and it partnered wonderfully with the salt and balsamic drizzle.  I made a happy plate in no time, enjoyed another cocktail, and prepared for dessert.  The summer upside down cake capped off the delightful three course COOLinary meal.  The captivating cake came topped with cooked down cherries and dollop of cream.  The cake provided a lovely ending to a damn good lunch.  I'll definitely be down to go back to Superior Seafood again to check out more of their excellent menu!