Jazz Feast: The Food Festival within a Festival

by Blair "B-Rex" Loup

Squeal BBQ's Smoky Bacon Greens and Jazz Fest favorite Fried Green Tomatoes

Though the Jazz Fest line-up changes every year, there are a couple of things that typically remain consistent: the crowds and the food vendors. It’s been a long-running joke that a food vendor has to die before another new vendor gets the chance to dish out grub to hungry music fans.

Blair Loup and her brother Jake at Jazz Fest waiting to see Hozier play.

As it turns out, this year a handful of food vendors chose to retire, bringing a few new bites to the food market. I dragged my older brother Jake to the festival opening day to help me eat…and to see the devastatingly beautiful Hozier play.

We enjoyed some of the classics: fried green tomatoes, cochon de lait po-boy, sweet potato turnover, etc. But the smoky bacon greens from new food vendor Squeal landed at the top of our list.

There are a lot of classic Jazz Fest foods, and while we didn’t get the chance to eat all of them, I finally tried one of the most famous of Jazz Fest bites for the first time. I have been a fest goer for a little over half a decade and had never tried crawfish bread. After one bite, I’d be willing to get a heart tattooed on my shoulder with crawfish bread inscribed at its center. Below are a handful of the foods and beverages I saw and had the pleasure of ingesting:

Rose mint tea at Jazz Fest is one of those things I can't live without. It's herbaceous and sweetened with local honey. It's the bee knees, and if you haven't tried it you need to reevaluate your life choices.

Rose Mint Tea

While fried chicken and jambalaya aren't hard to come by in Louisiana, there are a lot of festival attendees from out of state. While we take it for granted, the food at Jazz Fest is an all new discovery for those who come from all over the country. I saw people chomping down on this crispy fried chicken all day and smiling ear to ear.

Classic Fried Chicken and Jambalaya

The cochon de lait po-boy is a must-have at Jazz Fest. This hefty fellow is packed with succulent pork that's perfect if you're planning on indulging in a few beers or daiquiris between shows...or throughout the day.

Cochon de Lait Po-Boy

Thanks to the festival gods, we find ourselves in the midst of crawfish season during Jazz Fest. There's no smell as tantalizing as a fresh pot of boiled crawfish. It's not a five pound tray of crawfish, but it's enough to get a taste. As previously mentioned, boiled crawfish is a delicacy to all, but curiously pursued by those who travel to the fest... hopefully with elastic in their waistbands. 

Boiled Crawfish

I noticed a man walking by with what looked like the ultimate trio of deliciousness. A crispy fried oyster po-boy accompanied by fluffy, savory crawfish beignets drowned in a cream sauce would be a sin to enjoy even if you stopped there. However, to also wash them down with a sweet blackberry cobbler... I love Louisiana.

From left to right: Fried Oyster Po-Boy, Blackberry Cobbler, and Crawfish Beignets

Squeal BBQ stepped up to the plate to replace a former BBQ vendor at the fest. The line outside their booth seemed constant throughout the day. Hopefully they'll be back next year slinging more of their tasty 'que to fest goers!

BBQ Chicken Sandwich (left) and BBQ Brisket Sandwich (right) from Squeal BBQ

Finally, after 24 years of searching, I found love. I don't know what I expected, but the crawfish bread at Jazz Fest lived up to every bit of hype I've ever heard. A religious experience within itself, crawfish bread is cheesy, spicy, buttery, and all I want until the end of time.

Crawfish Bread

Bite and Booze Bonus: Don't skip on the sweets. Most of the bands I go to see at Jazz Fest perform on the Gentily Stage. Along the way, a small booth laid tucked away from the crowd serving up some of the most delicious Macaroons I've tasted. Also, on your way to the market (heading from the Acura Stage to the Gentily Stage side) stop and grab a sweet potato turnover!

Nora McGunnigle: Head Mistress of Hops

by Blair "B-Rex" Loup

Nora McGunnigle at Avenue Pub in New Orleans

The world as it pertains to Louisiana beer bloggers is what the average person would expect: a small group of white men who have nice day jobs, but when night falls, they're cloaked in a cape of Untappd beer patches, home brew tools in hand, and opinions in tow.

For a moment, let me suggest a alternative image: a New England native with a degrees in Theatre and Higher Education Administration transplanted in New Orleans to drink beer like it's her job, because it is.

Clad in blue jeans and a Gnarly Barley Catahoula Common t-shirt, Nora McGunnigle is the "it girl" of craft beer writing (my words, not hers). I had never formally met Nora until I joined her for a beer at Avenue Pub on St. Charles, but I knew instantly we would get along because of the shirt. I've said it many times, but Gnarly Barley is my craft beer spirit animal. Anyone who shows up in one of their shirts is automatically on my good side.

Patrons of New Orleans' top craft beer bars treat her like the nice popular girl in high school. She's knowledgable, she's friendly, and she is cool.

Nora decided to move to New Orleans after a few visits, and like any female in charge, made it happen. Thankfully her lovely husband is a talented software engineer and was able to bring a valuable skill set to the New Orleans market; they were able to move just in time for American Craft Beer Week.

I learned from the Women in Booze segment I wrote on Lindsay Nations of Great Raft Brewing that it was not unusual for women to not be taken seriously in the beer industry. When I asked Nora if she had encountered anything similar to Lindsay's experiences, she gave me an interesting response.

"I definitely feel like it took me a long, long time for people to take me seriously as a beer person. In fact, it probably wasn't until I quit [my day job] and started writing professionally," she said.

Nora said there are definitely instances where she feels out of the loop on a new beer, or doesn't get a media sample some of the other beer writers receive.

I feel like everyone in the business of blogging has experience that at some point, even Bite and Booze.

What I found interesting was that she didn't make it into a, "Woe is me, I am woman," thing. She said she wasn't sure if those instances of exclusion were due to her gender or her status as a Louisiana transplant.

"Being a transplant, I think, and justifiably to some extent, people in Louisianan and New Orleans are very wary of transplants coming in and telling them what's what and what's going on," she said. She mentioned that it was hard to see the difference in the beginning. 

I find this disheartening because in my opinion Nora is very much an authority on craft beer. To leave her out of anything cool going on in the industry would be an injustice. I look forward to a day where it's not noteworthy to be a female beer blogger.

Until then, I sleep soundly at night knowing that Nora is looking out for giving everyone, including females in the beer industry, credit where credit is due. Cheers to Nora McGunnigle and to those like her striving to make Louisiana a better/cooler place.

You can find Nora on NOLA Beer Blog and as a writer for Gambit Weekly, Eater, or Thrillest just to name a few. Follow her on Twitter @noradeidre.

This post is part of a monthly series spotlighting Louisiana women in the business of booze. Previous features include:
Natalie Parbhoo: Duchess of Distribution
Lindsay Nations: Baroness of Beer
Dori Murvin: Sorceress of Service

Sample the Big Easy without Breaking the Bank: We Live to Eat Restaurant Week is Back!

We Live to Eat Restaurant Week in New Orleans takes place during the week of September 8-14, 2014! This is the one week you won't want to miss--two-course lunches for $20 or less and three-course dinners for $39 or less at premier New Orleans eateries. Over 50 restaurants are participating in the Louisiana Restaurant Association's WLTE event in partnership with Eat Fit NOLA including Chef John Besh establishments – Domenica, Lüke, Borgne, La Provence and August; New Orleans culinary institutions Galatoire’s, Arnaud’s and Commanders Palace; Drago’s Seafood Restaurant; Mr. B’s Bistro; Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse; Galatoire’s 33 Bar & Steak and many more.

This year's installment of We Live to Eat Restaurant Week in New Orleans will begin with a kick off celebration at The Chicory on September 3rd where guests will be able to sample culinary creations and get a "sneak peak" of some participating restaurant's menus. All ticket sales to the kick off celebration benefit the Louisiana Restaurant Association Education Fund.



We Live to Eat Restaurant Week makes for the ideal foodie vacation with hotel and flight packages. Feel free to check back regularly to the WLTE Restaurant Week website for updates on participants, sponsors, travel packages and deals. Restaurant menus will be available online beginning August 1, 2014.

NOLA Brewing with Kirk Coco: Bite and Booze Radio Show presented by Calandro's Supermarket

NOLA's Spy P.A.: Hopitoulas infused with Pineapple and Habañero

A couple weeks ago, and unfortunately before the Brad to Matthew Hopitoulas toss, I sat down for a good show with the founder of NOLA Brewing, Kirk Coco. Joined by my friend Chuck P. of the Me and My Big Mouth Radio Show, my Chief Confusion Coordinator, Blair Loup, and owner of Tiger Deaux-nuts, Jeff Herman, I learned a lot about Kirk, how he came up with the idea of starting NOLA Brewery and the inspirations behind some of their beers.

Kirk rolled up to the brewery floor on his Triumph motorcycle, took us inside and set us up with some of their taproom specialty brews. With New Orleans Brass playing in the background, Kirk told us how the brewery came to be, problems he's run into throughout the process, and explained the culture of the community that is craft brewing. If you're ever in New Orleans, stop by the taproom and try some of their special experimental beers, take home a growler and sing the praises of Louisiana craft beer!

The Bite and Booze Radio Show presented by Calandro's Supermarket airs on Saturdays at 5 PM and replays Sundays at 8 PM on Talk 107.3 FM in Baton Rouge. The show is hosted by Jay Ducote and won a Taste Award in January 2014 as the best food or drink based radio broadcast in the country. The producer of the show is Chris Courtney at Guaranty Broadcasting and the field producer is Charles Pierce from the Me and My Big Mouth Show. It is also available on iTunes. The show's sponsors include Calandro's Supermarket, Visit Baton Rouge, Portico Restaurant and Bar, Lock & Key Whiskey Bar, Le Creole Restaurant, Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning, Mama Della's N.Y. City Pizzeria, Mason's Grill, Donner-Peltier Distillers (Rougaroux Rums and Oryza Vodka and Gin), Louisiana Cookin' Magazine, Juban's Restaurant, the Tin Roof Brewing Company, the Louisiana Culinary Institute and Triumph Kitchen.

VIDEO: Louisiana Craft Breweries

I recently got a hired by Louisiana Travel to help document craft breweries in Louisiana.  With a film crew of Tommy Talley and Dan Jones from tommysTV, we trekked to all seven of the state's active breweries for on-camera interviews with their presidents, CEOs, brewmasters, and keg washers.  I also wrote a profile on each brewery that will be active soon on Louisiana Travel's website.  Check out the video that we filmed below!

    

Produced by Jay Ducote and Tommy Talley 

Director of Photography: Daniel Jones

B-Cam Operator: Tommy Talley

Edited by Daniel Jones

Special thanks to Theresa Overby from Miles Media/Louisiana Travel and Conrad Rolling with the Louisiana Craft Brewers Guild.  Also thanks to Abita, Bayou Teche, Chafunkta, Covington, NOLA, Parish, and Tin Roof for welcoming us in and giving us beer!

Photo to the right taken at the Pelican House in Baton Rouge.  Disclaimer: they can't get Chafunkta beer yet, but they actually had all other taps.

American Craft Beer Week: May 13-19

Over the last few years, American Craft Beer Week has become one of my favorite weeks of the year.  This year, it is even more important as Louisiana boasts one of the most rapidly advancing craft beer scenes in the country.  Just check out all the official craft beer events going on here: http://www.craftbeer.com/news-and-events/calendar.

Eric Ducote with BR Beer Scene laid out all the Baton Rouge craft beer events this week on his blog.

Calandro's Supermarket on Perkins is doing daily craft beer specials.  Keep up on their Facebook Page.

For those in New Orleans, make sure to check out The Beer Buddha for his picks this week.

Louisiana currently has seven operational commercial breweries with quite a few more on the way.  The operational breweries are:

Abita, Abita Springs
Bayou Teche, Arnaudville
Chafunkta, Mandeville
Covington, Covington
NOLA, New Orleans
Parish, Broussard
Tin Roof, Baton Rouge

So if you see any of them on tap or in stores this week, make EXTRA sure to support your local breweries.

Additionally, Louisiana has several other breweries in the planning process such as Great Raft, Gnarly Barley, Courtyard, Mudbug, and Cajun Fire.  So prepare to enjoy even more local craft beer soon as the Great American Beer Boom continues to explode in Louisiana!

Bite and Booze Radio Show: Louisiana Craft Beer Tasting

Eric Ducote from BR Beer Scene, Brenton Day from The Ale Runner, Chuck P from the Me and My Big Mouth Podcast, and Ross from Ten Sheets Zine all join me on this episode of the Bite and Booze Radio Show presented by Calandro's Supermarket where we celebrate the upcoming American Craft Beer Week (May 13-19) by drinking and scoring some local craft beer.  Each of these beers will be featured on a Feature Beer Friday post on BR Beer Scene.  The beers include Abita's Lemon Wheat, Covington's Bayou Bock, NOLA's Brown Ale, and Tin Roof's Voodoo Bengal Pale Ale.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

The Bite and Booze Radio Show presented by Calandro's Supermarket airs on Saturdays at 5 PM on Talk 107.3 FM in Baton Rouge.  It is also available on iTunes.  The show's sponsors include Calandro's Supermarket, Visit Baton Rouge, Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning, Louisiana Cookin' Magazine, Juban's Restaurant, the Tin Roof Brewing Company, and the Louisiana Culinary Institute.

Louisiana's Best Craft Beers of 2012

Louisiana craft beer has made a lot of progress in the last couple years.  So much so that it is time for the masses to start paying more attention to what they drink, and just as importantly, where it is from.  Louisiana has always had a lot of pride in eating locally.  We promote our seafood to the rest of the world, and dishes like king cake, jambalaya, and boudin are symbols of our state that we wouldn't dare accept from outside our borders.  The farm to table movement has also hit the restaurant scene in Louisiana, where we see chefs actually paying attention to farms and local food manufacturers where they source their ingredients.  So now it is beer's turn.  This goes out to all the beer drinkers, restaurant and bar owners, servers and bartenders: start drinking and pushing more Louisiana-brewed beer.  These brewers are our neighbors.  They have made a commitment to us by setting up breweries in our state, and it is our obligation to drink it (I know, it is a tough job!)... and if you go somewhere that you can't find it, then demand it or drink somewhere else.

So now that everyone out there has agreed to drink locally, you may also want to know which beers to drink.  I took the liberty of compiling my top 10 beers brewed in Louisiana in 2012.  Some have come and gone, some are always available, and some will be brewed again, I'm sure.

Helping me with the list was an expert panel of beer opinions:

Polly Watts, Owner, The Avenue Pub
Eric Ducote, Blogger and Raise a Glass Co-Host, BR Beer Scene
Jeremy Labadie, Blogger, The Beer Buddha
Vanessa Gomes, Director of Marketing & Event Coordinator, The Barley Oak
Nora McGunnigle, Blogger, Nora's Beer Blog
Brenton Day, Blogger, The Ale Runner

That being said, the order of the list and selection of beers really was up to me.  So if you have an issue or praise, leave it in the comments here or hit me up on Facebook or Twitter!

10.  Abita Purple Haze

Say what you will, Abita's Purple Haze is still one of the most popular beers brewed in Louisiana.  Well regarded as one of the premier raspberry beers in America, Purple Haze made the Men's Fitness list for 6 surprisingly healthy beers in 2012.  So to all you runners and fitness nuts, you have no reason to not drink local!

9. Bayou Teche Bière Noire

The Bière Noire pays homage to the strong black coffee (café noir) and what it meant to South Louisiana's French speaking ancestors.  It is rich in dark German malts, American hops, and French roasted coffee flavor.  The Bière Noire made the First We Feast list of the top brews from all 50 states, representing Louisiana.  Congrats on that one!

8. Abita 18th Star Bière de Garde (Abita Select Series) 

Abita's Bière de Garde is a French style farmhouse ale that they brewed with pilsner and wheat malts, oats, and German perle hops.  They added a little lemon peel, then aged the brew for three months before it hit taps.  Polly Watts, owner of the Avenue Pub in New Orleans, admitted that this brew "blew my skirt up. Seriously a very good Bière de Garde, rich and the yeast shines."  The 18th Star is a tribute to Louisiana becoming the 18th state in the USA exactly 200 years ago.

7.  NOLA Irish Channel Stout

Irish Channel Stout Nitro at The Barley Oak

The NOLA Irish Channel Stout is a favorite of many people, including myself, from the Big Easy brewery.  While it is only a  seasonal (just released this year's batch on December 7th), it certainly has a cult following.  Nora McGunnigle from nolabeerblog.com fondly says that this beer is "so delicious, so complex yet straightforward. I can drink pint after pint with friends and have a wonderful time."  She goes on to say, "This beer makes me smile."  I like any beer that makes people smile!

6.  Bayou Teche Joie à Tous

Joie à Tous (photo from Bayou Teche)

The Bayou Teche Joie à Tous, a whiskey barrel aged dubbel brewed with Mello Joy coffee.  Jeremy Labadie, AKA The Beer Buddha, proclaimed this to be "One of my favorite beers of the year.   This beer will be my Christmas go to beer every year.  If they brew it every year."  Vanessa Gomes from the Northshore's Barley Oak told me, "I love how Bayou Teche somehow manages to incorporate a certain level of comfort in all of their beers. It's as though each one nostalgically brings you to the Sunday dinner table."  And clearly Polly Watts from The Avenue Pub in New Orleans agreed, making it known that she found the beer to be "yummy, satisfying...comfort food in liquid form."

5.  Parish Canebrake

Parish Canebrake in Bottles is Still Elusive

Parish Canebrake made perhaps the biggest push of any beer in Louisiana in 2012, surging onto the scene across south Louisiana after the Broussard brewery's expansion.  "This is my favorite Louisiana session beer," says Eric Ducote from BRBeerScene.com, referring to the fact that he can drink multiple of them without getting too intoxicated or losing interest in the flavor profile.  Brenton Day from The Ale Runner chimed in saying that "Parish Canebrake is an easy drinker that many south Louisianians have taken to. It's so popular that Andrew had to double his capacity just to keep up with demand."  I'm definitely glad that he did.  I love it enough to make sure it has a place in my Top 5!

4.  NOLA Mechahopzilla

NOLA Mechahopzilla (photo courtesy of The Ale Runner)

The Beer Buddha believes in the NOLA Mechahopzilla.  The Double IPA from NOLA Brewing "made me a hop addict," Jeremy admitted.  "I ended up pissing myself,  crawling in the corner and had the shakes for about a week."  That's how hoppy the beer turned out, and many of Louisiana's craft beer drinkers rejoiced.  Eric from BR Beer Scene noted that the DIPA is "without a doubt the hoppiest beer to come out of the state, a delicious double IPA."  Meanwhile, The Ale Runner left us with this verbal picture: "It is a full assault of hops that leaves your palate waving the white flag. Or if you're a hophead like me, wanting some more."  Even Polly Watts wanted more.  "What can I say... it is a baseball bat of hops but you still love it," she admired.  Nora McGunnigle needed a bit more convincing, but sure enough, she came around, saying that "This double IPA won me over, though I tend not to be a fan of the style. Great citrus and floral hop aroma, bitter but balanced."

3.  Tin Roof Parade Ground Coffee Porter

Parade Ground Coffee Porter (photo courtesy of Tin Roof)

"The Tin Roof Coffee Porter for me, other than being a fantastic robust coffee porter, was a pleasant production change from this football tailgating college town brewery," explained The Barley Oak's Vanessa Gomes.  "This fall seasonal gave us an exciting peek into what Tin Roof can really do in between cranking out the highly demanded flagships."  I'm in total agreement.  I absolutely think that the Parade Ground is Tin Roof's best beer to date, and it is a shame that is only a seasonal that will soon be departing the taps around Louisiana.

2.  NOLA / Stone Pour Me Somethin' Mistah

Pour Me Somethin Mistah (photo from The Ale Runner)

"The hops and the malt were great when fresh and mellowed nicely with some age," explained Nora from Nora's Beer Blog.  The collaboration between the NOLA Brewing Company and the Stone Brewing Company from California was "a collective proud moment for us all in the Louisiana Craft Beer World," as stated by Vanessa Gomes.  Like most people I drank the beer with, all of my colleagues agreed that brew began a little rough around the edges with the dry citra hopping.  When allowed to warm up, or when cellared, the beer transformed into a piece of art.  The imperial porter rounded out with molasses to impart delicate flavor with the robust roasty maltiness and citra hops.

1.  Parish Grand Reserve

According to Eric Ducote from BR Beer Scene, the Parish Grand Reserve is "in the running for the best Louisiana beer, period."  Indeed, it seems that the recently released special edition beer from the Lafayette area brewery lived up to the hype and proved that Louisiana can get excited about a special release beer.  It was a beer that people scrambled around town to purchase on release day and then again a week later when a second round was released.  "Was it worth it?" asked Brenton Day.  "Absolutely. It's a very big, yet remarkably smooth barleywine that I'm curious to see how it ages."  Andrew Godley from Parish suggests aging some, and will be holding onto several cases of the beer himself.  Polly Watts described the Grand Reserve as "silky and lovely with hidden strength like a very sexy woman in a white satin dress."  Now I'm thirsty.  Nora told me that "you could really taste the love and work put into this beer. Andrew did a great job and was able to leverage the reputation of his brewhouse up a whole other level with it."  Finally, Vanessa chimed in with "Parish Grand Reserve was absolutely perfect. To me it encompassed all that a barley wine should possess. It is perfectly balanced and has the smooth characteristics one expects from the reputation Parish Brewing has built for themselves."  Now we just need more Parish on the taps and store shelves!

Parish Grand Reserve in 750ml Bottles

Honorable Mention: I didn't list it above because it isn't commercially available yet, but it is worth looking forward to!

Mudbug Brewing King Cake Lager 

Our dear Beer Buddha let me have it.  He said, "I know this isn't commercially available yet but the whole idea of this beer makes me happy.  It's a tasty beverage complete with a rimjob.  Of sugar.  What were you thinking ya dirty bastard?"  He's right.  Even Vanessa Gomes from Barley Oak gave this beer some love.  "Mudbug Brewery has the King Cake Lager with lactose, cinnamon, & vanilla that will have you searching the bottom of your glass for the plastic baby," she said with a grin.  I just know I want some of that!

A Couple Pints at The Barley Oak

Nola Irish Channel Stout

Parish Envie Pale Ale

If anybody out there reading this post doesn't know about The Barley Oak in Mandeville, you're sadly missing out on one of the best craft beer bars in Louisiana.  Sitting right on the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain, this "Old World Draught Haus" offers a lovely view, and I'm not just talking about their tap handles.  While passing through recently, I decided that I ought to stop and have a few pints as well as a little lunch.  Fortunately for me, they had a couple local brews that are actually quite rare.  I began with the seasonal Irish Channel Stout from Nola.  The Barley Oak had it on a Nitro tap.  The dark, delicious stout poured out with a gorgeously cascading tan head.  The beer is absolutely my kind of brew.  It is rich and flavorful yet ridiculously drinkable and refreshing to me.  I challenge anybody who has a thing against "dark beer" to grab a pint of this stout if they ever see it out.  Upon finishing my pint of stout, I noticed a tap handle from the Parish Brewing Company that did not say Canebrake.  I asked Vanessa behind the bar, who immediately poured me a Parish Envie Pale Ale before I could even ask.  This beer, which really hasn't been released yet to the masses, was leftover (seemingly just for me) from a special tapping.  I've had this beer from Andrew Godley before, but never in a bar.  It is an American Pale Ale which certainly comes across as hoppy but not quite as out of balance towards bitter as a lot of IPAs do.  I found the Envie to be a great beer-drinker's-beer.  If you like craft beer, then it'll be for you.  And if you don't, then I'm surprised you're reading this blog!

A Reuben at The Barley Oak

For some bites to go with my booze, I opted for The Barley Oak's Reuben sandwich.  The corned beef with Swiss and sauerkraut on marble rye definitely did the trick.  I like sandwiches that combine textures and flavors in a simple yet harmonious way.  Sometimes a sandwich can be a little underrated, but never in my book if it is grub like this!  Thanks Barley Oak.  I'll be back for more bite and booze soon!

American Craft Beer Week comes to Louisiana!

On Saturday, May 14, 2011, the Bite and Booze Radio Show presented by Calandro's Supermarket will pay tribute to the upcoming American Craft Beer Week!  ACBW goes from Monday, May 16th to Sunday, May 22nd, 2011.  Joining me on the show this Saturday from 10-11 AM on the new Talk 107.3 will be:

Charles Caldwell and William McGehee, Owners of the Tin Roof Brewing Company in Baton Rouge, LA

I'll also have Eric Ducote from the Baton Rouge Beer Scene!

Andrew Godley, Owner and Brewmaster at the Parish Brewing Company in Lafayette, LA

Polly Watts, Owner of the Avenue Pub in New Orleans

CJ Webre, Wine and Beer Manager at Calandro's Supermarket on Perkins Road in Baton Rouge, LA

You can catch the Bite and Booze.com Radio Show presented by Calandro's Supermarket on UStream or on Talk1073.com.

The New Orleans Brunch Experiment

The Food Experiments originated in Brooklyn, NY, but it didn't take them long to begin a national tour with stops at major culinary destinations across the country.  The food competition involves creating a themed dish to be passed out in individual servings to the numerous attendees.  For the April 3rd tour stop in New Orleans, brunch served as the inspirational theme for each team of chefs.

I partnered with Jeremy Wells of the blog Faire Les Courses to enter Team Bite and Booze into the New Orleans Brunch Experiment.  We thought, strategized, and planned for hours on our experimental dish, and finally came up with what we thought could be a winner.   We conceived a Southern-style biscuit loaded with homemade boudin, topped with cane syrup and bourbon marinated Louisiana strawberries, and served with thin-cut cinnamon apple frites.  Every biscuit and a cauldron of Cajun boudin were made from scratch.  I could tell you all about it, but it's easier to just show the video!

Jeremy and I weren't the only team to travel to NOLA from Baton Rouge.  The Louisiana Culinary Institute had a couple students represented in the competition, and Team Brunchcakes also made an impression.  Actually, that would be an understatement:

In the end, Jeremy and I were really happy with the whole event.  We felt like we did our dish justice, and despite not winning, we still had a great time.  We also rolled out the Bite and Booze carpet for this one, so it couldn't have been too bad!

After the competition we had a ton of extra boudin.  However, it tasted far too good to let it go to waste.  Stop number one was a visit to Theo's Neighborhood Pizzeria in Mid City where my buddy Andrew made a boudin pizza complete with a little buffalo sauce, pepper jack, and mozzarella cheese!

Bite and Boudin Pizza at Theo's

When I got back to Baton Rouge, I met back up with Nick Huftt, owner and operator of Curbside Truck, to discuss more boudin ideas.  It didn't take long to come up with the Bite and Boudin Burger: Curbside's special burger patty topped with my housemade boudin, black beans, divine swine cracklins, a hint of Nick's tasso aioli, and finished with an Acadian sweet heat sauce which consists of a "butter garlic hot sauce cajun spice concoction sort of a thing."  Yes please!

Curbside Truck's Bite and Boudin Burger

I love it when experiments go right!

Thanks to curbsideNICK for almost all these pictures.  Thanks to Brandon Brown for help with the video!

Cochon Butcher - New Orleans

After the ISAW South African wine tasting at the Southern Food & Beverage Museum, the only logical thing for Eric, Brandon, Katie, and I to do was find some food to soak up the delightful wine in our stomachs.  Fortunately we were in downtown New Orleans, so there happened to be quite a few dining options for us to choose from.  I heard wonderful things from various sources about Cochon Butcher in the Warehouse District, so we decided to give it a try. 

The first thing we noticed after walking in the door was a sample of bacon pralines that were available for tasting.  Man, talk about great first impressions!  I could have eaten nothing but pralines and been totally satisfied.  They contained the essential balance of sweet, salty, and savory that any good sweet with bacon must attain.  Wow.... wow. 

Bacon Pralines at Butcher

After stuffing my face with bacon pralines, which were like a Louisiana and bacon version of peanut brittle, I noticed that the butcher shop/restaurant had a lovely meat counter matched by a beautifully delicious display of hanging smoked meats.  I've seen very few more appetizing sites in my days.

Assorted Smoked Meats Hanging on Display

I had no clue where to begin when trying to determine which appetizer or sandwich to order, but fortunately I bumped into the Chef Partner, Warren Stephens.  Chef Warren had a few recommendations for me based on what he would order at the time, but certainly noted that everything on the menu is tasty and nothing can be overlooked.  He informed me that Butcher has only been around since January of 2009 and is part of the Link Restaurant Group which also runs the neighboring Cochon and Nola's famous Herbsaint and Calcasieu restaurants.  Butcher specializes in artisan meats and sausages that are made on the premises in the theme of an old world meat market.  I was ready to enjoy.

Jay, Katie, and Brandon Check Out Cochon Butcher

After a good discussion, Warren sold me on the Duck Pastrami Slider from the "Bar Food" menu and I opted to go with the Buckshot Bacon Melt from the "Sandwiches" list.  My excitement level peaked in anticipation of the flavors that were about to hit my lips!

The Menu Boards at Butcher: Bar Food, Specials, and Sandwiches.  They also have Wine and Cocktails!

The duck pastrami slider proved that simple can beat out complex any day of the week.  The sandwich contained delicate, thinly sliced duck pastrami and melted cheese on grilled slices of bread.  The flavor of the duck highlighted each bite and it was hard for me to share the remaining wedges with my friends!  Chef Warren also sent out some house-made boudin for our table to try, which tasted fantastic as well.

Duck Pastrami Sliders

Katie ordered the Cochon Muffaletta with tons of Butcher's delicious meats, provolone cheese, pickled peppers and olives.  This take on a New Orleans special is one of the best Muffalettas that I've tasted in years.  I'm extremely happy that the sandwich was too large for Katie to finish on her own because that meant I got take a couple bites to realize how fantastic it is.  The meats were smoky and complex, tender, sweet, and just plain delightful.  I'm pretty sure that Chef Warren told me that the Muffaletta is one of their best selling sandwiches, and it's easy to see why!

Cochon Muffaletta with Home Made Chips

Brandon ordered the barbequed pulled pork sandwich and Eric gave the Gambino a try.  Brandon's pulled pork (in the background below) came served with potato salad.  It looked great and Brandon ate every bit of it, so I didn't get a bite.  I also didn't get a bite of the Gambino, but it looked like a sensational sandwich.  The French bread got stuffed with Italian-style meats like salami cotto, sopressata, and coppa along with a fresh herb vinaigrette.  Eric also tried a Black Chocolate Stout from the Brooklyn Brewery which tasted rich and delicious.  I caught a hint of espresso in with the chocolate.  I'd drink that stout again any day.

The Gambino Front and Center with a Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout

As Chef Warren recommended to me, I went with the Buckboard Bacon Melt.  Yet another simple but astonishingly delicious sandwich, the Buckboard consisted of thin slices of toasted white bread filled with beautifully cured bacon, Swiss cheese, collard greens, and pepper aioli.  Every bite made me think of how much I love bacon.  Each time I chewed and the flavors oozed onto my taste buds my mind rushed into thoughts about how much I enjoy sandwiches.  I do love a good sandwich.  And this, the Buckboard Bacon Melt at Cochon Butcher, is a great sandwich!  Simple yet complex, earthy yet sophisticated, this sandwich should appeal to everybody and leave nobody unsatisfied!

Buckboard Bacon Melt at Cochon Butcher

Not wanting to only explore the culinary aspects of Butcher, I also perused the custom cocktail list and stumbled upon a drink call the Haitian Dark and Stormy.  Thinking this was an interesting name for a drink, especially in post-Katrina New Orleans and after the earthquake in Haiti, I had to know more.  It turns out that proceeds from the drink go to the Red Cross for relief efforts in Haiti, so I thought I might as well do my part.  The drink is made from a mixture of Barbancourt Rum and ginger beer.  Barbancourt is a Haitian rum company that makes traditional Caribbean sugar cane rum in multiple varieties and flavors.  Their distillery is located just outside Port au Prince, where the earthquake hit the strongest.  The Haitian Dark and Stormy itself proved to be a rather interesting drink.  Overall it was little sweet for my tastes with the rum and ginger beer mixed together.  Still, the cocktail was refreshing and quite drinkable, and would have been perfect on a warm summer day on the beaches of Haiti (or walking around in the French Quarter, for that matter).

Haitian Dark and Stormy

My Cochon Butcher experience ended up being marvelous.  I'm sure it was only enhanced by being a little sauced already from the ISAW wine tasting.  I also enjoyed chatting with Chef Warren about the restaurant and the menu.  Still, it all really comes down to the food, and this food is top notch.  The meats were fresh, salty, and marvelous.  The work that gets put into the meats at Butcher is obvious, and should be appreciated properly.  And by appreciate, I mean eaten.  And by properly, I mean often. 

"Bon Appétit.  That's French for good meal." - Brandon Brown

Thanks to Eric Ducote of the BR Beer Scene for taking the pictures for this post.  Check out his beer and other beverage blog here.

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