Welcome to The Lowdown, a regular Paid Subscriber exclusive featuring what (and where) I’ve recently been eating and drinking.
On today’s Special “All New Orleans” Edition of The Lowdown…
Sloppy Surf & Turf Po-Boys
Dreaming of Butterscotch Budino
A Beignet-Infused Sazerac
A Lively Lambrusco-Fueled Pizza Party
My Hands-Down Favorite Hubig’s Pie Flavor
A Spin Around the Historic Carousel Bar
A Refreshing Japanese Lady Cocktail Served by Hidetsugu Ueno
An Actual Healthy Breakfast (Don’t Unsubscribe!)
And more!
The Lowdown
Eating
BBQ Shrimp Po-Boy (Liuzza’s By The Track)
1518 N Lopez Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70119
I made the conscious decision to have my first meal in New Orleans be the BBQ Shrimp Po-Boy at Liuzza’s By the Track in Mid-City, where, during my first time in the city in 2012, my dearly missed friend Pableaux Johnson whisked me away from the air-conditioned educational panels of Tales of the Cocktail for an up close and personal driving tour of his New Orleans. Our last stop that afternoon was for lunch at Liuzza’s By the Track where he introduced me to BBQ Shrimp, a local speciality of shrimp cooked in a savory brown sauce, rich with butter, garlic, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and spices that’s not even in the same league as traditional backyard tomato-based BBQ sauce.
So later in the day after arriving in New Orleans, I took an Uber to Liuzza’s By the Track, sat at the bar and ordered a cold beer and a BBQ Shrimp Po-boy to satisfy a craving, as well as a yearning, and to take some time to commune with Pableaux at the place we once sat together and talked and laughed and plotted and supported each other’s passions trying make a living in the creative arts 23 years ago.
The big-screen TV was playing The Twilight Zone episode “Walking Distance,” where a symbolic carousel sparks a nostalgic journey for a stressed-out advertising executive who inexplicably finds himself transported back 30 years reliving his youth and a simpler time in his hometown. I’m not sure if it was that knife-and-fork affair of that rich, peppery shrimp tucked into a soft French bread pistolette, the cold beer, or memories of Pableaux that sparked my own nostalgic reverie.
WJ Granola | WJ Breakfast (Willa Jean)
611 O'Keefe Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana 70113
Any menu with a section devoted to “Biscuit Situation” has my full attention beyond their stellar reputation that’s what inspired me to have breakfast at the restaurant and bakery Willa Jean two mornings in a row. On the first morning I sat at the bar counter and found myself seated next to my friend and PR wizard David Semonoff, who was finishing up breakfast. While cheesy grits, sausage gravy, and cornbread with whipped butter and Poirier’s Syrup were dancing through my head, I actually leaned in toward the healthy side with an order of WJ Granola and Greek Yogurt. The generous bowl was packed with strawberries, blueberries, sliced banana, peaches, pears, and fat blackberries drizzled with local honey. I couldn’t resist dipping into the “Biscuit Situation” section for a ride-along biscuit with whipped butter and jam.
And lest you think I’m going all Jack LaLanne on you, on my return to Willa Jean the next morning I canceled out the previous day’s healthy glow by ordering the WJ Breakfast, featuring scrambled eggs, cheesy grits, Benton’s bacon, sausage, and a biscuit. You’ll notice in the pic I double-downed on sausage but wasn’t able to clean my plate.
Wood-Fired Oysters | Fried Chicken Livers | Gumbo (Cochon)
930 Tchoupitoulas Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
Whenever I’ve been in New Orleans I usually wind up at chef Donald Link and chef Stephen Stryjewski’s iconic restaurant Cochon, typically more than once in the same week, so it was where I headed for my first dinner on this recent trip. When I mentioned my dinner plans, a few local and well-traveled friends encouraged me to instead check out Peche or Herbsaint but I was jonesing for the familiarity of pulling up to the bar for a solo dinner at Cochon. I knew that I would be ordering the Wood-Fired Oysters with Chili-Garlic Butter and likely make a meal of starters, but through a combination of my own nostalgic expectations, a well-practiced playbook of greatest hits, mis-ordering, and some off service, I wish I could’ve done a do-over on this particular dinner.
I spent at least 15 minutes debating with myself about ordering what I had pre-gamed or calling an audible with one or more of the incredible-sounding specials: Summer Melon with Fresh Cheese, Crushed Herbs, and Pickled Chilis, a Grilled Fish Collar with Blistered Jimmy Nardello Peppers and Pickled Tomato Aioli, and most tempting of all, a Grilled Ham Steak with Peach Glaze. When I asked the male bartender about the Ham Steak he did that thing I never really like when he implied it would be too much food for one person. I understand where he’s coming from, but does he know how hungry I an or whether I plan to take home leftovers? Sensing my indecision, the woman bartender leaned in and conspiratorially whispered, “You can totally order that. I crushed one by myself.” I wish I’d listened to her, or trusted my gut. I still think about that peach-glazed ham steak missed connection, but other than an attack of 3AM agita, the food I did order regretfully didn’t deliver as I had hoped. In the future, when it comes to menu debates, I’ll “Always order the Ham Steak.”