Lambdatiger1989

Crawfish

Commanders ships theirs through Goldbelly. I’ve done it before and it arrived without issue.

I tried to restart a version of them, but couldn't get enough people interested to make a go of it. I'm guessing it's dead for now. Maybe Darla just had the magic touch. It really died off when she stopped leading the charge.

Screams tourist trap. Looks very "trying hard to be authentic New Orleans" from their website. Too many great restaurants to waste time on a place like this. Just my opinion.

We got out of town post Mardi Gras over to Santa Rosa Beach. We normally stay in Mirimar during the summer, so it was fun to hit up some new places. On our first night we went to Perfect Pig. I grabbed Caesar salad with bacon and grilled shrimp. I was hungry and it hit the spot.

The next night we headed down 30A to Shunk Gulley Oster Bar. They had heated outdoor seating which was really nice considering it was 50 degrees and pretty windy. We had their Meyer lemon garlic grilled oyster which were great and some fried oysters that were on point. My pics here were all blurry. On Thursday we hit Goatfeathers. Interesting place. Food was ok, this place just seems to be culinarily stuck in
the 80’s. I got the smoked tuna dip which had no smoke flavor and a shrimp and oyster plate that was just ok. The Gouda grits that came on the side were the highlight of the meal.

Friday night we went to Local Catch. It was great. So good in fact that I didn’t get any pics. Started with their WhoDat shrimp. Gimmicky name, but reminded me of Shrimp Henican at Commanders. For my entree, I stuck with the shrimp theme and got shrimp and grits. The sauce was a butter and Worcestershire base and was on point. This may have been our best meal. Our final night we ate at The Bay. I started with a sushi roll that was simple and fresh.

My entree was grilled shrimp in a creamy cremini mushroom, pancetta and prosciutto sauce serve over polenta cakes. It was nicely done.

On our way out we hit the Perfect Pig for breakfast. Pulled pork Benedict with Chipotle Hollandaise sufficed for breakfast and lunch.

Nice way to unwind from a crazy Mardi Gras.

This thread got me thinking. Has there ever been another restaurant in the city that has nurtured the creativity of chefs and given them as much free reign culinarily as Commanders does? Almost all of the chefs that leave Commanders go on to success. Most of the Grand Dame restaurants in the city want their chefs to conform to the tradition of the restaurant. When you think about the enormous talent that has gone through that place, it's mind boggling. Paul Prudhomme Jamie Shannon, Emeril Lagasse, Frank Brigtsen, Tory McPhail, and a ton of other very talented guys. I do believe Meg is the first female Executive Chef. I can't think of another place that turns out such talent.

I wonder if JP thought outside the box a little bit if they could help JP Krewes with their memberships and riders. On Mardi Gras day there are a ton of truck floats. Those can't be that much cheaper to ride on than just joining one of the many JP krewes that are in need of more riders. I wonder if limiting the truck floats would drive membership to other krewes in JP? Not saying it would work, just a hypothetical to make JP Mardi Gras that much better. I have no dog in the hunt, just a hypothetical.

It's not just Haydels. All the good NOLA bakeries are up there price wise. Be prepared to spend about $70 for overnight shipping with whomever you choose

I have heard of cracked eggs shells being used in with the coffee grounds by some fine dining places in NOLA, but never oatmeal.

Just an FYI most grocery stores buy frozen cinnamon roll logs that they roll out into king cakes. Not sure who the supplier is, but most of the associated groceries do this. Rouses may bake in house, but not sure they "make" them in house.