House of the week: Victorian on Constance Street

As of Twelfth Night (January 6th), carnival season has begun and I find myself longing to live closer to the parade route. I dream of having festive parties at a house where guests can easily walk out to St. Charles and enjoy the krewes rolling by and return to a comfortable place where they can not only use the restroom (an invaluable commodity during Mardi Gras), but can kick back and unload their heavy cache of beads before heading back out for the next parade.

With those specifications in mind, I think I may have found the perfect house! Over on Constance Street in the Irish Channel is a Victorian double (converted into a single) that is only one block from Magazine and only six blocks from St. Charles. It is a stunning renovation that kept all the qualities I desire in a New Orleans home including the original hardwood floors, pocket doors, exposed brick walls, ceiling medallions and transoms. It also has a gorgeous kitchen with black & white tiled floors, built-in bookcases, three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a cute little courtyard out back. If only I could afford this beauty which is listed for $310,999.00. At least it doesn't cost me anything to dream...

Chewing the fat at Uncle Hank's Table: Bayona

When going out to eat in New Orleans, there is one topic that never fails to come up, as a matter of fact, it usually dominates the conversation. That topic is food. Yes, while forking a decadent dinner into our maws, we'll be gabbing about another meal we are planning to eat in the future or raving about what we ate for breakfast that morning. Now John endures my endless chatter about food all of the time, but last Friday at Bayona, we met a sweet couple from Monroe who might as well have been sitting at the same table.

Thanks to our reservations, we were seated straight away and it was John who noticed the little plaque on the window sill stating that we were sitting at "Uncle Hank's Table." As we discovered it, an older gentleman at the next table said "Yeah, and did you know they say he's never used it?" Laughing, we struck up a conversation about food, restaurants and cooking that lasted almost the whole meal! Well, except while we were eating, then it got real quiet...

While selecting our appetizers, I took a huge leap of faith and ordered Pan-Fried Sweetbreads. If you recall, the first time I ate sweetbreads, I was pretty nervous and though I said I would eat it again, I have never ordered it since, even though I have had plenty of opportunities to do so. But as I perused the menu, I heard the waiter talking about the dish, saying it was an immensely popular, signature Susan Spicer recipe and I just couldn't resist. The crispy, pan-sauteed sweetbreads with tiny cubes of potato and juicy mushrooms were drizzled in a sherry-mustard butter sauce and topped by even smaller cubes of beet. As it turns out, the sweetbreads were likely the highlight of our entire lunch!

John greedily eyed my dish while trying to appreciate his own, a Grilled Kobe Beef Brisket. The moist and tender, hoisin-soy glazed beef was sliced and served with peanut noodle salad and a few sauteed veggies. Though I appreciate the attempt, the dish tasted kind of amateur, like the person who cooked it had never prepared Asian cuisine before. C'est la vie! The dish was by no means terrible, just kind of sloppy for an environment like Bayona.

Waiting for our entrees, we eyed our neighbor's plates that had just arrived and one of them looked so good, I almost changed my order. It was a mixed grill with half a stuffed quail, andouille sausage and crusted lamb loin. It made me drool a bit and I covered by taking a big swig of my ginger beer before anyone noticed. At least our entrees arrived in good time to distract me.

I chose Fried Eggs with Pheasant Rillette Cakes that came with smothered collard greens and black-eyed peas. There were also thick, crispy, smoky hunks of pheasant sprinkled on top that were so good, it was like pheasant-bacon. What can I say? It was wonderful and I had no difficulty gobbling it all down. John enjoyed a few well-composed bites smeared into the gooey yolk and declared it good, but he thought it was a bit salty. Though, I didn't see that stopping him when I offered another bite. John opted for the Grilled Wild Salmon with a sundried tomato orzo, wilted escarole and sweet pea sauce. The perfectly-cooked salmon tasted bright and fresh, emphasized by the green taste of the pea sauce and this dish, too, quickly disappeared.

At last it was time for dessert and instead of waving the thought away, John quickly agreed with my choice of the Chocolate Caramel Hazelnut Tart with Earl Gray ice cream and fresh strawberries. I felt like a stuffed hobbit, "filling in the corners" while we slowly dug into our decadent dessert that was thick with rich chocolate and caramel and all I could think about was "Where am I going to eat next?"

Pho at Boucherie?

We're barely into 2012 and I am already lagging on posts, but I promise I won't make it a habit! I don't usually make resolutions as it only provides me the opportunity to break them, but I intend on making a sincere effort to post more this year. That being said...

For the past several weeks, I've nursed a serious yen for some pho, but since I simply can't condone a a $30 cab ride for a $8 bowl of soup from Pho Tau Bay (as fabulous as it might be), I've shoved my cravings into a corner. Last week, in an effort to save money, stay closer to home and still have a fantastic meal, John and I decided to walk over to Boucherie and have lunch. Though the pho itch was still floating in the back of my mind, it was the last thing I expected to see on the menu in the cute, lilac house on Jeannette Street.

It may come as a shock, but I actually made reservations this time and I must admit, it felt incredibly good when the waitress pushed past the crowd of snooty patrons at the door (this one woman wouldn't even deign to look at me after I held the door open for her) and ask "Are you Miss Kim? Your table is right this way..." That pretentious lady looked at me then, oh yes indeed.

We sat down and were looking over the menu noticing all the little changes when lo and behold, I spotted pho as a "small plate" and I had no choice but to give it a try. We placed our order and watched while the pompous woman ogled our spot with obvious jealousy and irritation...much to our pleasure.

To start, John chose the Grilled Romaine Caesar Salad that came topped with thick shavings of Parmesan and bright green, basil croutons. It's been on the menu at Boucherie for a while and I had tasted it before, simple and delicious. My dish was, of course, the Pho with Smoked Lap Chong (dried pork sausage) meatballs and rice noodles. Along with the bowl of steaming soup, they served a plate with fresh basil, mint, sliced jalapeno, bean sprouts and a couple of squirts of what was unmistakably Sriracha and hoisin. While I loved the presentation, the ever-present aromatics like cinnamon and star anise, and what I am sure was a very trying recipe (making the broth for pho is more than arduous), the flavor fell a bit short of what I was hoping for, lacking the many-layered, meaty depth that is so often found in a typical Vietnamese pho. I certainly applaud the chef on his effort.

The dining room was packed, with more people waiting at the door, but our dishes kept coming out in a very timely fashion. Before we knew it, our server was swooping in to pick up our empty plates and bringing us new ones. For his entree, John selected the Pulled Pork Cake with Potato Confit and topped off with a bright, Purple Cabbage Cole Slaw. Like any of the "BBQ" items at Boucherie, this was wonderfully juicy pile of smoky pulled pork that practically melted in your mouth with each bite. Strangely enough, I chose something similar, the Cuban Sandwich. Thick, saucy hunks of roasted pork dressed with red wine mustard, pickled roasted poblano peppers, ancho aioli and house made, fresh mozzarella were pressed between two, cripsy slices of buttered and toasted bread. The cheese was slowly oozing out of the sides and as one man passed by my table, he pointed and said "I'm getting that next time!"

At last, it was time for dessert and since John had never tasted it before, we chose the Thai Chili Chocolate Chess Pie. I guess our server was getting a bit frazzled by the crowds though, because what came to our table was their Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding. Laughing, I informed her of the mistake and she said, "No worries, I'll bring you a slice of that too..." Needless to say, we ate the bread pudding, which is sinfully decadent, moist and lighter in texture than you'd imagine, and then took the chocolate pie home. Later that night we devoured that chocolaty, spicy sweetness resting in a buttery, flaky crust and it was just as fabulous as we thought it would be.

Do you remember...

...this house?

It was the mystery on my street with Katrina-born messages scrawled on the wobbly, leaning fence and so overgrown with flora you could barely see the house.

Last week as John and I set out on foot to our next dining destination, I stopped in my tracks and literally goggled. For weeks they had been clearing away plants from behind the crooked fence, but at last the final barrier had been removed.

I am ecstatic that "they" - whomever they are - have seen their way through to improving this property and I am anxious and excited for what may come of this great, old house. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high because they may just demolish it and start over, but I have seen men working on it, getting rid of ruined flooring and general debris.

On the other hand, it's kind of sad-looking. All naked and exposed, shivering on the corner with nothing left to hide behind, its mystery somehow defiled by stripping away its wild facade.

Here's to the raw, new beginning in 2012...