House of the week: Cottage on Joliet

There's another house for sale in my neighborhood, one that's not nearly as expensive, yet cool nonetheless. This cute, bright blue cottage on Joliet Street is not in what I'd call a "prime location," but it's certainly not terrible. It's three blocks to Palmer Park and less than 1/2 a block to Claiborne.

Realtors are dubbing it a Victorian and while I am not quite sure on that count, it still has some mighty cool architectural details; hardwood floors, transom front & back doors, bead board wainscoting in the living room, dining room and kitchen, high ceilings and exposed brick fireplaces. There's two bedrooms, two bathrooms and about 1200 square feet of living space, not to mention a nice sized, fenced backyard complete with hammock! This little beauty is actually in my price range, listed at only $179,000. Now to scrounge up a down payment...

Hedging my bets at La Petite Grocery

I've whined about this before, but sometimes it's a real pain in the ass taking a risk and trying a new restaurant. Sure, it could easily be fabulous and I could find a new favorite, but it could also just as easily be awful and sometimes, just once in a while, I like to play it safe.

There are those select restaurants in town that I'm positive will be delicious, regardless of what I order or what time I come, and La Petite Grocery is definitely one of them. John and I headed over there for lunch a few days ago and, as always, we were not disappointed. We ordered a bunch of different dishes to share and sat chatting and watching the traffic ooze by on Magazine Street while we waited.


The first to arrive was a salad of sorts where thinly sliced discs of chilled, roasted beets were topped with a healthy portion of blue crab in a horseradish "emulsion" (think mayonnaise) and pickled red onions. It was so cooling and creamy, I gobbled half of it and then traded plates with John. I looked longingly at the remaining crab salad as he started to dig in, but then was distracted by the plate he slid in front of me.

The second appetizer featured thick slices of grilled peaches along with a nice slab of pork belly garnished with a sprig of fresh basil. Not only was it gorgeous -- thick lines of char striping the sweet, orange peaches and a glossy, reddish glaze on the pork belly -- it tasted wonderful. The peaches were ripe and sweet, bursting with juiciness and the rich, fatty pork belly was a delightful contrast. 


We also ordered a side of Baked Blue Crab that arrived before our entree. I suppose it seemed an odd accompaniment to the po-boy we decided to share, so the server brought it out beforehand. He offered to bring some more rolls, considering the ones we were served at the outset had magically disappeared, but we managed quite well without them. Normally, I am not the type of person to enjoy hot seafood and cheese concoctions, but this knocked my socks off. Served like a gratin with crispy breadcrumb top, this dish of blue crab and brie was good enough to lick off the plate. Who needs bread when you possess no etiquette?

Just as we were sluicing out the last creamy bits with our fingers, they brought our our Pork Cheek Po-Boy dressed with pickled red onion and purple cabbage slaw. Tender and juicy, the meat was perfectly complimented by the slaw, but the bread was another issue. I took one bite and the bread was so toasted and crusty all the way through, that I thought I might cut my mouth to ribbons if I kept trying to eat it. It wasn't that much of a problem, though. I just ate around it, including the huge pile of hand-cut fries served on the side.

Once again, John fruitlessly tried to fight me on ordering dessert, but I would not be intimidated. I ordered the Toffee Chocolate Tart and, as always, John matched my ardor to the very last bite. The tart was mostly dense, dark chocolate with a crumbly, buttery, shortbread crust topped by a large dollop of coconut whipped cream and sprinkles and smears of toffee decorating the rest of the plate.

What can I say? Hedging your bets almost always pans out!

Screaming for New Orleans Ice Cream: Hubig's Apple Pie

I thought I'd brighten this Monday, add a little sunshine after several days of rain (and more to come) with ice cream! Monday is as good a day as any to eat ice cream, perhaps even better than most because for me, it's a day that always can do with an extra dose of oomph.

KAPOW!!!

Possibly one of the best combinations since Captain & Tennille or Kermit & Miss Piggy, New Orleans Ice Cream Company & Hubig's Pies have teamed up to offer us Hubig's Apple Pie ice cream. It is a truly harmonious marriage of decadent, creamy vanilla bean ice cream and chunks of sweet, fried apple pie. After gobbling my pint, I was only disappointed by the quantity of Hubig's Pies in the mix...I wanted more! New Orleans Ice Cream Company owner Adrian Simpson agrees and plans kick it up for future batches. Happy Monday!

Stayin' dry at Juicy Lucy's

Gimmicks don't appeal to me at all...well...most of the time. I mean, we've all fallen for the con at least once in our lives. Hell, in my naivete I bought a set of tile cleaning products "as seen on TV" that claimed almost miraculous restoration to 50-year-old grout. The only cleaning occurred when a few of my brain cells were erased from the toxic fumes. I've never seen a gimmick work like it claimed...not once, but I still fall for them from time to time.

Last week I convinced John to try Juicy Lucy's, the fairly new hamburger joint on N. Carrollton Ave. I'd tried a stuffed hamburger (that was also deep fried) before at the now-shuttered McGuire's Sports Bar in the Warehouse District, but it was only a fair experience. Yet here was a shop that was wholly devoted to the stuffed-burger phenomenon, a place that had likely perfected the technique. Plus, they had already opened a second location in Metairie, so they must be doing something right...right?

We chose to sit out front and watched the traffic roll by on Canal Street while we sipped on LA-31 Bière Pâle's poured into chilled, thick glass goblets. It threatened to rain, but the overcast sky was perfect for picture-taking, so we decided to risk it. Our appetizer of fried mushrooms came out before we finished half of our beers. They were hot, crispy and quite juicy, only slightly cooled by the spicy, signature "Juicy" sauce. Simple but tasty, we gobbled them down just as our burgers arrived.

John ordered the "Juicy Mid City" stuffed with sharp cheddar cheese and applewood smoked bacon and a large serving of French fries on the side. I opted for the "Juicy of the Day" which turned out to be a "True Brees" stuffed with mac & cheese and applewood bacon. Instead of fries, I opted for the onion rings. Truth be told, both burgers were rather dry (I prefer mine medium) and the bacon in both of ours was not cooked all the way and kind of rubbery. The onion rings were beautifully thick and crisply fried, but whomever seasoned the batter got a bit slap-happy with the salt. I love salt, but those rings were just too much for me.

We were going to attempt dessert, but our server (who I thought might be an owner), said all they offered was a brownie that wasn't very good, "I ain't gonna serve you that" he stated resolutely. Well, I'd go back for the mushrooms and might chance the onion rings again, but there are too many other great burger joints in this town to settle for one that's just so-so. If only Lucy was Juicier...