Goodies First

Feb 24

Tally Ho

I regret never getting to eat in our hotel restaurant, Gamay, as it was
closed on Sunday and that's when we thought to try breakfast or lunch. The
front desk clerk alternately suggested nearby, Tally Ho and added it's "the
best breakfast in town." We figured this must be some cross-arrangement
(ever the suspicious New Yorkers) since it sounded like a pat response. But
lo and behold, as we rounded the corner, their sign proudly proclaimed "the
best breakfast in town." What do you know? Hearty omelets with a few oddball
options like jambalaya and alligator sausage are a great way to start the
day.

Tally Ho * 400 Chartres St., New Orleans, LA

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Feb 23

St. Charles Tavern

As it was on the streetcar line, we couldn't resist stopping here on our way
back from the zoo. Jalepeno poppers and a blue cheeseburger spoiled my
appetite for dinner at the Gumbo Shop. It was my only non-regional meal of
the trip. Gut-busting blasphemy.

St. Charles Tavern * 1433 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, LA

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Feb 23

Central Grocery Company

I never knew what a muffuletta could be (or was exactly, for that matter).
This Italian grocery knows how to make a sandwich. A whole round of bread,
crammed with salami, provolone, olives and other marinated goodies, makes a
beautiful oily mess. Wash it down (I dare you to eat more than half) with
Barq's in a bottle for a gratifying experience. (2/23/02)

I've never tried a muffaletta anywhere else but here, so it's not as if
I have a broad range of experience to compare with. But I like to believe
this is the quintessential version. I'm not even sure why it's a New Orleans
specialty, there's nothing particularly Cajun about it. In fact, the massive
sandwich would be right at home in my own heavily Italian-American
neighborhood, Carroll Gardens. Around these parts, they make some fine oily,
meaty, cheesy sandwiches, alright, but it's the olive salad that really adds
something. Or maybe its the bread. Or the swampy air? There's just something
about a muffaletta. (7/13/04)

CentralGrocery Company * 923 Decatur St., New Orleans,LA

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Feb 23

Cafe du Monde

Who knew beignets and chicory cafe au lait could be so addictive. I couldn't get enough of those fried squares of dough–we went twice in one day.

What confuses me is how cans of Cafe du Monde coffee made it into Hong Kong Supermarket in Sunset Park. I noticed more than a few Asian waiters at the cafe. What if there's a covert smuggling operation going on? Who cares as long as I benefit. Now, if they'd only find a way to sneak warm, sugar-covered beignets into my neighborhood too. (2/23/02)

New Orleans is odd in that many (though certainly not all) tourist heavy haunts still offer good food. It's pretty rare in NYC to find a place that pleases visitors as well residents. Caf du Monde is crowded, potentially confusing (people seem to have a hard time figuring out if youre supposed to just take a table or wait to be seated, and then whether or not someone is supposed to come out and take your order) and youre in dangerously close proximity to overzealous street performers. But its all good. At least the beignets are. I try not to get too unnerved by all the women in scrunchies and fitted denim shorts, and men in polos and their pleated khaki shorts.

I'm trying to figure out the Vietnamese/Caf du Monde connection. In NYC, youll frequently see cans of the stuff in Vietnamese restaurants, often integrated into make shift shrines. Almost all the wait staff at Caf du Monde are Vietnamese, as well. I could understand a Japanese fondness since they have franchises in Japan. But Vietnam? Is it just some odd hold over Francophila, or is there something deeper at work? (7/13/04)

Cafedu Monde * 1039 Decatur St., New Orleans,LA

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Feb 22

La Peniche

My first meal in New Orleans was not a disappointment. I picked the oyster
po boy, and was minorly baffled when they asked, "do you want that dressed?"
I love going places where you don't know the dining procedures. The hardest
decision involved picking dessert off the hand-written dry–erase board
(there were three in the small space and the odd thing is that each of the
10-12 choices were written in different colors, yet the same corresponding
color on each board. Someone is anal about the daily specials). And it's an
impressive roster of sweets too. Oreo pie, pineapple upside-down cake, sweet
potato pecan pie, turtle cheesecake, and peanut butter chocolate chip pie.
Try getting those in NYC–sometimes we're too sophisticated for our own
good. (2/22/02)

I hadn't realized how gay and how large the clientele was on our
previous visit. I started wondering if there wasn't some kinky feeder/gainer fetish
occurring in front of my eyes. Not that I was prevented from enjoying my
food. The front door was locked and you had to be let in, something to do
with some criminal maniac loose in the neighborhood. How would the person
who let you in know whether or not you were the criminal? Bizarre, and very
un-NYC. Don't quote me on this, but I swear there was also a machete right
near the door. For protection, I assume.(7/04)

La Peniche * 1940 Dauphine St., New Orleans,LA

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Feb 17

Triple 8

Pretty much banquet-sized room dim sum. Not sublime, but satisfying. I'm not
one of those finicky, stickler types. My only complaint: no turnip cakes.

Triple Eight Palace * 88 E. Broadway, New York, NY

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Feb 16

White Castle

I can't believe I've never mentioned White Castle here. I guess I haven't
really kept track of fast food or pizza since it all blurs together. But
White Castle is a horse of a different color. The most frequented location
is in Williamsburg, but I also live a block from one (though I eat there
less frequently–I don't feel right eating it alone, it seems sort of sad
and destructive like drinking by yourself rather than socially). I first got
on my W.C. kick when they were doing a funny Craveology promotion and I
tried to collect all 12 plastic cups. I haven't noticed any remarkable ad
campaigns lately, but now I'm hooked and there's no going back. (2/16/02)

White Castle *
Metropolitan Ave. or Fourth Ave., Brooklyn, NY

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Feb 1

Allioli

1/2 Closed: I think the owners are now focusing on Zipe Zape (which I've yet to try) down the street. (6/6/05)

It's about time Williamsburg got into the tapas game. Well, I'm not sure if quail with quince, chestnut puree and chocolate qualifies as tapas, but I was definitely intrigued. This was more of an entree, but Allioli also offers smaller, standard fare like grilled octopus and bread topped with serrano ham and olive oil.

Make sure to bring cash because they don't take credit cards and ATM's are none too near (as we discovered a bit to late). Cash-only seems to be a big trend these days. Is it the recession or primarily a Brooklyn thing? (2/1/02)

Both times I've eaten here, I've ended up with a stomach ache. I never know if it's because devouring tapas always seems to go hand-in-hand with imbibing heavily. I also feel like we must over-order, choosing four dishes. The waitress seems ready to take off after the mention of two. But then again, this is Williamsburg and if girls are going to persist in walking around with ten-year-old-boy bodies, the servings must be kept to a minimum. The baby squid baffled me because I wasn't sure if you were supposed to dig into its bulbous head or not. I wasn't put off by the notion until James talked me out of it. Suddenly self-conscious and squeamish, my thoughts turned to a conversation from earlier that evening about the Daniel Pearl video (which I still haven't watched–I tried the other day, but my internet connection was too slow, and the movements were drawn out and jerky and it seemed even more upsetting and ominous in slow motion so I turned it off) and the notion of eating this disembodied squid head made me uncomfortable. I relish in offal, innards and the like, but this time around I had to take the waitress's chiding ("how come no one eats the heads?"). I just couldn't bring myself to take a chomp out of the darn thing. (6/7/02)

Allioli * 291 Grand St., Brooklyn, NY

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Jan 25

Chevy’s

1/2

It's not always easy simulating a suburban experience in Times Square, but
Chevy's comes the closest. Dinner and a movie in a multi-plex minus the
usual parking lot milieu. Just don't look out the windows or pop into the
Port Authority bar or arcade or the mirage will be ruined. Don't consult the
online menu before going or you'll just be saddened by the jacked-up midtown
prices. Hey, paradise don't come cheap.

Chevy's * 259 W 42nd St., New
York, NY

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Jan 18

America

Closed: I'm surprised it took this long for American to wither away.
(6/6/05)

Is this vast, oddly-muraled, noisy space for tourists? Parties? Groups?
Kids? Me? I'm not sure the target audience. America strikes me as one of
those places that may have been big before my time. No, not like the '60s,
I'm talking mid-90s.

The 50 states are represented by the obvious like crab cakes (Maryland)
or the invented warm duck salad with soba, watercress and toasted macadamia
nuts (uh, Hawaii). Sometimes they push it a bit. The portions are large, the
prices aren't completely unreasonable and the food is pleasingly mediocre
(not bad, just middling).

My main beef with places like this (Mars 2112 is another in this
category) is their use of the carrot, broccoli and zucchini vegetable
medley, which could only come out of a frozen bag. It's like my mom's in the
kitchen–and speaking of mom, America is exactly where I'd take an
unadventurous visiting parent.

America * 9 E.18th St., New York, NY

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Tally Ho

St. Charles Tavern

Central Grocery Company

Cafe du Monde

La Peniche

Triple 8

White Castle

Allioli

Chevy’s

America

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