Another HIGH PRIORITY for taking care of your FSUW in the states!

[ECOCKS]

How do you get Boise ID in there? Anyway, IIRC you are a product of Memphis? Then surely you know about Rendezvous. It would sacrilege to let her leave Mem'fis without fitting BBQ. Corky's doesn't count.

Naw'lins - for fine dining, Arnauds just off Bourbon. They have this soufflé' fried potato that is beyond description and delicious along with creole and french dishes down to just a plain ole delicious slice of dead cow.

For the real eating I strongly suggest Acme oyster Bar. I drop a couple dozen every time I visit Naw'lins. Of course they have all your other fare there as well. But the raw oysters are primo.

I have a lot of foot time in both these cities, let me know if you need more suggestions

FP - sorry I should have mentioned she doesn't do any meat except for fish.  I will do the BBQ thing but it will be my family style - Rendevous (and Beale Street) maybe once for atmosphere and to understand my roots.  In my family there were three rules for men:

1. Never leave home without a pocketknife in your hip pocket.

2. No one can barbeque in less than 5 hours - less than that is grilled.

3. You can BBQ beef if you want, but real BBQ is pork.

There was a fourth rule but is was our recipe for sauce (no sugar in it BTW) and if I told you I would have to marry you or kill you.  

With regard to NO I have always liked La Louisiane', Toulouse Latrec's and the little places around Jackson Square but have not been there since the hurricane so don't know how the rebuilding went. The potato souffle' at Arnaud's sounds great for her - barely dead but hot cow for me.  I have to go to Anderton's for crawdads and onion rings plus, of course, Cafe du Monde' for beignets and some chicory coffee as well.

Again, I cannot thank everyone nearly enough for the suggestions and advice.

"Greek schnitzel chicken"?  Where does that come from?

Oddly nobody mentioned sausage except Shadow.  Since she doesn't eat meat it is no big thing but I am anxious for her to see and compare American Kielbasa with the Kolbasa available here.

Thanks for the Dutch herring tip.  She loves herring, anchovies and sardines already so my dad is happy about that.  I won't eat the disgusting little things!

[Faux Pas]

FP - sorry I should have mentioned she doesn't do any meat except for fish.  

Divorce her immediately. The marriage is a sham and will never work. But before you doing anything too hasty, I suppose you could take her to Acme Oyster Bar and see her reaction. If it's negative, follow through. Positive, you should probably hang on to her for a little while longer.

[ECOCKS]

Divorce her immediately. The marriage is a sham and will never work. But before you doing anything too hasty, I suppose you could take her to Acme Oyster Bar and see her reaction. If it's negative, follow through. Positive, you should probably hang on to her for a little while longer.

Another social challenge will be coping with American humor I am sure.......

[Faux Pas]

Another social challenge will be coping with American humor I am sure.......

She'll be fine and catch on eventually. I did in Russia. Actually most Russians I have social contact with all have good senses of humor. If she is determined to stick to fish she'll never have to go hungry. As you might remember there is a catfish house about every 2 miles in any direction from Memphis to NO to Orlando.

What is the deal with Boise ID?

[SANDRO43]

Marina bought some pasta to cook tonight

Mike, I hope that was pasta made from durum wheat and she can cook it al dente . Also that the mozzarella in the caprese was made from buffalo milk, rather than cow's, the latter is OK in pizzas but too bland-tasting when not baked.

[ECOCKS]

She'll be fine and catch on eventually. I did in Russia. Actually most Russians I have social contact with all have good senses of humor. If she is determined to stick to fish she'll never have to go hungry. As you might remember there is a catfish house about every 2 miles in any direction from Memphis to NO to Orlando.

What is the deal with Boise ID?

Re: Catfish Houses

Right-on! 

Re: Boise, ID

That's where we are tentatively planning our move.  I like cool winters (ok, cold ones - I wanted Sitka/Ketchikan/Homer/Valdez, Alaska or Leadville/Silverthorne/Dillon, CO but had to compromise).  Going in for a week to look at housing and general community environment.  Unless someone is offering a deal I can't refuse, which at my age is increasingly unlikely.   

[Simoni]

Mike, I hope that was pasta made from durum wheat and she can cook it al dente . Also that the mozzarella in the caprese was made from buffalo milk, rather than cow's, the latter is OK in pizzas but too bland-tasting when not baked.

Fortunately, she bought mozzarella cheese and made the caprese  herself with fresh garden tomatoes tonight.  I'll check the label on that pasta!  Tasted great so it must have been durum wheat :-)

Sandra-- appreciate where you live, you lucky guy!

[Faux Pas]

Re: Catfish Houses

Right-on! 

Re: Boise, ID

That's where we are tentatively planning our move.  I like cool winters (ok, cold ones - I wanted Sitka/Ketchikan/Homer/Valdez, Alaska or Leadville/Silverthorne/Dillon, CO but had to compromise).  Going in for a week to look at housing and general community environment.  Unless someone is offering a deal I can't refuse, which at my age is increasingly unlikely.   

I have good friends in Pocatella I have visited on occasion however, never in the winter as I have seen the pictures. Beautiful country though

[SANDRO43]

Sandra-- appreciate where you live, you lucky guy!

I do, but not to the point of becoming bisexual, thank you very much .

[Simoni]

I do, but not to the point of becoming bisexual, thank you very much .

I better go edit that post!  LOL
Don't want to lose you as a male poster here at RWD!

[Tamara]

Sandro43,

It was not Bruschetta in Carabbas I talked about.  It is freshly baked warm bread in a basket along with some olive oil and spices mixed together and served on the side to dip bread in. A little different from Bruschetta. I love both! Thank you for the recipe, it's pretty good. A little different from the one I use, but I'll try the new one.

Read a number of posts on sushi.  Same as others mentioned, I don't like when others touch it and not cook.   I eat it only if it's homemade.

[Gator]

I have traveled the world, and for some odd reason New Orleans has long been one of my favorite places in the world, starting when I worked there many moons ago.

My Moscow wife and I went there 6 months ago.  She thought it was too much like the Third World, and it is, especially after the storm.  Nevertheless, she loved the food and entertainment and architecture and history.  There is a lot to do.

For a wonderful dining experience (and not very expensive), take the St. Charles street car, go pass Tulane and Audubon Park, walk a bit and dine at Jaques-Imo.  It is a lively, informal place.

http://www.jacquesimoscafe.com/

If you want something more formal, not far away from the same street car ride is Brightsen’s.

http://www.brigtsens.com/

Personally, I prefer Cajun over creole.  And I prefer novelle cuisine, especially with seafood. For that try  GW Fins in the French Quarter.  It is highly acclaimed.  make reservations.

http://www.gwfins.com/nola/

There are four must do’s involving eating but not dining:

1.  Coffee at Café du Monde along the river in the French Quarter.  Hot beignets and New Orleans style coffee in the open air while listening to street performers and doing some of the best “people watching” in the world.

http://www.cafedumonde.com/

2.  Muffaletta at Central Grocery Company in the French Quarter.  I don’t know why this is the only place in the world where you can find this incredible sandwich.

3.  Also in the French Quarter near Canal Street is the Acme Oyster Bar.  My wife ate about three dozen raw oysters there for lunch.

http://www.acmeoyster.com/

4.  My wife loved everything, yet her favorite was ice cream (and you know how particular RW can be about ice cream) at Brocato.  This is another street car ride, but Canal Street, not St. Charles).  They have divine espresso and pastries.

http://www.angelobrocatoicecream.com/

These places will get you started.  Once there, start talking with travel service people who live there.  Hope you are around when mud bugs (crawfish) are in season.  You can thank me later.

What to see?  Garden District Tour.  Venture into Algiers.  WW II Museum so that she will understand that Americans also fought the Nazis (plus the Japanese).  At night, Bourbon Street is fun, and there are some jazz places a short cab ride away. 

[Gator]

My favorite dining story was our first trip to Thailand.   Our relationship has progressed well.  We had been to Italy and now I take her to my kind of country. 

We stayed at the Oriental and ate our first meal there after our long plane ride.  Good food, of course, but not what I really enjoy.  And too expensive.  I love travel, I love trying different cuisines, I love adventure.   This Russian woman is very interesting but if we are to be serious about marriage I need to know if she shares my thirst for adventure.  No more hotel food.

We are in Bangkok, where I have been three times before, starting in the late-1960s.  I know this cuisine, and in fact it is my favorite.   A noisy, smelly tuk tuk carries us to a place recommended by a friend.  90% Thai customers.  Tanks of live fish and shellfish along the four walls.  Open air (no A/C).  Clean...as clean as could be expected for the tropics.  The air filled with the delightful aroma of exotic spices.

Gator, go for it.  I ordered the crab curry.  It was spicy.  Rating of 3.5 peppers with 5 being the maximum (and a 4 being the maximum found in America).  She put a bite into her mouth.  I looked at her and studied the moment.  Her eyes got really big.  She reached for the beer, took a long drink, put the beer down, looked at me and said, "Goooood."  Folks, we have a winner! 

For the next hour she sampled everything, with the giggling waitress showing her how to open one type of crustacean.  Droplets of sweat appeared on her forehead, partly from the heat and partly from the chili peppers.  We had a few beers.  It was a good day.

[Faux Pas]

I have traveled the world, and for some odd reason New Orleans has long been one of my favorite places in the world, starting when I worked there many moons ago.


2.  Muffaletta at Central Grocery Company in the French Quarter.  I don’t know why this is the only place in the world where you can find this incredible sandwich.

3.  Also in the French Quarter near Canal Street is the Acme Oyster Bar.  My wife ate about three dozen raw oysters there for lunch.

http://www.acmeoyster.com/


These places will get you started.  Once there, start talking with travel service people who live there.  Hope you are around when mud bugs (crawfish) are in season.  You can thank me later.

What to see?  Garden District Tour.  Venture into Algiers.  WW II Museum so that she will understand that Americans also fought the Nazis (plus the Japanese).  At night, Bourbon Street is fun, and there are some jazz places a short cab ride away. 

20 years ago while living in Meridian MS was my first encounter with New Orleans. We could catch an Amtrek train from Meridian straight to Canal St station at 6 pm on Friday and arrive at 12 midnight. Round trip was $35. The 6 hour ride down was spent in the bar car and by the time we reached Bourbon St., it was on. The return trip was leaving Canal St. at 12 midnight on Saturday and arriving back in Meridian at 6 am Sunday.  24 consecutive hours of Bourbon St and we usually pooled our money for one room at the Fairmont, although sleep rarely happened. Details of that drunken debauchery can't be described here. Just as well, much of it is a haze anyway. But I can state is was some of the best times of my life.

I will second the Muffalatta at Central Grocery. Man that is a good sandwich. I have found some that come close but, no one that can duplicate that olive dressing.

At Acme Oyster Bar, I always eat standing up to the bar. You gotta love a place that will shuck'em as fast as you can eat them. I can literally step in, eat 2 dozen with 2 Dixie beers and step right back out inside of 15 minutes. I look like a hog at the trough but have never cared.

[Sculpto]

Gator.. the curry test was awesome.. I hope my girl can pass... I have been planning the same kind of challenge..

[GoodOlBoy]

We are in Bangkok, where I have been three times before, starting in the late-1960s. 

See any old "mamma-san's" Gator?  


GOB

[Gator]

Faux Pas,

Your description shows that you have been there and thourghly enjoyed your escapades.

Dixie beer is no longer brewed in New orleans but in Wisconsin. :hairraising:

Did you ever cross the river into Algiers? My client, a native of New Orleans, relished the "down and dirty" and knew where to find it.  It recall one of his favorite bars in the 1970s.  Tiled floor, tiled walls.  At 3am, they would close the place and clean with a fire hose.  What went on before 3am could only be cleaned by a fire hose.

[Gator]

See any old "mamma-san's" Gator?  

What a place in the 1960s.  I went outside Bangkok where women wove their own baskets and wore hand dyed batik. 

Went back in the 70s with a Swedish girl (coal to Newcastle).  The place was starting to change.  No GIs but planeloads of horny Germans.   Huge pigs still wandered on the beach, the woman harvesting shellfish in the surf was stir frying them that night at her little eatery on the beach, and the laundress waited two hours at our room with the pleated dress she had hand pressed for my woman for $0.25.

Went again in the 1980s.  The Thai woman had plastic baskets and wore T-shirts saying "Born in the USA."

During my recent RW travels, I returned to Vietnam and then visited Laos.  Laos was like Thailand in the 1970s.

[Simoni]

1.  Coffee at Café du Monde along the river in the French Quarter.  Hot beignets and New Orleans style coffee in the open air while listening to street performers and doing some of the best “people watching” in the world.

Marina and I love the hot beignets and coffee with milk.  We have stopped by twice.  Each time we have consumed way too many beignets!  Two baskets for two people 

[ECOCKS]

Looks like a complete wardrobe restock will be necessary due to anticipated expansion.

 

[Faux Pas]

Gator,

Oh yes. I visit with regularity. I had standing Sugar Bowl tickets up until this year which I didn't attend. I have been to Algiers a few times. I remember one place there that didn't have a front door because it never closed. I can't remember the name of it.

I love New Orleans. Even after the hurricane is still one of my favorite places to be. Dauphine Orleans Hotel on Dauphine St has been my favorite place to stay for the last 10 years or so. One street parallel to Bourbon. The hotel bar is May Bailys. Once an infamous New Orleans brothel

[SANDRO43]

Thank you for the recipe, it's pretty good. A little different from the one I use, but I'll try the new one.

Well Tamara, since you're open to experimenting and being Russian should love fresh vegetables, I wonder if you ever heard of/tried another EXTREMELY simple Italian 'antipasto', pinzimonio, similar to the French crudités .

Prepare a bowl/plate of fresh raw vegetables cut into strips or pieces (whatever you prefer, e.g. peppers, celery, carrots, tomatoes, fennel, etc.). Put a can/bottle of good olive oil on the table, along with salt & pepper, and small bowls/cups in which to mix up a little olive oil and salt. Then dip the veggies there and eat them .

P.S.: you needn't stand on ceremonies, you can drop the 43 when addressing me .

[Vaughn]

My daughter Lara and I wandered into the French Quarter last March, my first time. On St. Peter Street we
found some of the best crawfish etouffee I've ever sampled at The Gumbo Shop. I was spoiled in the 80's
when working offshore - all that swampland kitchen staff whose English I couldn't understand...

http://www.gumboshop.com/

All seafood aside, though, I was really there for the street music, late Saturday morning - when every
corner has its own flavor and tempo. I really must get back there with my wife. Minimum 4-5 days.
A blues joint called Tipitina's is also a must, IMO.

[OlgaH]

Both my husband and I love the place called Carrabba's Italian Grill (http://www.carrabbas.com/index.aspx).  Excellent Italian food, great drinks, bread with spicy oil! Delicious.

Robert and I love Carrabbas too  and Ariani in Cape Coral http://www.chefdario.com/

[Jumper]

Tanya loves sushi,
(any seafood actually)
a good steak
and yes diffinantly likes mexican food!!

she originally did not like spicy dishes,
and found steak especially prepared medium rare, or rare , as simply weird.
now she is a big  BIG fan..

tastes change.
what was once odd , and not well liked..
are now are now big favorites.