Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Darrell's



Lake Charles, Louisiana
So... the city of Lake Charles... what is there to do here exactly? I don't have the slightest clue. I tend to use this place as a pit stop that roughly marks the halfway mark between Baton Rouge to Houston. If I feel like gambling, L'auberge du Lac is the casino of choice. But, now I know exactly where to go if I want a great po-boy.

Darrell's is the spot that not only McNeese students know about, but probably known by the entire city of Lake Charles. On the outside, it looks just like any other hole in the wall. The food on the other hand, was way better than I had expected.

If you come here, the one thing that everyone should try out is Darrell's Special with their unique Jalapeno Mayo condiment, that they make themselves. You can pick from the large (which is a foot long) or the small (6 inch). I suggest you get the large, just so you can have some leftovers for later if you don't finish it all.

Well, this big guy comes with three kinds of meat: ham, turkey, and roast beef. It also comes with three types of cheese: American, Swiss, and Provolone. It comes dressed with lettuce, the roast beef gravy and either mustard, mayonnaise or their jalapeno mayo.


When I started eating this sandwich, I immediately noticed how awesome the bread was. It is really unlike any po-boy bread that I've ever had. It was toasty and buttery on the crust and really soft on the inside. The combination of meat was amazing. It's certainly a mouthful and a handful. Because of all the gravy and the jalapeno mayo, it makes it a pretty messy experience, but it's SO worth it. I love a sloppy sandwich, they usually taste better that way (for me anyways). The roast beef stood out more than anything. The meat was tender and the hot gravy had the perfect amount of saltiness. The jalapeno mayo stood out a lot too. It brought in a good amount of heat to the po-boy, which I thought was excellent because it prevents you from using hot sauce.



This po-boy was great, the downside of it for me was the American cheese. I'm really not a huge fan. The flavor of American cheese cuts through the flavor of the others so much that you can't really taste anything else. I didn't know at the time that it came with it on, and I'm not entirely sure if you can ask to have it without it either. What I really wish that this place had were some french fries, but then again they don't fry anything. I didn't complain though. A bag of chips worked out just fine.

If you're ever in the city of Lake Charles or in the need of a pit stop, now you know where to go. Darrell's is the place to be for an amazing po-boy.




Darrell's - 119 W. College Street, Lake Charles, Louisiana
Darrell's on Urbanspoon

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Black Walnut Cafe

Houston, Texas
It's around 9 AM in Rice Village and I'm with three of my friends. We decided to go to Black Walnut Cafe because we heard they have good breakfast. Not only do they just serve breakfast, they serve food for all meals and also carry an award winning gelato. One of the major perks of this place is that they have happy hours. But, unlike any other place I've seen, Black Walnut Cafe has a happy hour in the morning! Yes, the morning. The early bird happy hour runs from 7AM to 10:30AM, and there is an assortment of beer, wine and cocktails that you can choose from.
 

It's never too early for a good mimosa, so we all split a carafe. It filled about 10 flute glasses. Their mimosas consists of fresh squeezed orange juice, sparkling wine, and Grand Marnier. Their mimosas were incredible, I'm sure that the fresh squeezed orange juice had a lot to do with it. This was also the first time I have ever had Grand Marnier in a mimosa. I think it's something I will make sure to include from now on.


Well, here is what I ordered. Texas Cut Brioche French Toast. It's made with English cream batter, and topped with lemon zest, honey whipped butter and New England maple syrup. You could also add thick cut peppered bacon for two dollars, and that's exactly what I did.


The first thing I noticed was the golf ball sized dollop of butter sitting on top my French toast. I have to say that it was a bit of an overkill but you can just put it to the side. The amount that was melted on top was more than enough anyways. Sadly, I couldn't taste that it was honey whipped. What I absolutely enjoyed the most was the lemon zest on top, it added a nice fruity touch aside from the sweetness from the powdered sugar and maple syrup. The bread that was used held its shape through the cooking process and wasn't soggy at all (tends to happen sometimes). The taste was excellent, it wasn't overly sweet and the use of the thick cut brioche made it very filling. The bacon was also a good choice. The peppered bacon also added a savory aspect to my breakfast, I don't know what it is with the sweet and salty combination but it works every time.

Overall, my experience here was better than I expected. I'll be sure to return if I'm ever back in Houston. The mimosa carafe was 18 dollars, and my French toast plus the bacon was $9.50. Not too shabby.

Black Walnut Cafe 5510 Morningside Drive, Houston, Texas
http://www.blackwalnutcafe.com/rice.html
Black Walnut Cafe (Rice Village) on Urbanspoon

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Juan's Flying Burrito



New Orleans, Louisiana
My legs are hurting, I'm dehydrated, and above everything else, I am hungrier than ever. These were my thoughts right after running the Crescent City Classic. After complaining through traffic for about an hour we finally make it out of City Park all the way uptown to my friend's house. To cure our hunger pains we decided to make the short trip down S. Carrollton Avenue to Juan's Flying Burrito (the mid city location). My first thought about eating Mexican food after a grueling run didn't seem very appealing at first, but I was so hungry that I didn't really care.

It was a gorgeous day, so we decided to sit outside. Well, we started off running through their chips, queso, and salsa like crazy before our entrees arrived. Thankfully, we were so hungry that it didn't hold us back from finishing the rest of our meal. One of my friends decided to tackle a mountain of nachos on his own. He ordered the Kamehameha Nachos which has a bed of chips topped with applewood smoked bacon, pulled pork, grilled mango, pineapple salsa, chipotle sour cream, cilantro, jalapenos, and of course, their white queso. He added guacamole onto it as well just for fun.


This behemoth of a plate gets dropped off at our table and we all decided to grab a few bites. The pulled pork was smoky and tender, and the applewood smoked bacon on top gave it the right amount of saltiness that I like. I mean, who doesn't like bacon? The jalapenos were pretty spicy, but not over the top. But I have to say, the kicker out of these nachos has got to go to the fruit. I would have never thought of putting grilled mangoes or pineapple on my nachos. It complimented the pork so well with its sweetness that I wanted some on every bite. I'll be sure to try to add them on my nachos anywhere I go from now on if the option is available.

What I decided to order were the Blackened Red Fish Tacos. In the three tacos, you get the blackened Red Fish, a creamy cilantro slaw, and salsa fresca (pico de gallo) on grilled flour tortillas. It comes with a side of tartar sauce on the side as well. I took my first bite and it was a match made in heaven. When I heard that we were going to eat Mexican food, I thought about consuming something really heavy that would eventually feel like a brick were in my stomach. These tacos did the exact opposite.

The blackened Red Fish was cooked really well. It had a nice crust on the outside, but very juicy and moist center. The creamy cilantro slaw set it beyond any coleslaw that I've ever had on a fish taco. Generally, you'll just find plain shredded cabbage when ordering them. The slaw that came on these tacos was very light, even though it was creamy. And the touch of cilantro added great flavor to pair the fish. On top of the great taste, it added a crunchy texture component that made you know that it was fresh. Light, airy and fresh, it really doesn't get any better than that.


I will go ahead and say that these fish tacos are hands down, the best I have ever eaten.

The only sad part about my meal was that it had to end. With my hunger level being so high, and the deliciousness of everything that we ordered, made me consume everything so fast that I didn't really sit back enough to enjoy every aspect. I will be back for sure, and hungry for more.

Juan's Flying Burrito - 4724 South Carrollton Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana
                                   2018 Magazine Street, New Orleans, Louisiana
http://juansflyingburrito.com/
Juan's Flying Burrito on Urbanspoon

Monday, April 9, 2012

Superior Seafood



New Orleans, Louisiana
Superior Seafood has been the talk of the town in New Orleans since they've opened in January. They got prepared in enough time for the Mardi Gras and Lent season and have hit the ground running ever since. With the boom of the film industry in New Orleans, you can spot celebrities here on any given night! I heard the hype of Superior Seafood before it even opened for the general public. And this weekend was my time to experience it, firsthand.

I drove into New Orleans on Friday afternoon in preparation for the Crescent City Classic, and just in time for their happy hour. This entails 2 for 1 frozen mojitos, 1/2 off house win carafes and $2 off their draft beer. I had no intentions of consuming any alcohol the day before a race, but a dear friend of mind that works there suggested that I get their frozen pomegranate mojito. It's made with Castillo rum, fresh mint, fresh lime juice and pomegranate juice. It was very refreshing, and not too sweet or sour.

Now, the problem I ran into was that I had the belief that I was going to return to Superior Seafood after the race the following day (which never happened). So, I held back on what I ordered. I actually had no seafood in my meal on this day. But, my mission now was to see if they are capable of making great food outside of seafood.

I went with their Rich Boy Po-Boy. It consists of braised filet tips in a veal demi glace sauce set on French bread with shredded lettuce, tomato, pickles, mayonnaise and mustard, along with a side of fries.

A demi glace is a rich brown sauce used in French cuisine, and in this case, it was made from veal stock.


Well, here it is. The massive po-boy that I had to consume. The aroma from the meat and veal demi glace sauce had my friends salivating to see what it tasted like. Of course, me being the nice person I am, shared with everyone that wanted to try it. The filet tips were very tender and had a peppery taste to it that made me like it even more than what I hoped. As for the actual po-boy. It met every expectation that I was planning to get. The bread was nice and soft, perfect to soak in the demi glace enough to not make it messy. I think it was dressed perfectly as well. The mustard was actually amazing, it made the po-boy for the better, almost creating a horseradish taste. The clever name for the po-boy certainly made it fitting in more ways than one. Filet tips are hardly ever found in po-boys mainly for the cost and it was actually very rich in taste. I probably wouldn't have been able to finish had I not shared.


The fries were also very good. The problem with having fresh cut french fries is that they're susceptible to get soggy and moist from holding in the grease. These stayed nice and crunchy by the time I finished everything and were tossed in some large grained sea salt.


If it's a nice day out, ask to be seated outside. The scenery on looking the St. Charles and Napoleon Avenues make it entertaining in itself (you never know what you'll see in New Orleans), and it's always good to get some fresh air. The wait staff is very friendly and the food... excellent. If this doesn't tickle your fancy, I have no idea what will.

I definitely have unfinished business here.



Superior Seafood - 4338 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana
http://www.superiorseafoodnola.com/
Superior Seafood & Oyster Bar on Urbanspoon