Potatoes-A-Go-Go

Red Potatoes at Crawfish Boil

Kate — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 22:42:33 +0000

My lovely Sunday followed up brunch with a crawfish boil at K. and S.’s place in Mid-City. They’ve got a hammock on their porch and had beer in their cooler, so I was a happy camper right away. Then came the crawfish. H. scooped them out onto big trays from the cooler where the boil was dumped. I was immediately intimidated by the size of the tray and the look of the crawfish. K. showed me how to peel and eat and attempted to shame me in to sucking the heads, but I remained squeamish about the whole thing. Fortunately there were potatoes on the plate as well, and they were amazing–salty, spicy, creamy, oh so good. The mushrooms were amazing too. Oh, and the corn. *sigh* I skipped the hot dogs and sausages, because I’m just not that kind of girl, but oh boy, what a fantastic way to enjoy potatoes, and a Sunday afternoon with friends. Summer’s going to be good this year.

Breakfast Potatoes at Ruby Slipper

Kate — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 22:36:07 +0000

Last Sunday was positively beautiful, and I started the day beautifully with brunch in Mid-City. There were six of us–quite a large sitting for a small restaurant–but we only waited about 20 minutes. I knew I’d get the egg plate. I’m not one for lots of change, especially on my breakfast plate. Plus, I wanted to test out the breakfast potatoes, as seen here. They were sliced small red potatoes, lightly seasoned, with a crispy outside and incredibly smooth interior. They were delicious; just the right amount of salt and left to taste like, well, potatoes. The rest of the plate was good too. I’m ready to go back again. Is it Sunday yet?

French Fries at the Columns Hotel

Elizabeth — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 13:09:40 +0000

Exactly two weeks ago today, the Muses parade rolled down St. Charles Avenue. A few hours beforehand, my sister A. and I sat inside the august Columns Hotel, at a booth in the wood-paneled bar, eating chili-cheese dogs and french fries. K. previously reviewed the potato skins at the Columns, and on the only other occasion I ate in the bar, I was delighted by the crab cakes. Because the food served tends to be rather fancy, I was surprised to discover that, because of the events outside, the hotel bar was only serving festival food. Such as chili-cheese dogs with french fries. But A. and I ended up being oh-so-glad about this.

The french fries were delicious. Prepared to perfection, they were crisp but not over cooked. Thick and full of potato-ie goodness. Neither too salty, nor underseasoned. The fries were served hot and retained their heat.

Besides being served with a delicious chili-cheese dog, the fries also came with a few catsup packets. My initial response to the catsup packets was to be concerned that we had not been provided enough. However, the fries were so delicious in their own right, that we shunned the catsup. Which was a good thing, because I always have trouble opening those little packets.

Homemade Mashed Potatoes at Nacho Mama’s

Kate — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 01:57:51 +0000

So there I was, sitting at the bar, enjoying a beer and some chips and dip while finishing up my grading for the weekend, when potatoes appeared. I love a surprise, that’s for sure, and these were delightful. A woman at the end of the bar pulled some mashed potatoes out of nowhere and offered them to her friends who were working. Nobody jumped at them, but I asked politely if I could get take a bite. The cute blond server brought me some utensils to try out these mashed potatoes made by the woman’s boyfriend. I treated these homemade potatoes with the reverence they deserved and settled in to taste. They were smooth, a bit salty, on first bite. There were anxious looks, waiting to see how I liked them. But I need time to savor. The second bite had a chunk of garlic,which I happen to like. They were smooth, made with red potatoes rather than the traditional russet. They were really, really good. I put the lid back on, put down my fork, and returned them to their rightful owner. She’s a lucky woman–her man can make some mean potatoes.

Frites at La Crepe Nanou

Elizabeth — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 00:04:12 +0000

Better not call them french fries, because La Crepe Nanou is such a classy joint that it only serves pommes frites. Though I tend to stick with the crepes, for the benefit of you, our dear readership, I ordered the moules marinieres, as they come with the traditional side of frites.

La Crepe Nanou is a cute place with a romantic vibe and good service. It’s a little pricey, but still reasonable. The crepes tend towards delicious. The wine list presents a variety of options, even if it’s a little shorter than one might expect. I had high hopes for my frites.

Tragically, these hopes were dashed. The frites, of which I received a generous serving, can best be described as “uninspiring.” Largely flavorless. Limp yet, mysteriously, a tad overcooked. They got cold remarkably fast. Indeed, they were so disappointing, I was emotionally unable to eat more than a handful. Meanwhile, my mussels were no better than decent.

For all these reasons, I urge you to enjoy the crepes at La Crepe Nanou, but pass on the moules and frites.

Hash Browns at Cafe Freret

Elizabeth — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:35:48 +0000

Many potatoes have been consumed over the past week, so I will stagger the posts. First up: hash browns at Cafe Freret, where I enjoyed Lundi Gras breakfast with my sister A., my cousin A.B., and my friend L.T.

Definitely one of the better tuber dishes in the city. Cooked in butter, but not oily. The peppery-seasonings are bold, but not overpowering. Just the right balance of crisp and succulent. The portions are generous, and they reheat well.

Hash browns may be ordered as a side, or can come as part of the various meals offered for brunch and breakfast. This most recent time around, I got mine with over-easy eggs, toast, and a heaping serving of bacon.

Breakfast at Cafe Freret is always a culinary triumph, but the wait for a table can be long, and once seated, service is slow and generally inattentive. Also, most of the seating is outdoors, and while the restaurant owns heat lamps, they tend to either not be set up, or set up but not turned on. Therefore, one is wise to set aside at least two hours at peak hours, and to dress in layers.

Cheese Fries and Gravy Fries at Parasol’s

Kate — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:40:54 +0000

E. rang me up to see if I’d like to meet her sister A. and join them in a potato hunt. As difficult as it was to drag me away from another episode of CSI: New York, I consented. A. apparently has a healthy respect for chili cheese fries, so we decided to stick with the fry category. E. suggested gravy fries at Parasol’s, and off we went. After perusing the menu for a bit and deciding to pass on the po’ boys (which aren’t nearly as good as their reputation, in my humble opinion), we settled on both the cheese and gravy fries to share. They look *so* good, don’t they? Well, I have to admit they were a bit disappointing. As E. pointed out, they were oddly crispy on the outside and soggy on the inside. Also, as hard as this might be for you, dear reader, to believe, they just weren’t salty enough. All that cheese, all that gravy, and not enough flavor. Perhaps several beers would have improved the tasting. There will most certainly be a next time; I’ll let you know if that makes a difference.

At Fresco on Maple, it’s Tubers Galore

Elizabeth — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 05:00:31 +0000

I’ve had the flu all week, and have literally spent almost every moment — waking or otherwise — since Monday night in bed. This confinement has been making me restless. Finally, this evening, I was well enough to take a field trip. M. and B. walked me down Maple St to Fresco, where I indulged in potatoes.

First up, was the potato soup. I believe it was described to us as a corn and potato chowder, but it was so much more than that. Imagine a baked potato with all the fixings. Now imagine that as a chowder. A culinary triumph. There were even real bits of bacon. Totally delicious. And, lest you forget, I am from New England, and know a damn good chowder when I eat it. This, dear readers, was a tip-top chowder.

Next, I ordered a “gourmet sandwich,” which the menu promised would be accompanied by “paprika potatoes.” This proved a sore disappointment! Nothing but a meager portion of run-of-the-mill french fries. (The photo is of the plate as it arrived.) Especially since Fresco is known for its enormous portions, I considered the dearth of frites to be a full-on mystery, to say nothing of their lack of paprika. A true let down after the majesty of the soup du jour.

Maple Mashed Sweet Potatoes at Commander’s Palace

Kate — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 22:24:26 +0000

C., C., and I lunched at Commander’s Palace this afternoon in celebration of the approaching Mardi Gras. 25 cent martinis is a great way to start the party, and C. gracefully bought me lunch. I went with the pork tenderloin, though I’ve never had pork before, partly because I liked the sound of the maple mashed sweet potatoes that would come with it. This picture doesn’t do the meal justice, and especially not the potatoes. They were smooth and sweet, with just a hint of smoke. The maple flavor was pronounced, and it all tasted like a lovely fall day. It feels like spring outside, however. Fortunately, the few bucks we spent on fruity martinis took the edge off. I’m not sure I’ll go for pork again, but those potatoes? The stuff of potato dreams.

Spicy Curly Fries at Arby’s

Kate — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 19:18:20 +0000

The morning was a bit of a bust for N. and I, so we decided to head to Metairie for some fast food to ease our worries. You know what that means: potatoes. We went to Arby’s over on Veteran’s and both had combo meals with spicy curly fries. They came in these containers like popcorn used to come in at the movies, back before the introduction of the dreaded leaky popcorn bag. The container was nice, but even nicer were the fries. Deliciously curly and well spiced, they were still hot, most likely because we ordered before lunch even began. N. went through four containers of ketchup/catsup with hers, and I went through two things of Horsey Sauce. Spicy curly fries aren’t like regular fries, so I can’t compare them to the McFries I had recently, but I enjoy them on their own terms, which means, for me, somewhat rarely.