(Photo: N.O. School of Cooking)
A good article at the NYT on the status of the restaurants of New Orleans. H/T John:
All the panelists expressed optimism of some sort that eventually New Orleans and its food culture could be rebuilt. But they also aired their concern that it would be rebuilt as a kind of Disneyland, rather than what Mr. Elie called "a good facsimile of the old New Orleans, with all the things we loved about it."He and others bemoaned what they termed a lack of leadership - not only in the political sphere, at the federal, state and local levels, but also within their industry. Many voiced disappointment with Emeril Lagasse, the city's most famous chef, who has three restaurants here and two daily television shows on the Food Network. Mr. Lagasse has returned to the city only briefly since the storms, his restaurants remain shuttered, and his colleagues said he had not spoken out vigorously enough on the problems they all face.
But Mimi Rice, Mr. Lagasse's spokeswoman, said he has worked on several hurricane relief events. Two of his New Orleans restaurants will reopen soon, she reported, Emeril's on Dec. 8, NOLA on Dec. 13. Emeril's Delmonico, heavily battered, will reopen next year.
If anyone in Oxford had lost sight of what was at stake - what was so worth preserving - they were reminded at a smack-up New Orleans lunch cooked by Ms. Clevenger's chef, Ken Smith. It began with a duck étouffée, served with cornbread enlivened by a smear of pepper jelly. Then came a salad of bitter greens with feta cheese and sugared pecans, and sautéed Cane River country shrimp, sauced with shrimp bisque, with wedge-shaped deep-fried grits cakes. Crunchy on the outside, moist inside, the cakes made a big hit, as did a miraculously light version of that often gluelike Southern favorite, banana pudding, made by Dana Logsdon of La Spiga Bakery in New Orleans. One of the exiles, she is camping out in Baton Rouge.
Lots of updates. I can understand the frustration expressed by the attendees, but restaurants are businesses too, and the supply of restaurants will have to keep pace with the demand for them, as visitors and conventions gradually return. The available labor in the area is sorely lacking at this point, too.
Can you see yourself visiting New Orleans anytime soon?
