Many have asked me, “Rick, why don’t you write more about food?”
To which I usually reply, “I’m too busy eating.”
But, in actuality, I had to figure out a way to write about it, when it finally came to me last night – A rating system for the ages!
You see, since high school, like many (I console myself with the word “many”) I’ve gained a little weight, if little could amount to, let’s say, another 25% or so of unneeded cells. I’m looked at as somewhat of an authority on food, because during my 30 pounds in New Orleans I learned the fine art of lunch conversation, which in New Orleans is defined as “where are we going for dinner?” Yes, I love good restaurants.
This weight gain is not my fault. I find no problem placing the blame for this 30 years of overindulgence and weight gain on the logical culprit – Obama.
So, now that we’ve established that I was powerless in my quest to get gravy running down my chin, let’s discuss. Just my opinion, but the single thing that defines New Orleans food is the po-boy, their version of the sub, hoagie, torpedo, blah, blah, blah. But, it’s the best sandwich in the world, largely because of the French bread which doesn’t seem to be duplicateable (if that's a word) outside the humid environs of NOLA. And for my money the best po-boy is the Roast beef, a sloppy concoction of slow roasted, gravy soaked, napkin sucking, cheap beef lifted and ladled on to that wonderful bread. Now, I’m also extremely fond of Shrimp po-boys, but I’ll leave that for another day.
I’ve realized that this single dastardly piece of evil, the roast beef poboy, has accounted for a good portion of the weight gain, I’m guessing about 12 pounds of it – so as a way of rating my favorite roast beef poboys I would rate them not by quality, but by their share of the gained proceeds, so here goes;
Pasquale’s (3 pounds) There’s only one Pasquale’s left that I know of, but somehow my car seems to veer off the interstate in Laurel, MS to pay homage to the one that started it all. It was the Hattiesburg location that started me down this destructive path. It was that unique butter-soaked bread that you couldn’t get anywhere else piled high with magical roast beef and gravy that made this a 10 napkin affair. Legendary.
Mother’s – New Orleans (3 pounds) Their debris on their Ferdi (ham and Roast beef – stretching the rules a little bit) make this the greatest sandwich in the world. Period.
If you can stand the clusterf*** that is the actual procuring of the sandwich in this restaurant, you must start your artery-clogging here.
Liuzza’s by the Track – New Orleans (1 pound) My current favorite. It’s a very subtle blend that’s just perfect. Wonderful
Parkway Bakery – New Orleans (1 pound) Traditional and exquisite.
Parasol’s – New Orleans (1 pound) The quintessential example of sloppiness.
Ray’s Pe Ge – Monroe, LA (1 pound) The best I’ve ever had North of I-10.
BB’s – Ocean Springs, MS (1 pound) The best on the coast. It took a half step back when its Biloxi bakery was a Katrina victim, but still worth the drive. From Arizona.
Radosta’s – Metairie, LA (1 pound) Just a wonderful experience. You’ll proceed directly to a nap.
Johnny’s PoBoys – French Quarter (1 pound) Haven’t had this one enough, but there’s still time.
Parran’s – Metairie (1 pound) I recall this as a heavily garlic’d piece of paradise. It’s been too long.
Honorable Mention: Mandina’s in New Orleans, Liuzza’s (the other one) in New Orleans, Mr. Ed’s in Metairie, Domilese in New Orleans, Shortstop in New Orleans, Little Rays and Pirates Cove on the coast.
Let me know what your favorites are. I'll consider it my duty to investigate.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Saints Report # 10 - November 22, 2009
Letting 10 -0 sink in.
I’m sitting here waiting on the HBO season finale of Curb Your Enthusiasm, and I’m trying to curb my enthusiasm for the Saints. Be calm, 10 – 0, no big deal, just ask the Tennessee Titans. Long way to go. Division pretty much in hand. Another big game coming up. Curb it.
Here’s what’s cool about the Saints – just the way it’s all come together, good solid coaching, good play calling (remember Carl Smith) good drafting. But here’s what I really like – the patient player development. Today was Robert Meachem day. Let’s face it – sometimes players come in and make an immediate impact, like Marques Colston and Reggie Bush. Other times, they have to develop. The slow, methodical development of a first round pick like Meachem is the last thing that is expected. We see so many times when a team gives up on a first pick that doesn’t explode as a superstar (see the Detroit Lions’ fleet of wide receiver first round picks). Meachem even had to sit for a year. Whoever heard of that? Off the roster for a whole year, but the team didn’t give up, they just kept working with him until he got it, and now – wow!
From the beginning it was obvious Pierre Thomas was an NFL running back. The Saints have brought him along slowly, and now he’s a steady contributor. It wasn’t as obvious with Lance Moore, but his emergence last year was a testament to the tortoise method that they sometime employ.
All in all, no matter how this year ends up, this is the proper way to develop an NFL team. Finally. Good drafting, good development of unrecognized players, key free agent acquisitions, and yes good coaching.
So, when the Saints dismantled the Bucs today 38 – 7, and I’m thus trying to curb my enthusiasm, it is not so much the prospect of a Super Bowl that has me excited. It’s the fact that this team has a chance to be elite for the next several years. I got a kick out of the consternation over how the Saints won their last few games, that they weren’t up to par. Are you kidding me? We want W’s and only W’s. Don’t care how, don’t care what they look like. I never thought I’d see a Seinfeld reunion, and I’d never thought I’d see 10 – 0. I saw both today.
I’m sitting here waiting on the HBO season finale of Curb Your Enthusiasm, and I’m trying to curb my enthusiasm for the Saints. Be calm, 10 – 0, no big deal, just ask the Tennessee Titans. Long way to go. Division pretty much in hand. Another big game coming up. Curb it.
Here’s what’s cool about the Saints – just the way it’s all come together, good solid coaching, good play calling (remember Carl Smith) good drafting. But here’s what I really like – the patient player development. Today was Robert Meachem day. Let’s face it – sometimes players come in and make an immediate impact, like Marques Colston and Reggie Bush. Other times, they have to develop. The slow, methodical development of a first round pick like Meachem is the last thing that is expected. We see so many times when a team gives up on a first pick that doesn’t explode as a superstar (see the Detroit Lions’ fleet of wide receiver first round picks). Meachem even had to sit for a year. Whoever heard of that? Off the roster for a whole year, but the team didn’t give up, they just kept working with him until he got it, and now – wow!
From the beginning it was obvious Pierre Thomas was an NFL running back. The Saints have brought him along slowly, and now he’s a steady contributor. It wasn’t as obvious with Lance Moore, but his emergence last year was a testament to the tortoise method that they sometime employ.
All in all, no matter how this year ends up, this is the proper way to develop an NFL team. Finally. Good drafting, good development of unrecognized players, key free agent acquisitions, and yes good coaching.
So, when the Saints dismantled the Bucs today 38 – 7, and I’m thus trying to curb my enthusiasm, it is not so much the prospect of a Super Bowl that has me excited. It’s the fact that this team has a chance to be elite for the next several years. I got a kick out of the consternation over how the Saints won their last few games, that they weren’t up to par. Are you kidding me? We want W’s and only W’s. Don’t care how, don’t care what they look like. I never thought I’d see a Seinfeld reunion, and I’d never thought I’d see 10 – 0. I saw both today.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Saints Report # 9 - November 16th, 2009
Mark the date. The Saints clinched a winning record and the war of attrition has officially begun.
The Saints slogged their way to 9 – 0 Sunday with a hard fought victory over the Rams 28-23. It was a talent-over-preparation victory. It counts as a W, and no one will remember the cost, nor the poor clock management in the fourth quarter. This time it was Courtney Roby’s kick return to open the second half, and Reggie Bush’s electric running that saved the Saints. Defensive adjustments at halftime helped slow Steven Jackson, who had pretty much had his way in the first half, and the Saints used big plays to pull it out, rather than grind it out.
With two wonderful free agent pickups, Darren Sharper and Jabari Greer sitting this one out with injuries, Saints fans watched as Tracy Porter was carted off with a knee injury. That's three fourths of the defensive backfield! Compound that with the usually reliable Randall Gay doing a Jason David imitation giving us flashbacks to years of Payton past, and uneasy rests our record.
I said it before and I’ll say it again – the Super Bowl is played by teams that are hot and healthy. The Saints are not playing their best right now, but that worries me much less than their health. It’s the health of the defense which is paramount. The offense has depth – the defense doesn’t.
Next week, we visit Tampa, which doesn’t scare me, although anything can happen in the NFL. But anyone that watched the Manning/Brady Sunday Night Shootout knows that when Brady and an embarrassed Belichick come calling we’ll need all the healthy defensive bodies we can get.
The stretch run, and the war of attrition has begun.
The Saints slogged their way to 9 – 0 Sunday with a hard fought victory over the Rams 28-23. It was a talent-over-preparation victory. It counts as a W, and no one will remember the cost, nor the poor clock management in the fourth quarter. This time it was Courtney Roby’s kick return to open the second half, and Reggie Bush’s electric running that saved the Saints. Defensive adjustments at halftime helped slow Steven Jackson, who had pretty much had his way in the first half, and the Saints used big plays to pull it out, rather than grind it out.
With two wonderful free agent pickups, Darren Sharper and Jabari Greer sitting this one out with injuries, Saints fans watched as Tracy Porter was carted off with a knee injury. That's three fourths of the defensive backfield! Compound that with the usually reliable Randall Gay doing a Jason David imitation giving us flashbacks to years of Payton past, and uneasy rests our record.
I said it before and I’ll say it again – the Super Bowl is played by teams that are hot and healthy. The Saints are not playing their best right now, but that worries me much less than their health. It’s the health of the defense which is paramount. The offense has depth – the defense doesn’t.
Next week, we visit Tampa, which doesn’t scare me, although anything can happen in the NFL. But anyone that watched the Manning/Brady Sunday Night Shootout knows that when Brady and an embarrassed Belichick come calling we’ll need all the healthy defensive bodies we can get.
The stretch run, and the war of attrition has begun.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Saints Report # 8 - November 9, 2009
Don’t Come a Knockin' when the Dome is Rockin’
How sweet it is.
To be 8 – 0 in America.
As the Saints fell behind 14 – 0 yesterday, there was no panic in the Louisiana Superdome. These Saints expect to win. These fans expect to win. They kept rockin’ even as Carolina had one opportunity after another to put the game out of reach. How long will this confidence last? I have no idea. With formidable home tests expected from Dallas and New England I don’t know if we’ll go undefeated, but the roll that we’re on right now is too much fun. This is the way it’s supposed to be.
Yes, the Saints showed some weaknesses yesterday. Carolina chewed up yardage with their running game and slowed the Saints attack as the Saints again turned the ball over too much. But in the end it was Drew Brees’ leadership after a shaky start that led the Saints to their first 8-0 start.
It’s cool watching Drew’s body language. Unlike some quarterbacks who slump around when things don’t go their way, Drew stands calmly on the sideline with his helmet still on, starring at the field. He can’t wait to go again, like a fighter who was been bloodied in one round, but knows there are many rounds to go. He doesn’t even want to sit on the stool.
One of the characteristics of a hot team is that they have a new hero each week. This week one hero was Anthony Hargrove. His personal struggles have been well documented, so while he seems to have turned his life around, he continues to progress on the field. With Sean Ellis out for awhile, he will be a key player for the next few weeks. He hadn’t recovered a fumble in 3 years, so when he recovered one late in the 4th quarter he enjoyed it so much, he grabbed another one and took it in for a score a few minutes later. It was the Saints 7th defensive touchdown of the year, which I’m told is more than Cleveland’s offense. Seven in Eight games! That’s an incredible streak that has to slow down, doesn’t it?
Another hero was Robert Meachum, who made several key grabs, including a long touchdown run after catch. With Marquis Colston having an off day, and Lance Moore on the mend, Meachum stepped up.
My personal favorite was Pierre Thomas who scored and refrained from doing the bogaloo. (See last week's blog)
So now, 4 road games in the next 5 weeks represent a new kind of challenge. Hopefully the Saints will not get caught looking ahead to a Monday Night shoot-out with the Patriots. But I sure am.
How sweet it is.
To be 8 – 0 in America.
As the Saints fell behind 14 – 0 yesterday, there was no panic in the Louisiana Superdome. These Saints expect to win. These fans expect to win. They kept rockin’ even as Carolina had one opportunity after another to put the game out of reach. How long will this confidence last? I have no idea. With formidable home tests expected from Dallas and New England I don’t know if we’ll go undefeated, but the roll that we’re on right now is too much fun. This is the way it’s supposed to be.
Yes, the Saints showed some weaknesses yesterday. Carolina chewed up yardage with their running game and slowed the Saints attack as the Saints again turned the ball over too much. But in the end it was Drew Brees’ leadership after a shaky start that led the Saints to their first 8-0 start.
It’s cool watching Drew’s body language. Unlike some quarterbacks who slump around when things don’t go their way, Drew stands calmly on the sideline with his helmet still on, starring at the field. He can’t wait to go again, like a fighter who was been bloodied in one round, but knows there are many rounds to go. He doesn’t even want to sit on the stool.
One of the characteristics of a hot team is that they have a new hero each week. This week one hero was Anthony Hargrove. His personal struggles have been well documented, so while he seems to have turned his life around, he continues to progress on the field. With Sean Ellis out for awhile, he will be a key player for the next few weeks. He hadn’t recovered a fumble in 3 years, so when he recovered one late in the 4th quarter he enjoyed it so much, he grabbed another one and took it in for a score a few minutes later. It was the Saints 7th defensive touchdown of the year, which I’m told is more than Cleveland’s offense. Seven in Eight games! That’s an incredible streak that has to slow down, doesn’t it?
Another hero was Robert Meachum, who made several key grabs, including a long touchdown run after catch. With Marquis Colston having an off day, and Lance Moore on the mend, Meachum stepped up.
My personal favorite was Pierre Thomas who scored and refrained from doing the bogaloo. (See last week's blog)
So now, 4 road games in the next 5 weeks represent a new kind of challenge. Hopefully the Saints will not get caught looking ahead to a Monday Night shoot-out with the Patriots. But I sure am.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Saints Report #7 - November 2, 2009
Coach Payton,
Some congratulations are in order for:
First, starting out 7-0, matching the Saints best start ever.
Second, for surviving the Sports Illustrated cover jinx.
Third, for extracting a pretty good performance out of Reggie Bush last night. He was the only running back that didn’t lay the ball on the ground, he scored his 16th touchdown as a pro (not bad for a bust), and did a great job picking up some blitzes. He also didn’t taunt. Good job – gotta hand it to him when he does good.
And fourth, for winning another game where one could argue the Saints were outplayed.
At your press conferences you talk about things you need to “clean up,” and let me start with some suggestions:
First, Pierre Thomas’ dancing. His touchdown was indeed a nifty run. However, it didn’t merit an entire dance video. As his celebration went on forever the referee, rightfully playing the role of a judge on “So you think you can dance,” flagged him for unsportsmanlike conduct – excessive celebration and terrible simulation of the movie “This is It” which he must have seen the night before. Please explain to the team that if they are still playing in February they can dance the whole f****** Thriller video if they want, but until then we’ll do the dancing in the stands. Just be like Colston – hand the ball to the ref and go back to the bench to celebrate with your teammates. You may want to mention this to Lance Moore as well – he developed a little bit of Dance Fever last year. The reason I bring this up was that his outburst directly led to giving up enough field position that on the next possession he almost got Brees killed and the result was a touchdown for the Falcons. Not to mention the motivating effect it has on the opposition. When are you going to get this under control?
Second, the Saints got pushed around last night. It seemed that we lost enough line of scrimmage battles to remind us that football is a game of power, and we need more. Greer got mugged on the long touchdown pass, but he got overpowered and that’s not good. And let’s not even talk about what that power running back did to us.
Third, thank Jonathan Vilma. His deflection, in an otherwise lackluster performance, was a game changer.
Fourth, your team sucks at rugby. We lost 3 fumbles in the scrums last night. Not sure how you practice that, but you can bet teams are going to be poking and prodding like it’s an episode of Grey’s Anatomy from here on out.
Fourth, please explain to the NFL that the booth challenges in the last 2 minutes of a half is a stupid rule. It ensures that almost every play is a 5 minute mini-drama and referees, who must be scared to death at this point to call anything, are soon going to be an afterthought. Totally unnecessary to change the rules that exist the rest of the half. The games last longer than an episode of The View already. Please stop.
Finally, please explain to the team that the season is only getting started. The last 2 games indicate trouble down the road, but that’s ok. There’s a long way to go. Getting excited at this point, especially about an undefeated season, is like talking about a no-hitter after the first inning. Keep building and improving – we’ll be fine.
Some congratulations are in order for:
First, starting out 7-0, matching the Saints best start ever.
Second, for surviving the Sports Illustrated cover jinx.
Third, for extracting a pretty good performance out of Reggie Bush last night. He was the only running back that didn’t lay the ball on the ground, he scored his 16th touchdown as a pro (not bad for a bust), and did a great job picking up some blitzes. He also didn’t taunt. Good job – gotta hand it to him when he does good.
And fourth, for winning another game where one could argue the Saints were outplayed.
At your press conferences you talk about things you need to “clean up,” and let me start with some suggestions:
First, Pierre Thomas’ dancing. His touchdown was indeed a nifty run. However, it didn’t merit an entire dance video. As his celebration went on forever the referee, rightfully playing the role of a judge on “So you think you can dance,” flagged him for unsportsmanlike conduct – excessive celebration and terrible simulation of the movie “This is It” which he must have seen the night before. Please explain to the team that if they are still playing in February they can dance the whole f****** Thriller video if they want, but until then we’ll do the dancing in the stands. Just be like Colston – hand the ball to the ref and go back to the bench to celebrate with your teammates. You may want to mention this to Lance Moore as well – he developed a little bit of Dance Fever last year. The reason I bring this up was that his outburst directly led to giving up enough field position that on the next possession he almost got Brees killed and the result was a touchdown for the Falcons. Not to mention the motivating effect it has on the opposition. When are you going to get this under control?
Second, the Saints got pushed around last night. It seemed that we lost enough line of scrimmage battles to remind us that football is a game of power, and we need more. Greer got mugged on the long touchdown pass, but he got overpowered and that’s not good. And let’s not even talk about what that power running back did to us.
Third, thank Jonathan Vilma. His deflection, in an otherwise lackluster performance, was a game changer.
Fourth, your team sucks at rugby. We lost 3 fumbles in the scrums last night. Not sure how you practice that, but you can bet teams are going to be poking and prodding like it’s an episode of Grey’s Anatomy from here on out.
Fourth, please explain to the NFL that the booth challenges in the last 2 minutes of a half is a stupid rule. It ensures that almost every play is a 5 minute mini-drama and referees, who must be scared to death at this point to call anything, are soon going to be an afterthought. Totally unnecessary to change the rules that exist the rest of the half. The games last longer than an episode of The View already. Please stop.
Finally, please explain to the team that the season is only getting started. The last 2 games indicate trouble down the road, but that’s ok. There’s a long way to go. Getting excited at this point, especially about an undefeated season, is like talking about a no-hitter after the first inning. Keep building and improving – we’ll be fine.
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