New Orleans Coffee and Beignet Company

Attached to the New Orleans Hamburger and Seafood Company is the New Orleans Coffee and Beignet Company. Frankly, I think their beignet’s beat out Cafe du Monde’s. Add that to the cleanliness, the ease of parking and it being within walking distance from my house, makes this my new favorite place to get my fried dough fix. The hot chocolate is delicious but the frozen creme caramel is extraordinarily good.

Mr. John’s Steakhouse

OMG! Seriously, oh my God! The steaks at Mr. John’s Steakhouse are absolutely incredible. We all got ribeyes and they were cooked to perfections–I got mine medium rare, Dad rare and Mom blue and you could totally see the difference. Flavored with just a touch of salt and pepper, the meat stood on its own in a sizzling, lightly buttered plate. Exquisite! The potato sides (twice baked and au gratin) were delicious. Very creamy, with a broiled bit of cheese on top. The Cabernet that I got with the meal matched perfectly the fine cut of meat.

As it was my birthday (ratted out by my Dad), they gave a complimentary bread pudding. I’m not a fan of raisins in mine but the pudding was very good and the rum sauce nice and hard.

Very much a place to take my next celebratory meal.

Superior Grill

Fabulous Mexican dining is what Superior Grill claims to serve and they certainly lived up to that with tonight’s meal. We started with the chili con queso–very smooth and with just enough spice to make the Margarita’s and Dos Equis taste even better. I followed that with Sizzling Shrimp Brochetas – mesquite grilled jumbo shrimp stuffed with poblano pepper and cheese wrapped in bacon. Bacon and shrimp is a truly delicious combination. My Dad had the Juarez fajitas (mix of grilled beef and chicken) while Mom had pulled pork quesadillas. Everything was delicious, including the refried beans.

I will very much be returning there in the near future.

Easy & Foolproof Hollandaise Sauce

You want to impress the heck out of folks? Use this Hollandaise sauce recipe. It is quick and easy and totally delicious.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional

1. In a small saucepan, heat butter until melted and bubbling, but don’t let it brown.

2. Warm the bowl of a blender by filling with hot tap water and then draining and drying it.

3. Working quickly, blend egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, and cayenne pepper together until the mixture turns light yellow, about 30 seconds.

4. With the blender running, start adding hot butter at no more than a trickle, until sauce starts spattering in the blender, indicating that an emulsion has formed.

5. Continue trickling butter at a slightly faster rate, pausing briefly every 5 seconds or so, until incorporated.

6. The mixture will thicken considerably.

7. Scrape down the walls of the blender bowl and blend 5 seconds longer; cover.

8. Serve immediately, or keep sauce warm by immersing the covered blender bowl in warm water or pouring sauce into a warmed thermos.

Wolf Bay Lodge

Went out to lunch with my folks today at the newly reopened Wolf Bay Lodge on County Road 20 in Foley, Alabama. The space is lighter, bigger and much, much cleaner. What is the best news is that their fried shrimp is still some of the best I’ve ever eaten and both their cocktail sauce recipe and the way they are making their french fries are way better than their old version.