Value This - Hammer Time!

Good Morning & Happy Holidays,

Wonderful time of year with the weather and the holiday spirit. It's too bad we cant extend the holiday season for an extra few weeks moving forward.

I wonder what Santa is going to bring me for christmas? I also wonder if Santa could guess the dishes below:

Starting it off, I have no recollection as to what the exact name of this dish was, but I do remember where it was from. Big fan of this new restaurant in the warehouse district.

Clues for photo #2 - Same restaurant as above and oh my what a nice piece of chicken. The host for this classy spot is outrageous. He came and sang to our table twice during our dining experience. He reminded me of a character from the hit musical "RENT."

Clues for photo #3 - Same restaurant as the previous 2 photos. I am not losing any weight eating out at these kind of places. God help me - the butter, the cream! Oh, and by the way, I am glad my parents paid for this meal.

Clues for photo #4 - I thought I was ordering a semi-healthy chicken dish last night...No chance - there is nothing healthy on this entire menu. The chicken was fried on the outside & it's anybodies guess what was in this sauce. This uptown hot spot was packed. Such a heavy menu.

Clues for Photo #5 - Same UPT hot spot thats menu makes the customer gain weight by just looking at it. The quality here is about a B & the prices are not unreasonable. I am a semi-fan.

So, any guesses on the two restaurants pictured in the above 5 photos? Bring em on Chanukah Harry!

Food For Thought...

Where is the best grilled cheese in New Orleans?

Some contenders include il Posto, Cowbell, St. James Cheese...where am I missing?

Did you know my grandfather called grilled cheeses - toasted cheese? Old School.

Any guesses where this one is from? $2 prize if you get it!

And while we are looking at good looking food, check out this daily special from a popular CBD deli yesterday. Good going down, but intense going out....

This burrito plate was $10, which in my book is good value...some of the sandwiches at this spot are not as great when it comes to value.

In closing, let's see a photo of Reuben.

Happy Thursday!

Last Weeks Answers & A $10 Challenge

It's beginning to look a lot like christmas...
I am dreaming of a white christmas.

So, starting things off, last weeks answers:

Photo #1 - Emeril's Delmonico Chicken - overrated & too expensive
Photo #2 - Restaurant Stella - beef tenderloin with a marrow sauce - delicioso
Photo #3 - Restaurant Stella - Octopus appetizer - excellent!
Photo #4 - Restaurant Stella - BBQ Wagyu Kobe Beef - the best dish ever, but ridiculously expensive. I could never justify ordering this again.

And now to the exciting stuff. $10 to the first person who can tell me where I had lunch today. Clues below

This place blew my socks off. Similar to St. James Cheese and Tartine, but much better value!

Cheers!

Guess it!

Disclaimer: ValueNola does not support the value of any of the photos featured below. But please let me know what each dish is & where these dishes are from:

Photo #1 clues - this was my first time to this most famous of chef's restaurants. Located right across from Louisiana's own - Louisiana Fast!

Photo #2 Clues - Another first trip for me. The flavors were amazing, but the value was beyond terrible.

Photo #3 Clues: Same spot as photo #2. Very interesting dish with huge chunks of the sea. Again, flavors were amazing but value was two thumbs down.

Photo #4 Clues - Worst value of my life. All in, this dish costed over $150 (tax & tip included).

Please note that none of the dishes above even qualify for Splurges of the week due to their abismal value.

I'm getting sick - over & out.

Sushi Village - Guest Writer Jeff Sandman

The only sin worse than gluttony is passing up a killer deal when you see one. Sushi Village in Metairie might not look like much (it reeks of suburban hell from its nondescript strip mall location on Severn Avenue), but it delivers with Yokozuna-sized punch: all-you-can-eat salads, soups, teriyaki, udon noodles, deserts, and, yes, made-to-order sushi. With its 20 dollar price tag ($22 on Fri-Sun), you can find cheaper options. But such an extensive variety of made-to-order items? Fat chance, tomodachi.

Start with the spicy seaweed salad, move on to the redfish teriyaki, gorge yourself with a few specialty rolls, and wrap things up with the excellent red bean ice cream. If the mood strikes, wash it all down with a Sapporo (or another five sushi rolls).

For best results, take a quick 5 minute lay-down on the couch in the front to recharge your appetite.

Answers to GTR / GTD Post Turkey Day

Welcome back & happy hump day!

So, where did those two beautiful appetizers pictured in Mondays edition come from?

CLANCY'S - The ultimate uptown neighborhood restaurant.

Photo #1 - Scallops with fois gras on top! Delicious, but not the best value at $16 pre-tax and tip for 2 scallops.

Photo #2 - Shrimp Remoulade: Nothing special about this version of the New Orleans classic.

Remember, everybody's working for the weekend, so get back to work!

Guess that Dish - And that Restaurant

Happy Monday! Nothing like a long LONG weekend - which clearly makes this cyber Monday one of the toughest of the year. This is why GTR / GTD is taking place today! Two photos for you - both from the same restaurant. Winner must identify the restaurant and exact dishes pictured. Here we go:

Dish #1

Dish #2

Those are some good looking plates no?

Also of note, check out the sandwich I had for breakfast (courtesy of SCP) the day after thanksgiving:

We like to call this "The Pilgrim Sandwich" and let me assure you, it is one of the best...YUM!

Closing question: Why isn't baked turkey served more throughout the year?

Have a great day!