The Greatest Sandwiches in NOLA

New Orleans has not established itself as a great place to grab a deli sandwich. Most of our bread and meat is defined by the PO-BOYs.

There are some great places to grab a good sandwiches but they are few and far between. The top 5 places would have to be: St. James Cheese, Martin's Wine Cellar, Stein's Deli, Il Posto, and Tartine. The problem with all of the above referenced places is that there is no value to any of 'em. I dont like spending $10 for a sandwich. It just doesn't make sense.

This is why i have compiled a list of the top 5 sandwiches for under $10. Here it is:

1. Bahn Mi from Tan Dinh, the Hong Kong Market, or Phong Doung bakery. These vietnamese po-boys will run you about $3 and are on the greatest bread/baguette of all time. Very Tasty.

2. (Dont hate me) Footlong Meatball Sub from Subway with lettuce and mayo. Enough Said.

3. The Cuban Sandwich @ Taqueria Chilangos in Kenner. Very unique take on the cuban and extremely tasty.

4. Captain Sal's Half and Half Po-Boy is a poor man's ticket to a decent fried shrimp and oyster po-boy.

5. The HOBNOBBER'S in the CBD has good hot plates and is all around good value. Very nice size sandwiches for very little money.

Enjoy!

The Groupon Phenomena

Daily Discount websites have been the anti-diet for/of me! It is so much easier to eat out when a restaurant gives the customer a 50% discount off a certain amount. It's almost unfair to get these emails everyday. Typically, there is a good bit of fine print for each deal, BUT the deal usually motivates me to buy regardless. The biggest two daily deal websites are Groupon and Living Social. Groupon has found a greater market-share thus far, but also gauges the vendor more than Living Social by taking 50% of the money earned by each deal. Granted the vendor should look at the Groupon as a advertising / promotional opportunity that can boost sales for months to come. Grouopon has the ability to bring new eyes and bodies into businesses which is most definitely priceless.

Other daily deal websites in New Orleans are: Perks, Fetch Puppy, and Bargain Bee.

The key to getting the value out of these deals is to be very careful and methodical when using the vouchers. Don't spend more money then you normally would at these restaurants. Stick to the basics. Stay the course.

Breaking the Fast!

I am constantly struggling to find a consistent outlet when i wake up (and look forward to) in the food world. Sure, i love the occasional Lucky Charms, Smacks, and Egg McMuffin. But the question remains, what is a healthy, inexpensive breakfast that i can look forward to week in and week out?

I have gone through many phases in the breakfast portion of my life. The most recent is Jimmy Dean products: Pancake and sausage sandwich (turkey sausage of course), french toast and turkey sausage sandwich, Jimmy Dean's take on the Egg McMuffin (but on a croissant), breakfast bowls, and a few others. Keep in mind, these are all the D-Light label within Jimmy Dean so i can watch my belly that never stops growing. New Orleans is a tough town to maintain weight in.

(*There are always promotions and coupons for Jimmy Dean products.)

I do note that a lot of people a mental barrier when it comes to frozen eggs. The truth is that sometimes frozen eggs work and sometimes they do not. Jimmy Dean's breakfast bowls pull off the frozen egg pretty well, but it surely is not like the real thing.

Two things that stay consistent in every single breakfast:

1. New Orleans Very Own - Cool Brew (I recommend Vanilla or Mocha)
2. Silk Milk Light Vanilla - Made by Dean Foods

I look forward to my cool brew every single day. Simply put, it is like having dessert for breakfast!

Oatmeal, porridge, leftovers from dinner, Indian food from Sunday night Buffett are all in the mix every so often, but i cant rely on any of the above.

So, I am definitely in search of that perfect breakfast idea... and open to ideas.

Let me know what you got.

Martin's Deli Uptown

Ever since the Katrina, people have been wondering when Martin's Wine Cellar will re-open on Baronne. I have heard people say this year dating all the way back to 2008. Well, apparently that didn't happen.

 The most recent rumor i heard was that construction was started and then soon after came to a screeching hault due to financial reasons.

Whatever the reason for procrastination is, one thing is for sure: IT NEEDS TO HAPPEN SOON.

Why? Two reasons:

1. There is an uptown Sandwich monopoly going on between Stein's Deli on Magazine and St. James Cheese on Prytania. Both Stein's and St. James are slammed to the door every single day because of the lack of healthy competition. This creates long waits and limited seating.

(Btw, for a good sandwich wild card try Milk Bar off Prytania.)

2. The neighborhood needs it. There are a lot of very kind "do-good" residents on the "other side" of St. Charles Avenue that are depending on Martin's re-opening. The reasons go way beyond the food into matters like security and a dynamic selection of beer for the neighborhood.

Seriously, Martins has great sandwiches, excellent prepared foods, a unbelievable selection of wine, amongst other amazing attributes.

Maybe we should take it to the Avenue with buckets and collect money for the Cellar.