ValueLakeCharles

I was not very excited when I left my house at 7:45 AM yesterday morning to head to Lake Charles for the day. And for good reason: 8 hours in the car by yourself can only be so much fun. I did, however, make the best out of the trip with my lunch and specialty meat stop. First was lunch: Located in the heart of Lake Charles on West College Street is a hole in the wall cabin looking structure called Darrell's Restaurant.

The parking lot, as you can see, was jammed. I had read up a bit and ordered ahead. This was definitely a wise move as there were not many empty tables. The interior of the restaurant was dark but comforting with Saints & LSU flags flying on the walls. I felt at home. There was no glitz or glamour to this 20 year old restaurant. I could tell, it was all about the food at Darrell's. Just the way ValueNola likes it. I am confident, this place was filled with locals.

On this first time visit, there was only one thing to order: The Darrell's Special. Filled with turkey, ham, and some excellent roast beef - topped with three types of cheese and roast beef gravy - Dressed with lettuce, tomatoes, and their special jalepeno mayonnaise, this sandwich was definitely a heart attack within a loaf. The french bread was amazing. The roast beef and jalepeno mayo unreal.

All for $9.92 (which includes tax) this sandwich is amazing and a great value. I will definitely get the Darrell's special next time I am in Lake Charles. I even contemplated bringing the Darrell's Special home with me. The day would have been a success even if I didn't take any more stops, but I had to push my luck. This time at the Scott (#97) exit on the way back home...Keep in mind this meant I would catch Baton Rouge 5 O'clock traffic which I was well aware of.

The Best Stop is an authentic cajun specialty meat & grocery store. Known for it's Boudin & Cracklin, I had to see what this place was all about. The Best Stop is the real cajun experience. Set in a glorified shack, the Best Stop must have had 15 employees working on stuffing chicken, pork chops, and boudin. This is what I live for. The owner was extremely friendly and made me feel right at home. I can not wait to try my stuffed fryer chicken ($14.99) which is stuffed with Boudin. I also bought a stuffed fryer ($19.99) stuffed with crawfish and shrimp. Next time you are heading west on I-10, try these two spots out and I promise you will not be disappointed.

Make your own Beef Jerky!

If you ever want to live off of one food for a two week stretch, I suggest looking into the hottest new diet out there: Beef Jerky

I followed a very simple recipe which I will improve on moving forward.

It all starts with a food dehydrator & a large cut of beef. I used an eye of round roast. Once the beef has been sliced into very thin pieces, you marinade the beef for 18 hours.

After the beef takes this extended bath, you remove the beef to a pan for its dry rub shower. All this prep before the beef strips take a long sauna session in the dehydrator.

Caution: Using too much salt can ruin the jerky. My buddy Austin & I definitely over salted. Go figure.

So, how did I deal with the excess salt? On two sperate occasions in the process, I removed each piece of jerky and washed it under running water. This definitely helped the situation, but clearly did not solve the heart attack within a stick. The dehydrator can run anywhere from 5-8 hours depending on how much jerky you load in. The smell will cover your house and excitement will build.

Overall, the process is intense, fun, and rewarding. It makes you want to try it all over again and improve the finished product. This could be a new hobby!

ValueNola gets into ValueMusic

When it comes to value, there is no better music festival than the French Quarter Festival held in the historic Vieux Carré every April. Recently, the festival has lengthened its schedule to 4 days (Thursday - Sunday) which is a nice opportunity for locals to have a day amongst themselves (Thursday). This years French Quarter Festival was super successful with over 574,000 attendees. This growing success has stirred up more talk of expansion in years to come.

This year I got to see: Kermit Ruffins, MyNameIsJohnMichael, Joe Krown, and (my favorite) Honey Island Swamp Band.

French Quarter Fest is great because you can come and go as you please. Attendees dont have the guilt of a $60 ticket if they choose to leave early. FQF (French Quarter Festival) also has arguably the best venue(s) of any festival in the world as it spreads throughout the French Quarter: Jackson Square, Armstrong Park (on the river), The old U.S. Mint, Bourbon Street, Royal Street, and many more...

Oh, did I mention, the food is also great! All the big players from the city show up: Rouses fresh boiled crawfish, Boucherie's Krispy Cream Bread Pudding, Huge Turkey Legs (VALUE), crawfish bread, and even donut sandwiches.

FQF is a festival dominated by locals which is always a treat for us New Orlineans who constantly play tour guide. Weather is usually bearable & the people are generally pretty cool. FQF is very laid back. I am sad that there is almost a full year to our next French Quarter Festival, but I know it will be well worth the wait.

New Restaurant in the Warehouse District: Foodies on Julia

New Orleans meet Foodies! A new healthy spot to grab breakfast, lunch, or dinner. A very attractive interior and super amazing courtyard in the back comprise this tiny quaint cafe. The interior of the restaurant could be no larger than 1,500 square feet.

So, how is the value at Foodies? Unfortunately, not great. But in their defense, the warehouse district does not demand good value. My thai chicken wrap was $8.25 = $9 with tax. I asked for extra meat because the pressed wraps / paninis looked small for a growing boy. They forgot my extra chicken and the wrap was in fact small. This place could qualify as a chick flick, but strangely enough, I will be back.

Check out the menu above. Great variety and unlike the rest of food in New Orleans, light and healthy. The juice and smoothies looked great! They also have muffins and breakfast sandwiches for the early morning crowd. Below is a photo of my thai chicken salad wrap. The highlight was the cucumber, grape, goat cheese, yogurt based salad that accompanied my wrap.

As with all new restaurants, Foodies has a lot of kinks to work out (mainly timing), but the concept and potential is there.

I look forward to my second experience, but may have to order triple meat & let it be my splurge of the week!

Chipotle has a new asian concept: The Shophouse Kitchen

Anybody who is anybody knows and loves Chipotle Mexican Grill & for good reason. Chiptole has based their reputation off of value, fresh ingredients, and consistency. This is why i was so excited to try their new asian concept called the Shop House Kitchen.

Currently, Shop House has only one location which is located in Dupont Circle. If you are still scratching your head, Dupont Circle is in Washington DC. The menu is simple but with complex flavors. You walk down a line, just like at Chiptole, and point out what you want in your bowl or in your Banh Mi sandwich.

First you get to choose your base (white rice, brown rice, or noodles), then your meat (chicken and pork meatballs, chicken, beef, or veggies), and then you move down the line to your veggie choice (brocoli, green beans, eggplant, or corn), and finally off to the toppings (peanuts, sticky rice, and fried garlic shavings). Sriracha sauce lines the wall as the condiment of choice.

The rice/noodle bowl cost about $7.50 which includes tax. The portion is nothing short of amazing! If I could do it again, I would order a Banh Mi sandwich. Why? The flavors were overpowering in the bowl. Almost too much flavor. Everything was very spicy and my mouth was overwhelmed at all times. It forced me to eat at a faster piece than normal. Every bite seemed to taste the same. My guess is that the Banh Mi bread would help neutralize the strong flavors. I also think the layout is too narrow which gives off a claustrophobic vibes.

Shop House is definitely ahead of what should be the next big trend in the QSR (Quick Service Restaurant) world, but clearly has a lot of tweaking to do before they roll this concept out to the rest of the country.

Gastroeosophageal Reflux Disease AKA HEARTBURN

Here in New Orleans, we experience a lot of heartburn. Why? Could be the fried food, could be the heavy use of sauces and spices, or maybe it's just the excessive eating.

That said, it is strange that the big guy in the sky linked acid reflux / heartburn with all of my favorite foods:

"Avoid chocolate garlic, onion, fruit juices, extremely hot or cold beverages, tea coffee, and alcohol." says the pamphlet i got from my doctor today

What fun is left in life i ask you?

"Lose weight"

Yes another painful activity associated with "the burn"

Why couldn't GOD have linked heartburn with beets, mushrooms, and olives?

I take nexium every day, but even the magical purple pill is not enough to hold off "the burn."

I probably should re-evaluate my entire diet, but in the mean time, i am going to keep on being me & eating like a New Orlinean!

Eating Vegetarian & The Womlette

Nothing has been harder for me than to go a whole day without eating any meat...This was true until I discovered Ethiopian food.

Café Abyssinia opened up in 2011 and has been rocking ever since. Set back 50 feet off of Magazine Street, Abyssnia is nothing special on the exterior or interior. Also note, the service is not up to speed/par. It is all about the food at this rundown shack. I order the same thing every time, the vegetable combo plate. This dish is very consistent and costs $15. The injera (bread/pita) soaks up so much flavor and is a delight to use as an edible spoon with each bite.

On the other side of the spectrum is a unique and unbelievable dish served at the Fat Hen Grill called the womlette. See below

On the top, a full sized omelet filled with bacon, ham, and chives along with tons of cheddar cheese on top. Beneath the omelet, is an amazing waffle. At first, the combination can be scary and overwelming, but it surprisingly goes very well together. Pour a lot of syrup on top and you have the all in one, protein enriched, brunch. I am a big fan... though my waist line is not such a fan. Can't wait for my next womlette.

Do you like Rally's Fries?

Of all the fast food players, who makes the best french fries?

I realize this blog should not be about fast food, but last week I found something that makes me very happy: Rally's / Checker's French Fries served in a bag intended for household preparation and consumption. These succulent orange colored french fries have so much flavor and spice. Absolutely love them. I had heard rumors of the fries to go for two years, but had never landed a bag. Then last week, I saw the Rouse's specials: 28 ounces of goodness for $2.38. Now that is good value.

And the fact that I can prepare these fries in my house, baking them instead of frying them, makes the fries that much more appealing.

In closing, I found this video to motivate valuenola fans to get out there and buy those fries! The Roast Beef...(get to about 3:10 into the video for best results)