The Many Looks of Indian Food

Have you ever noticed that a lot of Indian Food looks the same? I recently tried an Indian restaurant on the west bank called Saffron. FYI, Saffron is only open on Friday nights currently. Yes, a restaurant only open one night a week. No lunches either. Saffron is mainly a caterer. I hear they are doing a few Sunday brunches but I am unsure if it's every week.

So, how is the food? The food is excellent! A little too spicy for me, but great flavors. The staff was also super attentive and helpful. The problems I had with Saffron was that everything looked and tasted very similar. The flavors were also so spicy that I subconsciously ate too quickly in order to keep my mouth from burning.

So, clearly each entree dish looks very similar. We ordered beef, goat, and chicken and I honestly couldnt decipher one from the other. I would like to see a different layout or shape on each plate to create more diversity of appearance for the guest. They were all great, but the spice was similar in each. Next time I go to Saffron I want to challenge the chef to show me the broad spectrum of Indian food which I know he/she will be able to do.

I will most definitely be back to Saffron for Round II. Notes to the wise: make reservations, they do serve wine & alcohol, and eat lots of Naan.

ValueFoodGame: Guess That Dish / Name that Restaurant

Welcome to ValueNola's First Annual "Guess that dish" / "Name that Restaurant." If a reader get's the correct answer, I will mail them a prize. Let the games begin: Item / Place #1 (see below)

Clues: This small quaint restaurant features a very nice owner and very good value. I like ____ better for lunch. Item / Place #2 (see below)

Clues: This monster sandwich cost me $26 on a recent trip west, but is not native to the west... Item / Place #3 (see below)

Clues: This chain was mediocre but the pizza was fantastic and decent value. Please leave answers under the comments section of this blog post. Good Luck!

Crawfish Leftovers

Down in south Louisiana, we are in the heart of crawfish season. The size of the crawfish are getting larger and the price is getting cheaper. This is the perfect time of year for a crawfish boil.

When planning a crawfish boil, try to order 5 pounds of crawfish for each experienced crawfish eating male & 3 pounds of crawfish for each experienced female. Some fun items to throw in your boil include edamame, pineapple, brussel sprouts, carrots, corn, potatoes, and ramen noodles. Experimenting is the key! No matter how well you plan and how experienced a boiler you are, every once in a while you will be left with extra (uneaten) crawfish from a boil. Don't fret. The fun can continue. Recently my friends and I hosted a leftover crawfish potluck dinner. Each couple was in charge of making one dish from the leftover crawfish. It was so much fun & so resourceful.

Our first dish was a crawfish and corn bisque that used both the crawfish and corn from the boil. Spicy & Delicious!

The second dish made for the potluck dinner was a crawfish cake. Similar to a crab cake and also very yummy! The third dish, that I do not have a photo of, was crawfish pasta with veggies and cheese. This made and completed a very heavy potluck dinner, but it tasted so good going down. Next time, I would elect to make crawfish macaroni and cheese and explore crawfish dessert items. The moral of the story: Dont throw your leftover crawfish away. Peel them while your hands are dirty and have a potluck crawfish dinner with your friends! BOOM

ValueJazzFest Part II

Another fantastic weekend of music, food, and fun. 2012 was a very successful Jazz Fest in so many measures. I tried my best to find some new and interesting food during the second weekend & Here is what I found:

One of the most popular booths at Jazz fest is the Crawfish Sack / Oyster Patties / Crawfish Beignets station. No doubt, the real value player orders the combo plate of all three items. This is the only way to go in my opinion. The combo plate reminds me of Louisiana on a plate. Another great value at the fest is the Plum Street sno-ball stand located close very close to the kids tent en route to the Gentilly stage. Dont be fooled by other sno-ball vendors at the fest, PLUM STREET is the only way to go. $3 for a small & $4 for a large. The large is a much better value when compared dollar for dollar - side by side. Nothing is more New Orleans than the cream of nectar flavor on top of that finely shaved ice. See below for half cream of nectar and half cream of ice cream.

My recommendation is to have the sno-ball early in the day just as you start to heat up. My findings are the excess in sugar can make you lightheaded and weak later in the day. My best tip for staying cool throughout the day at Jazz Fest or any festival is Florida Water Cologne. Florida water is sold at most Walgreens in the 504 and cost about $5 per bottle. Mix the cologne with ice and water. Then let a washrag or towel ice down in a bucket or cooler. When the towel gets icy, take the rag out and apply to as many places on your body as humanly possible. I like resting the towel on the top of my head and wearing a hat on top of the towel for 5-10 minutes. Finally, what would a long day at the fest be without one final stop. 5 piece tender never tasted so good. See below

ValueJazzFest

It's that time of year again! The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is the last hoorah for New Orleans before the misery of summer sets in. This misery includes unbearable heat, termites, cockroaches, mosquitos, hurricanes, and terrible humidity. Depressing, I know. But lets focus on the positive while it's still here.

The NOJ&H is one of the most legendary music festivals in the world. It includes stages ranging from gospel and blues to zydeco and rock and roll. Be warned, tickets are not cheap, especially if you wait til the last minute = $65 per day. The fare is well worth it if you can get out to the fairgrounds early (by noon). Also, it is important to come prepared. I recommend: change of shirt, bottled water, flask of vodka, florida water cologne, chairs, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, and a backpack.

The scene at Jazz Fest is very unique as so much of the festival centers around the local foods and crafts. There is gumbo, jambalaya, softshell crab poboys, shrimp poboys, boiled crawfish, crawfish bread, fried oysters, AND SO MUCH MORE! My favorites from the first weekend were the couchon de lait (slow cooked pork with coleslaw) po-boy which costs either $8 and the chicken and sausage jambalaya which costs $6. Keep in mind, most stations can wrap up your food or give you a top which allows you to bring the food back to the music stages.

There is a secret food spot which I re-visited last weekend. There are three hidden food stands facing the kids tent near the grandstands. bad real estate if you are a food vendor, but slightly shaded & near the kids tent! These booths have some less expensive fun items that include rice crispy treats, fruit salad, and macaroni and cheese. You can't beat a $1 rice crispy treat with chocolate chips on top. In fact, I dont think there is anything else at the Jazz Fest that costs $1. Go figure.

I can't wait to go searching for a new food booth that I havent tasted this weekend..and maybe hear some music while I'm out there.

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!