Kevin's Watch

Just wondered if anyone else on the Watch has ever been to Star Joey's steak and fish restaurant down in New Orleans. Don't get me wrong guys because I love you guys and your country to bits but it has to be said..how can I put this lightly...well, your food aint exactly.....well it aint, y'know.....good - but I have to say that when it comes to producing a good beef steak you guys are without exeption the BEST!

And Star Joey's in New Orleans (if it is still there post Katrina) gave me the best piece of fillet I have ever eaten - with two lobster tails thrown in on the side to boot! My taste buds thought they had died and gone to heaven.

Another place where you undoubtedly have it right is in the eating of oysters. There is one and only one way to eat oysters - the American way. That is straight from the sea, raw with a splash of ketchup and a little horseradish sauce. Oh man, I'm gettin' hungry

I always find the fish there to be a bit... oily

Pete..Since NO is such tourist attraction,,there really isn't any room for second best restaurants. You'll be out of business soon if you are. I can't remember a bad meal in NO ever. Pricey yes, but even then, worth every morsel. Star Joeys, can't say that I've been there. The eaterys I have been to are a blur. And yes, raw oysters in NO are the best. Not just ketchup and radish but a whole menu of sauces and dips each a delite. New Orleans is Food.

New Orleans does have some of the best food, but not so much after Katrina. My absolute favorite place to go is K-Paul's, but I haven't been there since I left Louisiana.

I should say that when I spoke of fillet above I meant fillet steak not a fillet of fish. Maybe it has a different name in USA, like your Portehouse is our Sirloin.

Also I had a problem with NO food in that I wasn't good with 'Gumbo' and 'Jambalaya' (or Jambaya, whatever it is); also catfish doesn't do it for me, but I had these 'crevettes' (sort of really big shrimp type things) in a beer sauce that were to die for. Also the poboys these huge sandwhich things which I forget the name of were awesome. But no - that beef steak alone was worth the 2 days it took to get to NO from where I live (car, train, car, plane, plane, car with lots of waiting in between and only to find my hotel reservation was non existant when I got there!).

peter wrote:I should say that when I spoke of fillet above I meant fillet steak not a fillet of fish. Maybe it has a different name in USA, like your Portehouse is our Sirloin.

Also I had a problem with NO food in that I wasn't good with 'Gumbo' and 'Jambalaya' (or Jambaya, whatever it is); also catfish doesn't do it for me, but I had these 'crevettes' (sort of really big shrimp type things) in a beer sauce that were to die for. Also the poboys these huge sandwhich things which I forget the name of were awesome. But no - that beef steak alone was worth the 2 days it took to get to NO from where I live (car, train, car, plane, plane, car with lots of waiting in between and only to find my hotel reservation was non existant when I got there!).

Yeah, typically when we say "filet" it's referencing fish. When we are talking about steak, it's either just steak or whatever cut you had (i.e. filet mignon, t-bone, new york sirloin, etc.). NO does have some tasty steak, and while I did live in Louisiana, I grew up in Texas where the steak cannot be beat. Steak, BBQ and Tex-Mex. Now I miss home.

And don't fret that you get gumbo and jambalaya mixed up. Many Americans from elsewhere don't know the difference between the two. When my husband and I were still dating, he flew down from NH to NO to see me and I took him out to eat one night. He ordered the lobster bisque, thinking it would be a creamy soup. When it got to the table, little did he know that actual bisque is not creamy, but broth based. He was not impressed.

Catfish is a way of life in the Gulf. It doesn't get deep enough until miles out in the ocean and it's so warm, so it's prime breeding ground for bottom feeders. such as shrimp, oysters, catfish, etc. Also, did you have any crawfish?! You need to go when there are crawfish festivals. So good. I won't blame you if you don't suck the brain on those things, though. It's mostly a local thing to do.

And crevettes are just shrimp; I'm not sure if it's the French or Cajun word for shrimp (I'm thinking French). Po'Boys are the best sandwiches, besides a muffelata. Next time any of you are down in NO, make sure you high tail it to Central Grocery and pick you up a muffelata. I promise you you will not be disappointed.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

I've been to New Orleans once, and did the self-led Gabriel Knight tour. We didn't find the secret hounfour though, sadly. Sorry, I mean, "gladly."

Yeah jazFusion, I've had the mufelatta's as well - just soooo good. To be honest I don't remember much about my trip to NO, i) because it was a long time ago (12 years ish) and ii) because I spent nearly the whole 2 weeks hangin' of bars in the French Quater. I did the main tourist stuff (cemetaries, Missisipi cruise, gator country etc) but the booze and food was definitely top of the agenda. The t- shirts said 'Bourbon St. 2000 - What a long strange trip it's been!' Man, they got that right.

(ps. My main reason for going was to search out Ignatious J Rilley - Imagine my joy at finding his statue under the clock on Canal St and seeing his hot dog vending carts all over the Quater.)