Causeway Food – Saturday Night
Tonight, it was a foregone conclusion that the event would have to be inside (due to heavy rains), so tables were set up in the hallways of the Swan’s convention space and most of the alcohol booths (predominantly wine again) were also in the hallways.
The food stations, the band, and some of the wines were inside the large ballroom. This worked much better than we would have supposed. It is possible with a larger space at The Dolphin – this event might work better inside. Kate and Calvin were also at the Food & Wine Classic and managed to get a table for four (with chairs!) near the edge of the crowds – Thank You!
Inside the ballroom
Inside the ballroom
Shrimp Po’Boy, Garden Grove
Nora’s impression of this was that the sandwich was overly salty (and this from a woman who loves her salt!) and the remoulade was simply yuck. If this is the only shrimp po boy you ever eat, you’re seriously deprived.
“Rock Shrimp Po boy, French Bread, Tomato, Old Bay Remoulade”
Spicy Tuna Roll, Kimonos
Kate tried the spicy tuna roll, her verdict was that it wasn’t very spicy and that the ratio of tuna to rice was off. Kate loves her r-i-c-e, but the rice overpowered the tuna in this roll. Nora and Nick took a pass based on her review.
“Spicy Yellow Fin Tuna, Nori, Seasoned Rice”
Lamb Pasta, Il Mulino New York Trattoria
Nora and Kate had this dish first. Kate thought that the flavor was nice and Nora liked that the vegetables in the ragu still had some crunch to them. The pasta seemed freshly made. While this was a good dish, it wasn’t “wow!”
“Hand Cut Tagliatelle, Braised Lamb Ragu, Pecorino Romano”
Abita Lager
We’ve had this before at Port Orleans French Quarter and Port Orleans Riverside. It’s a good lager, but not tops of Nora’s list of favorite beers.
Pork Belly, Cib’s Smoke Shop
All four of us tasted this, the smoked pork belly was the standout for the entire food part of the Food & Wine Classic. Absolutely excellent! We pretty much ignored the texas toast and the baked bean foam. Although we went up to get this repeatedly, there was never a line — too bad for all of the squeamish people, this was definitely fabulous.
“Smoked Pork Belly, Texas Toast, Baked Bean Foam”
Another piece of pork belly, good gawd this was good stuff!
Beet Salad, Todd English’s bluezoo
Kate, Nora, and Nick had this (Calvin may have had a taste of Kate’s) — not bad, not great. Pretty much “eh.”
“Heirloom Beet Salad, Goat Cheese Fondue, Candied Walnuts, Ice Spinach”
Crab Eggroll, Cabana Bar and Beach Club
Nick, Nora, and Kate again (I think by this time Calvin was pretty much done with food). We couldn’t taste the crab, we all tasted cabbage and soy. Kate said that she tasted salt. Kate and Nick (neither of whom tolerates black pepper very well) tasted a lot of black pepper. There was no hint of ginger or seafood. The sweet thai chili was not spicy at all, mostly sweet.
“Crab Eggroll - Blue Crab, Cabbage, Ginger, Sweet Thai Chili, Soy”
Desserts
“Chocolate Tartlet - Chocolate Creameux, Peanut Mousse, Carmelized Peanuts”
"Chocolate Tartlette" - interior view
Nora’s choice – there was a brownie type base at the bottom of this and it was DRY, the chocolate cream, the peanut mousse and the carmelized peanuts were very good.
"Coconut Macaroon" - interior view
“Coconut Macaroon” again…
"Bananas Foster"
Nick’s choice – this was good, but not stellar
This night was more Party for the Senses, indoors with music. But I bet it was LOUD inside with all those people milling about.
Was it crowded?
The beet thing looks interesting to me.
Andy adores Pork Belly. He would have just pulled a chair up and sat there. If it’s on a menu he orders it, period.
It wasn’t too loud in the hallways. However, inside the ballroom was LOUD.
The crowds weren’t horrible, but with the wheeled conveyances (ecv’s and strollers) it was a bit cumbersome. I don’t mind ECVs as a general rule, some people need them to get around and avoid wearing themselves out physically — however, there was a couple on what I’d term “cadillac private ECVs” that were really large (both the people and the ECVs); it just seemed too over the top. Strollers on the other hand, we don’t have children (hence DINKs) and I simply can’t understand why you’d bring a child small enough to need a stroller to an event like this – get a babysitter.
That pork belly was fantastic! Did Andy ever try the pork belly at Kona Cafe? It’s not on the menu currently, but for a while it was one of our favorites.
Yep, I’m not surprised that the pork belly was the winner. How can you go wrong with bacon. I feel sorry for Denise because she said in her report she doesn’t like pork.
We need to get you two into wines. I think you are missing out on some interesting and complex tastes that complement food so well.
Funny, we did a culinary demo on Tuesday (we hope to post about it today). I tasted the wine and it was horrible. But when I tasted it with the food it was “ok”. Nothing I’d run out to buy but I could see how the food and wine complemented each other. Walking out I told Nora that I am starting to feel more comfortable tasting recommended wines with food. At least that it is a start!
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