I'm Still Here!

For my handful of faithful readers, I apologize for the lack of recent entries. Life has been the antithesis of a Sybaritic existence, but sometimes you gotta' do what you gotta' do.

I'll be back on a regular posting schedule soon...

The Luxury of Choice

Another quick post today before I head to work. Still haven't heard from HR at the Roosevelt, but I had another interview at Commander's Palace yesterday, where I got a job. Hooray! I start next Wednesday. Until then I'll keep slinging at the Crazy Lobster--there's a convention in town with 35000 Lutheran teens, so even though it means endless rounds of sodas and burgers I can at least make a little money before going into training.

Chicken and Cold Air

Readers of my good friend and gracious host Brandon's blog, Where the Sweet Olive Grows, have by now learned of our last few days sequestered in his hot box of an apartment due to the malfunction of the air conditioner. While Mother Nature was kind enough to keep the temperatures in the low 80's it's been very difficult to enjoy a peaceful night's sleep--I was up at 3:30 this morning and could not get comfortable enough to go back to sleep.

Thankfully, Brandon's landlady was dilligent in getting the matter resolved, and I'm delighted to report that the AC has been restored. I've never considered myself the possessor of a delicate constitution, but it was sweet relief to feel cold air pouring out of the vents.

So it's been a productive day. We went to Rouse's to make groceries, then went down the street to Lil' Dizzy's cafe for lunch. This is one of those long-time New Orleans establishments that features lots of celebrity photos on the walls and delicious food. We both enjoyed fried chicken and I'm finally beginning to crawl out of the diabetic coma induced by the sweet tea.

Now it's time for a quick disco nap before heading to work. Nothing luxurious about the Crazy Lobster, but it's a means to an end until the Roosevelt gets things put together.

Super Luxe Sundays

After work last night, I decided to enjoy a libation to relax and unwind, but realized that I needed to step away from the Sweet Tea cocktails that I've been consuming since I moved to the Crescent City. Rather than hop to my old standby, Ketel One, I realized that it's the middle of summer and hot summer nights always beg for a delicious gin and tonic.

While I'm not as much of a proponent for gin as I am for vodka, I do enjoy the occasional gin and tonic. I enjoyed the standard Tanqueray and tonic last night, but my favorite gin is Boodles. While not a standard issue in most drinking establishments, Boodles is, in my opinion, the tastiest gin on the market.

According to Wikipedia, Boodles was named for the Boodles gentleman's club in London. Founded in 1762, the club was originally run by Edward Boodle, and the hooch was purported to be a favorite of Winston Churchill.

I find Boodles possesses a nice flavor of juniper and coriander, and the cocktails always have a nice finish. There was a summer in my wayward youth where I consumed enough Tanqueray that I swore off gin for many years, but Boodles provided a lovely entree back into this part of the spirit world.

Priced appropriately for a Super Luxe Sunday entry, Boodles is distributed in the states by Pernod Ricard. So pick up a bottle at your local liquorteria, grab some tonic, a couple of limes and enjoy a Boodles libation.

A new dessert to try

Combing through the blogosphere this morning, I came across a link that almost made me break out in a cold sweat. There is a blogger named Ashley that writes about food on the blog notwithoutsalt.com and the link I hit took me to her recipe for bacon caramels.

I adore all things porcine, and cannot wait to try this recipe. The combination of sweet and savory should prove to be nothing less than a culinary showstopper. I'll let you know how these turn out.

The pleasure of good coffee

Ah, Friday. I finally have a day off, and while I have quite a few things on my to-do list, I've been happy to greet the morning by enjoying a slice of delicious banana bread that Brandon made earlier in the week with one too many cups of tasty coffee.

While I do not consider myself a coffee snob, I do enjoy a good cup of joe. I find a tasty cup or two is the perfect way to ease into the day, clear the cobwebs out of my head and prepare myself for another fascinating day.

In the past I used to frequent Starbucks and indulged in buying their Kenyan AA beans to grind and enjoy at home. In leaner financial times I was forced to examine whether the $7-$8 price tag was worth the pleasure derived from the cup. Relegated to finding a less expensive brand, I stumbled upon Eight O'Clock coffee, and it's been a treasured find that I continue to enjoy.

Eight O'Clock coffee offers a well-roasted, fairly balanced flavor. I gravitate toward the French Roast, but have enjoyed their Columbian beans, as well as the Italian Dark Roast, which I've only seen at Rouse's in the Quarter. The coffees are reasonably priced, and I always anticipate a cup of joy while the grounds are marinating in the French press.

While some of my friends take their passion for coffee much more seriously than me (at one time Paul roasted his own beans), I'm all about the quick and easy solution for my morning fix. If you haven't tried an Eight O'Clock brand, you should invest a couple of bucks in a bag and take it for a test run. Remember, some of life's best pleasures do not command outrageous price tags.

Lessons from the Past

After another long day at work, I came home to an excellent dinner that Brandon had prepared (meatloaf, scalloped potatoes and collard greens) and we watched an interesting documentary about the neighborhood in which he resides. The documentary is "Faubourg Treme: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans".

The Treme is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city, and from the start it represented one of the most unique living situations in the country. Populated with a mix of free blacks, whites and an array of other recent immigrants, the Treme became a daring social experiment, as it was fully integrated while slavery was still legal in the US. Home of the nation's first black newspaper, the residents of the Treme pushed for equal rights for all citizens of the nation, and made progress in the late 1800's that was not seen again until the 1960's.

Filled with lots of photos, character studies and interviews with a collection of long-time residents, the film shows the rise and fall of the Treme, and shows how Supreme Court decisions like Plessy vs. Ferguson and the construction of I-10 on Claiborne Street effectively dismantled the neighborhood and resegregrated the population that had worked so diligently to move the city and the country in the direction that the Founding Fathers originally envisioned. The filmed was edited after Hurricane Katrina, and shows heartbreaking pictures of the damage the neighborhood sustained from the storm.

Currently, the city planning commission is exploring an idea to dismantle I-10 in an attempt to re gentrify the neighborhood. It's going to take a lot of work to get the area back into shape, but I hope for the sake of the Treme and its residents the plan moves forward. I love walking around this neighborhood, but it's painfully obvious that the once-grand area has suffered decades of abuse and neglect.

If you want to learn more about the documentary, check out their website.

Super Luxe Sundays

Back to the blog after another double--I cannot wait to starting working at the Roosevelt!

Today's Super Luxe Sunday focuses on the pleasures of a fine chappeaux. I adore fabulous hats, and feel that men are shortchanged in the ability to wear glamorous hats for festive occasions. My circle of friends always create visions of loveliness for Easter, which we proudly display while enjoying a delightful brunch.

There is a great shop on Royal Street called Fleur de Paris that creates glorious hats for the well-heeled ladies of New Orleans. The hats on their website do not really do the shop justice. Brandon and I frequent the store to see the tasty offerings they have for sale, and one of his Easter hats this year was inspired by a hat they had for sale. Behold:



The offerings at Fleur de Paris do not come cheap, but that's what Super Luxe Sundays are all about. So the next time you're invited to a fete or when you decide to wend your way up to Kentucky for the Derby, swing by Fleur de Paris to make sure you're appropriately attired.

The luxury of on-site laundry

While I've posted in the past about my willingness to hit the local washateria to clean clothes, I was reminded this morning of the luxury of on-site laundry facilities while watching Brandon take his clothes out for a rinse and spin.

At the moment I'm forced to do laundry fairly frequently as most of my attire is in storage, and it's nice to be able to walk to the back courtyard and throw in a load while puttering around the house during the day. The one issue here is that the laundry facilities are shared among four condo's, and there is invariably that one person who never takes their clothes out of the dryer, and trust me, there is no luxury or pleasure in handling another's undergarments (unless that's your thing...)

I landed a job at the Roosevelt Hotel yesterday, and look forward to starting work there next week. In the meantime, I'm still slinging at the Crazy Lobster, and am eagerly anticipating a day off tomorrow. By that point I promise to pull it together and get back on track with Sybarite musings.

By the way, fans of Peaches will be happy to know that at long last, he's finally entered the blogosphere. Check out his blog here; I'm sure the tales will be many and highly entertaining.

Another Blue Ribbon Pie

After a delightful day of rest and relaxation, I'm back to the blog.

While most Americans celebrated the 4th of July over the weekend, I was forced to delay my revelry as I was caught up in my four day double shift hell at work. Brandon had the weekend off, and decided to create a quintessential American dish to celebrate the birth of our nation--a glorious apple pie. Behold:

The pie was absolutely delicious--once again Brandon outdid himself. The crust was tender and flaky, and the filling was spiced to perfection. The master baker has decided to share his recipe so you can create a tasty pastry of your own.

Apple Pie filling:

5 lb bag of Granny Smith apples

2 tablespoons cinammon

A gentle dash of ginger

1/2 cup cane syrup

1 tablespoon of corn starch

Peel and core apples and combine all the other ingredients. Bake the pie at 400 degrees for an hour or until the crust is golden and the filling bubbly.

He kept the preparation of the crumb topping a secret, but the ingredients include butter, flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Perhaps if you come to New Orleans for a visit, you can persuade him to demonstrate his skill at crust and topping preparation.

Back to the Blog...

I hope that everyone enjoyed the weekend and the holiday. I've spent the last four days working 12-15 hours a day, slinging food and drinks for a variety of folks in town for Essence Fest and the 4th of July. While it proved to be a profitable weekend, I've done nothing but work and sleep.

I kept my commitment of posting an entry every day for 30 days last month, and I'm happy to be over the hump of arduous labor so I can begin daily posts again.

For today, I'm going to enjoy the luxury of rest.

Luxury gone awry...

After our fabulous dinner (and my hurried blog post) last night, Brandon and I settled in to watch "Grey Gardens". Brandon had never seen it before, and I was happy to watch the film again. If you haven't checked it out, you simply must.

"Grey Gardens" is a documentary that was filmed in the early 70's by the Maysles brothers. The film follows the ladies Beale of Grey Gardens--mother Big Edie and daughter Little Edie. The ladies were related to Jackie O and once enjoyed a life of luxury and high society in the Hamptons in a sprawling mansion and beautiful gardens. By the time the filmmakers catch up with the Edies they've run out of money and Grey Gardens is in a disastrous state of disrepair--so bad that the NY Health Department threatened to evict them before Jackie O came and cleaned up the place. The film takes place after the cleanup, and mother and daughter continue to live among cats, raccoons and who knows what else in complete squalor.

Both Edies have larger than life personalities, Big Edie prides herself on being a great singer in her day and Little Edie always longed to be an actress and a dancer. Each shows off her talents in the film. They've spent so much time together, just the two of them, that they're both a bit demented--they laugh, fight, and reminisce about grander days of yore.

The film by turns is funny, appalling and heartbreaking. To witness two ladies who lived a life of high style and luxury sink to the very depths of degeneration is almost a train wreck to watch, but once you start, you can't look away.

HBO recently filmed a nice companion piece to the doco starring Jessica Lange as Big Edie and Drew Barrymore as Little Edie. The film provides some backdrop on the ladies to round out the story of how they came to participate in the documentary, and both actresses are absolutely dead on in their portrayal of the Beals.

So put it in your Netflix queue or pick up a copy from Amazon. You won't be disappointed with "Grey Gardens".