Can I Take Your Order?

It is the ultimate goal of learning about food, to one day present it to the public. All of the meals in various cities, lame brain ideas, and pretty big mistakes have all led to the hope that one day I will be able to synthesize all of this and present a simple plate of food. Why not now? So if anyone, happens upon this page in the New Orleans Metropolitan area, and wants to order a family meal email me.

Louisiana Fig Seasonal Menu

Chevre, Beet stuffed Louisiana Figs
Pulled Pork w/ Louisiana Fig Vinegar Sauce
Blue Cheese Stuffed, Almond Fried Louisiana Figs
Duck Rilletes w/ Fig Basil Compote
Shaved Louisiana Fig, Peach, Fennel, Herb Salad
Cashew Chicken Thighs w/ Louisiana Fig Chicken Glace
Basil Prosciutto Wrapped Grilled Figs

These are just a few dishes available, but more than happy to take on any challenge.

Contributing Culinary Article

The following was written by a friend from the food school in New York.

On Food in Our Times

As we progress in terms of business and education, the quality of life that we maintain for ourselves becomes very localized. We know where and how we want to build our day, and we build it. Different people will choose different hobbies and pastimes, which results in a gap between an individual and their kinfolk. It becomes almost an imperative to find common ground to bridge the gap and re-establish the bonds we should be sharing with our neighbors.
So that raises the question of how we bring people back together. In order to answer that question you find something that we all have in common. What do we, as humans, need? It is a simple question with an answer that is as profound as your level of commitment. I say nourishment and what do you think? Do you think of freeze-dried ramen noodles with salt flavoring packets? Do you think of fancy restaurants that charge more than you’re worth for an item whose name the average American cannot even pronounce? Do you simply think food while imagery fails you? The level of mysticism that surrounds the dining environment is such that we are more entertained by the cluttered wall of an Applebee’s, than the honest surroundings of a local restaurant run by honest people with no corporate say so. But this isn’t about bashing the “man”. This is about taking that mentality over by putting the power to choose in our own hands. Is the only counterpoint to the corporate restaurant’s inferior quality a miniscule amount of food that costs an arm and a leg? Is it possible to offer an enlightened approach to food in our times that revolves around accessibility without sacrificing quality and commitment?
Any revolution should be treated like a flame. In a flame’s infancy it can be put out by the slightest gust of wind. However, if the flame is allowed to grow, it can eventually consume everything in its path. We are building a fire that needs to be tended. In order to tend this fire, we need networks with like-minded individuals. As the network and philosophy behind it grows, so too does its influence. We will watch as the quality of life shoots up in a positive direction for people who, before we began, believed themselves too poor for it. We will watch as those who have become set in their ways discover new joys because of better options that present themselves readily. And we will break our backs carrying not only the common man, but the ground from under his feet into a new age of food without him even knowing that he went for a ride.

Brendan Costello

Deer Day Afternoon

Yesterday was a day off, so I cooked. The theme of the meal, besides having an amazing time, was venison. The venison was from The Plaisance Meat Co. in Plaisance, Louisiana. Sausages and ground were the forms which were to be transformed into the evenings meal.

The Menu

Venison Meatloaf
Venison Meatballs
Venisons Sausage
Chicken Ginger Glace
Herbaceous Fennel
Rice Provincial Vegetables
Mini Bok Choy Salad
Bread and Butter


When confronted with some ground venison, Meatloaf immediately came to mind...American, comforting, hearty, and good. The ratio for a meatloaf or meatball is one egg to one pound of meat, and you can flavor with whatever you like. On this particular afternoon, it was onion, celery, cherry tomatoes (in the genre of ketchup), thyme, garlic, bayleaf, bacon, andouille, and herbs De Provence. You want all if the ingredient to become one, emulsion, so that each bit of meatloaf or meatball contain all of the flavoring components. Once all the wet ingredients had been add, crushed pita chips was used for the breadcrumbs, leaving the loaf moist and delicious. Deer meatballs were made from the excess deer, which did not make it into the loaf pan. The sausage was browned in butter, sliced then heated through in the browned butter once more. Provincial vegetables was comprised of eggplant, onion, mushroom, creole tomatoes, rosemary, olive oil, provincial herbs, salt, pepper, and sherry cream. Bread was rustic, merely being toasted and torn. Husking the corn, cutting in half lengthwise, then into two, they cooked in a salted, ginger butter kernel side down in the oven until, there sweetness met with the ginger and it was ready. The food was served, plates wiped clean with the torn bread alongside conversation of the next meal or meals past, dishes done and another culinary experience is logged onto the intraweb. Bon Eating!