Wrap Stars - Vietnamese Crispy Spring Rolls
December 14, 2007
 The very first food article I wrote was about Vietnamese crispy spring rolls. I discovered “Imperial Rolls” in 1989, while in Paris attending culinary school. My husband and I were sitting at a table in small Asian café just outside Les Halles, intrigued by the menu and particularly, the description for “Imperial Rolls” – minced pork, glass noodles, vegetables, wood ear mushrooms and seasonings wrapped in wonton paper, deep fried and served with lettuce leaves, fresh mint and basil. Before our order arrived, we saw other diners placing spring roll pieces in a palm-sized leaves, plucking and tearing mint and basil to garnish of some herbs, then roll-up the package and dip the works into a pale gold sauce dotted with chilis. We followed suit when our order of spring rolls arrived and from the first bite, it was love. The hot crispy exterior encircling the aggressively meaty filling; the cool crunch of lettuce, the aromatic bright flavor of the herbs and then the tangy, slightly spicy and altogether mysterious taste of the sauce (we later learned was Nuoc Mam) made for a heavenly combination of texture and flavor. To say we were smitten would be understatement. From that moment on we combed Paris for as many Vietnamese restaurants as we could find and hit upon a very special place in the 6th arrondissement called Tan Dinh, an haute Vietnamese cuisine restaurant. The food and experience there are a story for another time, and while they did not serve Imperial Rolls, they gave us plenty of places to try and the quest continued. |
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Simple, Sweet & Petite
December 7, 2007
 Low-key versus high-end. Does anyone really want to wage the battle of which is preferable? I adore white table cloth dining, the artfully expressed snow pea and baby carrot on a black plate kind of thing. I also love easy, rustic, foods and dishes, butcher paper, plastic utensils, rolled up sleeves, and tissue-thin paper napkins; everything has its place and time. There are Mondays when I crave fancy, haute cuisine and then there are Mondays when nothing and I mean nothing beats a plate of creamy red beans, rice and a fat link of hot sausage; or the cloying sweet goodness of a Hubig’s fried pie; or a messy Po-boy scarfed-down in my car; or powdered sugar fights over steamy, yeasty beignets – you get the drift. People who like fine dining often get accused of snobbery, but I think snobbery exists at all levels of dining. Ever heard of the Po’Boy/Poor Boy war, or how about the hot versus cold muffuletta madness? Every one of our traditional foods has fans and foes with folks willing to fight hard for the right to be…right and, oh here comes the cliché, to have it their way. When I’m stuck in the middle, neither in the mood for dining hoity-toity nor tucking in to a blue plate special, I seek neutral ground, a small, sweet café with no fuss, just good, easy food. |
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Market Report
November 30, 2007
 There are a nice number of gourmet and ethnic markets around the Metro area; some are already familiar like the West Bank’s Hong Kong Market, Metairie’s International Store and Nor-Joe’s, Central Grocery in the French Quarter, Mona’s Market on Banks Street in Mid-City and the Asian Gourmet Market in Kenner, to name a few. But what about those hidden gems, the little places with non-descript store fronts with groaning shelves of fantastic pantry goods, prepared foods, specialty items, freshly butchered meats and poultry, or that elusive, unusual ingredient? A recent trek through Metairie revealed a few new or re-invigorated markets/stores to add to that ever-growing list. |
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Lorin Gaudin
 Lorin Gaudin thinks, cooks, eats and writes about food, drink, culinary history, restaurants, dining and culture. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Theatre from Loyola University of New Orleans, and a culinary diploma from L'Ecole de Gastronomie Ritz-Escoffier in Paris. She is the host of her own weekend radio show, “All Over Food,” on The New 99.5FM – WRNO (www.thenew995fm.com), covering New Orleans’ amazing food, restaurants and dining scene and a contributing editor for Culinary Concierge Magazine’s New Orleans, Emerald Coast Florida and Dallas editions. Lorin appears weekly as a food and dining reporter on "Steppin' Out," WYES-TV, Channel 12, sits on the on the Advisory Board of the Museum of the American Cocktail and is Board Secretary for The New Orleans Society for the Preservation of Cocktails and Cuisine which produces the annual event, Tales of the Cocktail. She is a daily contributor to www.emerils.com, and her work can also be found in The New York Post.
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New Orleans, LA
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Temp:
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70°F
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Wind Chill:
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70°F
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Humidity:
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83%
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