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December 14, 2006
I truly need a year down in New Orleans
Wow! I had a great time last night, IN LOUISIANA!
Went to see two friends who left NYC for upstate last year, and have moved again, to NO, for work; my friend Sondra is teaching at UNO, and her husband is a cook.
I drove down, and Argyle asked immediately if I'd like a drink. So he made us Manhattans, deftly and quickly, and suddenly instead of sitting in my mom's little apartment hearing about god, I was sitting in Uptown New Orleans drinking and eating cheese and listening to jazz and catching up with old friends. And Argyle works in Algiers, right near the fish market, so he'd picked up three pounds of enormous shrimp, and made us New Orleans Barbecued Shrimp.
Short method/recipe: Smash a bunch of garlic cloves and put them in a baking dish. Shake some good hot sauce over them. Squeeze in a few limes, then put the lime halves in as well. Arrange shrimp over garlic, etc. When dish is topped up with shrimp, squeeze in more lime juice, shake on more hot sauce, sprinkle with herbs. Chop up more butter than you think you need and cover the dish with it. Bake until shrimp are pink and done. Eat with hands, making enormous mess. Remember to suck the heads and lick your fingers. Gorge until done.
We ate the shrimp with local wine (who knew! Local New Orleans wine!) which was great. Then we had coffee and Christmas cookies, and THEN we went out to the Spotted Cat to hear Va Va Voom, my new favorite band. Sat in the bar, drinking bourbon and listening to fine, eclectic gypsy jazz, with friends at my side, and cute girls playing hot fiddle and sax (and cute guys playing awesome accordion and guitars!), and mmmmm.
Maybe Louisiana is not all god and home and family! I forgot! Am planning t0p-s33krit trip to New Orleans with lovely new boyfriend, NOT TELLING MOM. How fun would that be! ALL THE FUN.
Posted by Rose at December 14, 2006 01:15 PM