For Friday’s lunch in New Orleans, dad, brother, and I visited famed eatery Port of Call.  This certified dive is known for having “New Orleans’ best burgers”, so we had to go see what all the hype was about.  I hear that the line for a table often spills out onto the sidewalk, but we were there shortly after their lunchtime open and were seated promptly.  The only things on the menu are drinks, half-pound burgers (served with baked potato, not fries), and steaks.  My dad and I had mushroom cheeseburgers, and Spencer went for the regular cheeseburger:

Mushroom Cheeseburger

I’ve gotta say, if this is New Orleans’ best burger, they’ve got a problem.

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I spent two days in New Orleans this week accompanying my brother to his freshman orientation.  My dad and I went out to eat at The Red Maple in Gretna (on the West Bank) Thursday night.

The Red Maple

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I have been a very bad blogger.  I try to update the blog every other day, but I am discovering how difficult it is to be a foodie on minimum wage.  Without further excuse, here’s a great food option when traveling through Louis Armstrong International Airport’s Concourse C.

Overcast morning over Lake Pontchartrain

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Finally got back to eating Baton Rouge this week.  It took me forever to decide what I wanted for lunch Wednesday, but I finally settled on Izzo’s Illegal Burrito.  Izzo’s is Baton Rouge’s answer to quick-Mex (I just made that up) eateries like Moe’s, Chipotle, and Qdoba; especially since, to my knowledge, neither of the three have locations in town (Edit: There is a Qdoba in the Towne Center shopping area).  However, Izzo’s sets itself apart by offering massive “illegal” burritos filled with fresh, flavorful ingredients.

Izzo's

Burrito Sizes

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Last weekend, for some reason I decided that I wanted to make souffles for my family.  I’ve never had a souffle or even seen one in person, but my desire to cook was strong, so I lugged out my copy of Joy of Cooking and found a recipe for Mushroom Souffle.  I’m going to try to break down the instructions as best I can without actually re-printing/-typing the recipe.

Mushroom Souffles

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For a girlfriend’s birthday dinner party last weekend, I was given a gentle hint to bring a dessert. The hint included the mini cheesecakes I made a few weeks ago, but I decided on something a little lighter: triple berry pie.

Triple Berry Pie

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My Wordpress 2.8 upgrade is apparently not recognizing one of my html commands which moves text below two pictures (like you see below in the Cheeburger post). Please bear with the awkwardness until I figure out a fix for it!

Though somehow, I think I’m probably the only one who noticed/cares

Spencer and I went to Cheeburger Cheeburger for lunch last week, a new-ish 50’s style burger chain in Baton Rouge.  I had Cheeburger for the first time last summer in upstate NY and enjoyed it a lot; probably mostly due to the 70+ milkshake flavors you can mix to your heart’s desire.  The restaurant also offers more than 20 different burger toppings, allowing diners to create their own unique taste at every visit. The 50’s style decor and music was a little cheesy, but I guess the restaurant needs some sort of shtick to stay interesting:

50's Style? Mason jars for drinks

You know you're in Louisiana when...

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Mario and I visited Morelli’s Ice Cream Saturday afternoon for a sweet treat.  I’ve read a few other blog posts about Morelli’s, and since ice cream is one of my favorite foods (lol), I knew I had to try it out.  Morelli’s real draw is its unconventional flavors, like coconut jalapeno, sweet corn, and ginger lavender.

Morelli's

Morelli’s is located on Moreland Ave about 2 miles south of I-20. Quite honestly, it’s smack in the middle of the hood. At one point, Mario and I actually had to check and make sure we were headed in the right direction. However, the shopping center it’s located in is really nice, and it seems that the neighborhood to the west may be a little more ‘burb and a little less hood. On my first visit, I stayed fairly inside the box with Dulce de Leche Chunk, while Mario had Sweet Potato Pie.

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I was jonesing for something different Saturday afternoon and found this recipe flagged in my copy of Rachael Ray’s 365: No Repeats. I don’t know if “real” foodies are allowed to cook Rachael Ray recipes, as she’s not actually a “real” chef, but I like her quick meals, especially when cooking for my whole family.  She also uses ingredients I’m not always familiar with, which is great for first bites!  I made these salmon burgers for myself while I was living alone last summer, but decided to try them again for family.  Although this is touted as a 30 minute meal, with all the grinding and chopping and slicing you have to do, it takes a lot longer than 30 minutes to get everything together.  But I think the time spent is well worth it!

Salmon Burger with Ginger-Wasabi Mayo

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