Food Pt 2

My plan for Sunday was quite simple. I wanted to go somewhere to watch the Dallas Cowboys game. I found my place before I even left Milwaukee. Cooter Browns. The bar was a bit smaller than I expected but the beer selection was still plentiful. With a decent menu of food to choose off of, I went with a Looter Philly, a basic Philly cheese steak that wasn't bad for bar food. Couple that with a number of beers of various country origins, I was feeling pretty good after the Cowboys win. Good enough to check out the Po Boy festival that was going on down the street.

I wasn't quite hungry enough nor did I have the patience to wait in any of the lines for a po boy at the festival. I did have a couple of cocktails before heading back towards the hotel. Still without a real plan for the night, me and a buddy got to talking on the streetcar. We could get off in a couple of miles and hit up some bars and the Voodoo BBQ joint we had seen. Sounded like a plan.

We stopped into a place called Whiskey Dix first. A bunch of locals stared at us when we walked in. Chatted up the bartender to find out how far we were from the Voodoo and talked with a guy who was from Dallas. He had been in New Orleans for the past couple of years building houses. He spoke of all the corruption that goes on in the city and how they are only able to get so much built because the local government won't release money as they go. He said they would only release so much money for certain areas so as to keep they dependent on the government. That sounded pretty pathetic but may explain why progress seemed to be lacking.

We headed out of Whiskey Dix to another bar a block down. We were tempted to get something to eat there because it claimed to have real soul food but one look at the menu and we had our doubts. Plus, the place seemed a bit seedy. A place that Gordon Ramsey would find all kinds of disgusting things in the kitchen. And when the bartender mentioned how she started drinking at 10 am the other day simply because someone came over with a case of beer, I knew this would be a place that could get scary at night. Oh wait, it was night already. Time to move on.

We did get down to the Voodoo BBQ and had a decent little meal. I had some pulled pork and jerk chicken that was good. The sauces weren't anything to brag about though. The sauce can make or break a BBQ place to me. Voodoo's sauce was jusk ok.

On Monday we broke away from the group once again. They wanted to eat at a place that had 25 cent martinis. I could have done that but the menu was on the pricey side. I couldn't see spending 25 bucks on lunch at a foo foo place. So when my buddy suggested we go elsewhere I figured why not.

That brought us to this place. The Acme Oyster House. He was jonesing to hit this place ever since we got to town and this was basically his last chance. They had other foods besides oysters so I figured I give it a go. Pauly wanted pictures so here are some pictures. Let's do this Pauly style.

The place reminded me of Hooters. The music and seating was basically the same. Only thing missing was the girls in tight shirts and short orange shorts. Did this place didn't need it. It had a charm all its own.
I had seen this Andy Gator beer at a couple places around town. It is made by the "local" brewery (in Abita Springs, LA). I asked the lady behind the bar what kind of beer it was and she simply said "STRONG! It is 13% alcohol." Ok, let me try that then. Guy next to me looked and said "Go at it Hoss!" Hoss? I must be down south. The beer was good. You could feel the kick towards the end. It was a brew that could get you screwed up.

So my friend order some oysters just as we sat down at the bar. The first time I had oysters was last year in Key West. I don't understand why you get something you are just going to slurp down. These oysters were scooped up this morning and still had sand on the shells. I did try one and managed to get it down. I could have done without the sand though. Still don't get oysters.

So of course the char-broiled oysters arrived and I had to try one of those as well. It appears they spent enough time on the grill for the cheese to melt down. Unlike the raw oysters, I was told you should chew these buggers. I actually liked this. Maybe it was because I really tasted cheese and garlic. There was no oystery taste to them.

Next up was the Jambalaya. When I saw they were serving "real" jambalaya- no shrimp, just ham and chicken- I had to get some. This was good too. I could eat a big serving of this. But it wasn't as good as...
...the red beans and rice. I loves me some red beans and rice. This bowl sure didn't disappoint. I wish there had been more. I regret not ordering a bigger size.

My sandwich soon arrived. It was the Acme American Special. Basically all the deli meats with some slow cooked chuck roast. I had a hard time deciding between this po boy and the 10 napkin po boy (chuck roast) and decided to go this route. It was awesome. Look at that po boy and see how messy it looks? It once again proved that the messier looking the food, the tastier it is likely to be. This was better than the po boy I had the other day. Heaven on a bun.



To end my meal I had the other local brew, Dixie. Basic beer. Nothing I would have again unless someone handed it to me. As I left the Acme Oyster House I knew I had the best meal of the trip. It was a combination of many things. The food, the atmosphere, the people. Everything worked and left the place feeling extremely happy.