Hello Patrick and Corinne...been thinking about you and hope that your holidays and travels since leaving here have been all that you had hoped for...and more. Would love to hear a little about what you've been up
to. Are you in New Orleans yet, or has that already happened? Cheers! Pat
to. Are you in New Orleans yet, or has that already happened? Cheers! Pat
Hi Pat and David!
Must really apologize for not replying sooner but we really have been on the move, almost ever since we left you, and I haven't had as much time to devote to my beloved Jambalaya Diaries! (Cora Lee is rolling her eyes!) Trust all goes well with you and family. Will be thinking of you today as we watch the Super Bowl here in St Martin. Imagine you will have friends and family in tasting room. We'll be cheering for the 49's over the Ravens but most of people here are from the east and are Baltimore fans.
Bill Maher
Pics: Mullet Bay Beach, our "private" beach, but 10 minutes walk away;
lobsters at Marigot Market; Baie Grand Case; piled ginger at roadside
stall; view from our patio, looking east; tapas at Karakter, right on
beach at Simpson Bay; licence plate; orphanage; Patrizzio and Ronaldo,
taken by one of the kids before we left for the beach; Cora Lee at
Galion Beach; kids enjoying watermelon; St Bartolemy seen from Paradise,
restaurant on hillside above Galion.
Thursday, January 17th:
Was rather overcast when we first arrived but Thursday was a beautiful day, blue, blue sky, no clouds but blustery and quite cool whenver out of the bright sunshine. We strolled from our place to the French Quarter, enjoying all the sights, (the wrought iron balconies), and sounds, (busking bands on many street corners), popping into stores as the fancy took us. We stopped for a quick bite to eat, (red beans and rice, gumbo), before we joined a walking culinary history tour of the French Quarter.
There were only eight of us, (couple from London and two young women from New York), along with our delightful guide, Reneé. In brief we visited Antoine's for Creole Seafood Gumbo; Leah's for Traditional Creole Praline; Arnaud's Remoulade for Shrimp Arnaud; Desire Oyster Bar for Turtle Soup; La Divina for Muffaletta and Gelato; Brennan's, (Known for Bananas Foster! We didn't taste here but visited a fascinating museum of gowns worn by Brennan's wife, Maud, as Mardi Gras Queen); Creole Delicacies for Red Beans and Rice and Tujague's for Beef Brisket with Creole Horseradish Sauce and Sazerac. (I did not know what this was so this is a brief description: Sazerac is a local New Orleans variation of an old-fashioned cognac or whiskey cocktail, named for the Sazerac de Forge et Fils brand of cognac that was its original prime ingredient.) What was so wonderful about the tour was that we were able to go into many, if not all, of the various dining rooms, (and even the kitchen at Antoine's), where we had the places to ourselves while Reneé imparted her more than considerable knowledge of the history and evolution of the various family businesses, local politics and cultural traditions.
Tour took almost three hours so by the time we caught the bus, (easy
connection from Canal right to our doorstep on Magazine, $1.25 exact
change, Please!), back The Sisterhood wanted to stay in. It was quite
chilly and they didn't fancy venturing out again, even a few blocks down
the street.
The portions of food we'd tasted had been delicious but not huge, (except at Tujague's where the serving was a hearty one and tender and succulent beyond belief!), as you might imagine, but the cumulative effect was pretty filling. This being the case I suggested a large green salad and my companions agreed. Forthwith, I threw together a Romaine, cuke, heritage tomatoe saladin, topped with feta and diced roast beef slices, (overlefts from filling for sandwiches I'd made in Dallas), garnished with chopped green oniones. Polished off a few Coffaros, a 2010 Escuro, and another 2010 Barbera, (The Sisterhood claimed it was too, too chilly for whites!), and everyone was more than happy. Said goodnight to the Downstairs People and then, after loading dishwasher, up to read in bed until shortly after midnight.
To be continued...Friday, January 18th
Peter managed to phone Lillette and we were told that our reservation would stand if we could arrive by 6:30pm. Took us more than 30 minutes to drive 10 K but we made it home by 6:05pm. The Sisterhood dashed inside to change but Peter and I simply had a snort of Jura before we changed for dinner. Made it to restaurant by 6:33 pm so we were fine. Dropped off anxious diners and was able to park just around the corner.
Suffice it to say we had a wonderful, wonderful meal. I dined on a
selection of appetizers, Boudin Noir Lilette with homemade spicy mustard
and cornichons and Potato gnocchi with sage brown butter and parmigiano
cream, and a soup, Braised veal cheeks with baby greens and horseradish
vinaigrette; for appetizers Cora Lee shared oysters with Peter while
Lynne had salmon tartare. For entrées, Corinne had Grilled lamb sirloin
with a salad of arugula, fried chickpeas, roasted peppers, onions, and
balsamic vinaigrette; Lynne the Roasted Muscovy duck breast with
cauliflower polonaise, sauteed spinach and a toasted shallot sauce and
Peter the Grilled hanger steak with fries and marrowed bordelaise. Two
bottles of 2010 Bodega Colomé Malbec Estate, Salta, 14.5%, which went
down all too smoothly and quickly! Everyone was pleasantly full after
the delicious, delicious food so we declined dessert and made our way
back to the car and home, but a short drive away. Lynne was sleepy so
she went to bed shortly after we were home but CoraLeeta, Peter and I
played three-handed bridge until just after 11:00pm, the Lads sipping
malt, Coriandre glugging white wine! Pleased to say I came out the
winner with 1000 points, followed by Cora Lee with 570 and then Petros
with 390. We congratulated one another and then said goodnight. What a
glorious day indeed!
Domani we off to see a parade at 6:00pm in French Quarter, followed by another meal at a restaurant named, Bayona, researched by The Sisterhood!
To be continued...Saturday, January 19th
Shortly before 8:00pm we shook hands with our fellow parade watchers and
walked about four blocks to Bayona on Dauphine Street. Of course, The
Sisterhood knew all about Susan Spicer, a New Orleans-based chef, who
owns several other restaurants in the city. Currently she has a
partnership with Regina Keever, and together they opened Bayona in 1990,
a four star restaurant. We had a more than delectable meal, (Arctic
Char for CL, steak for Lynne and amazingly succulent and tasty Veal
Sweetbreads with Sherry Mustard, (me), and Lemon Caper Butter for Dom
Jugos), paired with a 2010 wonderful blended red, (51% Syrah, 24% Petit
Verdot and 25% Malbec), from Ancient Peaks in Paso Robles, 14.1%. None
of us wanted dessert so after we paid our bill we made our way back to
Canal where we caught a bus down Magazine to our home away from home.
Everyone was pleasantly tired by 11:00pm so we bade each other goodnight
and repaired to our separate bedrooms.
Cora Lee and I read until just after midnight and by then we turned off our bedside lamps and sank into blissful sleep, the lights of the iconic, majestic steel box truss Crescent City Connection toll bridge visible from the window at the south end of our bedroom, the New Orleans version of our Lions Gate.
To be continued... Monday, January 21st
Following N Claiborne and then onto St Charles Avenue past Canal, we
were soon at Washington Avenue but had drive past as we couldn't make a
left-hand turn. Proceeded along St Charles until we reached Audubon Park
and then tried to drive around the perimeter, only to be thwarted by a
series of dead-end and more one-way streets. The unknown territory,
notwithstanding, Über Navigator, Jugos The Bold, soon has us on
Coliseum, (a street I wanted to scope for possible cycling), and we made
our approach to Commander's Palace, finding on street parking less than
a quarter of a block away. I caused The Sisterhood to shift into
Overdrive in Fuss Mode when I took off my shorts the better able to
attach the zip-on leggings, (Dress code at Commander's Palace, don't you
know!), while Cora Lee acted a a human shield to prevent any faint of
heart passersby from suffering a conniption fit! Seemed highly unlikely,
to me, in this Mardi Gras ville!
Once suitably attired, we made our way to the entrance and were shown to our table. Since we were to be seated in a room of the garden patio we actually walked through the kitchen on our way to the very comfortable and pleasingly appointed room. The service is absolutely beyond reproach. While the servers were always deferential they were not obsequious. Far from it. Ever attentive with gracious charm and lighthearted humour.
Our waiter, Todd, was more than a delight, offering helpful tips about
the menu and made the entire meal a truly wonderful experience. Parts of
the service were somewhat formal inasmuch as each course, from
soup/salad to entrees and desserts, was placed before us at the same
time. And this orchestration was done without much ado, in a very
friendly manner.
At lunch Commander's offers a martini special. If you order an entree, they will allow you up to three basic martinis for a quarter a piece. My luncheon companions each had two apiece, (Cosmopolitans for The Babes, two-olive martini, stirred, not shaken, for Dom Pedrito), but as DD, (Todd said that most people drink three martinis before taking a driving teat in NO!), I restrained myself and decided upon a local soft drink, Abita Root Beer. When the bill came, my drink cost $4.50, their total was $1.50!
Things just got better once the food was served. For an appetizers Lynne decided upon Shrimp & Tasso Henican: Wild Louisiana white shrimp, tasso ham, pickled okra, sweet onions, 5 pepper jelly, and Crystal hot sauce beurre blanc. Her entree was Commander’s Crisp Romaine Salad: Hearts of romaine, grated Parmesan, pressed egg, housemade bacon, French bread croutons, shaved Gruyère, and creamy black pepper dressing.
For her part, Cora Lee's appetizer was the Spicy Shrimp Rémoulade: Crab boiled wild white shrimp over a tri-colored tomato & Louisiana citrus salad with limestone lettuce, local legumes, and crushed basil. She chose the Cranberry Molasses Lacquered Quail: Cochon de lait boudin stuffed quail over caramelized onions, bacon lardoons, and garlic wilted greens with sticky cranberry-apple jus for her entree.
Dom Jugos and I decided upon the Commander’s 3 Course Selections which
consisted of a flight of three soups served in very generous demi-tasse
portions.
Commander’s Creole Gumbo: a rich gumbo spiked with Louisiana hot sauce and Creole seasonings
Commander’s Turtle Soup: their famous soup that takes 3 days to make, finished tableside with aged Spanish sherry.
Soup du Jour: Shrimp bisque, on this occasion. Simply outstanding, absolute perfection, and our favourite.
Our entrees were Hickory Grilled Pork Tenderloin: housemade bacon wrapped pork tenderloin over three-potato boulanger, root vegetables, petite greens, and smoky trotter jus. The portions were enormous and we were not sorry that this was the case as the dish was superb, the pork succulent and tender.
We chose the C3CS in part because it included Creole Bread Pudding Soufflé~ The Queen of Creole Desserts ~Finished tableside with whiskey cream sauce. Poor CoraLeeta had to settle for Lally’s Praline Parfait: hand-crafted vanilla ice cream layered in an elegant parfait glass with candied pecans, crispy honey tuile, and sticky praline syrup~ Lally Brennan’s favorite dessert, due to her gluten-free diet. The three of us lucky enough to have the souffe adored it and were very, very glad that we didn't have to share even a spoonful! Light, airy, delicious, and the sauce was rich, silky smooth perfection, yet not too sweet.
Quick drive back to our abode and the Cheap Drunks all took extended
naps while I worked on the Jambalaya Diaries. They didn't stir until
about 5:30pm and after The Lads fortified themselves with a few snorts
of malt, The Sisterhood a glass of white, we made for Camp Street to
catch the bus to Canal. We were off to Preservation Hall to take in the
8:15pm show and understood that we needed to be in line about an hour
beforehand if we wished to find seats in the quite small venue. PH bills
Live New Orleans Jazz Nightly 8:00 to 11:00 PM; Admission: $15 and is
at 726 St Peter, just down the street from Pat O'Brian's, the pub where
we had purchased our hootch before watching Krewe du Vieux on Saturday.
To be continued...Tuesday, January 22nd:
After we had shared our experiences, I hastened to my desk upstairs to work on the Jambalaya Diaries. CoraLeeta returned about an hour later and proudly displayed her "finds" for the day and at just after 5:00pm, Dom Pedro announced that the bar was officially open so I came downstairs to join the assembled Juiceheads. Coramandel insisted we open a Passalacqua, Dry Creek, 2010 Zinfandel, 15.5%, before we headed out to the restaurant of choice for our last evening meal of the stay. I obliged since Petros and I were imbibing a few snorts of maltage, Ardbeg and Jura.
Dinner was to be at Cochon, at 930 Tchoupitoulas Street, only about a 15
minute walk from us in the Wharehouse District. Most pleasant stroll as
the evening was mild and warm. What an incredible find, for us,
suggested by William Banks McClintock IV, and was he ever dead on the
money. Everything from the inviting space, rough brick walls and
comfortable tables and chairs to the excellent, attentive service seemed
as nothing compared to the fine, fine cuisine. We dined on delicious
appetizers: CL went with Wood-fired Oyster Roast, Petros the Roasted
Shrimp with hog jowls & chilis, I the Fried Alligator with chili
garlic aioli while Lynne resisted as she was having one of the Specials,
a large pork chop with mustard greens and broccoli. Divino but our
entrees were even better: Smoked Ham Hock with baked peanuts &
charred radishes fro Jugos; Catfish Courtbouillon for Cora Lee and
Louisiana Cochon with turnips, cabbage, pickled peaches & cracklins
for Patrizzio! Enjoyed a very smooth, silky yet quite peppery 2011 Cote
du Rhone,Domaine Chaume-Arnaud, Vinsobres, La Petite Coquet” – 80%
Grenache, 20% Cinsault. No room for dessert so we did a flight of three
bourbons: Balcones "Baby Blue", ("A young Texas corn whiskey. It has an
inviting nose of marzipan, smoked chili pepper, dark chocolate and
baking spice that keads to a toasted almond."); Four Roses, ("This
bourbon has a floral aroma and has rosy, grainy and spicy undertones
with a bit of a honey twist. It finishes with soothing smoothness and
holds hints of spicy orangen."); Breckenridge Bourbon Whiskey, ("from
the highest distillery in the world, rye plays a large role in this
bourbon. Yellow corn makes up the rest and finishes with just a touch of
barley. It is then aged for 2-3 years in American Oak.") Last was
everyone's favourite and then home to play three-handed bridge. Lynne
said goodnight while the three remaining die-hards sipped a Coffaro 2010
Escuro, 15.0%. I must admit I had most if not all of the cards so
around 10:00p, (We had an early start the next morning as we had to load
the car and then have The Naramatians at the airport by 8:30pm,
probably fighting rush-hour traffic for part of the way.), we said
goodnight to one another.
Before turning in, I finished packing most of my possessions and muled my bags downstairs. Collected and boxed all the un-drunk hootch and dry foodstuffs and stacked them near the door. Before turning out the lights and returning upstairs to read a bit. Was close to midnight before I was too sleepy to finish the chapter I was on so was happy to leave Edie Kiglatuk on her "snowbie", driving along the shoreline in Kuujuaq towards the landing strip where she will meet the two "qalunaat" she will next guide.
To be continued...
Hi Patricio and Corriandre,
Must really apologize for not replying sooner but we really have been on the move, almost ever since we left you, and I haven't had as much time to devote to my beloved Jambalaya Diaries! (Cora Lee is rolling her eyes!) Trust all goes well with you and family. Will be thinking of you today as we watch the Super Bowl here in St Martin. Imagine you will have friends and family in tasting room. We'll be cheering for the 49's over the Ravens but most of people here are from the east and are Baltimore fans.
 |
Before Game Is Decided, Superdome Goes Dark |
That's just fucking embarrassing for America. But our infrastructure is crumbling so it kinda fits. Yoga in the dark anyone?
New York Times, By
KEN BELSON,Published: February 3, 2013
"The roughly 35-minute power failure, which came just moments after the
Ravens’ Jacoby Jones returned the second-half kickoff 108 yards for a
touchdown, was one of the oddest moments in Super Bowl history.
In choosing New Orleans to host the game, the N.F.L. wanted to signal that the city was back in business after Hurricane Katrina
in 2005. The Superdome, which was turned into an emergency shelter
after the storm, had been overhauled and rebranded through to a
sponsorship deal with Mercedes-Benz.
The blackout is certain to add to the legend of the Superdome. Some New
Orleans residents believe the building is cursed because it was built
near the old Girod Street Cemetery, which had fallen into disrepair.
Some Saints fans believe this is why their team was unsuccessful for so
long.
Either way, the N.F.L., which runs the Super Bowl with an iron hand and
brutal efficiency, is not used to random events during games, which are
tightly scripted for television networks and the hundreds of millions of
viewers at home."
Have really been enjoying our time here in the Caribbean. Flew from
Dallas last Monday to stay with close friends, Ski and Ronaldo at the
American University of the Caribbean. Ron is teaching here for three
months and we are staying in very comfortable dorms. Yesterday, we drove to an
orphanage on the east side of the island in the Quartier D'Orleans, to
be part of the gang of students and faculty from ACU who take some of
the children to Galion Beach for the day, about once a month. Two days
earlier, Cora Lee and I took a mini-bus, (local transportation), trip
around the island and had a wonderful time exploring some of the
relatively small communities we'd not visited with our hosts.
So much to tell but I have decided I'd include some of eating highlights
in New Orleans as I believe, from what you have mentioned in the past,
that David is interested in culinary pursuits. We may well pop by on our
way home as I gather some of the wine will be available for pick-up.
Anyway, will be in touch again, probably from LA, befoer we make our way
to Berkeley. Fondestos from Cora Lee to you both and all the winery
staff. Cheers, Patrizzio!
New York Times, By KEN BELSON,Published: February 3, 2013
"The roughly 35-minute power failure, which came just moments after the Ravens’ Jacoby Jones returned the second-half kickoff 108 yards for a touchdown, was one of the oddest moments in Super Bowl history.
In choosing New Orleans to host the game, the N.F.L. wanted to signal that the city was back in business after Hurricane Katrina
in 2005. The Superdome, which was turned into an emergency shelter
after the storm, had been overhauled and rebranded through to a
sponsorship deal with Mercedes-Benz.
The blackout is certain to add to the legend of the Superdome. Some New
Orleans residents believe the building is cursed because it was built
near the old Girod Street Cemetery, which had fallen into disrepair.
Some Saints fans believe this is why their team was unsuccessful for so
long.
Either way, the N.F.L., which runs the Super Bowl with an iron hand and
brutal efficiency, is not used to random events during games, which are
tightly scripted for television networks and the hundreds of millions of
viewers at home." 
Have really been enjoying our time here in the Caribbean. Flew from Dallas last Monday to stay with close friends, Ski and Ronaldo at the American University of the Caribbean. Ron is teaching here for three months and we are staying in very comfortable dorms. Yesterday, we drove to an orphanage on the east side of the island in the Quartier D'Orleans, to be part of the gang of students and faculty from ACU who take some of the children to Galion Beach for the day, about once a month. Two days earlier, Cora Lee and I took a mini-bus, (local transportation), trip around the island and had a wonderful time exploring some of the relatively small communities we'd not visited with our hosts.
So much to tell but I have decided I'd include some of eating highlights in New Orleans as I believe, from what you have mentioned in the past, that David is interested in culinary pursuits. We may well pop by on our way home as I gather some of the wine will be available for pick-up. Anyway, will be in touch again, probably from LA, befoer we make our way to Berkeley. Fondestos from Cora Lee to you both and all the winery staff. Cheers, Patrizzio!
Thursday, January 17th:
Was rather overcast when we first arrived but Thursday was a beautiful day, blue, blue sky, no clouds but blustery and quite cool whenver out of the bright sunshine. We strolled from our place to the French Quarter, enjoying all the sights, (the wrought iron balconies), and sounds, (busking bands on many street corners), popping into stores as the fancy took us. We stopped for a quick bite to eat, (red beans and rice, gumbo), before we joined a walking culinary history tour of the French Quarter.
There were only eight of us, (couple from London and two young women from New York), along with our delightful guide, Reneé. In brief we visited Antoine's for Creole Seafood Gumbo; Leah's for Traditional Creole Praline; Arnaud's Remoulade for Shrimp Arnaud; Desire Oyster Bar for Turtle Soup; La Divina for Muffaletta and Gelato; Brennan's, (Known for Bananas Foster! We didn't taste here but visited a fascinating museum of gowns worn by Brennan's wife, Maud, as Mardi Gras Queen); Creole Delicacies for Red Beans and Rice and Tujague's for Beef Brisket with Creole Horseradish Sauce and Sazerac. (I did not know what this was so this is a brief description: Sazerac is a local New Orleans variation of an old-fashioned cognac or whiskey cocktail, named for the Sazerac de Forge et Fils brand of cognac that was its original prime ingredient.) What was so wonderful about the tour was that we were able to go into many, if not all, of the various dining rooms, (and even the kitchen at Antoine's), where we had the places to ourselves while Reneé imparted her more than considerable knowledge of the history and evolution of the various family businesses, local politics and cultural traditions.
The portions of food we'd tasted had been delicious but not huge, (except at Tujague's where the serving was a hearty one and tender and succulent beyond belief!), as you might imagine, but the cumulative effect was pretty filling. This being the case I suggested a large green salad and my companions agreed. Forthwith, I threw together a Romaine, cuke, heritage tomatoe saladin, topped with feta and diced roast beef slices, (overlefts from filling for sandwiches I'd made in Dallas), garnished with chopped green oniones. Polished off a few Coffaros, a 2010 Escuro, and another 2010 Barbera, (The Sisterhood claimed it was too, too chilly for whites!), and everyone was more than happy. Said goodnight to the Downstairs People and then, after loading dishwasher, up to read in bed until shortly after midnight.
To be continued...Friday, January 18th
Peter managed to phone Lillette and we were told that our reservation would stand if we could arrive by 6:30pm. Took us more than 30 minutes to drive 10 K but we made it home by 6:05pm. The Sisterhood dashed inside to change but Peter and I simply had a snort of Jura before we changed for dinner. Made it to restaurant by 6:33 pm so we were fine. Dropped off anxious diners and was able to park just around the corner.
Domani we off to see a parade at 6:00pm in French Quarter, followed by another meal at a restaurant named, Bayona, researched by The Sisterhood!
To be continued...Saturday, January 19th
Cora Lee and I read until just after midnight and by then we turned off our bedside lamps and sank into blissful sleep, the lights of the iconic, majestic steel box truss Crescent City Connection toll bridge visible from the window at the south end of our bedroom, the New Orleans version of our Lions Gate.
To be continued... Monday, January 21st
Once suitably attired, we made our way to the entrance and were shown to our table. Since we were to be seated in a room of the garden patio we actually walked through the kitchen on our way to the very comfortable and pleasingly appointed room. The service is absolutely beyond reproach. While the servers were always deferential they were not obsequious. Far from it. Ever attentive with gracious charm and lighthearted humour.
At lunch Commander's offers a martini special. If you order an entree, they will allow you up to three basic martinis for a quarter a piece. My luncheon companions each had two apiece, (Cosmopolitans for The Babes, two-olive martini, stirred, not shaken, for Dom Pedrito), but as DD, (Todd said that most people drink three martinis before taking a driving teat in NO!), I restrained myself and decided upon a local soft drink, Abita Root Beer. When the bill came, my drink cost $4.50, their total was $1.50!
Things just got better once the food was served. For an appetizers Lynne decided upon Shrimp & Tasso Henican: Wild Louisiana white shrimp, tasso ham, pickled okra, sweet onions, 5 pepper jelly, and Crystal hot sauce beurre blanc. Her entree was Commander’s Crisp Romaine Salad: Hearts of romaine, grated Parmesan, pressed egg, housemade bacon, French bread croutons, shaved Gruyère, and creamy black pepper dressing.
For her part, Cora Lee's appetizer was the Spicy Shrimp Rémoulade: Crab boiled wild white shrimp over a tri-colored tomato & Louisiana citrus salad with limestone lettuce, local legumes, and crushed basil. She chose the Cranberry Molasses Lacquered Quail: Cochon de lait boudin stuffed quail over caramelized onions, bacon lardoons, and garlic wilted greens with sticky cranberry-apple jus for her entree.
Commander’s Creole Gumbo: a rich gumbo spiked with Louisiana hot sauce and Creole seasonings
Commander’s Turtle Soup: their famous soup that takes 3 days to make, finished tableside with aged Spanish sherry.
Soup du Jour: Shrimp bisque, on this occasion. Simply outstanding, absolute perfection, and our favourite.
Our entrees were Hickory Grilled Pork Tenderloin: housemade bacon wrapped pork tenderloin over three-potato boulanger, root vegetables, petite greens, and smoky trotter jus. The portions were enormous and we were not sorry that this was the case as the dish was superb, the pork succulent and tender.
We chose the C3CS in part because it included Creole Bread Pudding Soufflé~ The Queen of Creole Desserts ~Finished tableside with whiskey cream sauce. Poor CoraLeeta had to settle for Lally’s Praline Parfait: hand-crafted vanilla ice cream layered in an elegant parfait glass with candied pecans, crispy honey tuile, and sticky praline syrup~ Lally Brennan’s favorite dessert, due to her gluten-free diet. The three of us lucky enough to have the souffe adored it and were very, very glad that we didn't have to share even a spoonful! Light, airy, delicious, and the sauce was rich, silky smooth perfection, yet not too sweet.
To be continued...Tuesday, January 22nd:
After we had shared our experiences, I hastened to my desk upstairs to work on the Jambalaya Diaries. CoraLeeta returned about an hour later and proudly displayed her "finds" for the day and at just after 5:00pm, Dom Pedro announced that the bar was officially open so I came downstairs to join the assembled Juiceheads. Coramandel insisted we open a Passalacqua, Dry Creek, 2010 Zinfandel, 15.5%, before we headed out to the restaurant of choice for our last evening meal of the stay. I obliged since Petros and I were imbibing a few snorts of maltage, Ardbeg and Jura.
Before turning in, I finished packing most of my possessions and muled my bags downstairs. Collected and boxed all the un-drunk hootch and dry foodstuffs and stacked them near the door. Before turning out the lights and returning upstairs to read a bit. Was close to midnight before I was too sleepy to finish the chapter I was on so was happy to leave Edie Kiglatuk on her "snowbie", driving along the shoreline in Kuujuaq towards the landing strip where she will meet the two "qalunaat" she will next guide.
To be continued...
Hi Patricio and Corriandre,
Glad to hear your trip continues to be enjoyable and fun filled.
Enjoyed the pictures and reminiscing about swimming in the Caribbean as
well. I have had the pleasure a number of times and I know it is like
bath water and the colour ..amazing!
Just got back Friday night from La Penita and had a great time
except for the fact that I caught a cold the night before my birthday
which was a pain but not a big deal. The night of my birthday however we
went out for a nice dinner at El Rodeo which as
you’ll remember is a higher end place in town with live music etc. but
late that night Jesse started throwing up. By the next morning Jacob had
started and then me so we had a 30 hour bout of Montezuma's revenge but
it went as fast as it came and we enjoyed
the rest of our time.
The place we stayed in ( La casa de Estrella )was beautiful but
quite remote a couple of kilometers North of the Centro area of La
Penita and in an area that seemed like it was a locals owned only area.
the place was located on a beautiful beach about
3 miles long with only about 5 other places and of those it seemed that
only a couple actually showed any sign of someone having been living in
them. The ocean was very rough in front of our place with really big
waves which was also because apparently of
a full moon in January which already has the highest tides of the year.
It was beautiful to look at anyway and splash around in a bit anyway .
We saw the locals swimming on the weekend and every afternoon at a few
areas down the way from us near a breakwater
which was a little calmer and a lot of fun so we went there to swim and
also took some trips to other nearby towns with good swimming beaches.
It was quite rustic with no TV or internet and an minimally equipped
outdoor kitchen as well but very clean and comfortable.
The place we rented consisted of three different Casa’s with ours
being a two separate units with each having it’s own outdoor kitchen
area. Ours had a king size bed and one single and the boys had three
single beds so it was nice and roomy. The other
casa had a Russian guy from Vancouver with his son and daughter in law
and grandson who were quite nice and They had driven all the way from
Vancouver. His son had brought a couple of pontoons with him from Russia
and the father(Greg) had brought a bunch of
other metal and hardware from Vancouver and they worked together for a
few days constructing a makeshift catamaran so they could go fishing and
whale watching. I watched with interest but also steered clear as I did
not want to get enlisted for the cause but
did offer to help them launch the boat when the time came although I
said I thought they were crazy for considering trying to push it out
with the huge relentless waves crashing down on the beach.
Eventually they got the boat ready and I could see them positioning
it for launch so I went to volunteer as an extra pusher but would
definitely let self preservation take precedence and bail if necessary.
We sat and studied the wave pattern for a while
and could sense when the opportunity was at it’s peak and with all our
might pushed the craft down the bank at the right moment. The son went
along with the boat and Greg and I backed off once the boat had reached
deep enough water to float and scrambled back
away from the surf.
I turned once back up the bank and in a safe
position to view the progress. I tried to be positive but honestly had
an impending sense of doom. I could see another big swell forming a
little ways out and the son scrambled back to push down
the 15 horse power motor which barely stuck into the water. he started
pulling and the boat started drifting sideways broadside to the surf. it
rolled over one swell that tipped the boat up on a 45 degree angle and
another larger one threatening only thirty
feet out. I felt the next one would be the one that would flip the boat
over and make a disaster of the whole endeavour. The Son pulled
frantically and the motor sputtered to life after a few cranks. he
managed to hit the throttle and turn the boat into the
next wave that there was no doubt would have capsized the boat. The
boat was almost vertical as it burst through the froth of the now
breaking wave and up and over the next roller to relative safety out of
the breakers. He gave us a wave and gave it full throttle
to put the boat through it’s paces and it’s maiden voyage. Greg and I
turned to look at each other smiled and shook hands both not saying it
but knowing for sure that we had just evaded disaster within a hairs
breadth.
The compound also had another casa which is where the caretakers
lived who we think was the owners mother and her husband. They were
named Lulu and Chewy and were very nice but didn’t speak a word of
English so it was very difficult to communicate with
our limited Spanish skills. Fortunately there was not much need for
communication any way and sign language and a few Spanish words were all
that was needed to get a long. They spent most of their time watering
plants and sweeping and I thought had a pretty
good gig considering they were really living in paradise.
We took nice walks on the beach and watched the Pelicans just glide
along in groups of four and five with their wings just grazing the wave
tops as they looked in the water for their next meal. There were also
these other black looking seagull type birds
that would circle around sometimes about a hundred feet up until they
spotted something in the water. they would then drop like a dive bomb
with their wings tucked in and blast like a diver into the water and
disappear sometimes for what seemed like a minute
before emerging again I assume having chomped down some poor
unsuspecting fish. We also saw a couple of whales another morning
breaching and blasting out their blowholes which was incredible. They
seemed to keep pace with us as we walked along the beach and
we were able to observe them for some time. I had happened to bring my
binoculars as well so we got a really good view, all in all a fantastic
experience to watch these creatures in their natural surroundings.
Back to reality now of course which is a little easier to take with
the week in paradise. Have a safe trip back and we’ll catch up soon.
Hi Big Al and Marilyn!
Thanks for terrific description of some of your adventures in La Penita and environs. Your place looked very comfortable so am pleased things worked out in that regard. Sorry to hear about your cold and Montezuma's revenge wreaked upon The Young Brothers but everyone seems to have weathered the various storms not too, too badly.
Cora Lee and I just returned, with our hosts, Ski and Ronaldo, from a
very enjoyable Super Bowl party held at the home of one of Ronaldo's
colleagues, the Medical Librarian here on the ACU campus. We left after
the end of the 2nd Quarter as we wanted to watch Downton Abbey, here in
the apartment. Ski and Ronaldo have gone to see the rest of the game in
one of the lecture theatres in a building near our dorm, set up for
students without TV to watch the spectacle. As it turned out we have
seen the episode of DA which started at 9:00pm so we hope that the next
episode, set to start at 10:00am, will be the one we are keen to see.
Given this, I am taking advantage of an extra hour to answer my email.
Gather you might be stuck in Castelgar! Here is a copy of message I sent to Pat Coffaro. Have to change as we are about to leave for the friends' place where we will watch Super Bowl. Cheers, Patrizzio!
Go Ravens. Wayne
Hi Thomas!
How is Erich? Greetings from Sint Maarten! Cheers, Patrizzio!
Not good. Me thinks the end is close by. Will write more during the week.
Thanks for terrific description of some of your adventures in La Penita and environs. Your place looked very comfortable so am pleased things worked out in that regard. Sorry to hear about your cold and Montezuma's revenge wreaked upon The Young Brothers but everyone seems to have weathered the various storms not too, too badly.
Hi Sarge!
Gather you might be stuck in Castelgar! Here is a copy of message I sent to Pat Coffaro. Have to change as we are about to leave for the friends' place where we will watch Super Bowl. Cheers, Patrizzio!
Go Ravens. Wayne
Hi Thomas!
How is Erich? Greetings from Sint Maarten! Cheers, Patrizzio!
Not good. Me thinks the end is close by. Will write more during the week.
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