New in the city - The Bayou

Linda took me to this exciting new little place in downtown right near her office. We had dinner on Friday night. The Bayou has a wonderful New Orleans feel and a menu to back it up. The service was good but you can tell they are still working through the opening weeks with a new staff. The menu is extensive with the usual selection of seafood items : appetizers- crawfish tacos, oysters on the 1/2 shell, seafood and artichoke dip, stuffed portobello, shrimp and andouille nachos. The sandwich selection was a total Po-boy bonanza - great choices and even a Muffaletta and then the entree selection looked wonderful with etouffees and jambalaya's. We can't wait to try more of the menu since what we had was so darn tasty. Make sure you sit downstairs to get the full feeling of the place - upstairs did not have the warmth and atmosphere!

What we ate

Blue point oysters - with bloody mary sauce and Champagne mignonette
- yum but the sauces need a little work to deliver on the expectation

Blackened Crawfish tacos - yum - the two of these were tasty - add one more for a meal

Bourbon St Po-boy - a dressed po-boy with shrimp and crawfish (could of used a little more seafood) with remoulade sauce

Sweet Potato Fries - amazing fresh cut and lightly dusted with seasoned flour - these are great!

Check it out we can't wait to go back!

Christmas Dinner 2008 - one for the books

Well I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas meal with family and friends, we sure did. It was a holidaypalooza, we had Linda's traditional Holiday fare - pirogi, polish sausage, horseradish, oysters on the half-shell, and shrimp all very tasty (I love these traditions) and then combined it with some more fare - Roasted prime rib, broccoli with cheese sauce, au jus. It was a feast that everyone enjoyed as we celebrated the joys of being together and giving thanks for a wonderful holiday. After dinner some yummy baked goods that Linda has being making for a number of years hit the table - Chocolate scotcharoos, her almond toffee, bear paw cookies and the classic chocolate chip all added a sweet finish to the evening. Lets just say we had enough for 15 people but only five of us to tackle the feasting table.


As we wind down 2008 I want to thank some off the folks that make our life special as it relates to food and drink.

• Jim Goggin who's $10 wine exchange has been great fun all year - we sent some good one s and he returned the favor. If you can't find something for $10 or less you are just not tasting enough wine.
• The gang at Seafood Center - we could not live without our fish mongers - Bob, Bob and Tom you guys always have the freshest fish in town. Thank you for your wonderful service.
• Nate and Gabe at Sardine - thank you for always making us feel special every time we come in for either a drink or meal.
• Micheal and Patrick at Lombardino's - you always deliver an outstanding and thoughtful dinning experience - innovative too!
• Joesf and his gang at Monroe St Bistro - you guys rock and your attention to personal service with great food and drink is simply the best.

We so appreciate everyone that touches our lives when it comes to service, food and beverages. The common denominator is the love and passion that is shared around something as simple as a meal or drink. Thank you so much!