Large Tuesday..

In the never ending quest to experience “real” food and culture, MFO and I went to the “Fat Tuesday” dinner last night at one of the local historic churches.





I have to admit I was intrigued by the “New Orleans Style” tag line. Somehow to me, Pancakes are a morning dish, not a supper item so something other than those were another draw for us. As I have mentioned upon other occasions, these kinds of things are not Sysco truck food, but things usually made in the kitchen of the social hall by the “church ladies” (which includes the gentleman of course). We found a spot to park, and followed the elaborate signage



and purchased tickets at the table which was decorated for a Mardi Gras theme



Turns out that you made a choice between the “traditional” Fat Tuesday dinner of pancakes, sausage and applesauce, or the New Orleans Style which included jambalaya, a salad, and bread pudding..we of course got one of each.

Prior to sitting down to eat, I was admitted to the kitchen (press pass) and was able to get some shots of the food being prepared. It’s always fun to be in any kitchen, and all the “volunteers” were having a great time trying to keep up with the demand “I need 2 cakes, and 3 jambalayas!” scramble, scramble, but all in good fun. I started on the traditional side, seeing the “batter guy” at work with a rather messy job



Which were then transformed into the cakes



And when ready to be plated, the sausage was added



and it was ready to go out.

The New Orleans line started with the jambalaya from the pre-made pan



And then the bread pudding was added



And with the addition of the salad, it was ready to be served. Having seen the process, we picked a table in the hall. Seating in the room was around big tables so you got to meet some folks and chat during dinner. Of course a lot of the diners were church members so it was a pretty friendly crowd. Community getting together with food as a convener is always fun. Service was provided by the church people so was enthusiastically taken care of..(no names given!!) they brought your drinks and cleaned the plates.


Here’s my Big Easy style



And MFO beat me to the punch with her pancakes before I could get a “plate” shot…but you get the idea..



So it was a good evening of neighbors and friends gathering around food. As for the food itself, it was good, solid sort of homemade. The jambalaya was a bit sticky for my tastes, but did have nice sausage and real hunks of chicken in it. The bread pudding was quite tasty..what a nice place to live…

Quick buzz:

It appears as it appears… Lone Star has folded its doors. Depending on what happens at Damon’s, that’s two chains that have fallen victim of……location? There is pretty good lunch business in “the Park”, but dinner? Not so much. A stringer reports that lunch at IHOP (after finding LS closed) was less than satisfying… chicken fried steak please… “Sorry we’re out” alternative selection of eggs, sausage, and potatoes was okay, and when biscuits were selected from toast or biscuits, they were out also. There are times when certain menu items are unavailable for whatever reason, but why can’t they tell you up front? Before you order sir, I have to tell you we’re out of chicken fried steak and biscuits. Instead, “maybe they won’t ask”.

Quick to do:

Tonight at Cole cinema (8pm, SMCM) is that movie “Fresh” about food production plus a discussion to follow. No charge..

And we plan to attend with perhaps a "pre theater" dinner at Courtney's, where there’s not much pressure to

DFD