Mr. B's New Orleans Barbequed Shrimp

 

These delicious morsels are in no way barbequed as we know it. Instead they are cooked whole in a rich spicy sauce comprised of 80% butter. Everyone in New Orleans has an opinion on what restaurant  in the Big Easy makes the best. I'll take the ones pictured above at Mr. B's Bistro, a Brennan family place in the French Quarter for 20 years and still packs them in each night. It is wise to accept the bib when offered as mine took some serious collateral damage. A close runner up is Deanies Seafood, which has been making them for many years at their suburban restaurant and opened a place in the Quarter about 5 years ago. Here's what a small portion of theirs look like:

 

As you can see the Deanies sauce looks more  buttery and maybe it is, but the spices used at B's  make it a lot richer. Mr. B's is a much more formal restaurant with far better ambiance, but it's worth trying both if you find yourself in NOLA (New Orleans, LA)

Speaking of Nola, I visited the Emeril restaurant by that name when I was there. I never could stand watching his show and he annoyed me terribly, you know, "BAM". I must say the service and food there were excellent, and the place is very nice inside. Of course I also went to K Paul's Lousiana Kitchen, where blackened fish was created. The big man, Paul Proudhomme was not in the house that night, which was too bad, but the food is to die for. Outside of a surly nasty waitress the meal was perfect. New Orleans is a true dining Mecca, and every foodie should go there regularly.

Frankie's Tiki Room

 





 Only in Vegas would you find Frankie's Tiki Room. Tacky as could be, but loaded with unique decor, music, and vintage video loop. We arrived in the afternoon and it took a good 3 minutes before you could see inside the dark room. They have a great menu of tropical drinks which are loaded with booze. My buddy Steve and I opted for the "Thurston Howell", describes as: A powerful explosion of rum, brandy, gin and papaya nectar. A couple of these and Lovey Howell will look like Ginger Grant. Naturally we ordered the drinks with our best Thurston Howell accents, which the barmaid admitted were as good as she has heard. We bought a souvenier tiki mug, and had trouble picking from the 8 styles offered, but decided on this one:
 

Frankie's was the highlight of a fun week in Vegas, and I highly recommend it.

Grilled Hangar Steak with Chimichurri sauce

I have had hangar steak at restaurants before and found them to be very tender, juicy and tasty. They are tricky to find in a supermarket's meat case, and a trip to the butcher is usually required. I am fortunate to have Coraddo's Market in Wayne, NJ, which in addition to having wonderful Italian specialties, they also have a great butcher counter. Twice in the past two weeks I purchased a Prime hangar steak for the incredibly low price of 5.99 per pound. This "prime" with great marbling. There is only one hangar steak in an entire steer, so it is not an item sold in  many places. When you buy the hangar steak, it has to be trimmed out, and by following the center sinew that runs down the middle you end up with 2 long strips

In the following photo the whole hangar is in the middle and the two strips you end up with are on either side.

 

 After trimming you really want to marinate prior to grilling. I use a basic beef marinade consisting of:

3 Tablespoons of soy sauce

Juice from half of a lime

3 garlic cloves minced

3-4 ounces good olive oil

1 Tbsp. dijon mustard

fresh ground pepper and ground himalayan pink salt

I put the meat in a zip lock bag for minimum of 2 hours. Meanwhile I make the Chimichuri sauce. I admit that my son makes a better "Chimi" than I do, but mine is OK. This sauce is on every restaurant table in Argentina like ketchup in the U.S.A.  It is great on all meats, chicken, fish, but especially good on skirt steak and hangar steak. It's good to make this ahead, as the flavors really come together in time. Here's the recipe:

• 2 cups fresh parsley and/or cilantro, firmly packed
• 3-6 cloves of garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (optional)
• 1 tablespoon lime juice (optional)
• Kosher salt and red pepper flakes to taste

I like to use a very hot grill for all steaks, so I can get a char on the outside and still have it somewhat rare on the inside. The larger strip should be put on the grill prior to the skinnier one, so they are both done at the same time. Make sure you let the steaks sit for 5 minutes prior to slicing so you don't lose all the delicious juices. I know it's hard to not slice into right away, but you are definitely rewarded by waiting. After slicing 3/4" slices, drizzle the chimichurri across the meat. It literally melts in your mouth, and the flavors added from marinating and the chimi, bring it to life.


Enjoy!!