Meal Delivery Services

Delivered to the Front Door!

As I continue to do research on everything about food, I thought I should share with you some of the food delivery options that I have tried.  In the category of eating at home, there has been a plethora of new options to become available in the last few years. The first category is meal preparation kits.  These services will deliver the ingredients and recipes for a meal.  I have tried several (Hello Fresh and Blue Apron) but have settled on Home Chef as the one that best suits my needs.  

Home Chef seems to have the most choices and flexibility in ordering.  The meals are about $10 a serving and once your order is over $50 you get free shipping.  I usually order two servings of three different meals for an order of about $60.

Pros:

• Little or no waste of ingredients.  You know how you get a bag of carrots for a recipe and only use two.  Then the bag gets pushed to the back and thrown out months later.  This eliminates that.  
• Learn new techniques and ingredients.  I have picked up on several simple cooking techniques and try new spices and ingredients.  These are things that I can use in future cooking.  
• Answers "what's for dinner?" question.  It is nice to have something already available to cook for dinner.  No thinking involved.  

Cons:

• Since it is a subscription, you must review the choices before the deadline if you want to make changes.  You can also cancel any week that you want as long as it is before the deadline - which is a week before the delivery.  
• The portions may be small for some people.  I find myself eating two servings sometimes.  This also increases the cost of your meal.  

Here is an example of what is in each kit (you supply the olive oil, salt, and pepper):

I have been getting meals from Home Chef off and on for about three years.  

I have recently tried some fully cooked meal deliveries from a local chef and have been very pleased.  This service is offered by Bryan Poche' at Fine Thyme Catering.  Besides being a former student of mine, Bryan is a wonderful chef.  

He offers several options for catering events and picking up meals, but on Wednesdays he offers a meal for delivery.  I have tried several of them and have been very please.  The cost is between $9 and $11 per meal depending on the meal.  I have tried a grilled catfish with crawfish sauce, chicken and waffles, and a ramen bowl (pictured)

Special effects added by my Korean exchange student.  He loved it!

The price is very reasonable for the serving size and the quality of the food.  The food is delivered (usually still slightly warm) in a nice microwaveable serving dish.  I've kept the containers and used them again for storage and sharing of food.  It's nice to have the meal already prepared and all I have to do is heat it up.  This is especially helpful for those busy days.  

The last option that I have tried is Berry Hill Farm and their Farm to Door weekly deliveries.  Berry Hill is a CSA in Loranger.  They have a Fall and Spring session where they bring fresh fruits and vegetables from their farm to your home for $40 a week.  In addition to the produce, there is a half-dozen eggs, fresh bread, and fresh flowers in the bag of goodies.  They also include another homemade item like blueberry jam or hummus.  The hummus is outstanding.  Although some weeks were better than others, it was nice to have some farm-fresh produce ready to use.  It also felt great helping support a local farm.  Each week there was a nice note to each subscriber explaining the contents of the bag and some suggestions for use.  There was also information about the crops.  

I look forward to signing-up for their fall deliveries beginning in September.  

As you can see I have been busy eating!  I hope the information is helpful.  If you have any questions, please free to ask.  

New York City Birthday Trip Food Report

Paul's picture from Top of the Rock

Now that I am retired, I have a little more flexibility with my schedule.  As a result, I wanted to do something I had only dreamed about doing before - celebrating my birthday in New York City.  With the help of one current and a couple of former exchange students, I was able to do that a couple of weekends ago.  Although we did many of the major must-dos for first time visitors (my exchange student) to the city, this post will center on the food highlights during the weekend. 

The first food highlight was the pepperoni pizza from Prince Street Pizza - pictured below.  They are known for their squares of thick crust, fresh mozzarella, and lots of small, spicy pepperoni.  There's no room to sit, so it's best to take out - since many have to wait for the pepperoni.  When I arrived, the line was just inside the door, but the small room was packed.  They were waiting for more pepperoni to come out of the oven, so when you ordered they gave you a number.  The wait was only about 15 minutes and it was well worth it.  It is really one of the only things I ate that I still think about. 

Kenny Zhao and Paul eating their slice - not in the restaurant.  

Later that day, we met up with another former exchange student, Brian Han, and his sister, Sunny.  They met us at Carmine's in Times Square.  They are known for their family style, Italian food.  It was a great place for us to meet and visit.  Does anyone know why Brian gave my a UCONN sweatshirt for my birthday?

After the show that night, we stopped by Junior's Bakery for some cheesecake.  I love their specialty cheesecakes that combine layers of cake and cheesecake.  We tried several of the offerings.  My favorite was the Red Velvet Cheesecake.  In addition to a full service restaurant, if you just want cheesecake, they have two stand-alone bakeries on either side.  There's some seating outside or you can take to go. 

 My birthday was that Saturday and I had two special meals that day.  First, for lunch we went to Korea town and ate at a Korean Bar-B-Que restaurant, Jongro BBQ.  Since I was with two Koreans - they did not object and I wanted an education in eating Korean food.  In fact, if you want to see pure joy - watch a Korean in America when they see or get to eat Korean food.  Their food traditions are so different from ours that they really do miss the food from their home country. 

Paul and Brian trying to decide what to order.

Below is an example for the grill, meat, and accompaniments.  After the meat is grilled, you wrap it up in a lettuce leaf with sauces and veggies. Then, as Brian demonstrated, you stuff the entire ball into your mouth.  It was about the size of a softball.  I tried but could not do it.  I believe the purpose is to keep the juices in and get all of the flavors at once. 

Surprisingly, my favorite dish was the Kimchi Pancake (pictured below).  I was surprised, because I had only smelled Kimchi before and it smelled terrible.  I also liked the Kimchi soup that we had.  I guess I need to get over the smell and start enjoying Kimchi.  

For my birthday dinner, I wanted to eat at one of the top-rated restaurants in New York, Le Bernadin.  A French restaurant that has three Michelin stars (highest rating) and is number 17 on the World's Top 50 restaurants list.  Although very expensive, we chose the smallest and cheapest tasting menu.  First, let me say the setting and the service were wonderful.  They require a jacket for dinner, but this helps set the mood for a special occasion.  It is the perfect special occasion restaurant.  The attentive and personal service make you feel very special.  

As far as the food, we did the four course tasting menu which included two appetizers, one entree and a dessert course.  There were about 15 choices for appetizers and 8 for entrees.  Almost everything on the menu was seafood.  

First course:  poached langoustines with truffles

My entree was Japenese Wagu beef and Hawaiian Walu

The dessert was call Black Forest and included variations on cherries and chocolate.  

This was the chocolate mousse cake that they brought to me for my birthday.  

There was another course - lobster - not sure what happened to that picture.  I think I ate it before remembering to take a picture.  Also included was an amuse-bouche at the beginning of the meal.  This consisted of four small bites - including a very tasty tuna tartar and lobster with avocado cream.  Every part of the meal was delicious.  My only disappointment was the lack of bread service.  I had read in reviews about the delicious fresh bread that was brought around during dinner service.  Being a person that tries to avoid bread - except for special bread on special occasions - I had looked forward to this part of the meal.  After getting my entree and still no bread, I asked the waiter about it.  He said that a very usual thing had happened.  The baker was caught in traffic and had not made it to the restaurant.  We were at the first seating at 5:15.  He apologized and said he would check with the chef to see what could be done.  He came out a few minutes later with some focaccia bread and butter.  Although not what was usually offered, it did help me get full.  Also, after my dessert and my birthday dessert, they brought out a tray of small candies/desserts for each person.  That was a little overkill - but a nice final touch.  We probably should have gotten them to go.  Overall, a very nice evening at a first class restaurant with great company.  

My final food highlight was not as successful as I had hoped.  It ended up being the one that was the most difficult to achieve.  I wanted to take Paul to eat some soul food in Harlem.  Looking on Yelp, I decided on Amy Ruth's.   Now don't get me wrong, it was very good, but being from the South and eating food like this all of my life - including some of the best in New Orleans - it was not worth the time and trouble it took.  Part of the problem was getting to the location.  The subway that went directly there was under construction - so running out of time - I decided we should take an Uber.  That ended up costing about $15.  Once we got there, there were lots of people waiting outside.  It was one of those places where you put your name down and then wait.  There was no indication of how long the wait would be, but being the optimist - and already having spend $15 to get there - I decided we should stick it out.  Now this was the last thing we were doing before our flight on Sunday afternoon so we also had a time crunch.  After waiting over an hour, they finally called my name.  We quickly sat down and decided what to get.  I ordered the fried chicken with macaroni and cheese and collard greens - see below.  Paul ordered French Toast - so much for getting him to try some soul food in Harlem.  LOL.  Although I have had better fried chicken, the cornbread they served when we sat down was some of the best cornbread that I have ever eaten.  Since Paul doesn't like cornbread, I was able to eat both large pieces.  :)

After eating we raced to the airport to end this fantastic weekend.  I did bring a bag of goodies home - cinnamon raisin  bagel from Toasties, a cinnamon roll from Bouchon Bakery, and some pretzels I bought at a farmer's market.  New York City is a wonderful food town.  I'm glad I also live close to some great food because it is expensive to visit.  

Thanks for reading and I hope you are having some culinary adventures of your own.  

Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival Food Recommendations

As stated in the previous post, I have spent a lot of time at the Strawberry Festival and as a result, have tasted most of the food on the grounds.  First let me say that you should buy your food on the festival grounds or from local businesses.  Do not purchase food from the large trailers and booths that come in just for the weekend for two reasons.  One the price will be substantially higher at those outside vendor booths and second, the booths on the festival grounds (and leading up to it on 6th street) are operated by local non-profit groups.  These organizations - not only give you great food at a great price - but they put the money back into the community and other great causes.  With that being said, all of my recommendations are found on the festival grounds. 

My Top 5 Must Haves

1.  Seafood Stuffed Potato.  This treat is a great value with lots of seafood and a large baked potato.  I believe that they cost about $8.  This booth is operated by A Touch of Class dance studio. 
2.  Red Beans and Rice Combo.  Another great deal.  For $5 you get a large serving of red beans and rice with your choice of a side - corn nuggets, fried okra, or fried pickets.  This is sold by the Delta Tau Delta Fraternity at SLU. 

My red beans from last year. 

3.  Funnel Cakes.  This is from Ponchatoula Junior High and they have been selling these for as long as I can remember.  They are freshly made and covered with a generous amount of powered sugar.  They are topped with a fresh Louisiana Strawberry.  This is my Saturday morning treat each year. 

4.  Fried Shrimp Poboy.  For about $8 you get a freshly made shrimp poboy dressed.  Also, at the same booth is the Fried Onion Mum.  These are also freshly fried and served with a dipping sauce.  This booth is operated by the Theta Xi fraternity at SLU. 

5.  Chocolate covered strawberries.   This is served by a First Pentecostal Church at the booth right next to our pizza booth.  They are hard to resist as they remind passers-by that they have them.  I must admit that sometimes I trade pizza for them or wait for a sale, but these strawberries are delicious.  Also at the same booth, I usually grab a grilled corn sometime during the weekend - another tasty treat. 

Other great options:

Strawberry Shortcake

Jambalaya

Crawfish Fettuccine

Fried Oyster Poboy
Smoked Turkey leg

Great for children:

Pizza

Hamburgers

Corn dogs

**Please don't quote me on the prices - my memory isn't the best.  I will also update this as soon as I see the list of food booths for this year.  I may have forgotten a few great options! 

Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival - PHS Key Club Pizza Booth

As some of you know, I have been working with the PHS Key Club for 30 years.  At least 25 of those years we have been selling pizzas at the Strawberry Festival as a fundraiser for the club.  We started with having pizzas delivered to the booth by Mr. B's pizza in Ponchatoula.  Mr. B's was owned by Jim Barker who was a member of the Ponchatoula Kiwanis Club - our sponsoring club.  He was a kind and generous man who was wonderful to work with.  After his untimely death and closure of his restaurant, we sough out another vendor.  Wanting to keep it local, we chose the only other pizza place in Ponchatoula at the time, Dominos.  Dominos agree to bring a cooking trailer to the grounds and make the pizzas right on the grounds.  Although the managers have changed over the years, Dominos has also been a good partner for us. 

Over the years, we have also relied on parent help - especially when we attended district convention the same weekend.  A few of the parents who ran the booth for us - while some of us were gone to convention - were the Peltiers (Stanley and Susan), the Raifords (David and Diane), the LeSaicherres (Jeff and Cathy, Ralf and Liz), and the Willies (Byron and Gloria).  Those are the ones that I can remember that ran the booth the entire weekend for us.  I was grateful for their help and we created a lasting bond - that exists to this day.  It's funny how hard work brings people together.  There have also been many other parents and PHS faculty members - including our current Faculty Advisor, Charlotte Dahmer - who have been a tremendous help. 

Although we make some money, it is also a great team-building and leadership activity for our students.  They are expected to work the booth with our officers helping to supervise.  It is also a service project.  We keep the prices low - $2.00/slice - so that families can feed their children.  It is also convenient to have fresh pizza just steps away from the great music acts performing on both stages.  We also get to enjoy the music. 

So come out and say hello and/or buy a slice of two of pizza - or just come say hello.  We are located on the back corner - near the funnel cakes and strawberry short cake. 

PS - Let me know if any former Key Club members want to help.  It can be just like old times.  :)

Here are a few pictures from the last several years.

King Cake Review

Dong Phuong Bakery

http://dpbakeshop.com/

I made the trip to this Vietnamese bakery the Friday before Mardi Gras.  Good thing I was able to place an order before they stop taking orders a week before.  There was a line a block long when a arrived soon after opening.  Because I had pre-ordered, I was able to walk-up and get my King Cakes and go.  In hindsight, I wish that I would have ordered more - there was a 5 cake limit and I only ordered two.  I was afraid that if I ordered more that I would try to eat all of them.  After my posting, a friend graciously offered to help me eat one that I had ordered.  It just so happened that when I delivered the King Cake to their home, his wife was in labor.  She had the baby later that day.  I will always refer to the baby as the "King Cake baby."  I ordered a pecan and cream cheese cake.  I shared half of each so that I could taste both.  First, let me say, that I loved the King Cakes.  They were a little different.  They are advertised as the perfect balance of sweet and savory.  I would say that the cake is like a Danish pastry - flaky with just a hint of sweetness.  The icing is a light and sweet cream cheese icing.  The filings were also very subtle.  The pecan was spread throughout the cake; whereas, the cream cheese just had one pocket of cream cheese that went through the entire cake.  It would be hard to say which was my favorite.  I will say that the icing is wonderful - probably the secret to their success.  I am anxious to try some of the fruit flavor next year and hope that the frenzy does not get any worse. 

King Cake

I can't believe that I have not posted about King Cakes.  I have been researching the subject for many years now and I was sure that I had already shared my thoughts. After searching, I could not find a post - so here it is. 

Luca and Takehiro having the first King Cake of the season on January 6 several years ago.  

King cake is eaten on January 6 in honor of Epiphany, or Twelfth Night, which historically marks the arrival of the three wise men/kings in Bethlehem who delivered gifts to the baby Jesus. (The plastic baby hidden inside king cakes today is a nod to this story.) King cake also appears on tables throughout the Carnival season, which runs from Epiphany to Fat Tuesday (the day before Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent).

After many years of tasting, re-tasting, and trying new contenders, here are my recommendations for King Cakes in the Hammond/Ponchatoula area.  I am going to have to declare a tie for the best because they are so different and yet so good. 

1.  Berrytown and Navarre's

These are my two go-to favorites.  Each for different reasons.  Berrytown uses a donut-like dough that has a nice cinnamon flavor.  As a result, all of their cakes are moist - which is one of the main issues with most other king cakes.  Their filled cakes sometimes go over the edge with delicious moistness - but that's part of the attraction.  On the other hand, Navarre's uses more of a brioche type dough that is plain and not as moist.  It is the perfect compliment to yumminess of their fillings (my favorites are blueberry cream cheese and pecan praline) and icing.

Here are some of the runner-ups that I have enjoyed over the years:

Bohnings Supermarket in Ponchatoula - this used to be my favorite - before Berrytown and Navarre's were available.  I need to try their new Chantilly King Cake - looks delicious. 

Doughlious Donuts - Almond Crunch King Cake - nice almond flavored icing with sliced almonds on top.

Ambrosia (BR) - Zulu King Cake - cream cheese, pecans, coconut, and chocolate.  What's not to love?

Bittersweet Confections (NO) - Chocolate King Cake - cream cheese filling with a dark chocolate icing. 

Rouses - cream cheese - traditional and consistent. 

Sucre - a beautiful king cake that is not too sweet, but very good.  I tasted this cake again recently and it is delicious.  Just a small layer of cream cheese and light cinnamon flavor.  Also the icing is almost translucent.  I saw where you can get these at Cupcake Concept is Hammond.

FOM Bakery - available at Sweet Rolls in Hammond.  Very good brioche style king cake that is moist with a nice cinnamon flavor and almond icing.

I have tried others - that I will not list - that did not impress.  The ones listed above are the ones that I would eat again. 

Future Research

In my online research, I also found a new one I need to try in the future.  A Ponchatoula King Cake from http://mauricefrenchpastries.com/

Although they misspelled the name, it is a nice gesture to our city and the strawberries.

Another King Cake on my must-try list (I have one ordered for Friday, February 9) is the current buzz-worthy king cake from Dong Phoung:  http://dpbakeshop.com/

New Stories related to the frenzy over these cakes:

http://www.nola.com/dining/index.ssf/2018/01/dong_phuong_king_cake_scalping.html

http://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/entertainment_life/food_restaurants/article_2a8a0a46-06ce-11e8-90f0-ff3b50acad42.html

*I am driving to Dong Phuong Friday (Feb. 9) if anyone would like to come along.  Order first - if they still have some available.

PS - This research has got to stop soon.  I have got to get back on my diet. :)

Here are other lists of favorite king cakes:

https://www.louisianacookin.com/kings-king-cake-9-best-louisiana-king-cakes/

http://www.kwbbrlaw.com/blog/2018/02/02/kwbbrh-king-cake-contest-2018/

http://www.thenotsoblog.com/2011/01/top-five-places-buy-king-cake-nola/

https://nola.eater.com/maps/best-king-cakes-new-orleans-nola

http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/entertainment_life/article_9a8fc516-fc8c-11e7-9d7a-cf6396d7876b.html

Trey Yuen - The Future

I wanted to finish my series on the closing of the Hammond Trey Yuen with some ideas for moving forward.  Of course, the most obvious option to solve that longing for the food of Trey Yuen - especially the Tong Cho sauce which I can find anywhere else - is to go to their Mandeville location.  In August I had a few doctors appointments in Mandeville, I decided to make these appointments around lunch time so that I could get my Trey Yuen fix at the same time.  In my post-surgery world, I have been using doctor's visits as opportunities for Culinary Adventures. 

I am happy to report that the Mandeville location has most of the same lunch specials.  I like the get the Trey Yuen plate with Tong Cho pork instead of sweet and sour.  They happily obliged and my Tong Cho appetite was sedated.  I smile with happiness as I tasted the wonderful flavors again.  I would not have to go without forever.  In the course of two months, I visited the Mandeville location three times (every time I had an appointment in that direction).  I did ask if they did their lunch menu on any evenings and they said that they did not.  Everything was the same with my meal except that the plate seemed larger (so the portions not as heaping as in Hammond) and the wontons were cut into strips - which I liked.

In addition to this option, I want to explore local options like China Lotus.  I have eaten their just a couple of times and been pleased.  I hear that they do their lunch menu on Sunday nights.  I also must admit that every now and then I visit one of the local Chinese buffets.  They are inexpensive, quick and easy meals.  Not sure which is my favorite - all three have pluses and minuses.  I am open to suggestions for other options.  For now, if you want as close as you can get to Trey Yuen of Hammond go to Trey Yuen in Mandeville.