Sunday funday

Yesterday was a whirlwind of info: recipe writing, restaurant reviewing, social media strategies, food styling, and photography tips at Food Blog South with some of my fellow C-Team members from the Southern C.  It was so great to finally see and meet these virtual friends in person and meet some new ones.

Food Blog South

I just discovered this short documentary from Southern Foodways Alliance about Gus of Pete’s Famous Hot Dogs in downtown Birmingham.  Gus was one of Birmingham’s food icons, having taken over his uncle’s hot dog stand in 1948.  During his 72 year tenure at Pete’s Famous, very little changed about the restaurant or the dogs.

Birmingham has a unique foodscape and hot dogs are definitely a local favorite.  I have fond childhood memories of lunch trips with my grandmother to both Pete’s Famous and another local hot dog joint, Gus’s Hot Dogs.

So instead of my usual Sunday photo….you get a video.  Enjoy!

GUS on Vimeo on Vimeo

Maison Blanche

I am a newlywed.  It is still strange saying it or typing it.  You plan and talk about this event everyday for months and then when the time comes…it flies by.  I never actually believed people when they said it goes by fast but wow!  During these past few weeks I’ve been oogling our wedding photos done by the amazing Sarah DeShaw.  They are so beautiful and I have enjoyed reliving all the little moments that are such a blur to me now.

As one of my “something borrowed” and “something old” pieces I wore my great grandmother’s mink stole during the ceremony over my gown.  I noticed in one of the photos the label in the mink read, Maison Blanche New Orleans.  Having an affinity for the “finer things” like antiques and vintage clothing, I had to do some digging about this store.

Image Sarah DeShaw Photography

I found out quite a bit!  New Orleanians flocked to Maison Blanche for its opening day on Oct. 30, 1897. The grand department store on Canal Street employed 600 workers and had a selling space of 60,580 square feet, according to The Daily Picayune.

Located at the corner of Canal and Dauphine streets, the original Maison Blanche building was heralded as a palace by The Daily Picayune, which dubbed it “the finest department store in the South.” The paper reported that the store was executed “with more daring and on a more superb scale than anything yet attempted in this city or in any Southern city.”

Image: New Orleans Magazine
Original Maison Blanche building

After doing more research, I found out that the ornate original 2nd Empire building was merely a placeholder on the block for the owners of the Maison Blanche Department store owners- the Shwartz-Isaacs company.  They envisioned a modern skyscraper- creating a massive and comprehensive shopping experience that would entice travelers to choose New Orleans, rather than New York, as a shopping destination.  The original Maison Blanche store opened on Canal Street in 1897.  Construction on the new building began in 1906 and lasted until 1909.

After the original building was replaced by a gleaming new Beaux-Arts building in the early 20th century, the store housed non-retail ventures as well. New Orleanians grew up going to the doctor’s or dentist’s office in the Maison Blanche building. The city’s first radio station, WSMB, was founded in 1925 and made its home on the 13th floor.

new Maison Blanche building constructed in early 1900s

Easter Hat window display

The owners of the department store had accomplished their goal of creating an enormous department store that rivaled the opulence and extravagance of the famed Bergdorff Goodman store in New York.  Maison Blanche was sold to several chains over its history, until it was acquired by Dillard’s. The store was shuttered for good soon after, in the summer of 1998. In 2000, the Ritz-Carlton hotel moved into the building and is still there today.

Although the gorgeous original building did not survive, it is encouraging that its predecessor is still in the flagship location and is still being used today.

I’ve often thought about what it would be like to spend time with my great grandmother as an adult…how fun it would be to step back in time and go peruse the designer millinery shop on the second floor and have lunch with her at the MB Rendevous Restaurant.  Those days of extravagance are long gone for most but it is fun to daydream about shopping in such a store.

Sources and Related articles

• Maison Blanche (departmentstoremuseum.blogspot.com)
• Maison Blanche! (nolafemmes.com)

• 1897: Maison Blanche department store ‘grand’ opening (www.nola.com)

• Ghostly residents at the Ritz Carlton (http://www.neworleanscvb.com)
• Julia Street- New Orleans Magazine January 2012 (www.myneworleans.com)

Sunday funday photo

May 2011: Hangin’ out at the Lycian Necropolis in Kaleköy, Turkey.

 

Sunday Funday photo

The original Maison Blanche department store on Canal Street in the heart of New Orleans Louisiana circa 1897.  Stay tuned for more!

 

The Savory Spoon

So many posts about food lately but what can I say…I love to eat!

My husband, being the resourceful forager, recently found several large wild bear’s tooth mushrooms.  These mushrooms are rare as they take a while to grow, but are so delicious and have a very rich flavor similar to crab or lobster if sauteed in butter or olive oil.  Monday night we were feeling super indulgent and pan fried up some bear’s tooth, and layered it with spinach and brie making mushroom spinach grilled cheeses…..oh yea.

For those of you that know Ryan can attest to this; he is the male version of a chatty kathy.  After our luxurious grilled cheese creation, he got to talking about the bear’s tooth with a chef with from nearby Jefferson, Georgia who owns a farm to table restaurant called The Savory Spoon.  The chef and owner Josh was intrigued by these rare mushrooms so Ryan gave him a sample to see how he liked it.  Shortly after their meet and greet, I noticed on facebook that the chef had featured the bear’s tooth on his menu.  So we jumped in the car and headed over to Jefferson.

It was a quiet night at The Savory Spoon but it was 7 o’clock on a Tuesday night in a very small town.  We hunkered down in a booth and prepared to order a feast…I hadn’t eaten lunch so I was ready to gorge.

We started off with a cup of the corn chowder and some guacamole (not actually an appetizer but I had to try it).

The chowder was so yummy- so warm and comforting with a hint of spice.  The guacamole was tasty too- loved the burst of flavor from halved cherry tomatoes in the mix.

For the main event…Ryan ordered one of the specials.  Beef tenderloin medallions tossed  in a homemade hot sauce with mac n cheese and sauteed cabbage.  I went for the wild caught blackened grouper sandwich topped with dill aoli and slaw on a toasted french roll  and served with braised brussel sprout greens.

There were so many tempting dishes but it is hard for me to turn down wild caught grouper.  It was perfect.  The large filet was so fresh and flakey topped off with blackening seasoning that packed a punch (in a good way).  The slaw and dill aoli were excellent accompaniments- helping cut the spice and salt of the seasoning and the buttery, crusty bread made the perfect vessel for cradling all the goodness of this po boy.

Although I barely looked up from my sandwich, I managed to take a break and try the other dish.  It was equally delectable.  The beef tenderloin cooked perfectly and the sauce was more zesty than hot which was nice and had a hint of smoke.  The mac n cheese was the bomb- almost as good as your grandmother’s.  The cabbage was my favorite side dish of them all- Tender but still had a little crunch to it and it must have been sauteed with some sort of vinegar that enhanced the natural flavor of the cabbage really well.

Never able to turn down chocolate, I insisted on ordering dessert.  In my defense- I didn’t go as nuts as I could have.  We ordered some coffee and the cookie dough truffle pops.

The cookie dough truffles very charming and the perfect size.  These bite size morsels were so decadent and got us sugar buzzed enough for our drive back to Athens.

I really enjoyed our visit to The Savory Spoon.  Located just outside the downtown area, the restaurant has a great neighborhood vibe.  It was fun to talk with the chefs about their process and hearing how passionate they are about  local and sustainable food.  The food was excellent; all the dishes had a wonderful homestyle quality to them which I thought was a little different from some farm to table establishments.  The flavors were complex yet simple; and all of the dishes were reminded me of southern favorites your mother or grandmother would prepare- just kicked up a notch.

Keep an eye out on facebook for their daily changing menus and they should be up and running with their liquor license in the near future.  The chef told us they’ll be rotating two taps of craft beer and serving a variety of wines as well.  They are also expanding the restaurant in the coming months to include a bar/lounge with a tapas menu…lots of new things on the horizon for The Savory Spoon.  I look forward to going back soon!

Sunday funday photo