From A Past Issue Of The New Orleans Menu Daily Originally published August 22, 2008 Cold Eats For Hot Days Although the kids are now back in school, we are nowhere near the end of hot weather for the year. It seems even hotter because it's gone on so long. It'a slmost enough to make us welcome the tropical storm sitting over us. The idea that eating cold food will make you cooler than eating hot food seems to be lost on most Orleanians. I don't do it all that much myself, and I'm supposed to know about these things. Last week, I gave it a trial. I ate only cold lunches all week long. And--duh!--it works! Not only does it cool the body, but since cold dishes tend to be lower in fat and otherwise lighter than hot dishes, your digestive system doesn't have to power up as much to work through it all. We have much more delicious cold food around town these days than we once did, too. Below is a list of the ten best cold dishes you'll find around town, listed in order of pleasure in eating them. Ten Best Cold Eats, New Orleans Style 1. Oysters on the half shell. This greatest of local seafoods has the reputation of being inedible in the summer. One of the best local oyster bars--Casamento's--even closes June through August because of this prejudice. But it's nonsense. Oysters in good restaurants are all kept under refrigeration from the time they come up from under water till the time you eat them. And the spawning cycle, which gives oysters a funny texture (although this does not seem to affect their taste), took place in early June this year. The oysters now are meaty, salty, and excellent. 2. Shrimp remoulade and crabmeat ravigote. These two are old favorites in traditional Creole restaurants, and often are served on a single plate as a generous appetizer or a cold entree. Galatoire's, Arnaud's, and Antoine's set the standard. Ruth's Chris's crabtini and their remoulade are both at the top of the heap. 3. Sushi. We now have almost thirty sushi bars in the area. Although a few weak sushi bars exist (beware the sushi buffets), most are very good, especially if you've become a recognized regular. The best serve their creations authentically cool, not ice-cold. The rice should be room temperature, or a little warm. Or you can ditch the rice altogether and have sashimi, which is nothing but fish. 4. Cold soups. Unfortunately, only two of these make regular appearances, and even they are rare. The better of the two is vichyssoise, even thought it can be on the rich side. Antoine's still serves the best version. Other good ones turn up at Cafe Degas, Café Volage, Crepe Nanou, and occasionally at the Upperline. Gazpacho is harder to find. The definitive versions are at Lola's, and Laurentino's. The Upperline has a unique and wonderful gazpacho with guacamole. 5. Boiled crabs. We are at the peak of the season for crabs right now. Crabs have been a little harder to find this year than usual, and finding a restaurant with them is a further challenge. The Galley on Metairie Road has given me the best results. Although the crabs are plenty hot when they emerge from the pot, they're usually served cold. 6. Antipasto. The traditional cold appetizer of Italy has a bad name in New Orleans, because most local Italian restaurants serve nothing more than a plate of ham, salami, and cheese under the antipasto name. But a few restaurants have the real thing, which is more involved with marinated vegetables. You can make a very tasty, refreshing meal of these. 7. Sorbet. The coldest dishes we ever eat in restaurants are frozen desserts. In recent years many places have begun serving sorbets in addition to ice cream. A true sorbet is an ice, usually made with fruit, but without dairy products. The finest example of sorbet is Brocato's lemon ice. We're seeing many other flavors from many other sources. Many restaurants--Commander's, Brigtsen's, Emeril's, Nola, Bacco, to name a few--make their own. 8. Seafood salads. A well-made seafood salad is not only cooling but fresh, light, and crisp--three things we all like when it's blazing. Almost every restaurant has one these days. The most traditional is the Godchaux salad at Galatoire's, loaded with shrimp and crabmeat in a tossed green salad. Tuna salads are more contemporary, using fresh tuna, sometimes seared but left rare. Zea, Dakota and the Crescent City Brewhouse have others along those lines. 9. Iced seafood trays. I don't know where this started--I don't think it was here--but the idea of serving assortments of cold seafood on a bed of ice for the whole table is catching on. The biggest platters, for six or eight people, brush against the $100 mark, but are most enjoyable. The best are at Luke, La Cote Brasserie, and the Bourbon House. The deluxe steakhouses have also taken this up.  10. Cold buffets. The best part of any buffet is the cold food: oysters, boiled shrimp, pates, salads, fresh fruit, cold meats and cheeses, and unexpected surprises. Begue's on Fridays at lunch and the Court of Two Sisters every day have exemplary such collections. If you have some further thoughts on this, please post them on our interactive food forum. © 2008 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com