Friday, January 13, 2012. Busy, Rainy Town. Five Courses At The Bar.

Friday, January 13, 2012.
Busy, Rainy Town. Five Courses At The Bar.

Friday the thirteenth. I tried to get a shtick going with that today, but I don't think anybody got it.

A couple of commercials to record kept me in the studio until seven-thirty. On occasional Fridays, I give myself permission to break from dining in restaurants I haven't been to lately (or ever) and go to a familiar favorite instead. My first thought was Antoine's, because one of those commercials I just wrote and read was about the skyrocketing price of the three-course lunch there. (It has gone from $20.11 to $20.12.) Writing about a restaurant makes me want to go there. But the Quarter was crowded, it was raining a bit, and the Royal Orleans parking garage was full.

How many dining decisions are made by parking availability? A surprising number of mine are. I drove past Impastato's, where the parking lot was full. I kept going, but as I made the corner I saw that not one but two cars were exiting. I turned around and grabbed a spot.

No table for me, though. I sat at the bar. The usual scenario played out. All I really wanted was some baked oysters Heebe (below) and a side of fettuccine. Both of those terrific dishes came, but Joe insisted that I have a salad. And how about a veal dish? Veal Marsala, I said. All this was as good as usual--or was it? I couldn't remember ever having had veal Marsala here. "You haven't," said Mr. Joe. "It's not on our menu. We just made it for you." Veal Marsala is not a complex dish, but this had the polish and goodness of something they whack out a dozen times a day. What a kitchen!

I did a few songs with Roy Picou and ended the evening on a happy note--if one a little off-key.

Impastato's. Metairie: 3400 16th St. 504-455-1545.

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