Merci!Merci! Booqoo -Its good for the soul that file' gumbo
As a native New Orleanian who just happens to have found a home in Brooklyn, I am so happy to have another local (New Orleans East is still where my family dwells) who understands the love and care needed to perform the perfection of authentic NOLA family food. I felt like I walked into my cousins kitchen and that means its all right!!! Slow, friendly and satisfying. Ya'll should go - but remember New Yorkers, New Orleans is slow food, so have a cup of chicory and be patient. Its worth every minute.
4
This review just might get this native NYer (i.e., Manhattanite), who now lives in NOLA's French Quarter, to journey to the far reaches of Brooklyn the next time he's in NYC. Kudos to Ligaya not only for the review, but for getting all the NOLA references right (inc. the spelling of Tchoupitoulas!)
I am in Huntington Beach, California as I type this, but I would like to be able to jump on a plane and fly to New York just to eat this food. And I am a New Orleanian who fell in love with where I am right now. Just saying. New Orleans food is great anywhere, as this review attests.
The beignets are round? I didn't recognize them in the photo. I've never seen round beignets!
I want to try the DDP!
1
Wow...what great news! Haven't had a good gumbo, jambalaya, remoulade since my last visit to NOLA. Biscuit sandwiches, pecan pie muffins, the Grandaddy...life is suddenly better for having read this delightful review. Congratulations Mr. Pace.
5
Well done! Cannot wait to visit Booqoo Cafe this summer. Having lived in both NOLA and NYC, I’m truly excited to try Mr. Pace’s creations with friends who live nearby his eatery. Who knows, maybe I can even get him to reconsider okra. They have a fried okra snack over here that somehow manages to minimize the gooey factor. Maybe a dry fried okra crunch might work it’s way into Booqoo Gumbo. Worth a shot, methinks.
4
Trader Joe's has a crunchy okra snack that is addictive.
2
This was a delightful read.
12
Yes, she's a terrific writer. This review, from "an airiness somewhere between buoyancy and levitation" right through to "and we shed sugar like snow all the way home" is a typical example of her consistent brilliance.
6
OK, I clearly need some uplifting therapy: I find everything written by Ligaya Mishan (on food) overwrought, over-the-top, overworked...did I already say "overwrought"? I hope (s)he quickly gets a great American novel published, one full of crackling and oozing and splintering, becomes rich, and stops doing restaurant reviews. (If I could see the name of the writer at the top level in my news feed, I could avoid these articles and not be a Scrooge.) Off for some soothing, bracing, edifying meditation...
2
Just before I read this review I praised Pete Wells to the skies, calling him the best ever in the NYT. I still think he has the edge, but he'd better stay on his game, because Ms. Mishan's gaining on him. Whoever wears the laurels, we readers are the winners! Long live Ligaya and Pete.
7