Backatown

The Flavor of Treme'

(Scroll down to "The Playlist" and hit play before reading... works better that way!)

New Orleanians have an interesting way of giving directions. They say things like "Uptown" versus "Downtown", "West Bank"(which is really east of downtown) and "Backatown".  See, Backatown refers to the "back of town" with the "front" being all the streets closest to the river. 

Today we throw our focus on Treme', a neighborhood in back of the French Quarter. Some of New Orlean's finest musicians came out of Treme', mainly cool brass bands, trumpet player Kermit Ruffins and Trombone Shorty.

Another well known tradition of the Treme is the "second line". See when a brass band has a parade the leaders or "front line" are the actual members of the club or band. The people that follow along and just join in the party are the "second line". 

So, in honor of Mardi Gras, I thought it only appropriate to share a little music from "Backatown", enjoy a New Orleans staple PoBoy and wash it down with a Mardi Gras cocktail. 

C'mon second line... The pots are on!

The Plate...

Oyster PoBoy

Ok, I know we've talked about this, but I ain't lying this time. This is one of my all time favorite sandwiches in the world. Like most PoBoys, there is a great debate over who makes the best Oyster PoBoys in New Orleans. 

I'm here to tell you that you can do this if you just get the right bread. It's all in the bread. Lightly fry your oysters, find some good french bread and you're good to go. 

What you need...  

32 oz shucked oysters (you can buy them already shucked in quart containers)
1 1/4 cup whole milk
1 tbsp water
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 eggs
1 cup all-purporse flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
Salt
Vegetable oil
2 loafs of french baguettes
Romaine lettuce
Tomato / sliced
Spicy Mayo or Remoulade sauce
1 lemon

What you do...

Drain the oysters and place in a small bowl.
Cover with 1 cup of milk and let it soak for about 15 minutes.
In a smaller bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup milk, water, cayenne and eggs.
Mix the flour, cornmeal, black pepper and salt in a separate bowl.
Take a "Dutch oven" and fill about halfway with oil.
Heat to 360 degrees.
Drain the oysters from the milk.
In batches, dip the oysters in the egg mixture then in the flour mixture.
Place oysters, a few at a time, in the oil to fry to a golden brown (about 3 minutes).
Remove oysters and place on a paper towel.
Cut the baguettes in the middle to half then slice open lengthwise.
Spread a generous amount of Remoulade on the bread, place lettuce, tomatoes and pickle.
Fill with your fried oysters.
Squeeze fresh lemon over the oysters.

The Playlist...

Backatown

Brass bands, second lines and busking on the corner; New Orleans music just pours out on the streets.

A lot of great music came out of the Treme'. We start off today with one of the areas biggest stars, Trombone Shorty and his song that pays homage to his home... "Backatown". 

There are a lot of great artist here. One of my favorite performers and artist is Kermit Ruffins; the modern day Louis Armstrong. If Kermit's playing... it's a party. 

("The Playlist" runs on Spotify. Don't have Spotify?... Click here it's free )

The Bar...

The Mardi Gras Daiquiri

What you need...

Blue Curacao

Rum

Grenadine

Triple Sec

Lemonade

Fresh mango

Sweet & sour 

What you do...

For the yellow: blend 1 oz rum, 3 oz chopped mango, 1 1/2 oz sweet & sour, 1 cup of ice.

For the green: take half of the yellow mix and blend with 1/2 oz Blue Curacao.

For the purple: one part Blue Curacao, one part rum, dash of Grenadine, dash of Triple Sec and 3 parts Lemonade. 

Happy Mardi Gras...

C'mon Second Line!

Please... Day Drink Responsibly 

& 

Keep On Cookin'!