Whether one has to feed a ravenous Super Bowl audience or finds that the beginning of the Carnival season means less time carved out for meals, I have found a few answers. In the spirit of recent success stories like Boston Marché Market, new and old gourmet spots in our metropolitan area deserve the opportunity to accent everyone’s daily consumption choices. These venues will upgrade the expectations of your palate. Introduce yourself to a few of these spots next time you’ve run out of ideas of where to eat or to how to stock the freezer.
Foodies Kitchen (720 Veterans Boulevard; 837-9695) was created by the ever-innovative Brennan family. This gourmet grocery store, deli and bakery fills a niche where anyone short on time can gather to eat or plan the next social function. Foodies exemplifies its motto of a “meals market.” One of the living culinary patron saints, Julia Child, would be impressed by their efforts.
This exciting atmosphere is fueled by the alluring scents of meats cooking, fresh baked goods and local music pumped from overhead. Antique photos and classic fixtures help complete the décor of the sitting area where many patrons purchase their food, warm it up and immediately sit down to eat. Other parts of the market have the industrial feel of a walk-in produce refrigerator. The weekend crowds can be intimidating, but it is important to notice whole families can go in and find exactly what they each want to eat. An average weekday evening finds a healthy crowd at 8 p.m. Each week marks another level of improved service and more consistent food preparation.
Step up to the salad bar and order any one of eight salads from the menu posted above or have the Foodies staff custom build an original salad composition. The bakery shines with diverse offerings of homemade breads. My two favorite loaves are the Jalapeno Cheese Bread and the Pecan Sweet Potato Bread ($3.50-$5). The coffee bar also offers a choice of numerous hot and cold beverages. A 16-oz.Café au Lait ($1.85) or more traditional Italian Macchiato ($1.65) provide that extra boost to any early evening meal. Sample the original Foodies Kitchen Blend coffee. There’s also an entire wall of wine offerings to mull over and explore.
Choose from the daily sushi offerings, traditional Louisiana dishes, elegant pasta salads, desserts and items direct from the Commander’s Palace menu including Turtle Soup. I even found prepared chocolate chip and oatmeal cookie dough ready for the home oven. Gift baskets include the Hostess with the Mostess Basket ($25) featuring a selected bottle of wine, cheese straws and a corkscrew. Foodies Kitchen holiday menu tempted me with three main courses ($9.99-18.99 per pound), each serving six to ten people, and three pound servings of more than eight side dish choices ($2.99-13.99). I slipped into a food coma after inhaling two slices of the Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie ($13.99). If planning on ordering large portions of food, be sure to call with at least 24 hours’ advance notice.
Although certain items may be pricey by standard grocery store economics, many reasonable bargains lie among the shelves. Get to know the people behind the counter or ask to meet some of the chefs. They will be more than happy to insure that your shopping experience is a pleasant one. How often does one get to interact with the chef that prepares their food? Foodies hours are 7 a.m.-10 p.m. seven days a week.
The Kosher Cajun Deli & Grocery (3520 North Hullen Street; 888-2010) remains tucked away between Severn and Causeway off West Esplanade. This neighborhood grocery store also focuses on its deli menu. Popular kosher grocery items include everything from Jerusalem Country Cookies to Empire Chicken, Pareve Gourmet Cakes, Nova Salmon, Gefilte Fish and homemade Matzoh Ball soup ($1.50). On the deli side of the store, proprietors Joel and Natalie Brown have assembled an extensive menu of made to order items under rabbinical supervision. Upon one’s first visit, try the Kosher Cajun House Salad ($3.95) with fresh cut corned beef and turkey tossed with lettuce and honey mustard dressing. Turn one’s attention to the towering combo deli sandwiches including the J&N Special ($6.25). Layers of hot corned beef and pastrami are laid atop rye bread with generous slathers of deli mustard, slaw and horseradish. A more well-trained palate will seek out the Turkey Breast & Chopped Liver sandwich ($4.95) that conjures up familiar flavors of an experience at a New York City Second Avenue kosher deli. Triple Deckers ($9.95) pack a choice of three meats weighing in at a generous half pound.
International filmmaker Mathias Visser showed me the Party Platters ($60-$165) where one can choose from a selection of extra lean meats, coleslaw and potato salad with accompanying rolls and breads. Party platters can be prepared for ten to thirty guests. Sliced Deli Meats are also available by the pound ($5.79-$16.95).
Drop by the Kosher Cajun Deli from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Thursday or from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday and Sunday. Keep your eyes peeled for this store and deli to expand soon.
Mona’s Café and Deli (3901 Banks Street; 482-0661) has developed a devoted regular crowd for more than a few years of successfully producing tantalizing Middle Eastern sustenance. The dining room is always occupied and not just during Ramadan. The restaurant portion of this former Mid-City gas station insures that there’s not a weak link in the menu. Start with the city’s most consistent Iced Tea ($1) sweet or unsweetened. This tea houses flavors of mint and subtle spices. Perhaps the best way to entertain a large group of guests at the last minute is to order up a wide selection of their standard menu entrees including the Vegetarian Plate ($5.99) with equal portions of Baba Ganuj, Tabouli, Falafel, and Hummus. The Gyro Plate ($6.99) is served with lamb and beef and Hummus drizzled with creamy Tsatziki sauce. You may remember Mona’s from their Jazz Fest Falafel sandwiches that can be obtained from a booth located near the Grandstand.
Mona’s also features the best Stuffed Grape Leaves ($3.50) in the city. These delicacies are served warm, stuffed with rice and lamb and a dollop of sour cream. I have spotted local songwriter/guitarists discussing lyrics over a plate of half pound loaves of Fried Kibby ($6.99). Kibby is usually thought of to be uncooked meat, here one can venture forth and try fried loaves of onions, pine nuts, lamb, cracked wheat and beef.
Mona’s also produces some of the freshest pita bread in the city. Follow the side hall to their neighborhood grocery store. Do not be overwhelmed by the tight space packed with international foods. There are bargains including Huy Fong Foods Tuong Ot Sriracha or Red Rooster Sauce ($2.99). One end of the main aisle is dedicated to a wide selection of international teas and coffees. Bulk foods and spices are also available. Where else would one find roasted Watermelon Seeds, Cri Cri candies, Pine Nuts, fresh Black Olives, Gharibian Armenian String Cheese, and all the items needed to try and cook some of Mona’s specialties at home. If one inquires politely, the staff may share a few pointers.
Spice, Inc. (1051 Annunciation Street) will sadly end its run as a full service grocery and deli store on January 15th. Another Susan Spicer dining phoenix will rise sometime soon thereafter. Cooking classes will continue at the same location.
