Wanderluck
Lots of wandering and bike riding happening down here! We have returned to the Garden District the past four days to look at apartments, toodle around and buy bikes! We both bought our primary mode of transport from “the Bike Guys” as I call them. Jim and John buy antique bikes from Kansas City, fix up in the backyard of their beautiful Nola home and sell them ‘to mostly cute girls’. I found them on Craigslist and they are truly a godsend to someone who knows next to nothing about bike quality. Not only did they advise me on the bike that fit me best, they also let me take it for a test run, adjusted the seat and gears for me and advised me on what kind of lock to buy. John also told me to get a hold of him if I got a flat in the next week…he would come and fix it for me!
I am loving my red 1980’s 10-speed FreeSpirit. It was originally sold through Sear’s Roebuck, and you can see their inscription on the bottom of the bike. I bought a sexy helmet, U lock, headlight and breaklights for it and have been cruising everywhere. It is so much better than waiting for the bus or calling a cab. The route from the Bayou down to the Garden District is flat and the areas I pass through are relatively non-shady. The ride takes about 30-40 minutes and it is so nice to get up in the morning and go for a nice bike ride, not to mention the effect all that pedaling will have on my thighs. Drivers here are very considerate of cyclists, which has made the adjustment period less worrisome!
T bought an orange 5-speed vintage Pubcrawler from the same guys (pictures to come soon). A VERY sexy bike and a nice addition to our adventuring. We are fitting in with the locals!
A typical street view and sidewalk down in the Garden District…this is why we ride in the street!
I had my interview at Luke and was offered a trail, which went incredibly well. I worked with the pastry chef for part of the day and then worked on the line with the garde manger. Garde manger is responsible for plating the salads, cold appetizers and in this case, desserts. A few items I plated: fried oyster salad with bacon and avocado, crab maisson towers, basque cake with satsuma marmalade, vanilla bean creme brulee, and a trio of lemon, vanilla bean and chocolate pot de creme. Luke’s menu focuses a lot on Alsatian cuisine, so we also did a lot of pate with many housemade pickled items (cucumbers, fennel, carrots, etc). The kitchen is open, meaning patrons that are dining can see what is happening on the line, which was an exciting experience, as was working in such close proximity with the other stations. Luke serves 600-700 meals a day, plus outside catering events and providing all room service meals for the adjoining hotel, so they are very busy. The people I worked with came from a wide array of backgrounds; some chefs that went to culinary school, others career changers, and some even novices like me. All in all, it was a fast-paced and eye opening experience. And they offered me a job! Yahoo!
(A few sights I see on my ride from Luke to the Garden District: The St. Charles Avenue traffic circle and Lafayette Square park)
T had his first meeting with the Executive Chef at Commanders, which went really well. It seems as if they are bird’s of a feather. He got a walk through of the kitchen and was introduced to a few members of the staff. Things are lookin’ up!
A few notes on the foodstuffz:
-Had my first shrimp and grits!
-Ate my first plate of jambalaya and first praline at Cafe Beignet down on Bourbon Street…outside, while a cajun band played old Louis Armstrong tunes.
-T ate the first mouffeleta of the trip!
-Abita beer is amazing and should be drunk with every meal, as we have been doing so studiously!
-Nola bagels are pretty good…not as good as NYC ones, but they will curb that early morning bagel craving…we found a place called Artz Bagelz down by Magazine Street that has Cajun veggie cream cheese. Mmmmmm….
