One Bird at a Time.

Pre-Game Mea Culpas

Chef spent the morning reviewing menus and culinary notes from the 2007 season and stumbled across several unfortunate omissions. After consulting with his Who Dat spiritual advisors, Chef believes that he must cleanse himself of these errors before completing this weekend's crucial Wild Card worthy menu.

So, here goes. I'm sorry . . .

1. . . . that a 1978 eighth-grade graduate of St. Rose de Lima (Raphael) received full credit for the "Bulger-In-Your-Pants Vienna Sausage" appetizer when a fellow St. Rose de Lima alumnus (Coach K.) first suggested the dish.
Penance: Chef buys Coach K. a cold beer and a $6 trifecta box at the Fairgrounds.

2. . . . that the High Priestess of the newly formed Krewe of Brid (Mary Hogan) received full credit for the Who Dat Rosary, when the Divine Words were clearly a collaborative effort between the High Priestess and Original Bridgette (Katherine Hogan), with the younger Hogan leading the way. (see letter to Chef below)

Penance: Chef invites all Who Dats to the debut march of the Krewe of Brid on Friday, Janaury 11 at 6 p.m. on Harrison Ave. between Orleans and Canal in Lakeview. Beers on Chef.

3. . . . that only 1/4 of menu suggestions actually make their way onto the Cafe 641 menu. Mad respect to all those who scour the far ends of depth charts of the weekly Saints opponent for dish ideas. And much love to those culinary giants with standing reservations at Galatoire's who submit fine dining dishes. If Chef were preparing a menu for the Superdome's Club level or for fans with encyclopedic knowledge of NFL rosters, no doubt we'd see more of these dishes on the menu. But, since we reside in the upper reaches of the Upper Terrace, we attempt to strike a balance between mascot-inspired dishes, roasts of key players, and repeated references to Rocky Mountain Oysters. If your dish didn't make it, revise and re-submit.
Penance: Chef will drink a ladle-full of Nacho Libre's finest whiskey for every item you submit that does not appear on the weekly menu.



Chef -

I must confess and beg your attention to a small but important detail regarding The Saints Rosary's provenance.

It was, in fact, penned with the assistance of Original Bridgette Katherine.

A lot of assistance.

In fact, I have to confess that Original Bridgette Katherine was responsible for at least if not more than 50% of the creative work.

The divine words were visited upon the two of us in a miraculous moment of mother-daughter bonding, so rare beyond the toddler years. I say a prayer of gratitude and hope every Sunday (sometimes Monday) to the Saints, the Coach and Fair Rita for bringing us together.

Original Bridgette Katherine and I do hope that Who Dat's around the Dome are similarly inspired by the divine words and join us in loud rejoicing and MAKE-SOME-NOISE.

Who Dat!

Mary Hogan

High Priestess, Krewe of Brid

debut march: 6p, Friday, Janaury 11, Harrison Ave. in Lakeview

5 Easy Steps for Preparing Eagle

Step 1. With a swift, repetitive karate motion, beat the bird senseless.
Step 2. Remove all feathers and set aside for table decor, ritualistic acts of victory, and future voodoo dolls.
Step 3. Separate head and fill entire body cavity with bourbon. Let set for three hours. Extract bourbon for an after-dinner Eagle Drowned in Bourbon cocktail.
Step 4. Fillet Eagle into long green strips.
Step 5. Open Leideheimer's french loaf and place Eagle strips inside.

Enjoy.

Have more savory Eagle dishes? The Cafe menu board opens . . . now (and Donovan McNabb feels a little left out after missing both 2006 Eagles menus).

Protect Our House

For the third time in two years, Philly's Green Legion is making bold claims about invading New Orleans. You may remember a staggering mass entering Gate C last October.

Any of the following make you wanna get your drink on next Saturday on Bourbon Street?

"To set ourselves apart from everyone else, as usual, there will be a plethora of social activities! In other words, many opportunities once again for you to get drunk!" OR

"We will have the 2nd Annual Green Legion Big Easy Bar Crawl to include the same bars as before…Bourbon Cowboy, Utopia, Razzoo, and BBC (Bourbon Street Blues Company). Also, like last year, we will have the "UN"Official Pep Rally Party at BBC that Saturday night! Interesting little change for the tailgate party this year! One of my favorite places to go on Bourbon Street and part of our crawl - This years location…RAZZOO!!!" OR

"Since Razzoo is our tailgate location, they are now also the starting point for this year's parade! For those of you who do not know, last year, we marched with the Eagles Pep Band and a high school marching band from Bourbon Street to the Superdome. We had Revelers, Stilt Walkers, and Big Head Dancers. We must have picked up 2,500 more Eagles fans on the way to the stadium! This year, if you were part of the original 500, I know you will be back. If you weren't, hop on a real trip and be a part of history. The street will be closed down for this party SO NO ONE CAN BOTHER US!"

Maybe we should just ask Supa Saint to escort them down Poydras on Sunday.

Photo by Deep Fried Kudzu

Earned It

No reason to waste time celebrating this victory. Let the Who Dats get back to work for next Sunday's Feast o' Eagles.

Awright. What the hell. Chef will take a second to wave the champagne around a little:

* This design from Saintseester was distributed on buttons today in the Cafe because they've earned it in 2007.

* Chef's boy Kooky Kajun was none too happy when his Cardinal menu suggestions didn't make their way onto today's menu. But he quickly Earned It by opening up the Philly Menu Board in the first quarter of today's game. He handed over the following, already printed out. Vote on your favorite dish here:
Reno Mahe Mahi
Kevin Korn on the Kolb
Marcus Paschal Lamb
Takeo Spikes Da Punch
Thomas Chicken Tapeh
Nick Chocolate-Covered Grahams
Hank's Bread Baskett
Green Akers and Ham

* The Cocktail Chef offered up a successful version of the classic Cajun gridiron cheer: "Hot boudin. Cold cous-cous. C'mon Saints. Push. Push. Push."

* Nacho Libre poured savory bourbon from his wine skin flask on every defensive stop, every point scored, and sometimes every other play.

* The Dirty Dog returned to the Cafe.

* The Cafe posed for it's annual Christmas picture. To be posted soon.

Oh yeah. We're now accepting suggestions for our final bird-themed menu.

This Is Why We Hot

Thanks Scott Fujita, father of newborn girls Isabell and Delilah. You reminded the Chef of why he's up at 6 a.m. on gameday, combing out his mustache, doing deep knee-bends, and drinking straight vodka. Your video clip "greatest fan moment" is a reminder of why we stay for four quarters in the Cafe.

Carve the Red Birds

And if that don't work . . .

Larry Fitzgerald Needs (more) Action

Arizona receiver Larry Fitzgerald contacted Cafe 641 through his agent yesterday with the following request:
"Matt Leinart and Old Man Jorts aren't the only things that make this team go. Can a star receiver get a little action, please?"

Chef Who Dat apologized for the menu omission, reminding Fitzgerald that Cafe 641, like the star receiver himself, is an equal opportunity lover.

With that, Chef pledged at least one dish in Fitzgerald's honor for Sunday's game against the Cardinals and now welcomes all contributions in Fitzgerald's name.

Matt Leinart Is Jealous

The Arizona Republic reported today that injured Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart is fuming on the sideline. Not over missed playing time and Kurt Warner's passer rating. But over reports that Warner may upstage him in the Dec. 16 Cafe 641 Cardinals menu.

Leinart denied any jealousy in the following statement distributed by his agent:
"Paris Hilton posed in a club for me. Brittney Spears lost her friggin' mind, hair, and underwear when I told her, 'No thank you.' And I'm supposed to be jealous of an aging Arena Football great who wears jorts? I think not."

Chef Who Dat made a snap decision to include Leinart on the Cafe 641 menu, provided that the internet Who Dats created passable Laguna Beach Leinart dishes.

Kurt Warner Wants You! (to contribute to this week's menu)

What's that, Kurt Warner? You hungry? Really? Six wins haven't got you full yet?

Well, you're always welcome to leave your fish at the door and check out our Cafe 641 Sunday Brunch menu.

Heard that your boy Honey Nut Boldin Graham might show up on it. And your old-school punter, too. A little Blackened Mitch Berger. Maybe a marinated Warner Wing.

Stay tuned, Kurt. And try to get ahold of some new jorts. Tim Tebow might have a pair for you.

Road Kill Never Tasted So Good

"The Saints spent Monday night at the Georgia Dome picking over the remains of a dead team, enjoying the taste of the Falcons' carcass decidedly more than they've enjoyed being nibbled on the majority of the season."

Thanks John DeShazier, Times-Picayune columnist. You understand the beauty of Saints food analogies, for sure.

But Chef was holding down his own Cafe 641 test kitchen, last night brah. Ordered Muffalconettas from Chicken Sue's on West Harrison Ave., then cooked up his own Dirty Bird Rice, and served them all with a mixed drink: The Bloody Falcon.

With the short practice week, it's back to the test kitchen tonight for more work on birds. Your assignment? Matt Leinart & Co. are on the menu board. And it's open every day this week.

A simpler life.

Remember when the Saints were 0-0. Or 4-4.

Yeah, Chef doesn't either.

But his futile attempt to recall a time when life was simpler, more innocent, more promising led him full circle to March 2007. And David Lynch.

Since NolaChick, Chef K-Paul (aka Chef PK), and DJ Doberge are doing a fine job of cooking up Who Dat love for Saints away games, Chef has been focusing attention elsewhere. Mostly on every possible distraction he can find.

Back to March 2007. And David Lynch.

After you read that riveting tale, here's the truth, as Chef remembers it.

Amnesia.

During his steep climb to the top of Cafe 641 on Sunday, Chef received a small packet of Vitamin C from a Upper Terrace regular who noticed Chef's heavy breathing. The Mrs. (The Entity herself) told him never to take candy from strangers, but Chef popped all three of those orange smiling pills at halftime just to spite her.

Then things got all woozie-like.

Chef remembers a menu meet-and-greet with the always spirited Dilly and brother Berto, as well as a pleasant first-time meeting with Oyster's wife. He vaguely recalls handing over a Dead Pirate Poboy to Berto. He thought he saw a gleaming gold on black spoon in Dilly's hands. But then nothing but haze.

Chef may have attempted the Who Dat move pictured above alongside the legendary Nacho Libre. Apparently, it's called the Dirty Dog and involves upper body strength, agility, keen balance, and shoes with serious traction. He doesn't remember much after going airborne in the Dirty Dog posture with three minutes left in the game.

A little help. Anybody see how this one ended?

The Buc Stops Here.

Today's late start gave Chef & Co. extra time to let this menu marinate. All that really matters, though, is the NOISE. And the Black & Gold Blood Sausage (thanks Ashley).