A Proper Who Dat Parade

Another brief interruption from Chef's lingering Cafe 641 Profiles to announce a request for a reunion of sorts.

Cafe 641 Who Dats! Upper Terrace Who Dats! Any Who Dats within screaming distance!

Chef is looking to host a Who Dat Mardi Gras reunion to say thank you to our coach.

Saturday night, Endymion will have an entire float devoted to Saints players. Sunday night, Drew Brees will toss beads while a Bacchus paige supports his left elbow. Chef recommends Who Dat attendance at both these parades.

But Chef is saving up his own mojo for Monday night and Coach Payton.

As Coach Payton will be riding as Orpheus royalty on Monday night (Feb. 19), Chef (and probably every other Saints fan) thinks it proper to say thank you with deafening Who Dat cheers, standard black and gold Superdome attire, and hundreds of signs.

Chef will be holding it down on Monday, February 19th at the lake-side corner of Constantinople and St. Charles in Uptown New Orleans.

He's looking for other Cafe 641 diners and Dome rats at large to invade the streets with. Chef's groin has fully healed through a constant regimen of Payton's Playoff Punch (New Orleans Rum Reggie Rum w/ Deuce Juice). He'll be ready to roll.

Chef will bring menus, wooden spoons, eye black, and freshly groomed facial hair. You bring the love.

Leave e-mail for more info.

Cafe 641 Profile #5: Proud Mary

***NOTE: Fifth in a series of bare-all, expose profiles that allows Chef to e-hibernate this off season with a clear conscience.

Chef has already documented the inspirational Upper Terrace actions of one Proud Mary. But it's not just her demand for 4 Quarters of noise from Cafe 641 patrons that make her a great Who Dat. There's so much more to Proud Mary's game . . .

* Sometime during the first quarter of Miracle Monday, Proud Mary reveals, with very little prodding, that she is one of the greatest Who Dat mothers of all time. She has bestowed upon her son, Benson LeBlanc, one of the greatest gifts of all: season tickets in Cafe 641.

* Early in the season, possibly the Philly victory, Proud Mary grabs Chef by his shoulders, spins him around, and demands, "Chef. Give me some damn eye black. We gonna win this game." The subtle Who Dat gesture shames the grown men one row down who had just refused Chef's eye black invitation.

* Proud Mary carves another notch into her greatest Who Dat mother of all time belt: at least once a game, she returns from a restroom break with two Coors Lights. One for her dear son, Benson LeBlanc, and the other for herself.

* Already vying for top position as Cafe 641's Who Dat fashionista, Proud Mary brings out an impressive display of old school for a midseason game -- vintage Saints sweater, squeaky clean black Keds with gold laces, and helmet earrings.

* On the way out of the Dome after the Saints went limp against the Redskins, but still backed into the playoffs, Proud Mary reminded Chef that it was his 9th wedding anniversary. Stopping Chef and the Mrs. on the Upper Terrace ramps, Proud Mary uttered some inspiring advice: "9 years is a good number. I'm at 28 myself. Just remember, you always have the boys in black and gold."

Cafe 641 Profile #4: Red Carpet D

***NOTE: Fourth in a series of bare-all, expose profiles that allows Chef to e-hibernate this off season with a clear conscience.

Look left. Now look lower left. Look at the intense, upward looking face streaked with eye black. Look at the high-five concentration. Look at the delirious smile. This, my fellow Who Dats, is the face of Red Carpet D, a Cafe 641 family member who holds it down on Row 40.

The profile? Let Chef begin thusly . . .
* D forgets to set his clock back for daylight savings time, and shows up at Dome three hours before the Ravens game. Chef spots him at the players' red carpet entry site, banging on the police barricades, inciting the crowd with 9 a.m. "Who Dat?!!"

* D continues his Red Carpet stakeouts throughout the season, delivering a highly anticipated team report to Cafe 641. D's arrival to Row 40 goes something like this:
Cafe 641: "Who Dat D?!"
D: "Who Dat peeps!"
Cafe 641: "How'd the boys look this morning, D?"
D: "Lookin' good, livin' well. Coach is drinking Cafe Au Lait today. Brought his son to work. Will was listenin' to Lil Jon on the iPod. Fujita gave the valet driver a samurai bow. Drew healed a paralyzed boy's legs. Joe let me borrow his cell phone to call my mom for her birthday. We'll be fine today. The boys are ready."

* Red Carpet D raises the stakes on his level of Who Dat-itis. Mid-way through the season, he shaves his head on both sides, leaving an impressive mohawk-like streak of hair on top that he bleaches blonde and sculpts into intimidating spikes that keep visiting fans away from the Cafe.

* D raises the goodluck high-five to new heights. Never satisfied to high-five only Row 40 Who Dats, D treats every first down like the Sign O' Peace at Mass. After slapping hands with Row 40, he singles out crucial Cafe 641 family on Rows 41-43, waiting as long as 60 seconds to get that Who Dat Dap.

Cafe 641 Profile #3: Mojo

*** NOTE: Third in a series of Cafe 641 bare-all, expose profiles that allows Chef to e-hibernate this off season with a clear conscience.

Put simply, Mojo's mojo was infectious all season long. This Northshore Who Dat worked every bit of magic to deliver Saints' first downs, third down stops, and game-winning punt returns.

At the top of the list . . .
* Mojo is heard repeating a phrase that rubs off on other Cafe 641 Who Dats during the Monday night game . . . 3rd and 10, let's do it again . . . 3rd and 10, let's do it again . . . After that yields consecutive first downs, Mojo offers up a "2nd and seven, take us to heaven," and the Monday night magic just picks up more steam.

* Mojo begins a careful color-match uniform process that anticipates the Saints home uniforms and matches his shirt, pants, and eye black appropriately. After select victories, Mojo reminds the Cafe of his ability to color-match the Saints to success.

* After receiving his very own laminated Mojo Play-calling list from Chef, Mojo tugs his cap over his eyes, covers his mouth with the Mojo list and starts barking plays at Drew Brees. Any attempt to ask Mojo questions during offensive series becomes futile. Mojo is locked in.

* Mojo shows off his Southern hospitality, giving Chef a commemorative Cafe 641 Best Of . . . Menu that highlights some of the finest mojo/menu moments.

*Mojo wills the Saints 3rd and goal stop of the Eagles by grasping, kissing, and twisting his mojo-fied Saints medallion bead. Scott Fujita feels the force from Row 41 of the Upper Terrace and drives Westbrook out of bounds to end the touchdown threat.

Supa Saint

Chef interrupts his Cafe 641 profiles to bring you the following feel-good film, called to his attention by Dillyberto. The youtube link tells the story we've all experienced or hallucinated.

Cafe 641 Profile #2: The CAFE 641 Cocktail Chef

*** NOTE: Second in a series of Cafe 641 bare-all, expose profiles that allows Chef to e-hibernate this off season with a clear conscience.

Widely known throughout the Cafe for her GPS precision in locating every wine and cocktail vendor inside the Dome and for a thriving hair design business in Mid City, this enthusiastic Who Dat inspired the Diva in all of us.

Here's the highlights:

* Game 1: The CAFE 641 Cocktail Chef (a.k.a. Diva Vidrine) sets the "We are Family" vibe that dominates Section 641 all season long. Turning to all of Row 42, she announces, "We are Who Dats. We will endure each other."

*Early in the season, Cocktail Chef takes sole responsibility for monitoring the foul language uttered by Cafe Who Dats in the presence of children. "Chef! Check yo self! Your children are present!"

* Miracle Monday, sometime amidst celebration following Steve Gleason's blocked punt. Chef Who Dat lowers an accidental bony elbow upon the unexpecting head of Diva Vidrine. Stunned and possibly knocked unconscious for a second, she recovers quickly, accepts Chef's apology, and proceeds with her celebrating.

* Outside the Superdome, before Tampa Bay game. Chef spots Diva Vidrine already clutching a full Bloody Mary. Chef insists she also take a Guinness off his hand. Absolutely no resistance. Saints win.

* Diva Vidrine transforms into the CAFE 641 Cocktail Chef late in the season. In final home games, she begins plans for an exclusive Who Dat Cocktail menu to be unveiled for playoff games. Payton's Playoff Punch, made with New Orleans Rum Reggie Rum and Deuce Juice, becomes the Cafe's official playoff drink. *** NOTE: Cafe Who Dats were also authorized to take brief snorts from the flask of Jack Daniels that Nacho Libre regularly smuggled in on his upper thigh.

* The CAFE 641 Cocktail Chef thinks of everything. She distributes Who Dat Pills at playoff game, complete with the following directions: Take one black and one gold, 3x per day for excitement, hope, and increased Saints fever. Side Effects: May cause heart palpitations each time you hear the words "Saints," "Playoffs," and "Superbowl" in the same sentence; May cause strong urges to wear BLACK and GOLD every day; May experience increased appetites for football stats and rankings of playoff teams; May cause unexpected outbursts of WHO DAT or GO SAINTS several times a day; May cause you to have dreams of Buddy D in a dress at the Superbowl game.

More love for the CAFE 641 Cocktail Chef? Leave your message here.

Cafe 641 Profile #1: Nacho Libre

*** NOTE: First in a series of Cafe 641 bare-all, expose profiles that allows Chef to e-hibernate this off season with a clear conscience.

Initially, Nacho Libre was known in Cafe 641 only for his volume, which regularly exceeds the 110 decibels which brings on hearing loss. But careful attention to this Hattiesburg Who Dat reveals layers of emotional depth, wit, and musical knowledge.

Here's the 2006 season highlights:
* Nacho turns to Chef at halftime of the Monday Night Miracle and screams, "Chef! Do you hear that? Can you feel that? I called my daddy on the telephone, Chef. You know what he told me, Chef? The Saints are Coming!" On cue, the U2/Green Day anthem blares from the Dome speakers, and a Cafe 641 tradition is born. The call and response dirge "The Saints are Coming."(please note that the pacing of this chorus was seriously debated within the Cafe before its slower speed was finally agreed upon.)

* Nacho turns to high five Chef at the end of the Atlanta game and pulls back in revulsion. "Chef, put your mustache back on, beeotch! I don't even know who you are anymore." Thus began Chef's difficult, season-long relationship with lip hair.

* For conduct befitting a Cafe 641 Who Dat, Nacho receives Chef's very first Golden Spoon award during the Tampa Bay game. Spoon is then carefully tucked into Sean Payton-styled visor for remaining home games.

* During a penalty called against the Tampa Bay offensive line, Nacho deafens Rows 41 and 40 with: "CHEATERS! CHEATERS! CHEATERS!" It's simple statement of fact catches on quickly, and very soon, most of the Cafe is screaming "CHEATERS!" after every opponent penalty.

* Halloween weekend. Saints vs. Ravens. Nacho earns his stripes. Appearing just as the national anthem begins, he enters in full Nacho Libre costume, only removing the mask to breath and snort Jack Daniels.

* During a lull in the first Eagles game, Nacho turns to Rows 42 and 43 and asks, "Hey, ya'll hot up in here? Is anybody hot. I'm burning up, baby. It's too hot in here. I can't stand it anymore. I need to cool myself down. I need some water. I need a big, refreshing spray of water . . ." Mid-sentence, Nacho breaks into an inspiring rendition of the Sprinkler dance (one hand behind back, other fanned out like the arm of a lawn sprinkler, anointing the Who Dats below).

* Just after Reggie Bush somersaults into the Chicago endzone for the Saints final touchdown of the season, Nacho calls Chef on the phone: "Chef, sent the Mrs. to the store to purchase more spoons when we got down at halftime. She's standin' in line at the store, spoons in hand, and Reggie goes 88-yards for a touchdown! Who Dat, Chef!"

More memories of Nacho? Chef passes the mic . . .