Vanilla Bean

I tried taking pics of the ice cream itself but that did not work out. Because of the lack of artificial colors they are about the same shade of off white. I have not had time to get to Albertsons but will eventually. As you can see the cartons are colorful. The ice cream is speckled with vanilla bean seeds and a strong vanilla presence both in odor and taste. The texture is thick and creamy as a premium ice cream with little overrun. As I stated in the previous post I think the buttermilk is cutting through the fat to give a clean rich taste. I would think that is one flavor Albertsons is carrying. Go and try it out.

New Orleans Ice Cream Company

Many years ago at a Grand Tasting at The New Orleans Wine & Food Experience I met Adrian Simpson. He was handing out samples of ice cream made by The New Orleans Ice Cream Company. The samples were Vanilla Bean and Chocolate City after the famous comment of then Mayor Nagin. Both were delicious. In the ensuing years I met Adrian time and again at NOWFE and food shows both broadliner and the LRA Food Expo. We became friends talking about his product and me making comments to fellow restaurateurs at these events. He would e-mail asking if I would promote it here. I was a bit slack about it and finally last month he offered to send me samples if I would post my comments on the blog. I of course said yes and I received 10 flavors from him with a promise of 10 more in the future. I found out just the other day that the Albertson's on Ryan carry six flavors. I have not been able to make it there to see which they carry but when I do I will let you know. Many of the flavors have a south LA or a New Orleans flair and made from local products when available.

This a super premium product and you will pay for that. However it is entirely worth it. It is dense and creamy with hardly any overrun. This when people like Blue Bell pump air into the product under the guise of making it smooth when they are actual increasing the volume for profit. I feel like I am eating air. New Orleans Ice Cream uses all natural products. The milk base is skim milk, cream and buttermilk. Buttermilk you say. I asked and Adrian said they feel it adds to the richness. My thoughts are that buttermilk is tangy and brings out the flavor and richness like salt added to pastries brings out the sweetness. The thickeners and stabilizers are product of trees and seaweed. Another thing they are judicious with the add ins not going overboard like Ben and Jerry where there are more add in than ice cream. The main focus with these products is the ice cream with some add ins to enhance the flavor. Stay tuned for flavors starting with Vanilla Bean

Jo's Creole 2202 E. Broad St Lake Charles, LA 70601 (337) 433-3744

One thing I like about Bargain Bees is that they sometime afford me the opportunity to return to places that I enjoyed when I reviewed them but have never returned because I have to review the next one. Such is the case here. Below is corn muffin (slightly sweet the way I like it) and a sweet pickle potato salad (excellent)

The main dish was some wonderful moist and flavorful baked chicken and smothered okra with tomato and sausage over rice. I have not tasted okra that good since my mother passed many years ago. As I pass this venue coming home from work I do not know why I do not stop in more but such is life.

Moz Grill 11845 Highway 62 N Orange, TX 77632 (409) 745-5551

In and around Southeast Texas are several of these places. They are housed in the same building as a gas station/convenience store. The double cheeseburger below while quite good was the straw that broke the camel's back. This is the one that finally drove home something I had been coming to realize. While I can certainly eat a mutipatty burger I was not enjoying them. I had got caught up in this bigger than your head eating contest. A good burger for me is all about the ratio of the of the meat to bread. One's like this is just off kilter. Single burgers for me from now on.

Fried green beans because they did not have what I really wanted. They were all right but not something I would get again unless forced to.

Some packaged carrot cake because I do like a little sweet after my meal.

Sometimes going to a place for the first time and you do no know the routine can result in not so satisfactory results. However the results are interesting enough for a return visit. Such is the the case here.

Celeste's Tamale 3102 Saba Ln, Port Neches, TX 77651 409-722-1172

This establishment was just a bit strange. When I got there it was obvious it was intended to be a take away place yet they had a dinning room. Everything I got was package in to go containers. Like below the tortilla chips in the bag were pulled straight from a refrigerator as they were ice cold. No salsa but a hot sauce probably intended for other things. I did a side of guacamole that was pretty good.

To use up the coupon I got a soft taco (flour). The taco meat was well seasoned and overall as good a taco as I have ever had

Below is a tamale dinner with three tamales in a chili gravy, rice and refried beans. I loved the tamales. The ratio of the meat to the masa was perfect. The meat was the same as the meat I got in the taco and the masa well hydrated and not dry. This chili gravy I have not encountered before but it had nice flavor and I liked it. The rice was dry as the desert and the beans liquid. Some I combined the two which made it OK and ate. If I ever return here I will just buy a dozen and take away

Honey B Ham 506 East Prien Lake Road Lake Charles, LA 70601-8509 (337) 478-3354

Another disaster. I got a ham salad sandwich on sourdough wheat and it was OK. However the potato bacon soup smelled good but the chunks of potato were huge and not cooked all the way. I should have put the coupon to a ham.

The BBQ combo plate was as bad as when I got it 5 years ago. I was hoping for improvement. The brisket was tough and barely smoked and the sausage seemed to have been under a heat lamp as it had developed a skin. Such is life

Jenni's Noodle House 3111 S Shepherd Dr Houston, TX 77098 (713) 523-7600

What I got here is a truly unusual soup. Mama Tran Shrimp Soup. This Vietnamese spicy and sour soup contains bean sprouts, okra, pineapple, tomatoes and fresh shrimp with a side of rice. I got a side of buckwheat noodles because I had never tasted them. The taste of the soup is beyond description but it struck a note with me. Well balance in a South East Asian way (sweet, spicy, sour and salty) The noodles were interesting but probably better in some sort of dish. The menu contains many interesting things

Jenni's Noodle House