What to Eat When You're Expecting

My wife gave birth to our daughter, Georgia Ruth, on Wednesday, May 30. The blessed event took place at Touro, and during the next few days I had a chance to investigate the food options surrounding that particular stretch of Prytania more thoroughly than I had previously.

I was well aware of the Delachaise, which has good food and a better list of wines by the glass. I was also vaguely aware of the Milk Bar, a sandwich shop on the Prytania end of the same block, with a door that opens onto Delachaise St, and which is connected by a hallway to the Prytania Bar. It's a neat place, with some interesting sandwiches on offer, in generous portions. The Wolf Me Down features roast lamb, tomato, onion, spinach, hummus and mozzarella; the Psycho Chicken is dressed with sun-dried tomato, onion, olives, mozzarella and pesto (along with the poultry, of course). The Milk Bar serves poor boys too, and in addition to the standards, there are chicken parmesan, roast lamb, and sauteed shrimp on that section of the menu. Check the place out if you're in the neighborhood, but bring your appetite; the portions are large.

The first night we were in the hospital, I saw an odd sight at the corner of Prytania and Aline, just outside of the entrance to the Prytania Bar. It was Dat Dog Express, and it was the first night of their operation at that corner. Darren Davis was running things, and he told me that he'd approached the folks at Dat Dog to gauge their interest in a mobile version of the operation. They were game, and all he needed to do was re-paint the cart that he'd previously been using to sell his own hot dogs and sausages.

The menu at the mobile Dat Dog operation is limited compared to the new digs the original has on Freret St, but there are both pork and beef hot dogs on offer as well as a changing selection of the sausages available at the mothership. Drinks are a step away at the Prytania.

Combined with the Delachaise, there are a lot of options for food in the block between Prytania and St. Charles at the moment. Things are staggered fairly well, too. The Delachaise opens at 5 p.m.; Dat Dog Express begins serving a bit earlier – though the precise time depends on when they get set up. The Milk Bar is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

In case you were wondering, Georgia Ruth and her mother are doing well. The tot has, in one week, already gained almost a pound. I predict she'll be walking in a month and doing my taxes by November.