I am weeks behind the rest of the country in zealously cleaning out and organizing my pantry, closets and cupboards and scrubbing down every surface with sanitizer until it gleams but that is pretty much where I am this week. After a day of alphabetizing my very extensive spice cabinet the last thing I feel like doing is cooking with the stuff but for most of us dinner has become the highlight of the day. So, I was delighted to learn that both Cochon Butcher (930 Tchoupitoulas St., 588-2123, cochonrestaurant.com ) and La Boulangerie (4600 Magazine St., 269-3777, laboulangerienola.com) have resumed offering curbside take-out and delivery (through D’LiveryNOLA, 202-6720, dliverynola.com) after taking a couple of weeks off. This surely comes as an enormous relief to the bored and nervous employees of both restaurants, as it does those of us who are simply tired of our own cooking.
The Cochon Butcher menu features soups, salads and small plates including Italian chopped salad, crawfish pie and black-eyed pea chili, and sides of macaroni & cheese casserole, coleslaw, cucumber salad, chips, and Cochon Butcher B&B pickles. Heat and serve family meals that feed four include Gianna lasagna, chicken & dumplings, and jambalaya-stuffed chicken. Also on the Butcher menu are more than half a dozen sandwiches, including the Cochon muffuletta, shrimp po-boy and Cubano. Butcher house-cured meats include head cheese, mortadella, bacon, (sliced or slab), andouille, country sausage and our signature boudin. Also available from Cochon Butcher are La Boulangerie-made desserts – chocolate chip cookies and strawberry ice cream.
La Boulangerie offers its own menu at its uptown location. Pastry case options include everything from croissants, muffins and turnovers to bread pudding, chocolate chip cookies, a daily pizza option and freshly baked bread – baguettes, white loaf, sourdough, and more. Sandwiches include Le Poulet, l’Atlantique, smoked salmon bagel and avocado toast. Family meals for four include lasagna or roasted chicken, each served with two sides and fresh rolls. Pints of strawberry ice cream are available for dessert.
Both locations are selling beer, wines by the bottle, and cold drinks.
Good Karma Cafe (2940 Canal St.), a soothing plant-based retreat operated by brothers Goshi and Deshi Berg based on the non-violent principals of Ahimsa, followed by the Hare Krishna community, is continuing to offer twice-weekly pick-up opportunities for prepared foods, juices, tinctures, fresh produce, baked goods, and fermented and pickled items on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. All dishes are vegan and most are both gluten and soy free. Sign up for a weekly email by sending a request to goodkarmanola@gmail.com to receive a list of offerings one of two days. Invoices will then be sent via Square and must be paid by 5 p.m. on Tuesday to participate in the weekly pick-ups. Recent prepared offerings have included Malaysian curry with or without vegetables; lemongrass-coconut Basmati rice; Upma (not gluten free), a traditional South Indian porridge made of cream of wheat, vegetables and spices; and Mexican refried black beans.
Big Easy Bucha (4040 Euphrosine St.) is continuing to offer cashless and contact-free curbside pickup. Recent specials have included six-packs of Apple Pie kombucha for $10; 16-ounce six-packs of Streetcar Sipper, Front Porch Peach, or Cajun Kick for $15; eight-pack cases of Melon Magic or Bayou Berry for $10; and 16-ounce six pack cases of mystery bottles for $6. Order before 4 p.m. for next-day pickup by emailing hello@bigeasybucha.com.
The weather is glorious as we celebrate Spring as only we can in New Orleans. Take it in, take a walk, and connect/re-connect with the architecture and the foliage that make this such an amazing place. Use this time celebrate the people and the community you love and reach out digitally or over the telephone to uplift someone who is alone or stuck in a place with fewer inherent gifts. We need each other more than ever so take the time and make the effort to reach out. While you are at it make an effort to forgive past misdeeds and share some love. Please reach out to me if you have something to share or I can help in some way because You’ve Got A Friend in Me.
