Hello, and welcome to the CulinaryWoman Newsletter! I’m delighted to greet our new subscribers, many of whom were sent here by Dorie Greenspan. I hope you’ll enjoy my writing. If you’d like to support the newsletter, think about a paid subscription. You’ll get extra content during the week, including a heads up of what’s coming in the next issue, and become eligible for our giveaways. The latest winner is announced below.
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Bar Food Like You’ve Never Imagined
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you say “bar food?” Some might say snacks, like Chex Mix or popcorn. Others might name appetizers, like chips and queso or mozzarella sticks.
If you have been to England, it could be a ploughman’s lunch or Shepherd’s Pie, or possibly something more upscale at one of the gastro pubs.
Phil Whitmarsh has much loftier goals. The London-born chef runs the culinary program at Jewel of the South, the award-winning tavern on the edge of the French Quarter in New Orleans.
Many people have come to Jewel for its cocktail lineup, created by famed mixologist and partner Chris Hannah, served in a restored 1830 Creole Cottage.
But there is equal buzz about Jewel’s food. Phil’s latest menu includes roasted Wagyu beef short ribs, his signature black pudding, crisp tripe, tuna tartare, and celeriac cake (that’s a dessert). New Orleans chef Jason Goodenough, a great friend of this newsletter, ate there Friday night and came away raving about the cuisine.
I recently chatted with Phil about the challenge of doing ambitious food at a place equally known for cocktails.
Limited by space but not ideas
His work takes place in a kitchen the size of a postage stamp that greets visitors as soon as they come in the back door.
“We have two low boys and that’s it,” Phil says, referring to the kitchen’s small commercial refrigerators. There’s no walk in fridge, common in many large restaurants. That limits the type and amount of time ingredients can be stored. “Everything we get in on Tuesdays, we serve on Tuesdays. Everything we get on Wednesdays goes out on Wednesdays,” he says.
The menu has a very personal stamp. “I basically just cook the food I like to eat,” Phil says. “So, I want to have fun with what I’m doing.”
That includes his black pudding, far better known outside the U.S. than here. In case you’ve never eaten it, black pudding is usually made from pork or beef blood, with pork or beef fat (sometimes suet), a grain like oatmeal, and herbs. It’s related to blood sausage, but the grain gives it more texture.
Phil usually serves that all year around, and the adventure doesn’t stop there. “I think in this day and age, guests are open to eating things that might not make them feel uncomfortable, but different,” he says. “I mean, we sell tripe, we sell tongue, we sell black pudding, we sell a lot of vegetables as well.”
What you won’t find
One New Orleans feature that he resists offering is gumbo, even though he cooks it at home. “No one comes to New Orleans to eat an Englishman’s gumbo,” he says, laughing. “You can go anywhere else for that. I don’t think it needs me to make another.”
That said, visitors do wander in asking for it, perhaps because the original Jewel of the South, for which this tavern is named, is said to be one of the first restaurants in New Orleans to serve gumbo.
On Fridays, they may find something closer to Phil’s roots: fish and chips, which he recently made with red snapper. He and his cooks butcher the snapper, getting about five or six filets, then dredge it in rice flour and into a batter made with beer.
There’s plenty of demand for both food and drink, presented in an eye pleasing fashion. Jewel is much larger than it looks from the street. It seats 90 people on two levels and in a garden out back. It’s typical for the establishment to have 100 reservations per night.
“It’s pretty unique,” he says, “a little corner of the Quarter.”
So, if you’re in New Orleans and looking for innovative food as well as drink, stop by and let Phil feed you. But be sure to book ahead.
Phil Rosenthal, Back In The City He Loves
New Orleans was abuzz on Friday over its world famous visitor. Sure, French President Macron was here, but fans traveled from near and far to see Phil Rosenthal.
Phil’s Instagram Stories burst with photos of his meals, including visits to Camellia Grill, Mosca’s, and Miss River, whose proprietor, Alon Shaya, interviewed Phil on stage. (Alon was awfully good, which makes me a little nervous…)
There was lots of time for questions from the audience, which included visitors from Montreal, Minnesota, New Jersey and Florida. Asked how long he planned to keep making Somebody Feed Phil, he pointed out that the show actually has only been to 30 places. His wish list includes Germany, Australia, India and numerous spots in the U.S. (I’d love to see him travel to Detroit.)
One thing I did not realize is that Phil has tapped into the late Anthony Bourdain’s production company. Anthony had a worldwide network of contacts, which is reflected in the quality of places and people featured on Phil’s show.
After six seasons, Somebody Feed Phil is among the longest running original programs on Netflix. One thing the network tracks is the number of shows in a series that are viewed, and how many subscribers watch all the episodes. (I admit there are two in Season Six that I haven’t seen yet.)
So if you like his show, he joked, turn on the program at bedtime and let the episodes air consecutively while you sleep.
I didn’t stay for a photo, but there was an enormous line of fans waiting to meet Phil. Being funny and kind and enjoying food pay dividends, as it turns out.
We Have A Winner!
I’m delighted to tell you that Pat Willard has won the Bachan’s Japanese Barbecue Sauce gift pack. Pat, who lives in Brooklyn, is the author of four culinary books, and writes a Substack newsletter called America Eats!
Pat’s newsletter “is full of informative and funny stories that explore the impact food and cooking plays in our country's history, culture, and present day issues, and in our own lives as we gather about the table.”
Congratulations Pat, and thanks for supporting CulinaryWoman.
We have one more giveaway planned for 2022. I’ll announce it next Sunday and if you like entertaining, this will be a fun item to own.
A Happy Ending To A See’s Candies Disappointment
Just before Thanksgiving, I got an unhappy surprise in the mail. As I wrote for The Takeout, I ordered a $45 Advent calendar from See’s Candies. See’s has long been a favorite with the Maynard family and I figured that if I was going to order an Advent calendar this year, it would be from See’s.
Imagine my disappointment when I received the box you see above. There was no Advent calendar. A See’s representative blamed a mismatch between orders and its production capability. I got a refund, and figured that was it.
But last week, there was a happy ending. See’s sent me not one, but two Advent calendars, duplicates of some chocolates I had ordered and a gift card. I’m sure this response was because I wrote about the issue, but it showed great customer service and a willingness to deal with the mishap.
The second Advent calendar will now become a surprise gift for someone special, and my neighbors will be sharing in the extra chocolates.
Keeping Up With CulinaryWoman
My last book event of 2022 will be on Wednesday at 7 pm ET/6 pm CT. I’ll be appearing virtually with the Vilna Shul in Brookline, Massachusetts, the town where I lived when I was based in Boston.
Tickets are a suggested $18 and you can register here.
Satisfaction Guaranteed makes a great holiday gift, especially for business book readers and business school students. You can order autographed copies from Literati Bookstore in Ann Arbor.
I’m happy to send you a bookplate with a personalized dedication. Please provide a proof of purchase, the specifics of your dedication, and your address.
You can email me at culinarywoman at gmail dot com. It’s taking about four days for bookplates to reach recipients, so if you need one, please get in touch with me by Dec. 19.
Follow CulinaryWoman on Facebook, and @culinarywoman on Twitter (we’re still there for now). I am @michelinemaynard on Instagram and my New Orleans adventures are @micki_in_nola.
Please stay healthy and get your vaccines and flu shots. I’ll see our paid subscribers tomorrow with Red Beans and Advice, and everyone else next Sunday.