Weltanshauung.
I think I am going to G.W. Fins. I know someone who met two of the chefs at G.W. Fins seafood restaurant catching flounder out of Lake Pontchartrain to serve tonight. Fresh fish is G.W. Fins stock in trade. Fresh fish is what the restaurant is known for. I know a sous chef there. All the fish is fresh at G.W. Fins—that is what makes it so delicious. Show me a person who does not love the fishes that are so delicious and I will call it a corpse.
Even a man who is pure of heart and says his prayers by night, he may become the Wolfman when the wolfsbane blooms and the moon is full and bright.
I had lunch with Vincent today. It was overdue. We had a lot to talk about. We did not talk about much. It was business as usual, bunting and banter. Every day in New Orleans is a parade the way that Mardi Gras is a moveable feast.
Two days have passed. It has taken me forever to write this. I went to G.W. Fins. before I talk about that, I want to share the cartoon from Thursday’s Wall Street Journal. The reason I find this apt will be apparent by the time we part company today.
I do not write restaurant reviews but I will observe that is always nice to know the executive chef, who was fishing for flounder, and the head waiter, who accompanied him. They were both working. The sous chef I know was not.
It is very loud at G.W. Fins. I found the cocktail menu pretentious and undrinkable.
Yesterday, I went to knock boots with California Girl. Just as I dislike going to the French Quarter, where G.W. Fins is located, I likewise try to avoid the Central Business District (CBD) where Gianna is.
Gianna is a mid-tier Italian restaurant that wants to be better than it is. It is in the Kalorama Building on Magazine Street. That building is a few years old but you would never know it. It is very beautiful, unlike most modern architecture.
The mixed nuts at the bar at Gianna are spiced and predominantly almonds mixed with peanuts and walnuts. I like to pick out the walnuts, which, like fish, are brain food.
As a creature of Mid-City, I avoid the parts of New Orleans frequented by conventioneers because my presence sometimes causes a stir. Such was the case yesterday when I was in the center of a kerfuffle.
I was reminded why I dislike the CBD last week when I had to go to the J.W. Marriott. For some reason, I keep coming back to this part of New Orleans for more. Happiness loves company.
I am going to put up the paywall because I want to tell you a very interesting story about what happened at Gianna.