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Cajun Penicillin
Chow, Baby is a sick, sick puppy. Some evil form of Martian goat flu, or possibly just a common cold, is throbbing the head, blocking the sinuses, dripping the nose, flaming the brain, scratching the throat, aching the joints, hacking the chest, and generally sapping the will to live.
Of course, the will to eat never weakens. Following the motto “Feed a cold, feed a fever,” Chow, Baby zombie-walked over to the freezer and chipped out the remainders of its last visit to the greatest gumbo house in the world. The Boudin Shop & Country Store & Chicken on the Bayou (the sign is bigger than the shack it adorns) simmers shrimp and homemade andouille sausage in a thick, rich roux; tosses in diced onion, green pepper, and celery — the holy trinity of Cajun cooking — and tops it off with a secret blend of magical healing spices. Even with a stuffed nose, Chow, Baby could smell the sassafras.
The downside is, the Boudin Shop is 431 miles away, in Breaux Bridge, La. (The next time you happen to be halfway between Lafayette and the Atchafalaya Swamp, get off I-10 at exit 115 and head north about a block until you see a little ex-convenience store behind Landry’s. Order everything they’ve got — you won’t be sorry.) When the gumbo ran dry, Chow, Baby turned to Never Leave the House, Plan B: digging through the Chinese-restaurant menus piled up on the front porch. China Grill (7603 Flagstone Dr., off Trinity Blvd. and Loop 820, according to the flier) looked good, and was. For a couple of days running, those nice folks kept Chow, Baby alive with fresh, hot crab Rangoon, pan-fried dumplings, and won ton soup. Shrimp with broccoli ($7.95) was a special treat, with surprisingly large shrimp — not huge, just larger than they had to be — and crisp-sautéed veggies. If everything had an aftertaste of zinc, that was only Chow, Baby’s Cold-Eeze. Which isn’t working, by the way.
As good as China Grill was, after a few days of leftover fried rice Chow, Baby was craving a full meal. Yes, Chow, Baby was even ready to pony up the $7.95 (driver gratuity not included) for Entrees On-Trays (www.entreesontrays.com) to deliver a filetto alla David and some tiramisu from Sardine’s. No — make that one of Hoffbrau’s delicious rib eyes. No — pepper-coriander-crusted tuna mignon from Pegasus will chase that Martian goat flu right out of the East Side. Perfect for the housebound food-lover who’s been wearing the same pair of jammies for a week now. Chow, Baby got on the blower and, sounding remarkably like Tom Waits, hoarsely ordered the dinner of its Benadryl-fogged dreams. What? Denied! Entrees On-Trays doesn’t like the East Side! Chow, Baby offered to make it worth their while, but they refused to budge very far from Hulen. Fine. Bet the Boudin Shop would be happy to put a pot of their Cajun gold onto a LifeFlight copter if Chow, Baby begged prettily.
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