When Irish Eyes Are Smiling

     Having lunch at 3 pm is a dangerous thing.  But that's what I did the Monday I was in New Orleans.  The meal at Mother's restaurant was nothing short of wonderful but I knew it would not hold me over till breakfast the next day.  So I devised a plan to assuage what I knew would be my late night hunger pangs.  I boarded the #11 bus that would take me back to The Chimes along Magazine Street.  But before my usual stop at Constantinople Street I departed at Third and paid the folks at Tracey's a visit.

     The Irish pub/restaurant has a storied past dating back to 1949 and has been a neighborhood hangout uptown for over six decades.  They also have an amazing menu of regional fare, including over a dozen types of po'boys.  Also among their offerings is the muffaletta, a monstrous sandwich made famous by the Central Grocery. 
 (see VinnyPost  June 21 )

     One muffaletta could alone feed a small family, being the size of a hubcap.  It is a huge roll stuffed full of lunch meats, cheese and topped by the signature chopped olive salad.  So I ordered a half sandwich to go and asked that the kitchen cut it in half.  While I waited for it to be prepared and wrapped I also enjoyed another regional delicacy, boudin balls.

     Happily on my way, after an interesting adventure in the dark to the cavernous second floor under renovation to view the plans for a banquet hall, I once again boarded the #11 bus for the few blocks back to my stop and walked back to my oasis at The Chimes.  Sure enough by 9 pm I was hungry and I devoured half of the half of that Sicilian sandwich.  By that time the olive oil had begun to seep into the roll making the sandwich even more flavorful.

     One advantage to the muffaletta is that it does not need refrigeration.  That is why it was the lunch meal of choice for the day laborers at the port of New Orleans during the beastly summer months.  So I kept the other half of my evening repast and after passing through the TSA security check at the airport, enjoyed it for my own lunch before boarding my flight home the next day.  It was all I needed and was a wonderful last meal in the Big Easy.