Muffaletta -- Johnny's Po Boys, New Orleans, LA
The one thing you need to know about the muffaletta is that Ginger hates it.
 |
| HATES. IT. |
During
her own trip to New Orleans many moons ago, she stumbled upon Johnny's
Po Boys and dutifully ordered the sandwich, recommended by Scott Conant
on the NEW ORLEANS episode of Best Thing I Ever Ate. Needless to say, it did not go well.
 |
| The Restaurant That Launched a Thousand Olive-Based Grievances |
Not
only did Ginger complain about it at the time, but she has spent the
subsequent years rehashing what a waste of time and calories the
"monstrosity" (her word) was. Naturally, for all of these reasons, Vodka is DYING to try it, just to see what Ginger has been bellyaching about all this time.
 |
| Preparing to Be Horrified |
And guys? The muffaletta is delicious.
 |
| Beginning to Question the Trustworthiness of Ginger's Tastebuds |
Stumbling into Johnny's Po Boys for the day's second breakfast, Vodka and Whiskey Sour find the place bustling with
a mostly local, mostly male contingent. When we place our order for one
muffaletta, we are confronted with the baffling question: toasted or
cold cuts? Ummmm. Which one will not result in the version that left
Ginger ranting and raving for a decade?
 |
| Because We Want That One |
Our
cashier recommends the toasted option, and we settle against the wall to
wait, taking note of the beverage display, where alcohol is being sold
directly next to the orange juice.
 |
| We Love a Place That Serves Breakfast Booze |
Just like
our friends at Restaurant August, Johnny's Po Boys kindly splits our
sandwich in half and gives us each our own plate. Thankfully, we only
ordered one, as the muffaletta is enormous.
 |
| Good Thing This Is Today's Last Planned Breakfast... |
Stacked high with various
deli meats of the salami and ham varieties, it is enclosed between two
giant pieces of circular sesame bread. Melted cheese oozes out the
sides, holding all the components together, while an olive salad
peeks out between the layers.
 |
| And More Often Than Not, Falls Out the Sides |
Diving in for our
first bites, we are understandably skeptical. Based on our shoddy
memories, we believe the main component that Ginger was railing against
were the olives, and granted, one does need to enjoy olives in order to
like this sandwich. However, Vodka is far from an olive connoisseur (she
mostly likes them just in her martinis), but she is not offended by
them in this capacity.
 |
| Olives Best Served Stirred, Not Shaken |
At first, we are impressed by the muffaletta
mostly because of how much we expected to hate it. But after we later
wind up at the bitter end of a multi-hour boat cruise, cold and
starving, Vodka wishes she had packed the remainder of her sandwich to
go, thus proving it to be even more pleasing after some time away.
 |
| Makes for a Perfect Breakfast and/or Midnight Snack |
Of
course, that opinion stands in stark contrast to Ginger's, where
distance has only made her muffaletta-hating heart more hostile. Which
maybe proves that all culinary delights are in
the eyes, and the tastebuds, of the beholder.
No comments:
Post a Comment