Speaking of BBQ and my recent visit to New Orleans, suddenly that town is a BBQ hotbed. New joints all over town where there was next to nothing before. Three new favorites are Frey on Bienville near N. Carrollton, Blue Oak a little further out on N. Carrollton itself, and McClures which is a "concession" inside the NOLA Brewing Company on that favorite street of tourists, Tchoupitoulas, 3000 or 3100, can't remember which.

All three have great meats, brisket, pulled pork, sausage, ribs, chicken. There are several important differences between New Orleans BBQ and other regional BBQ like Texas, the favorite smoking wood, favorite meat, sauce and sides. New Orleans doesn't have its own well-established BBQ traditions like other places, so there is really no stand-out favorite wood like mesquite in Texas and hickory in Tennessee. You will see oak varieties, pecan, fruit woods, etc. besides the old regulars just to name a few. Neither is there a single favorite meat like beef brisket in Texas and pulled pork in Tennessee and elsewhere. It's all open game. Third, in New Orleans you are offered a wide selection of sauces from other places. That would be heresy in Texas, S. Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, etc., which all have their regional stand-bys. But in New Orleans you can get smokey tomato or vinegar-based or mustard or whatever. Finally, what I have seen of the sides in New Orleans is that they are creative and excellent, clearly chef driven instead of grandma driven. Real mac-n-cheese, not the Velveeta variety. Ginger flavored, Asian style slaw, excellent roasted Brussel sprouts, and so on You might even call them professional.

Next time you get down there, be sure to try some 'que. You will thank me for it.