Living easy in the Big Easy

The race where the poster
is cooler than the shirt

Awesome weather in NOLA this past weekend, which seemed to ease the tensions of New Orleanians who are stressing over the drama besetting the New Orleans Saints.

It was great weather for the Crescent City Classic, which has to be one of the most popular races in Louisiana. EVERYBODY talks about it and so many people run it. One of these days I will run it too.

Was in New Orleans for business Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. Spent the night, and since it was my birthday week I treated myself to a very nice dinner at Cochon, which was not totally unawesome.

Cochon means pig in French. Not to disappoint my hosts, I became one enthusiastically.

Salad - pickled shrimp and thinly sliced radishes that didn't taste or offend like everyday radishes. Crunchy fried green tomatoes that evoked hundreds of years of my shoeless and toothless Southern heritage (in a good way).

Main course - melt-in-your-mouth brisket accompanied by sinus clearing horseradish potato salad.

The wine was not equally unawesome, but I forget the name.

The pig was I

Dessert and wine was conducted at the unremarkable Shula's Steakhouse located at the hotel. A chocolate souffle was pretty near divine, but by the time I finished I was so miserable I could hardly sleep.

Fortunately, I ran 3 miles on the treadmill Friday morning that seemed to make it all better. So says me.