I always inform readers if I encounter a tasty local dish that\u2019s entirely new to me.<\/p>\n
It happened recently at a relatively new place downtown called Cowboy\u2019s Mexican Bar and Grill (723 Ryan). I asked the waiter to reel off a few house specialties; he mentioned a duck quesadilla. I\u2019d never heard of such a thing, so I ordered one.<\/p>\n
Even though this was a quesadilla, it was deep-fried. Thus, the tortilla had the comforting, crispy taste of a fried wonton or chimichanga. There was just enough duck so that the duck taste was present. Most of the filling seemed to be a smooth, subtle, white cheese that tasted fine to me.<\/p>\n
Three distinctly different tastes and textures blended seamlessly in this appetizer, which was delicious. (Note: this dish is rich. You may want to divvy it up with your dining companions. It comes cut in four pieces.)<\/p>\n
One other note: the bartender here knew how to put a lot of salt on the rims of the big glasses used for the house margarita. Again, this combination yielded very tasty dividends.<\/p>\n
Seating at Cowboys Mexican Bar and Grill was comfortable; atmosphere was relaxing; service was friendly but not intrusive. I\u2019ll be back.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Google: Even Worse Than Oz<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s a big two thumbs down for Google for making its No. 2 \u201cLouisiana News\u201d story for Nov. 20 the article \u201cLouisiana needs to stop deficit spending,\u201d which had just appeared in the Shreveport Times. Even though I\u2019m just one person, I\u2019m going to give Google two thumbs down because I have two thumbs.<\/p>\n \u201cLouisiana needs to stop deficit spending\u201d was nothing more than one of those mass emails state Treasurer John Kennedy sends out every three or four weeks. I mean, I get an email bill from Entergy once a month. But I don\u2019t cut and paste it into my column and call it news.<\/p>\n We all know Kennedy sends out these emails for one reason: he\u2019s planning to run for some big office some day. Apparently we don\u2019t need to know what the office is. After the will-Edwards-be-elected-to-Congress? guessing game, the what-will-Kennedy-run-for? game is the most popular political guessing game in the state.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not saying Kennedy\u2019s piece was poorly written. It was well-written. For once, instead of just shouting \u201ccut the budget\u201d over and over, a politician provided a list of seven or eight specific budget cuts that could be made. And I agree with Kennedy. All the projects he targeted for cutting were just flab or junk.<\/p>\n The trouble with all this is that Louisiana has a budget of $25 billion. If you waste your time trying to cut stuff that amounts to $90,000 or $100,000, you\u2019ll just get lost in an ocean of figures and wind up with something like a $24.7 billion budget. If you want to make a serious dent in $25 billion, you shouldn\u2019t even consider stuff that costs less than several dozen million.<\/p>\n My gripe isn\u2019t with Kennedy (this time). It\u2019s with Google for making its No. 2 story something that\u2019s the equivalent of one of those flyers you get in the Sunday paper. Do people hand pick these top stories in Google news or does some machine just shoot them in automatically? Figuring out how Google works is like figuring out how the Land of Oz works. At least we have a movie to help us with that second one.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Now He Tells Us!<\/strong><\/p>\n Speaking of cutting spending … Gov. Bobby Jindal has all but declared his run for the U.S. presidency. And guess what? Just by coincidence, Jindal is suddenly opposed to cuts to Louisiana higher ed.<\/p>\n What a difference a candidacy makes. The Times-Picayune\u2019s Julie O\u2019Donoghue quoted Jindal administrator Kristy Nichols as saying, \u201cWe are going to make sure we sustain our investments in higher education.\u201d<\/p>\n And the University of Louisiana system president said, \u201cThe administration has indicated its commitment to protecting the state\u2019s investment in higher education … We do not anticipate a mid-year budget reduction …\u201d<\/p>\n It takes some time for some people \u2014 even governors \u2014 to figure out how to make a commitment. But will this new commitment last \u2014 even if Louisiana has to fill a $1.4 billion budget gap in 2015?<\/p>\n When O\u2019Donoghue asked Senate Finance Committee chairman state Sen. Jack Donahue \u201cif it\u2019s possible to both make the necessary spending cuts while also protecting higher education funding,\u201d Donahue said simply, \u201cNo, I don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n Oh, well. Jindal probably knows more about it. Now that he\u2019s made this new serious commitment to higher education, he\u2019s probably learned all kinds of things about higher ed. At least he has if he wants the relationship to last.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Is Somebody Ignoring Rich People?<\/strong><\/p>\n When it came time to compensate for Louisiana\u2019s mid-year budget gap (on Nov. 21), Jan Moller, director of the Louisiana Budget Project, Tweeted that \u201cmid-year cuts include mentoring\/probation for troubled youth, prison health care, tighter eligibility for pediatric day healthcare.\u201d<\/p>\n Troubled youth? Prisoners? Day care? Hey, what about all the cuts to spending on rich people? Did Moller just leave those out on purpose?<\/p>\n I\u2019ve got to admit that the Louisiana Budget Project people tell you right up front that they\u2019re working for \u201clow- to moderate-income families\u201d \u2014 in other words, people who are poorer than we are. I think maybe it\u2019s one of those not fair and biased things.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Very Best Thing You Could Think<\/strong><\/p>\n Just a week after the election \u2014 when the Democrats were still in charge, right? \u2014 the Senate voted not to reign in the NSA\u2019s spying on its own citizens.<\/p>\n So my reaction was: What\u2019s the point? Democrats in charge; Republicans in charge \u2014 the NSA can still track your cell phone calls or emails as much as it likes. In fact, it comes right out and says it is doing that and will continue to do it. Well, freedom isn\u2019t free, you know?<\/p>\n Even though the Dems were still in charge of the Senate when the vote on the NSA was taken on Nov. 19, I thought the Republicans might hammer the NSA on this one. After all, some politicos argue that today\u2019s Republicans are big on individual liberty.<\/p>\n Anyhoo, I figured that if Republicans believed in personal liberty, they\u2019d surely vote against a federal government agency having the power to spy on American citizens.<\/p>\n I should have been figuring, \u201cWhat\u2019s the point?\u201d Democrat or Republican, it\u2019s going to be NSA all the way? It\u2019s not going to be a bunch of senators standing up and saying, \u201cHey, let\u2019s find out what Brad Goins wants and vote for whatever that is.\u201d No, it\u2019s going to be a bunch of senators voting for domestic government spying.<\/p>\n What\u2019s the point? There might be some point in my listening to Bach\u2019s St. Matthew Passion or reading Milton\u2019s Paradise Lost or Shakespeare\u2019s King Lear. Maybe. But with politics, the default question is always, \u201cWhat\u2019s the point?\u201d And that\u2019s why it\u2019s essential to vote. Please remember that come election day.<\/p>\n Now some readers may be thinking, \u201cWhy would I care whether the NSA tracks my stuff? I don\u2019t post anything that endangers the government.\u201d And that just might be the very best thing you could think right up to the moment a bunch of men in black suits knocks on your door.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Genuine OG<\/strong><\/p>\n The term \u201cOG\u201d has been making the rounds a lot, perhaps because of the enduring popularity of the TV show Breaking Bad.<\/p>\n If I understand it correctly, OG means \u201coriginal gangster\u201d \u2014 a person who not only has a long experience as a gangster, but is also tough and intimidating.<\/p>\n KPLC-TV recently ran a story about the person who must surely be the No. 1 OG: Mary Morgan, of Albany, Ga. At the age of 90, Morgan was caught running a gambling parlor that also featured illegal liquor sales, a chop shop and a hangout for drug dealers. It sounds as if it was truly a \u201cdisorderly house,\u201d as the police called it.<\/p>\n The 90-year-old OG Ms. Morgan owned the house and, apparently, supervised the operation. Police said their raid on Morgan\u2019s stronghouse was the result of a long-term investigation.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what police seized from OG Morgan\u2019s hoppin\u2019 crib: $4,100 in cash, a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado, a 2003 GMC Yukon with a trailer, and assorted lawn equipment. Not bad for a 90-year-old.<\/p>\n Police arrested 15 others who were in the house, not one of whom\u2019s last name was Morgan. It was reported that some of them faced drug charges.<\/p>\n As an Irish policeman said in an old Eric Stanton cartoon, \u201cYe do not give up do ye, lassie?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Am I High?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m coming to think that everything \u2014 and I mean eh-vuh-ree-thee-en-guh \u2014 has changed during the Obama era. Take a recent news report by Don Rivers on local radio station Cajun 99.5, who stated that the Louisiana Cannabis Industry Assoc. had endorsed Bill Cassidy in preference of Mary Landrieu.<\/p>\n So a marijuana group is backing a conservative Republican who is called a moderate in favor of an old-school Democrat.<\/p>\n It\u2019s too deep for me. You explain it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I Don\u2019t Need A Criminal Attorney; I Need A CRIMINAL Attorney<\/strong><\/p>\n You may have heard that the Republicans in the House recently filed suit against President Obama for being a Democrat. On the very same day, the Robertsons filed suit against me for not being a hunter.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not too worried. I\u2019m being represented by \u201cEnglish\u201d Billy Boynton, resident of Wagon Rut, Texas. You may recall that a few years ago, English Billy persuaded the U.S. Supreme Court to declare, by a 9-0 margin, that it did not have the authority to function as a Supreme Court and did not have the authority to adjudicate on federal law. The weird thing was, given the specifics of the case, it was the best decision.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joke<\/strong><\/p>\n A man walks into a bar with a giraffe. While the man drinks his beer, the giraffe lies down for a nap.<\/p>\n When the man finishes his drink, he starts walking toward the exit door, leaving the sleeping giraffe lying on the barroom floor.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat a second!\u201d says the bartender. \u201cYou can\u2019t leave that lyin\u2019 there!\u201d<\/p>\n The man says, \u201cThat\u2019s not a lion. That\u2019s a giraffe.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I always inform readers if I encounter a tasty local dish that\u2019s entirely new to me. It happened recently at a relatively new place downtown called Cowboy\u2019s Mexican Bar and Grill (723 Ryan). I asked the waiter to reel off a few house specialties; he mentioned a duck quesadilla. I\u2019d never heard of such a [&hellip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":270,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[38,583,465],"yoast_head":"\n