Don Knobel on the Radio, April 16, 2011
[dcs_p]I’m in Louisville with my cousin, Anthony Morelli. If you’re new to this blog, you may not know that Anthony runs what is left to run in the city of New Orleans. Anyway, Anthony likes his thoroughbreds, and we’re in Kentucky because he’s buying a horse. It’s a Saturday morning, and we’re driving on a country road en-route to a big name farm, and Don Knobel comes on the radio. He’s got a show called Down the Stretch on WKRD. It’s a weekly show, and Mr. Knobel knows his business. He’s talking horses, and then we find out he’s calling in from New Orleans because he’s down there reporting on the Louisiana Derby, which they run at the Fairgrounds.[/dcs_p]
[dcs_p]Since I’m formerly of the city, and Anthony lives on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, we’re getting a kick out of hearing him describe the wild things he’s been seeing on Bourbon Street. And then Mr. Knobel starts talking about the bad food he was served at one of Emiril Lagasse’s restaurants, and I’ve just got to laugh. Those big name restaurants in New Orleans are such God-awful tourists traps. They’re overpriced and overstaffed with snobby, white-gloved waiters who are trained to serve cold, uncooked steaks with an attitude. You can’t blame the waiters for the food, but I can’t tell you how many times Victor has had to set them straight. Not too long ago we were dining at one of those fancy uptown joints, and Victor got so fed up with the attitude and poor quality food that he went into the kitchen and started slapping the chef.[/dcs_p]
[dcs_p]I bet you’re thinking they called the cops. No way. They actually decided to cook our food. But if you don’t have the luxury of smacking around the help, you’re going to get a raw strip and cold soup and pay a buck-fifty for it. And the big names–the restaurants that get all the publicity–are the worst offenders. So I sympathize with Mr. Knobel. I truly do.
