It's good to know a po'boy preservation society exists. These dedicated folks organized the second annual Po'Boy Preservation Festival, happening this Sunday on five blocks of Oak Street in New Orleans. We were at last year's inaugural fest, and this year the same po'boy fanaticism is expected—panelists on the sandwich's history, a taste-test from local vendors, and even some love for the po'boy's Italian cousin, the muffuletta. Many theories exist as far as the naming genesis goes: a derivation of the French "pour boire" (literally means "to drink," but colloquially, a "peace offering.") Or they were the free sandwiches given to strikers (the poor boys) in a 1929 strike against a New Orleans streetcar company. Or just a Franglais... More

Photos from some of my recent trips to New Orleans. My friend Brett Anderson has just resumed reviewing restaurants in the New Orleans Times-Picayune for the first time since Katrina struck, according to the New York Times. He reviewed the classic New Orleans restaurant Mr. B's Bistro in his typically straightforward, clear-eyed fashion. Anderson lauded what he found delicious (barbecued shrimp) and fairly criticized what he found wanting (fried catfish). In other words he did what a good restaurant critic does. This is good news for Serious Eaters everywhere, who shouldn't need anymore reasons to visit the Big Easy to do some serious eatin'. When I last visited Brett in April he was already in reviewer mode, directing our... More

Editor's note: We just can't resist bringing you more po' boy info. By happy coincidence, our Serious Sandwich columnist, Zach Brooks, happened to have this sautéed shrimp po' boy on the slate for this week's installment. —Adam It takes a lot for a new sandwich to get recognized in New Orleans. It's already home to the Central Grocery Muffalatta, plus every type of po' boy imaginable (see Blake Killian's Po' Boy Festival post), including two that I've already written about here (Crabby Jack's duck po' boy and the soft-shelled crab po' boy I had Jazzfest). Now you can add the sautéed shrimp remoulade po' boy to that list. Shrimp remoulade (like the one from Susan Spicer's new book) is traditionally... More

Editor's note: This post marks the debut of our new New Orleans bureau chief, Blake Killian. When he's not out and about eating around New Orleans, he's blogging about what he's cooking up in his kitchen at Blake Makes. We're excited to welcome Blake aboard and eager to read all about what's going on in the Big Easy. He'll be along periodically to give us all the lowdown on what's going down in one of America's truly great food cities. —Adam Unfortunately the idea of a po' boy festival never materialized in food-crazy New Orleans until a couple of weeks ago, so my wife and I were thrilled to attend the first annual Po' Boy Preservation Festival on November 18.... More

Photograph courtesy of Jason Perlow Hoagies. Subs. Heroes. It doesn’t matter what you call them, they’re delicious. And every week, we honor a Serious Sandwich—or in this week’s case a serious po’boy. The Po’Boy in New Orleans is a sacred object, like the cheesesteak in Philly, or the pastrami sandwich in New York City. There are many theories as to the origin of the name, but many agree that it dates back to the early 1920s when free sandwiches were given out to striking workers, dubbed poor boys (shortened to po’boy by the thick Louisiana accent). And while some will argue about where the name came from, nobody argues about how it’s built. You start with a French-style baguette,... More