(This venue is closed.) Boudin in bloom.
This loosely knit sausage of meat and rice (boo-Dan; sold by the link, 40 cents per ounce) can, in theory, be squeezed through the nipped-off top like a FrozeFruit. Though my first overeager squeeze busted things wide open, the photo below does give a glimpse of the boudin's peppery insides.
Murray, the owner of NOLA Grocery, gets his boudin from a Lafayette, Louisiana "hole-in-the-wall" that probably bears a resemblance to his own variety store, which makes room for a small kitchen area behind the counter (the sandwiches have a good reputation, too) and a open-air communal table in the garage next door. NOLA Grocery is "open early till real late," though Murray — who says he's gone to every day of JazzFest for the past 25 years — is unlikely to be on hand himself during the two weekends in question.
NOLA Grocery
351 Andrew Higgins Dr. (St. Peters-Tchoupitoulas Sts.), New Orleans
504-302-9928
www.NOLAGrocery.com
