My Turn: By Chef Steve Ahrons

My turn: by chef Steve Ahrons

ABOUT CHEF STEVE AHRONS

Steve Ahrons has owned Seiler Bar for the last 9 years and Columbia Street Tap Room & Grill for the last 22 years. He started his food and beverage career in the early 80’s bartending in Uptown New Orleans at popular hangouts like Shanahan’s, Tipitina’s and Fat Harry’s. In ’86 Steve moved to the Northshore and worked at Trey Yuen and Pat Gallagher’s Winner’s Circle. He flew the coop in the 90’s and worked everywhere from Aspen to Hilton Head to Maine and the Florida Keys. Steve now lives in Covington with his wife, Laura, and three children: Caroline, 15, Annie, 10, and Sam, 7.

HAMBONE 544 Girod St Mandeville LA, 70448 louisiananorthshore.com 985.778.0531

One of the unfortunate drawbacks of being in the restaurant business is that sometimes it can take an act of congress to get you out of your own place. Additionally, down or ‘off’ time is usually spent catching up on personal business or, after a particularly long, hard week, using the services of an ice pack, heating pad or Epsom salt bath to get you back into action for the week ahead. That’s why, when approached by The Edge magazine to dine at Hambone and share my experience with its readers, I jumped at the opportunity, and I’m thankful I did. Hambone is a great addition to our Northshore dining community.

Gumbo, in my opinion, is open to interpretation and shouldn’t be held to any certain guidelines. In many cases it can, however, provide a precursor as to how the rest of your meal will go. The gumbo at Hambone was a home run and immediately had my thoughts jumping to the food that would follow. In addition to the gumbo, my buddy and I enjoyed Oyster’s Marci. The baked oysters with the addition of fennel had me thinking of a lighter version of Oyster’s Rockefeller, which was perfect for lunch. Next out was the pickled shrimp poboy, fried chicken and a side of pork boudin, all of which were exceptional. The pickled shrimp poboy was a perfect summertime alternative to a traditional shrimp poboy – I particularly enjoyed the crunch of the pickled, local vegetables. Fried chicken is a special offered on Wednesdays and didn’t disappoint. The boudin had me regretting that we didn’t order another side dish, and was a welcome addition to our meal in lieu of more traditional sides.

Hambone falls into the growing sector of the restaurant business that provides a casual setting with a focus on serving great food, and they succeed at all levels here! Lunch was presented in a way that made it easy to share our meal and made it simple to taste several dishes without overeating. The food also reflects sourcing local products, which is key to helping support our local farmers.

Regretfully, I didn’t get to sample breakfast, but I will soon. There’s a theory amongst me and many of my fellow restauranteurs on the Northshore that I-12 draws a fine line in the sand as to where people will dine out. Those north will likely eat in Covington and those south Mandeville. If that holds true, I’ll be breaking the rules soon for a return visit to Hambone.