What's for dinner tonight?

At my house, where not quite thirty of us are gathering soon for a late dinner/birthday party/UFC PPV event, it's the noble muffuletta. (If you've never heard of the sandwich, follow that link and read about it; I'll wait.)

I first encountered the muffuletta in Tallahassee in a small and short-lived restaurant that a Cajun man from New Orleans had opened on a shoestring budget. I fell in love with the sandwich immediately. The restaurant vanished almost as quickly.

The next time I had a chance to taste one was in New Orleans, and again I loved it.

Over the following years, I tried versions of it from many different restaurants, but none came close to the New Orleans original.

Then, some years ago, I decided to see if I could get them straight from the source. I could, and I did. Via the magic of FedEx and the application of entirely too much coin for any sensible person to spend on a mere sandwich, muffulettas from New Orleans' deservedly famous Central Grocery appeared on my doorstep. They did so again yesterday, as they have each year since that time.

If you're ever in New Orleans (or feel like spending way too much just to know what you've been missing), definitely wander by Central Grocery, order a quarter or a half of a muffuletta (unless your appetite is huge, more than that will cause you to burst), and enjoy.