What would be your ideal meal to eat on a wide, deteriorating balcony overlooking misshapen live oak branches, in the middle of a hot New Orleans summertime? What time of day would you suggest partaking of this meal? (It’s low 70′s in the morning and high 90′s by afternoon.)

If we’re working with the sad assumption that bourbon is not a meal, not even in New Orleans, I’d have to go with a piece of grilled fish—whatever’s fresh—and a watermelon-habanera salsa. Middle of the afternoon. Wash it down with a bottle of Dixie, maybe? I’m not much of an Abita fan. It’d be worth finding out what the Napoleon House puts in its Pim’s Cup and making a couple of those. There’s also The Joint in the Bywater. Have you been there? Carryout ribs can make a great deal of sense any night or day.

AB: In the spirit of Andrew Ervin, I bought fresh fish from Langenstein’s and sauteed it and topped it with salsa. I am going to try the watermelon-habanera ASAP. I enjoy the devil-may-care gesture of eating in the dead heat of the afternoon, and oftentimes I find myself cooking a steak and eating it while sweat drips down my forehead.

Next week I will find carry out ribs from the Joint or another BBQ place, because as it happens, our next guest does not recommend cooking. At all. So there you have it!