Cap’n Ken’s Homespun Wisdom

I reported back in May that the 2006 property taxes owed on East Atlanta parcels owned by Inman Park Properties and various Jeff Notrica entities totaled more than $92,000. And three months later, Notrica has trimmed his outstanding 2006 East Atlanta property tax bills down to $48,831 according to DeKalb County records, but also has a date with the tax sale man looming in October. According to county records, tax sales have been scheduled for 20 of Notrica”s East Atlanta parcels, with the outstanding tax balances for those properties reaching $48,224.90 (including a pre-2006 balance of $7,136.79 for 462 Flat Shoals Ave.). Tax sale notices starting springing up on Notrica properties this week.

Notrica owes 2006 taxes on two additional East Atlanta parcels not included in the October tax sale as well.

Of course, it”s unlikely that these parcels will actually be sold for unpaid taxes. More likely, Notrica will come up with the amount owed before the sale deadline. Then he can start rounding up the $130,047 owed for 2007 taxes. Those are supposed to be paid by September. We”ll see how long it takes to get those paid.

Jeff Notrica properties in East Atlanta scheduled for tax sales:

1257 Glenwood Avenue - $1,030 owed
1267 Glenwood Avenue - $1,072 owed
1269 Glenwood Avenue - $974 owed
1321 Glenwood Avenue - $2,543 owed
1331 Glenwood Avenue - $604 owed

529 Gresham Avenue - $1,085 owed
535 Gresham Avenue - $2,136 owed
440 Flat Shoals Avenue - $4,167 owed
462 Flat Shoals Avenue - $11,598 owed
512 Flat Shoals Avenue - $16,652 owed
535 Flat Shoals Avenue - $536 owed

567 Flat Shoals Avenue - $534 owed
1336 May Avenue - $485 owed
1342 May Avenue - $369 owed
1350 May Avenue - $369 owed
487 Haas Avenue - $1,607 owed
0 Joseph Avenue - $803 owed

0 Gresham Avenue - $351 owed
0 Glenwood Avenue - $1,042 owed
0 Glenwood Avenue - $276 owed

As loyal readers of The Wisdom know, I”m a big fan of Alton Brown and Good Eats (although the current season is kind of disappointing. Whole fish? No thanks. Didn”t even watch that episode). And I enjoyed the heck out of the first season of Feasting on Asphalt, Alton”s motorcycle tour / eating show.

But the first episode of Feasting II left me puzzled and hugely disappointed in Alton and the gang. Feasting II is a culinary motorcycle trip up the Mississippi River (on land, of course), which should yield a bounty of food and culture, at least until they reach Memphis. Episode 1 took the crew from the mouth of the Mississippi to just north of New Orleans, a slam dunk for a food show if there ever was one.

They blew it. Completely.

First of all, except for post-production voice-overs, Alton goes out of his way to not call Katrina by name. What”s that about? Driving from Venice to New Orleans, they show shots of land-bound shrimp boats and wrecked buildings, but only talk about the storm in vague phrases like “a very nasty lady” and “a little storm they had here a few years ago.” Strange, but whatever.

So the team rolls into New Orleans at dinnertime, and their restaurant of choice? Mulate”s. That”s right, Alton picked a tourist Cajun restaurant as his showcase of New Orleans cuisine. On the show, they”re surprised to find that the place is packed with tourists and decide they need a new plan. Alton announces that he has “the name of a place” that”s supposed to be “real” but it”s “not listed”. Unfortunately, they can”t find it and end up eating tourist Cajun food in the street.

How the hell do you plan a food show trip to New Orleans and end up at Mulate”s (which Alton couldn”t even pronounce - it”s MU-lots, not Moo-la-tays)? We”re talking about America”s great culinary city here. As hard as it can be to figure out what”s open when in the post-Katrina world, this is a professional production by a supposed student of culture and cuisine. Inexcusably lame.

Alton also doesn”t seem to understand that Louisiana isn”t sweet tea country. It”s not the South, Alton, it”s Louisiana.

The other place Alton visits in New Orleans is Big Fisherman on Magazine Street. OK, it”s a local place, but it”s also Cajun. And not that the Atchafalaya wouldn”t make for a darn fine road trip, but this is New Orleans. Go to Central Grocery and show the world a real muffaletta, head over to Franky & Johnny”s for some “yat lunch or, hell, head over to Cooter Brown”s. Anything would have been better than following the trip to the Cajun tourist trap with another Cajun place … and then splitting town.

Alton gave the nuanced and complex New Orleanian food experience the shaft, and he should know better.

The rest of the episode was pretty good, as they got out of New Orleans and found some good … Cajun food in Vacherie and … Cajun andouille sausage and hog”s head cheese in LaPlace.

Episode 2 premieres tomorrow night, and they”re headed toward Baton Rouge. Maybe they”ll find some Cajun food there.

As if I hadn”t abandoned The Wisdom enough already (don”t worry - football season is almost here), I find it pretty difficult to compose thoughts with a week-old baby to care for. But for any old friends who aren”t already aware of where to find pictures of the sweet little girl, drop me a line and I”ll let you know.