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Red Fish Grill – New Orleans

Wednesday, January 8th, 2014 by virginia

The Red Fish Grill, a Ralph Brennan restaurant, was recommended to us by a friend of a friend. After we gorged on five dozen oysters at Luke Restaurant during happy hour, we were feeling pretty full and unmotivated to do anything too wild. We walked around the French Quarter for a while, listened to some live music while standing around on Bourbon Street, and then tried to pop into the Red Fish Grill for a late dinner. It was still pretty hopping in there, but the vibe was still casual and low key, so we put our names down, took another loop around the Quarter, and then settled at the bar with some Abita beers to wait for our table.

Fortunately we weren’t waiting there for too long before our number popped up, and after we settled our tab, we moved over to the main dining area. It’s a tall, airy space with large Alexander Calder-esque fish mobiles hanging from the ceilings. After debating for a while on what to order (the menu choices are actually a bit limited), we tore into the crusty french bread that was cleverly served in a white paper bag. The bread was wonderful, with a crispy crust that shattered nicely and an airy, chewy interior.

Crusty french bread

Josh had his eye on the BBQ blue crab claws so we split an order for our appetizer. His inspiration was the crab claws Provencale that we had at Arnaud’s during our last trip. While we were disappointed with our overall meal at Arnaud’s, Josh loved those buttery, garlicky claws with a dash of Pernod that paired so well with the crab flavor. Sadly, these were nothing like those claws. Part of the issue was that we misunderstood what New Orleans style barbecue means, which does not refer to grilled or smoked, but rather, cooked in a sauce comprised mostly of butter, Worcestershire sauce, and creole seasoning. We didn’t know that at the time, and so we were a bit perplexed when we received breaded crab claws that had either been fried or baked, sitting in a bowl of brownish sauce that tasted mostly of butter and unidentifiable seasonings. We didn’t love the sauce, which didn’t have a lot of discernible flavor, and the crab meat got a bit lost under the breading. My favorite part of the dish was cheddar scallion biscuit on the side, which hard and dense but softened up when soaked into the buttery sauce, and had a nice cheesy taste. I was not a fan of this appetizer in general, and although Josh didn’t dislike it as much as I did, he conceded that it didn’t compare to Arnaud’s crab claws.

BBQ crab claws with cheddar-scallion drop biscuits

Our confusion regarding New Orleans style barbecue also translated into our entree order of BBQ shrimp and grits. While this time the shrimp did seem like it had been grilled, the dish was covered in the same brownish barbecue sauce as the crab claws. However, in this case, the sauce worked. The buttery sauce acted as a gravy and bound the shrimp with the cream cheese grits underneath. The shrimp were well seasoned, and I appreciated that they kept the heads on, which is my favorite part. On the downside, I was surprised to see that the fried green tomatoes had been cut up and were mixed in with the shrimp and sauce, as they got a bit lost in the mix.

BBQ Gulf shrimp and grits with fried green tomatoes

For our other entree, we picked the black drum, a local fish. It was grilled and served with bacon braised brussels sprouts, roasted portobella mushrooms, and a charred tomato lobster beurre blanc. The drum was very meaty though mild tasting. The sauce prevented it from getting dry, but I didn’t detect much lobster flavor. I was also surprised and disappointed to see only two and half brussels sprouts on the plate, and they didn’t taste much like bacon. The mushrooms were a nice accompaniment though and added a bit of bulk to the dish.

Wood grilled black drum with brussels sprouts and portobella mushrooms

Josh surprised me by ordering dessert at the start of our meal, since we weren’t that hungry to begin with, and we’re generally not dessert people. He got the double chocolate bread pudding, which needs to be ordered in advance rather than at the end of the meal because it takes 20 minutes to prepare. I think he was inspired to order bread pudding because we both had been dreaming about the creole bread pudding souffle with warm whiskey cream from Commander’s Palace that we ate on our previous trip. We had hoped to make it back there this time around for their incredible lunch specials and 25 cent martinis but ultimately decided that it would probably be too upscale for J to enjoy. This bread pudding was very different in that it was chocolate based, not vanilla, but it was still pretty delicious in its own right. The middle of the bread pudding was soft and fluffy, similar to chocolate souffle, while the edges were crispier and chewier. Although we didn’t ask for it with ice cream, it was brought to us a la mode with vanilla ice cream on top. We were a bit annoyed that they charged us more for that when we didn’t order it, but the ice cream was a good addition and helped to cut through the richness of the chocolate. White and dark chocolate ganache was poured over the top table-side, making it a truly decadent and chocolatey experience.

Double chocolate bread pudding with vanilla ice cream and white and dark chocolate ganache

Overall, I was slightly disappointed with our meal at the Red Fish Grill. I think I was just expecting a bit more, and the food was really sort of meh; not bad, not great. The restaurant has received a lot of accolades, and it was recommended to us by a local, so perhaps my expectations were set too high. Even though our appetizer and entrees were properly prepared and nicely presented, none of the dishes wowed us with flavor. There was just a slight chain restaurant vibe to everything, which made the prices a bit of a shock. There was only one seafood entree under $20 (catfish and shrimp creole at $18), with the rest ranging from $25-$33. Appetizers were a bit more reasonable at $7-$9 for soups and salads and $9-$10 for starters. A dozen raw oysters was $15. Portions were decent but not huge. I was also a bit surprised by how limited the menu was. There were only six seafood entree choices, plus one chicken and one steak entree. It’s definitely a fish-centric restaurant, so if you’re dining with people who are seafood-averse, they won’t have much to choose from. I did like the atmosphere though, casual and bustling, and I might hang out at the bar once in a while if I lived in New Orleans. As a visitor, however, I didn’t find the food very special, and it’s not someplace that I would plan on going back to the next time we’re in town. There are so many other places with better food at cheaper prices, and I just don’t think it’s worth it.

Red Fish Grill
115 Bourbon St.
New Orleans, LA

Tags: Crabs, Desserts, Grits, Louisiana, New Orleans, Seafood, Shrimp
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Muffaletta Round-Up – New Orleans

Sunday, January 5th, 2014 by virginia

Muffaletta, a sandwich made from round Sicilian bread stuffed with Italian cold cuts, cheese, and olive salad, is another iconic New Orleans food. During our last trip, we tried the “original” muffaletta from Central Grocery and loved the combination of the soft focaccia-like bread, the savoriness of the cured meats, and the sharp brininess of the olive salad. I enjoyed it so much that I made Josh bring home a whole sandwich (they’re so big that they’re sliced into quarters and can be bought as a half or a whole; a quarter is a good-sized sandwich for one) after his conference ended. The bread suffered a bit from the travel/plane ride, but that olive salad was still great.

This time around we decided to try out some other muffalettas. The version from Cochon Butcher, the more casual sandwich outpost of Donald Link’s Cochon Restaurant, has gotten great buzz, so we headed over there for a late breakfast/early lunch.

Cochon Restaurant actually played a small part in the inspiration for this trip. We had been watching a movie with Jason Segel called Jeff Who Lives at Home, which takes place in Louisiana, and Cochon was featured in one of the scenes. While the movie was on, I was reading articles about it and learned that Jason Segel had gained over 20 pounds during filming because of all the great food in New Orleans. The funny part about the weight gain is that the movie is supposed to take place over the course of one day, so you can see his character thinner in one scene and then visibly bigger in another, even though no time has passed in the movie itself. It made me think about all of the great food we had eaten in New Orleans on our previous trip, and all of the great food we didn’t get to eat.

Josh and I usually don’t like to travel back to places we’ve been before because we feel like there are so many places we haven’t seen yet. With the arrival of Baby J, however, we’ve had to amend our way of traveling – less exotic, more low key – so I suggested making New Orleans the starting point of our trip, but also adding in cities where we haven’t visited before. It was a win/win situation.

Anyway, while I would have liked to eat at Cochon Restaurant, I thought that J would be better off in the less formal Cochon Butcher. She’s pretty good in restaurants but still has a habit of throwing food all over the floor, and I was afraid of her making a mess or causing a scene. Unfortunately, we got there right when a huge medical conference at the nearby convention center let out for lunch, so there was a huge line of doctors waiting to order food. J was getting fussy so I walked her around the block a few times while Josh stood in the line to place our order. Cochon Butcher is pretty small inside and I didn’t want to try to navigate her stroller around all the people. Luckily there were a few tables outside and I was able to nab one and park her stroller away from the crowd. It was a warm day and sitting outside was actually quite nice.

The long line at Cochon Butcher

Our food was delivered to us shortly, including the much-anticipated muffaletta. It’s definitely a “chef-y” version of the sandwich, with high quality, thicker cut meats that are cured in-house. It’s also a lot smaller than Central Grocery’s version, although still plenty of food.

Cochon muffaletta

The bread was fluffier and lighter, which was also different, but the biggest disappointment was the olive salad, which I don’t think was as briny and didn’t have a lot of impact. The biggest issue was that there simply wasn’t enough of it, so it got kind of lost between all the bread and the meat. Don’t get me wrong – the sandwich was still delicious. It was served warm and the cheese was all melty, which I liked. But it was more of just an upscale Italian style sandwich rather than what I think of when I think about eating a muffaletta.

Autopsy shot

We also ordered the pork belly sandwich, which came on white toast and was topped with a cucumber-mint salad. The pork belly was tender and flavorful, as you would expect from good pork belly. However, I thought it was just maybe slightly underdone. The pork belly was definitely cooked through, it just wasn’t as caramelized as I thought it would have been so that it would melt in our mouths. But maybe that’s just how the sandwich is supposed to be. It was still a delicious sandwich, with the refreshing salad to cut through the fattiness, but it didn’t have that wow factor.

Pork belly with mint and cucumber on white

We also got an order of boudin, which is a Cajun style sausage that is made with ground meat and rice mixed together. We were looking forward to eating the boudin in Lafayette, where it’s more well-known, but Michael the concierge told us not to miss Cochon’s version. It was intensely meaty, with a bit of a funk to it that I think comes from chicken liver. It was the first boudin we’ve ever tasted, and we were big fans. It was wonderful with the whole grain mustard and sweet pickles on the side.

Hot boudin

Lastly, we got some pancetta mac and cheese, which was our favorite dish of the meal. The sauce was creamy and cheesy, as expected, and the pancetta added a savory, smoky aspect. The top was nicely browned, and it was just a bowl of comforting umaminess.

Pancetta mac-n-cheese

Overall I really liked Cochon Butcher, although the sandwiches themselves didn’t knock my socks off. It’s a great place for a low key meal with quality ingredients at a reasonable price. Plus when he dropped off our food, the waiter said, “nice order, bro”, which made me a bit proud and predisposed to enjoy it.

Josh was more disappointed with Cochon Butcher’s muffaletta than I was, so we decided to pick up a half from Central Grocery the next day and eat it back in our room later that evening. This was after our breakfast/lunch at Domilise’s and Casamento’s, and our long walk from Uptown back to the French Quarter. Since Central Grocery closes at 5 pm, we got half a muffaletta to go, and then walked over to the Napoleon House for a drink and late afternoon snack/early dinner.

Napoleon House is known for two things: inventing the Pimm’s Cup, and their hot muffaletta sandwich. We were hungry but not starving so we decided to share a half; it’s size is more similar to Central Grocery so a quarter for each of us was definitely plenty. I actually thought the sandwich would be hotter and more toasty, but it was just slightly warmed through and the cheese was barely melted. It was fine though, and the flavors were generally spot-on for me. However, visually, the proportions were off and the sandwich is constructed differently from Central Grocery’s version. Here, the bread is thicker and softer, and the cheese acts as a barrier between the olive salad and the bread, which prevents the olive oil flavor from soaking in. Nevertheless, there was a lot of olive salad, which I liked because the flavor was nicely pronounced, and there was a fairly thick layer of meat to balance everything out. While I enjoyed Napoleon House’s muffaletta quite a bit, Josh was still focused on the Central Grocery muffaletta.

Hot muffaletta

The Pimm’s Cup was a pleasant surprise for me, since I typically don’t like gin-based drinks. It’s a combination of Pimm’s #1, lemonade, and 7-Up, garnished with a slice of cucumber. However, this tasted mostly like potent lemonade and was actually quite refreshing. It wasn’t overly sweet, and I could enjoy drinking a lot of this on a hot summer’s day.

Pimm’s cup

We also ordered a portion of jambalaya with our sandwich for J to snack on, but she was more interested in running around. It was a pretty good version, not too smoky, with lots of sausage mixed throughout.

Jambalaya

The atmosphere at Napoleon House is part of its appeal. The bar has a ton of history and looks it on the inside. It’s dark with a classic, European feel to it, and old pictures and paintings hanging on the walls. We were a bit nervous about whether it was baby-appropriate, but the hostess was very gracious and seated us in a near-empty room where J wouldn’t bother anyone. Our waiter was great too, attentive but unobtrusive. He didn’t mind when J started taking a few laps around the empty tables. It’s definitely a place where I could see hanging out for a quiet drink in a historic setting away from the craziness of Bourbon Street.

The interior of Napoleon House

After Napoleon House, we walked around a little more and then called it an early night. We knew we’d be hungry later so we picked up another fried shrimp po’ boy from Verti Marte to go with our half muffaletta from Central Grocery. When we finally cracked into the muffaletta, it was just as we remembered. Soft bread, not too dense or too fluffy, slightly oily from the olive salad soaking into it, and the perfect ratio to the meat and cheese. And that olive salad – bright and briny with a slight kick – it packs a punch of flavor into the sandwich.

The original muffaletta from Central Grocery

The Central Grocery muffaletta

I guess it’s no surprise that Central Grocery reigns supreme as our favorite muffaletta. What really puts it over the top is the tangy and spicy olive salad that just bursts with flavor. It’s also the first muffaletta sandwich we ever ate and is the standard that we use to compare all other muffalettas. That’s not to say that we didn’t enjoy the other versions we tried on this trip. I thought Napoleon House had a pretty good example of a hot muffaletta, and I enjoyed the slight meltiness of the cheese in the sandwich. And Cochon Butcher’s muffaletta was still delicious, with the best meats and cheese out of the bunch. If I had to deconstruct a muffaletta and eat each component separately, Cochon’s would be the one I would prefer to do that with. But as a whole, nothing beats the original.

Cochon Butcher
930 Tchoupitoulas St.
New Orleans, LA

Napoleon House
500 Chartres St.
New Orleans, LA

Central Grocery
923 Decatur St.
New Orleans, LA

Tags: Jambalaya, Louisiana, Macaroni and Cheese, New Orleans, Pork, Sandwiches, Sausage
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Po’ Boy Round-Up – New Orleans

Saturday, January 4th, 2014 by virginia

Prior to our arrival in New Orleans, Josh and I had two main goals for the NOLA portion of our trip – to eat as many oysters and po’ boys as we could. Having eaten over 10 dozen oysters in three days, I think we accomplished that goal pretty well. As for po’ boys, we didn’t do too shabby in that regard either.

Immediately after we checked into our hotel and left our bags with the bellhop (our room wasn’t ready yet since it was still morning), we headed a few blocks down to Mother’s Restaurant for a late breakfast/early lunch. I’ve always read great things about their po’ boys with debris and wanted to try it out. Josh had eaten there without me during our last trip to New Orleans (he stayed a few extra days for a work conference after I flew home) and wasn’t impressed, but I convinced him to give it another shot.

Turns out he had ordered the Famous Ferdi Special last time, which is a po’ boy with baked ham, roast beef, debris, and gravy. I had read that just the plain roast beef po’ boy with debris and gravy was the way to go, so we decided to split a large one of those. The slices of roast beef were pretty tender but the real star was the debris, which is basically the shreds of roast beef that fall apart into the gravy. The resulting meat was juicy and flavorful, and there was a tangy slaw on top that helped cut through the richness of the beef. The gravy soaks through the bread and although it does get a bit soggy, we were still able to devour the sandwich with relative ease.

Roast beef po’ boy with debris and gravy

We also split a biscuit sandwich with black ham. Black ham is basically the caramelized ends of the baked ham, which has an incredibly flavorful crust. The ham was delicious, meaty and slightly sweet, although it a bit dry. The biscuit was more cakey than flaky, but it worked well to contain the pile of ham.

Biscuit sandwich with black ham

The ordering process at Mother’s is pretty efficient. People line up to place their orders at the front of the restaurant, and then find seats in the back rooms. Waitresses will then look at your receipt and deliver your order. Since we had J with us in her stroller, they let me find a seat first while Josh stood in line. Although the line was long, there was plenty of seating available so it wasn’t a big deal. It’s a much larger place than it first appears. Most of the tables are big and round, and I guess when they’re really busy, seating may be communal. Despite Josh’s reservations from his previous visit, we really enjoyed the food at Mother’s, and he was happy to have tried it again.

Our second po’ boy on the trip was a recommendation from the bellhops at the Hilton St. Charles. They suggested we try out Verti Marte, which is basically a little deli/grocery store on the outskirts of the French Quarter. There is no seating at Verti Marte, so we got a fried shrimp po’ boy to go, intending to eat it later back in our room as a post-dinner snack.

After walking around the French Quarter, stopping for beers to go on Bourbon Street, as well as dinner at Felix’s, we ended up back at the hotel. In the interest of full disclosure, this was also the night we picked up two dozen charbroiled oysters from Drago’s. Quite the little piggies we are! Even though we were already full from the first dozen charbroiled oysters, I was looking forward to cracking open the Verti Marte po’ boy. I was worried that it would be a soggy, disgusting mess from being left in the bag for several hours while we were out and about, but to our surprise, the sesame seed-studded bread was remarkably fresh. While the shrimp were no longer hot and crispy, as I’m sure they were when the sandwich was first made, they were still plump and delicious.

Fried shrimp po’ boy

The best part of the po’ boy was definitely the shrimp, which were large specimens coated with a tasty, well seasoned breading. The sandwich was dressed with lettuce, tomatoes, and mayo, which helped prevent the shrimp from drying out but didn’t overwhelm the flavor. We were shocked by just how good this po’ boy was, even though it was cold and had been sitting around for hours.

Autopsy shot

The next morning, we ventured further out to the Uptown area of the city to check out Domilise’s Po-Boy & Bar. Michael, the concierge at the Hilton Riverside, who was our inside source of restaurant information, said that while it was a neat place to check out, the po’ boys were just ok. His assessment was pretty spot-on.

Domilise’s is located in a pretty residential area, surrounded by private homes. It was a bit of a hike from the St. Charles Streetcar, but we enjoyed seeing parts of the city that most people do not experience outside of the French Quarter. The decor at Domilise is part of its draw – there are photos of patrons hanging on the walls going back many years. Some are recognizably famous (the Manning brothers feature prominently, which is cool for Giants fans such as ourselves), most are not, but one could spend hours poring over each photo.

Menu board and some of the photos on the wall

We ordered our po’ boys up front at the counter by the fryers, and drink orders are placed at the bar. When our sandwiches were ready, we picked them up at the counter. We decided to split a large roast beef po’ boy and a large fried shrimp po’ boy. Each sandwich came in three pieces and was way more food than we needed; a small would have been plenty of food. The roast beef was dressed with mayo, lettuce, pickles, yellow mustard, creole mustard, and gravy. Sadly, the beef was extremely dry. The gravy was tasty, and I liked the kick from the creole mustard, but the dressings did little help with the poor texture of the meat.

Roast beef po’ boy fully dressed

The shrimp po’ boy fared slightly better, but not much. The shrimp were freshly fried and crispy, but they were small and tasteless, not at all like the shrimp on the Verti Marte po’boy. All I tasted was the breading on the shrimp, which wasn’t very seasoned, and not the actual shrimp themselves. The sandwich was dressed with mayo, lettuce, pickles, ketchup, and hot sauce. I thought the ketchup was a bit weird but I didn’t mind it. I did end up adding more hot sauce, as well as some creole mustard, to the po’ boy to try to bump up the flavor a bit.

Fried shrimp po’ boy

After Domilise’s, we stopped in for lunch at Casamento’s (if you consider our po’ boys “breakfast”), and then took a long walk back downtown on Magazine Street. It’s a neat street, with lots of cute shops and galleries and tons of restaurants and bars mixed in with some beautiful residential homes. Back in the French Quarter, we walked around, took some pictures, had a drink and snack at the Napoleon House, and then decided to stay in for the night. We picked up a few provisions, including another fried shrimp po’ boy from Verti Marte. Again, it was a few hours before we ate it, but again, it was still really delicious.

The second leg of our trip was Lafayette, Louisiana, which is about a two hour drive from New Orleans. We picked up our rental car on Wednesday morning and decided to check out a few places in the Mid-City area before leaving town. After an incredible fried chicken “breakfast” at Willie Mae’s Scotch House, we stopped at Parkway Tavern & Bakery and picked up a roast beef po’ boy and a fried shrimp po’ boy to go, intending to eat them on our drive to Lafayette.

Then we immediately headed to Liuzza’s By The Track to try out their famous BBQ shrimp po’ boy.

New Orleans style barbecued shrimp is not as it sounds. I looked up recipes after our trip because I was completely befuddled by it. It’s neither grilled nor smoked. Rather, it just means that the shrimp is cooked in a sauce made with tons of butter and Worcestershire sauce, as well as creole seasoning, garlic, and lemon. On paper, it sounds fantastic. However, I just found the sauce to be oddly thick, oily but not buttery or rich, and surprisingly bland. I guess there was a hint of garlic, but not much. I made sure to stir up the seasonings that had settled on the bottom and it was still pretty flavorless.

The shrimp in the New Orleans style barbecue sauce

We actually got the po’ boy to go because J was already asleep in the car, but we ate it immediately sitting outside the restaurant so I don’t think the integrity of the dish was compromised. We got a container of the shrimp in the sauce and a hollowed out roll of crusty french bread separately, so that it wouldn’t get soggy. I spooned the shrimp and sauce into the bread to form the po’ boy. They definitely gave us tons of shrimp, more than could fit into the bread, but we just didn’t enjoy the flavor of the sauce.

The constructed BBQ shrimp po’ boy

We also got a cup of their creole gumbo, which is made with a dark roux and contains shrimp, sausage, and chicken. This was pleasantly complex and hearty. I could see eating a lot of this on a cold day with some of their excellent french bread.

Creole gumbo

We were kind of disappointed by the BBQ shrimp po’ boy so we decided to try out Parkway’s roast beef po’ boy before we officially hit the road. The regular-sized po’ boy (not the large) was huge and probably weighed about a pound. There was a ton of roast beef spilling it, and it looked very promising. The beef shredded easily, like the debris at Mother’s, and was dripping with gravy. Unfortunately, the meat was incredibly bland. The standard dressing of shredded lettuce, tomato, and mayo did little to help the issue. What the sandwich needed was a good dose of salt, and maybe some of that tangy slaw that Mother’s uses on top of their roast beef po’ boys.

Huge roast beef po’ boy

We ended up not eating Parkway’s fried shrimp po’ boy until later that night in Lafayette, as a sort of midnight snack in our hotel room, which meant it was sitting around for a while. Fortunately, it was still very good. The bread definitely suffered and was a bit of a soggy mess, but the shrimp were still tasty. They were large, not overly breaded, and well seasoned, giving the po’ boy more flavor than its roast beef counterpart. I’m sure if we had eaten it fresh, it would have been even better.

Fried shrimp po’ boy

So the final verdict? Mother’s took the roast beef po’ boy title pretty easily. The beef was tender, the gravy was flavorful, and that tangy, crunchy slaw just put it over the top. Parkway’s roast beef had the potential to be a great po’ boy, as their sandwich had the most meat and was probably the best quality, but the meat was just way under seasoned and basically flavorless. Domilise’s roast beef was simply too tough and dry, though I liked the combination of mustards and mayo in their dressing.

In terms of shrimp po’ boys, Verti Marte was the clear victor, hands down. Their fried shrimp po’ boy was so good that we ate it twice, cold both times, and loved every bite. I would go back there in a heartbeat, and maybe try to eat it hot next time, standing outside the store. They had the largest shrimp and the most seasoned breading. Parkway’s fried shrimp po’ boy was also delicious cold, though the bread suffered a bit. The shrimp were the second biggest and also well seasoned. Domilise’s fried shrimp po’ boy was clearly at the bottom of the pack, with small, overly breaded shrimp that lacked seafood flavor.

The BBQ shrimp po’ boy from Liuzza’s By The Track was a bit of an outlier, as it was vastly different from the fried shrimp po’ boys, and it was probably my least favorite sandwich out of the bunch. I really was just not a fan of the New Orleans style barbecue sauce, but that’s just a personal taste.

Po’ boys are everywhere in New Orleans, and I’m sure there are plenty of great places that we didn’t get to try. Based on our experience, I think Mother’s has pretty good food and is a NOLA institution that shouldn’t be missed, and Verti Marte is one of those hidden gems that you would only find out about if you talk to the locals. Both are worth a visit if you’re in town.

Mother’s Restaurant
401 Poydras St.
New Orleans, LA

Verti Marte
1201 Royal St.
New Orleans, LA

Domilise’s Po-Boy & Bar
5240 Annunciation St.
New Orleans, LA

Parkway Bakery & Tavern
538 Hagan Ave.
New Orleans, LA

Liuzza’s By The Track
1518 N Lopez St.
New Orleans, LA

Tags: Biscuits, Gumbo, Louisiana, New Orleans, Sandwiches
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Oyster Round-Up – New Orleans

Friday, January 3rd, 2014 by virginia

Josh and I both love to eat raw oysters, and there is no shortage of oyster bars in New Orleans. It was our second time in the Big Easy, and even though we spent a great afternoon at the Acme Oyster House on our previous visit, we tried our best not to repeat restaurants this time around. With oysters, it was easy to find new places to try.

Our first experience with raw oysters on this trip was John Besh’s Luke Restaurant. It was a convenient stop for us, as we were staying the night at the hotel that the restaurant is located in, the Hilton St. Charles. We had heard about their great happy hour special – 50 cent oysters and half off on beers and wine, which is offered every day from 3-6 pm. Although it was too late for us to reserve a table when we called, we were told that bar seating was available on a first come basis. We dropped off our stuff in our room and headed downstairs precisely at 3, the start of happy hour. Not surprisingly, the bar was already full, so we hovered in the corner and ordered a round of beer and a dozen oysters.

Truthfully, I did feel a bit conspicuous standing at the bar holding a 14-month old baby, but fortunately, a few seats opened up almost immediately and we were able sit in the middle of the bar with Baby J on our laps. If anyone disapproved, no one said anything to us. The bartenders were incredibly accommodating, stopping to chat and make silly faces at her, and even filled up her sippy cup with milk after she ran out. Our oysters were delivered promptly, along with an order of fries we got for J to snack on.

Happy hour at Luke – 50 cent oysters, half priced beer, and milk in a sippy cup. Plus french fries.

The oysters were gorgeous specimens – big, plump, and juicy. They were nicely presented on a bed of crushed ice with lemon, horseradish, and ketchup. These oysters were deliciously briny and refreshingly cold, tasting of the sea. Our only complaint was that they were pretty gritty. I guess with the volume of oysters that they were cracking open during happy hour, they don’t really have time to clean them properly. Too bad, because the oysters themselves were really great, but it was annoying to have to keep pulling bits of grit out of our mouths.

Oysters up close

Still, we put away 5 dozen oysters between the two of us, and probably could have done even more except we were saving room for dinner. At $6 a dozen, it’s a hard deal to beat. Plus the fries were fantastic – thin, hot, and wonderfully crispy. With half-price beers at around $3.50 each, it was a pretty inexpensive way to spend an afternoon considering the amount and quality of the seafood we were receiving.

The next night, we tried out the oysters at Felix’s, which is right across the street from the Acme Oyster House. While there was a line out the door at Acme, Felix’s was pretty empty, with someone standing outside trying to get people to go inside. Generally that’s not a good sign, but I had read good things about Felix’s so I was still determined to try it out.

At $14 a dozen, these were the most expensive raw oysters that we had on our trip. However, they were nicely cleaned and mostly grit-free.

A dozen raw oysters

Flavor-wise, these were sweeter than the oysters at Luke, although not as briny. They were also a bit haphazardly presented on a bed of melting ice, which meant that the liquor on a few wound up tipping into the slush rather than into our mouths. That was a bit disappointing. On a whole though, I enjoyed the sweet flavor, though we ultimately preferred the brininess of Luke’s oysters.

Oyster up close

We thought of Felix’s as a comparison to Acme, so we ordered a meal similar to what we had at Acme 6 years ago. In addition to two dozen raw oysters, we got an order of crawfish etouffee and a cup of jambalaya. The etouffee was thinner in texture, not as buttery. It had both plain crawfish tails and breaded tails mixed in, which was an interesting combination. The breaded crawfish was peppery in flavor and had a bit of a kick to them. It was satisfying over rice, though not as rich or hearty as the etouffee from Acme.

Crawfish etouffee

The jambalaya was really tasty. I didn’t enjoy the version at Acme because I thought it was a bit too smoky, but Felix’s jambalaya was zesty and flavorful, with a hint of sweetness from the red pepper.

Cup of jambalaya

Our last raw oyster stop was a New Orleans institution, according to Michael, the concierge at the Hilton Riverside where we stayed our final two nights in the city. He was a great concierge, passionate about food and knowledgeable in his recommendations. We usually find concierge restaurant picks to be tourist traps or places that advertise on the free maps they hand out, and so Michael was a pleasant surprise and a true source of insider information. He told us that we shouldn’t miss Casamento’s, which is located in Uptown and is a bit of a hike from the downtown/French Quarter area. However, it’s a short ride and walk away from the St. Charles streetcar, and not really all that difficult to get to.

The decor at Casamento’s is part of it’s notoriety. There are tiles everywhere – on the floor, lining the bar, and up the walls. Calvin Trillin, a great food writer, likens it to “having lunch in a drained swimming pool.” We got there right before they closed after lunch, which was fortunate because we weren’t even aware that they would close between lunch and dinnertime. We quickly ordered a dozen raw, as well as half an oyster loaf and a plate of fries.

The tile decor

The oysters were the cleanest specimens we received, completely free of grit and properly shucked so that they slide right into our mouths with no resistance. Even the shells were clean. Surprisingly, however, they were not served on a bed of ice, and while they were cold, they weren’t as chilled as we normally prefer. Taste-wise, they were also not as briny or as sweet as the oysters at Luke and Felix’s, but they were still delicious. We quickly put away two dozen before the shuckers closed up shop for the afternoon. At $12 a dozen, it’s pretty reasonable.

A dozen raw oysters

The oyster loaf, which is like a po’ boy served between thick slices of toast rather than the standard french bread, was a bit of a disappointment. The oysters were fried nicely but few in quantity, and they got lost in the thick bread. I was happy that we only got a half loaf rather than a full, so that we saved room for the raw oysters.

Half an oyster loaf

The fries were cut from real potatoes and freshly fried, so that they were piping hot. J enjoyed them a lot.

Piping hot french fries

The last oysters on our round-up are sort of an outlier, as they were charbroiled instead of raw. We had heard that the best charbroiled oysters were from Drago’s, and fortunately, the New Orleans branch was located in our hotel, the Hilton Riverside. One night we decided to have a light supper and then finish with a nightcap of charbroiled oysters in our room. While I got J ready for bed, Josh went downstairs and got two dozen charbroiled oysters to go. When he got back, we opened up a bottle of wine in our room and had a little feast on our bed.

Charbroiled oysters to go

The oysters were still burning hot so I don’t think the integrity was lost since Josh took them right from downstairs and up to our room. Because we were staying in the hotel, they provided us real napkins and silverware, which I appreciated. The oysters were topped with seasoned garlic butter and grated parmesan and romano cheeses. The combination tasted delicious, but the oysters were totally lost in the mix. All we tasted was garlic butter and cheese; there could have been anything underneath. I also found the texture of the cooked oysters to be a bit mealy and tough, not at all like the succulent quality we love about raw oysters.

Charbroiled oyster up close

The charbroiled oysters were incredibly rich, and we struggled to get through a whole dozen. Ordering two was a mistake, though we did end up saving them in our fridge on snacking on them cold the next day. The garlic butter and cheese combination still tasted good. At $18 a dozen, charbroiled oysters are more expensive than raw oysters, and while I was glad to have tried them, I’ll stick with raw oysters going forward.

So the overall verdict? We didn’t have a bad oyster in the bunch, which is pretty good considering how many dozen we ate over three days. The flavor and presentation of Luke’s oysters, plus the incredibly cheap happy hour price, made them our favorites of this trip. They could really work on reducing the amount of grit though, which would go a long way. If I were paying full price though, I might not have been as happy.

Felix’s and Casamento’s were both top notch in quality and shucked cleaner. However, Felix’s lost points because they were haphazardly arranged on melting ice, losing valuable liquor, and Casamento’s had no ice at all so the oysters were not as cold in temperature. In addition, neither were as briny as the Luke oysters, which is what was our ultimate deciding factor. Still, I would happily go back to any of these places. A little squeeze of lemon juice, a dab of horseradish, tip back, and enjoy!

Luke Restaurant
333 St Charles Ave.
New Orleans, LA

Felix’s Restaurant
739 Iberville St.
New Orleans, LA

Casamento’s Restaurant
4330 Magazine St.
New Orleans, LA

Drago’s Seafood Restaurant
2 Poydras St.
New Orleans, LA

Tags: Etouffee, Fries, Jambalaya, Louisiana, New Orleans, Oysters
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Two Fat Bellies Hit the Road – Louisiana and Texas

Thursday, January 2nd, 2014 by virginia

I’ll resume with the Hilton Head posts eventually, but wanted to jump in with some reviews from our latest adventure – Louisiana and Texas. We took Baby J on a plane for the first time and flew to New Orleans where we ate non-stop for 3 days. Then we rented a car and spent a day in Lafayette/Breaux Bridge, the Cajun food/Crawfish capital, before heading to Texas. There we spent some time in Houston and visited NASA, had an epic “lunch” at four different barbecue restaurants in Luling and Lockhart, experienced great Mexican food in San Antonio, and then wound down our trip with a 4-hour wait at the famed Franklin BBQ in Austin. We were pretty full and barbecued out by the time we flew home from Austin, and needless to say, our cholesterol levels probably took a hit after our trip, but we had the time of our lives. It was truly a food-oriented vacation, with a little sightseeing in between. J handled all the travel brilliantly, and we look forward to taking her on more adventures in the coming year.

So first up on our foodie getaway: New Orleans

St. Louis Cathedral

Tags: Louisiana, Texas
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Robert Irvine’s eat! – Hilton Head, SC

Thursday, October 24th, 2013 by virginia

This year’s trip to Hilton Head was especially exciting because it was Baby J’s first time there (outside of my belly at least). We were excited to take her to the pool and beach and watch her play around. Sadly, she did not take like a fish to water. While she loves her bathtub and inflatable kiddie pool, she did not like the salt water, sand, or the bright Hilton Head sun. It was a struggle to get her slathered from head to toe in sunscreen (she also refused to wear a hat), and trying to wrangle a squirmy, greased up baby into a bathing suit is no easy feat. By the time we got her from the room to the pool, she was already tired and cranky, and being in the water didn’t help. We tried various floatation devices – rings, tubes, life vests – and nothing made her happy. Oh well. There’s always next year!

On the upside, J was great by the time dinner rolled around each day. She usually had a long, restful nap by the pool in the early afternoon and woke up refreshed for meals out. On the first night, we decided to try Robert Irvine’s eat! restaurant. Josh’s parents had eaten there before and enjoyed it, and we were curious because we knew of Chef Irvine from the Food Network but didn’t know much about his food.

The menu is split into two main sections – tapas and entrees. There are also various salads and sides available. Since the rest of our large group wasn’t due to arrive until the next day, we were able to take advantage of the tapas format and share a few of the small plates to start. The gnocchi with short rib bolognese was delicious, with chewy yet tender rounds of gnocchi and a rich, meaty sauce.

Gnocchi with short rib bolognese, pinenuts, and charred lemon oil

The fried green tomatoes, on the other hand, were a disappointment. They were heavily coated in a tempura-like batter that was soggy and flavorless. Clumps of surprisingly bland feta cheese were sandwiched between the tomato slices, which also did not help textural issues, and the only thing I could taste was the balsamic vinegar drizzled about.

Fried green tomatoes with brown butter, feta cheese, and balsamic

It was pretty dark in the restaurant so I wasn’t able to get any pictures of the rest of our tapas. The she crab bisque, a Hilton Head staple, had a nice creamy consistency and a relatively good amount of crab flavor but was way too peppery. The pepper really hit the back of our throats and had us coughing a bit, which wasn’t a pleasant feeling. The coconut crusted Carolina shrimp was well executed with a nice and crispy crust, and the accompanying orange jalapeno marmalade was sticky and sweet, but it was sort of a pedestrian dish.

For our entrees, Josh and I shared the pork chop and the blackened snapper. The pork chop was massive and packed a lot of flavor as well, likely because it had been brined. The meat had a nice crust to it and was tender on the inside, and the accompanying sweet potato and corn hash, green tomato peach chutney, and red eye gravy added a nice balance of salty, sour, savory, and sweet.

Fennel brined pork chop with sweet potato and corn hash, green tomato peach chutney, and red eye gravy

The blackened snapper was surprisingly on the blander side. It was served with grits, red pepper and goat cheese coulis, and a balsamic reduction. The dish just needed more seasoning, as the individual components were cooked well but needed more pizazz.

Blackened snapper and grits with bay shrimp, tomato harvati grits, red pepper goat cheese coulis, and balsamic reduction

We saw Tabasco ice cream as part of a dessert so of course we had to satisfy our curiosity. It was served alongside sweet potato bread pudding, and while it was an interesting combination (the ice cream did actually have some Tabasco flavor), it’s probably not something I would eat again. The bread pudding itself had potential but half of it was burned, which was a bit of a turnoff. We also tried an apple crisp that was nothing extraordinary.

Overall, Josh and I both thought that eat! was a bit of a miss. There were some hits, like the pork chop, which was the best dish of the evening, and the gnocchi with short rib bolognese, but the rest of the dishes were just so-so for varying reasons. Some were execution issues (the fried green tomatoes, the bread pudding), and others were seasoning issues (the bisque had too much and the snapper had too little). The meal as a whole was just inconsistent. It’s a pretty popular restaurant though, particularly on Tuesdays when tapas are half off. Usually, most of the small plates are in the $7-$10 range and entrees are on the pricier side at $25-$35. The only two entrees below $20 are a burger ($16) and fried chicken ($19). Our search for more go-to restaurants in Hilton Head continues (so far Red Fish has become our favorite place, and One Hot Mama’s has merited a repeat visit).

Robert Irvine’s eat!
1000 William Hilton Pkwy.
Hilton Head, SC

Tags: Gnocchi, Green Tomatoes, Hilton Head, Pork, Seafood, Shrimp, Soup, South Carolina, Tapas
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Morano Gelato – Hanover, NH

Tuesday, October 15th, 2013 by virginia

When I was researching restaurants in the Hanover area prior to our trip, I came across an article that named Morano Gelato as having the best gelato in the US. With that kind of endorsement, it was hard to pass up a chance to taste it for ourselves. After the post-wedding brunch, Josh and I headed back to Main Street to try some of the gelato before we hit the road back home.

We both opted for small cups with two flavors each. Much to my disappointment, the pistachio gelato wasn’t ready yet. I guess they make different batches throughout the day so that all of the gelato is fresh. There was a sign explaining the process.

Gelato production process

I ended up getting riso (rice) and stracciatella while Josh selected ricotta pear and sweet milk. I had expected the riso to taste like rice pudding in gelato form and was surprised that it was mildly sweet and creamy, like vanilla, but not cinnamony at all. It was studded with bits of chewy rice, and I enjoyed the textural contrast. The stracciatella also had a vanilla base and was run through with chocolate shavings. The sweet milk tasted to me like the riso gelato minus the rice. The ricotta pear, however, did have a distinct pear flavor to it and a bit of tang from the ricotta.

Riso and straciatella on the left, sweet milk and ricotta and pear on the right

Riso and stracciatella on the left, sweet milk and ricotta pear on the right

Morano Gelato wasn’t around during our college years, which was too bad because it seemed like a nice shop and I would have liked to have been able to taste more flavors. It was the texture of the gelato that really sealed it for me though – it was creamy, smooth, and rich, but not overly dense. It’s a bit pricey (a small cup was about $4 and the serving size wasn’t that big) so it’s not somewhere that we would go all the time, but it’s a nice splurge once in a while. If you’re in the area, it’s definitely worth a taste.

Morano Gelato
57 South Main St.
Hanover, NH

Tags: Gelato
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Molly’s Restaurant & Bar – Hanover, NH

Tuesday, October 8th, 2013 by virginia

Molly’s was always one of my favorite restaurants when I visited Hanover back during my college years. The menu was broad, the prices inexpensive, and the food good. Plus they had the perfect gimmick for college students – $2 margaritas that were strong and tasty. At first, there was usually a weather-related caveat to the margaritas, ie., $2 until the weather went above XX degrees (there are some cold winters up in NH), $2 while there was snow on the ground, etc. Whenever the weather or temperature reached the threshold, the sign would be crossed out and a new bar was set, which basically meant they always had $2 margaritas. Now, returning a decade later, I was happy to see they did away with the caveats and just offer $2 margaritas all the time on the menu.

While I really wanted to get a margarita for old time’s sake, we had done a bit too much pre-wedding partying the night before and were not in any condition to partake; I stuck with water while Josh had iced tea. I dove into the bread basket and was surprised to see that it was the same exact bread that they had always served – a soft peasant-style loaf with shredded cheese baked into the crust. To be perfectly honest, the bread isn’t great. It’s doughy and dense, and even the cheese can’t save the crust. However, it is the perfect vehicle for the honey butter that comes with it, which is airy and sweet.

Bread with honey butter

I used to crave Molly’s artichoke and spinach dip in college, and so of course we had to order it on this visit. This dip was around well before spinach and artichoke dip became popular and started appearing on all chain restaurant menus. It was also always a more elevated version, with large chunks of artichoke hearts and browned, bubbly cheese, and it used to be served with crostini. When I saw that the dip now came with pita chips, I was worried that it had gone the chain restaurant route and would be chips out of a bag alongside overly-processed spinach dip with little cheese and artichoke. Fortunately, I was wrong. These chips were made from real pita bread and were crispy on the outside but still chewy on the inside. The edges of a few pieces got burned, but there were more than enough chips on the plate. The dip itself was just as I remembered, maybe even better. It’s intensely garlicky with a bit of a peppery kick and lots of gooey cheese, and artichoke is definitely the star of the dip. You need a fork to place the pieces on the pita bread, and the spinach mixed into the dip is more of a garnish. That’s why it’s artichoke and spinach dip, and not the other way around.

Artichoke and spinach dip

Josh go the Express Lunch, which I was also happy to see them still offering. It’s a salad and half a pizza for about $10. Josh picked the caesar salad, which has a lemony and garlicky dressing and tasted exactly as we remembered. However, there wasn’t enough dressing on the salad, which made it a bit bland. The shredded parmesan on top helped a little though.

Caesar salad

For his half pizza, he chose the Summer Salad, which was new to us. It’s a thin crust pizza brushed with garlic butter and baked with prosciutto, tomatoes, and fontina, and topped with arugula after it comes out of the oven. I’m usually not a fan of baked prosciutto on pizza, but this was cut into small pieces and crisped up in the oven rather than getting chewy. It was hard to see the pizza under the huge pile of arugula though, which was not necessarily a bad thing since we both love arugula, especially when it’s dressed with lemon. Plus the salad helped cut through the richness of the fontina and the garlic butter. It was a pretty good pizza, although I was pushing him to order our old favorite instead, the Got Yer Goat, which is pizza topped with goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted garlic, mozzarella, tomato sauce, and basil.

Summer Salad pizza

I was also tempted to try something new from the menu but I went the nostalgic route and ordered my old standby, the chicken avocado sandwich with grilled chicken, bacon, swiss cheese, guacamole, lettuce, and tomato on a brioche roll. I think back then it was served on a roll similar to the bread basket bread but sturdier, and there were slices of avocado rather than guacamole, which made it a messier sandwich. However, I liked this version and found it easy to eat. There’s nothing spectacular about it but the combination is pretty classic and it tastes good. The sandwich comes with fries that are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

Chicken avocado sandwich with fries

Overall we found that there was still lots to love about Molly’s. The food is almost the same as we remembered, but they’ve also made some menu updates and changes. It does have a bit of a chain restaurant feel to it with its primary focus on salads, pizzas, sandwiches, and burgers, but the dishes are more carefully constructed and prepared, taking quality ingredients into account. The booths in the front are great for people watching on Main Street, and there’s plenty of space in the back room for large groups. It’s definitely a great college town restaurant with reasonable prices and good variety. We’ll definitely be going back the next time we’re in town, hopefully within the next decade.

Molly’s Restaurant & Bar
43 South Main St.
Hanover, NH

Tags: Fries, New Hampshire, Pizza, Salad, Sandwiches
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Carpenter & Main – Norwich, VT

Tuesday, September 24th, 2013 by virginia

Josh and I recently spent our first weekend away from baby J, to attend a wedding in New Hampshire. While Josh has been away before for work, I’ve never spent a night apart from J and I was obviously a bit apprehensive about the situation. Nevertheless, I was looking forward to a responsibility-free weekend and spending some quality time with the hubby. We drove up on Friday and spent a few hours hiking Mount Cardigan in the afternoon, then got ready for what we hoped would be a nice, romantic dinner at Carpenter & Main in Norwich, Vermont.

The view from the top of Mount Cardigan

Norwich is a picturesque, quaint-looking New England town. We didn’t have time to walk around but we drove past a lot of old colonial-style buildings along the way. The restaurant is located on Main St. and, as the name implies, the corner of Carpenter St. We had a reservation and were seated immediately, in a smaller room to the side of the entrance.

Our waitress seemed a little bit harried but stopped by our table to check in while we were looking over our menus, promising to return soon to take our drink order. Josh selected a bottle of Zinfandel that was wonderfully full-bodied and spicy once it opened up. We were served dinner rolls to start, which were warm, fluffy, and soft throughout.

Soft dinner roll

The menu is divided up into three sections – morsels, small plates, and larger plates. We wanted to taste several items and so we decided to mix and match from the morsels and small plates to start, and then finish off with the larger entrees. We asked our waitress to bring the food out in whatever order she thought would be best.

The soup of the day and two morsels showed up first. Since the soup was chilled, it was set in between our plates while we tasted the morsels. I started with the braised short rib bruschetta. It was pulled short rib meat piled on three toasted rounds of bread and topped with horseradish gremolata. The short rib was a tad on the dry side but I really enjoyed the gremolata, which had a nice kick to it from the horseradish and really bumped up the flavor of the bruschetta – I just wished there was more of it.

Braised short rib bruschetta with horseradish gremolata

Josh got the caramelized tofu triangles first, which were served with charred broccoli rabe. He was intrigued by this dish when he saw it on the menu but I was a little wary. Turns out that I was right, as the tofu was mushy and completely drowning in a soy marinade. It must have been sitting in the marinade for a while, as the inside of the tofu was completely brown and it was incredibly salty. It was a bit more balanced when eaten together with the broccoli rabe, but overall, we thought the dish tasted like bad Chinese takeout.

Caramelized tofu triangles with charred broccoli rabe

Caramelized tofu with charred broccoli rabe

In between bites of the morsels, Josh and I both tasted the soup, which was made from three melons – cantaloupe, honeydew, and banana melon. The puree was refreshing and sweet, though not overly so. I thought it was a nice mix of flavors, including a citrus note in the background, but Josh thought it was a bit boring. He was looking for some more acid and perhaps a savory component, like olive oil, to break up the sweetness of the melons.

Soup of the day - cold cantaloupe, honeydew, and banana melon soup

Soup of the day – chilled cantaloupe, honeydew, and banana melon soup

The next course was when the meal picked up a bit. I received the Moroccan lamb meatballs with spicy tomato glaze, which packed a punch of flavor. I was actually expecting something more Mediterranean, like kofte, but the spices actually skewed more Indian in flavor to me. The tomato sauce was creamy with lots of spices, reminiscent of tikka masala, and the lamb was coarsely ground and gamey, which I liked. The meatballs were definitely under-seasoned though, but it was an easy fix with the salt shaker on the table.

Moroccan lamb meatballs with spicy tomato glaze

Josh got the vol-au-vent of escargots, which was snails piled in a puff pastry basket. The escargots were plump and tender, and the puff pastry was nicely browned and flaky. The garlic-herb cream sauce on the plate was fantastic. There were visible slices of garlic but it wasn’t overpowering. The garlic flavor was nicely balanced by the taste of fresh herbs, and the sauce was lighter than a traditional garlic butter. However, it also desperately needed more salt, but once I sprinkled some on, the dish really came together and popped.

Vol-au-vent of escargots with a garlic-herb cream

For our entrees, we shared the crispy duck confit and trout ala meuniere from the larger plates section of the menu. The duck was a confit leg with tender meat and crispy skin. It was served with warm potato salad and mesclun greens. The meat was slightly under-seasoned, but when eaten with the whole grain mustard vinaigrette, the dish came together nicely. I enjoyed the lightness and brightness of the dish, and it was a good counterpoint to the heavier appetizers that we had been eating.

Crispy duck confit with warm potato salad and mesclun greens with whole grain mustard vinaigrette

The trout dish was a huge portion of fish, definitely the biggest plate of food we had all night. The fish itself was nicely prepared – lightly dredged with a delicate crust. The sauce was classic – lemon, parsley, and brown butter – which paired nicely with the flaky fish. It was served with wild rice and the vegetable of the day, which happened to be green beans. It was a homey yet refined dish, but once again, I had to make liberal use of the salt shaker.

Trout ala meuniere with lemon parsley brown butter, wild rice medley and green beans

Overall I really enjoyed our dinner at Carpenter & Main, although I think I liked the food better than Josh did. While the under-seasoning was a problem for both of us, it was easily rectified by adding some salt to finish off the dishes. I thought the flavors were good otherwise, although I would pass on some of the morsel plates next time, like the caramelized tofu (which was surprisingly too salty), and the short rib bruschetta, which was a bit boring compared to some of the either items we tasted. I absolutely loved the escargot vol-au-vent, which was a refreshing take on a classic dish, and both of our entrees, the duck and the trout, were superb as well. Prices are on par with the food, with morsels ranging from $4-$6, small plates from $8-$14, and larger plates from $12-$29. Service was warm and friendly, and the ambiance was casual but subtly polished. The best part though was that Josh and I were able to have a delightfully romantic meal, just the two of us, which is something that we’ve been missing.

Carpenter & Main
326 Main St.
Norwich, VT

Tags: Duck, Escargots, Meatballs, Melon, Short Ribs, Soup, Tofu, Trout, Vermont
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Bibou – Philadelphia

Wednesday, September 18th, 2013 by virginia

After spending the morning and early afternoon in Washington DC, Josh and I head back north to Philadelphia, the second and last stop of our food-oriented weekend getaway. While Josh drove, I used his phone to find a nice restaurant for dinner. We settled on Bibou, which had gotten rave reviews from multiple sources. We called up hoping to score a last minute reservation on a Saturday night (which I had read was pretty difficult), and while the woman who answered the phone was a little hesitant, we were able to snag a two-top for a late dinner, which worked out well for us.

After checking into our hotel, Le Meridien on Arch Street (cute boutique-like hotel right across from City Hall), we set off in search of a liquor store, as Bibou is a BYOB. Because it was late, most of the stores nearby were closed, but Josh was able to find one with a limited wine selection. We wound up arriving at the restaurant a little early for our reservation, but it turned out not to be a problem and were seated quickly.

I was starving and dove right into the bread, which was a fantastic baguette served with real French butter. The baguette had a nice crust and good chew while the butter was thick, rich, and way more flavorful than most butters that I’ve tasted.

Delicious baguette and French butter

For our appetizer course, the waiter recommended that we get the bone marrow, but because we had just indulged in bone marrow at the Blue Duck Tavern the previous night, we thought it would probably be better to try something different. I picked escargots and Josh opted for risotto with summer truffles, and we swapped plates midway through. The escargots were beautifully presented in a spiral shaped dish reminiscent of a snail shell. The snails themselves were plump and meaty, some of the best specimens I’ve eaten. The sauce was unusual to me – I’m used to eating escargot in garlic butter, but this was a deep and rich beefy-tasting sauce. I thought it was a bit heavy, but I did like the fresh fava beans mixed in with the snails, which helped brighten up the dish a little.

Beautifully presented escargot with fresh fava beans

The risotto was covered in shaved summer truffle, and we were really excited to taste this dish. However, despite all the truffle shavings, there was very little truffle flavor. I guess summer truffles are less potent than the winter variety, but I was really surprised by the lack of earthy aroma in the dish. If I closed my eyes, I don’t think I would even have known that I was eating truffle. I was a bit sad, since I love truffles, but the risotto itself was fine. It was creamy but still a bit al dente. All it needed was a touch more salt.

Risotto with summer truffles

For the main course, I chose the braised pig foot stuffed with foie gras, while Josh opted for a whole dorade. The pig foot was very tender, but I had a hard time finding the foie gras inside. There was a good mix of shank meat and cartilage, which I appreciated, and the crust was well seasoned. It was served with a heaping pile of lentils that were savory and delicious, but very heavy. We weren’t able to finish the portion of lentils, and I think the waiter was a bit insulted by that, as he made a comment about it when he cleared our plates.

Braised pig foot stuffed with foie gras, served with lentils

Braised pig foot stuffed with foie gras, served on top of a bed of lentils

The dorade, on the other hand, was a better dish for a hot summer’s day. The whole fish was beautifully prepared, with crispy, golden skin and moist, tender flesh on the inside. It was served with a lime sauce that was bright, complex, and positively delicious. It was our favorite dish of the evening.

Whole dorade with lime sauce

We were both pretty full and passed on dessert. They brought us each a coconut macaroon and vanilla meringue to finish off our meal – a sweet touch.

Macaroons and meringues

Overall Josh and I both had mixed feelings about Bibou. We really wanted to like the restaurant but the dishes were ordered were mostly just ok. There were flashes of brilliance, like the dorade, but the escargot and stuffed pig foot, which I think are signature dishes, were unremarkable (except for the plating of the escargot, which was definitely memorable). Service was odd. It was hard to gauge our waiter, whether he was unfriendly or just had a dry sense of humor. Either way, it made us slightly uncomfortable, and we were worried that we were offending him. The chef, on the other hand, was incredibly welcoming and humble, coming out to check on our meal and chat with us for a little bit. At the end of the meal, the hostess (who I think is the chef’s wife), came around with a laptop and asked us if we wanted to make our next reservation. We thought that was slightly odd, but reading other reviews, I guess it’s standard, as reservations at Bibou are in high demand and hard to come by. If we were regulars, I would appreciate it, but as an out-of-towner/first-timer at the restaurant, it was unexpected and came off as slightly presumptuous. I would like to give Bibou another shot if we had the opportunity though. I wasn’t impressed this time, but perhaps we just ordered the wrong dishes. My selections were more suited for winter than for summer. Prices are pretty high (about $10-$20 for appetizers and $27-$35 for entrees), but it’s offset by the fact that it’s a BYOB.

Bibou
1009 S 8th St.
Philadelphia, PA

Tags: BYO, Escargots, Philadelphia, Pork, Risotto, Seafood, Truffles
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Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category

Red Fish Grill – New Orleans

Muffaletta Round-Up – New Orleans

Po’ Boy Round-Up – New Orleans

Oyster Round-Up – New Orleans

Two Fat Bellies Hit the Road – Louisiana and Texas

Robert Irvine’s eat! – Hilton Head, SC

Morano Gelato – Hanover, NH

Molly’s Restaurant & Bar – Hanover, NH

Carpenter & Main – Norwich, VT

Bibou – Philadelphia

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