Coquette, New Orleans, 5/19/15

Coquette entrance                  IMG_5626

A wonderful place outside of the Quarter and a re-visit this year. This time we sat in the downstairs dining room and it was a much cozier spot than the upstairs, which is nice for lunch as the windows provide great lighting. We lucked out and had some of the same waitstaff, which again were helpful, friendly and attentive. They have an a la carte menu but we chose the Surprise Tasting Menu which was a wonderful choice. Frankie made friends with 2 magnums of champagne.Frankie felt small next to these champagnes                    wine

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Fried gulf oysters, baby beets, horseradish, bacon

Starting with the oysters, baby beets, horseradish and bacon was a great choice and began this tour of strong and tasty flavors.

Pickled carrot and in house cured coppaThe pickled carrot was anything but ordinary and the in- house cured coppa melted in your mouth and coated it with divineness.

Coffee cured cobia, sweet corn, pickled ramp, lemon

The coffee cured fish really tasted of coffee which was quite pleasant and served with raw sweet corn, pickled ramp and lemon – a very interesting combo of tastes.

Fingerling sweet potatoes, pecans, yogurt, curry  The fingerling sweet potatoes were a real star. They were first baked and then fried and the concentrated taste of the creamy potato was combined with pecans, curry and yogurt for a real plate licker! I might add that we have never seen fingerling sweet potatoes but will now be keeping an eye out for them.

Striped bass, roasted garlic, bibb lettuce, purslane

Bread and butter

The striped bass was perfectly cooked and crispy on one side and served with bibb lettuce, roasted garlic and a smoked purslane that also added a citrusy flavor. Nice.  The crusty bread was divine and you could make a meal on it!

Duck breast, celeriac, baharat, balsamic vinegar, arugula

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better they brought out the incredible duck, the breast tender and rare and the leg made into a smoked confit. An intense taste-fest that was delicious.

Lemon sherbert with shaved fennel     Squash blossom beignets with honey ricotta dipping sauce

They faltered slightly with a tough fennel on top of the wonderful lemon sherbet, but then redeemed themselves with an original take on the local favorite beignet. They made their’s with squash blossoms and had a honey/ricotta dipping sauce to compliment the obligatory powdered sugar. They also brought us a complimentary glass of dessert wine to go with them – a sure way to win my heart. This place is amazing!

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