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