by Phil Gissen » Thu Apr 23, 2009 10:17 am
Donna and I have eaten like two coyotes on crystal meth during our two days in New Orleans. We will look like Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade baloons by the time we return on Sunday.
My report so far:
Lunch at Galatoires - Devine and classic decor and service. Galatoires is quintissential New Orleans. Their remoulade sauce is out of this world, and I ate a full plate of fried soft shell crab and crawfish. Donna was more genteel with salad and fresh red fish washed down with a chilled sauvignon blanc from New Zealand. I downed rum after rum and found room for a chocolate pecan pie smothered in hot fudge.
Yummy!
Dinner at Stellas! in the gorgeous courtyard - While the food, setting, and aesthetics were all wonderful, a cold detachment permeated this restaurant and made me want to pinch all ther servers in the butt to lighten them up! I hate pretentious restaurants as you mostly know. I could not coax a smile out of anyone. The sommelier was so up tight serving us the wine that I almost grabbed the towel hanging over his arm and waived surrender. While the food was creative and expertly prepared, a restaurant like Stella! soon fades from our memory. Not only do we want to eat well, we also want to have a good time.
We returned to Bayonna for lunch on Wednesday and I must say Bayonna will remain in our culinary hearts forever. We were there during our first trip to New Orleans in 1990 and have returned many times since. We met the chef-owner, Susan Spicer, in 1990 and bump into her every time we return. We sat in Bayona's gorgeous courtyard and ordered the same wine we always order, a white Graves from Chateau Carbonnieux. This time it was a 2001. I always order the bean cake with grilled shrimp and just devour this dish. I am such a pig, that I also ordered it for dessert. Unfortunately, Donna, the true foodie in our dyad, felt the creativity of Bayona has diminished. We still enjoyed ourselves tremendously and will return to Bayona every time we are in NOLA.
Last night we just wanted a good steak and after drinks at the Bombay Club we walked over to Dickie Brennan's steak house and had an excellent steakhouse meal. This Brennan's is based on the classic New York steakhouse with tile floor, dark wood walls, and clubby chairs. For what it tries to do, this steak house was excellent. They even have an Avignoesi super Tuscan by the glass.
I will continue to keep you posted about our eating. This "pig out" will include a Po Boy from "Mothers," a hamburger from Port of Call, and a muffalatta from the Central Grocery. I hope we will not have another experience like Stellas! I am pretentious enough already!
Take care
"The Sea Was Angry That Day, My Friends, like an Old Man Trying to send Back Soup in a Deli."