Trip report - French Quarter, Lafayette

[pineauxdevil]

Arrived 25JAN10 in NOLA for a meeting this week. Took the newbies to dinner at the Bon Ton. Wow, packed on a Monday, so have to wait for a table. Haven't had redfish in a while so go for the redfish Bon Ton. Cooked to perfection with a lot of crabmeat on top. Holds it own with the Mondavi cab (we're a red wine crew), which is a decent buy on the list. Palate is full with dark cassis fruit, smooth tannins not too heavy. Had to break the virgins in on the bread pudding (had to, really, just had to) which was tasty, moist, dense. Glad to have tried it, but the whiskey was a tad too strong in the sauce for my taste. Great dinner in a classic New Orleans tradition, with a slightly noisy crowd having a good time; attentive service, and a fun, entertaining waiter who knows his business. Highly recommended.

Tuesday. Poboys at Johnnies for lunch are good, although Old Tyme in Lafayette retains the fried shrimp crown. Need a another traditional NO place within walking distance that can handle 10 with 30 minutes notice that won't cause gasping over prices. Mmm, haven't been to the Palace Cafe in a while. Start with the standard, crabmeat cheesecake. Hits the mark with good crab flavor, content, with a good spicy sauce. Nicely done. Peppered duck breast is average; nothing wrong, cooked to nice medium rare, but just that. I guess the giant lump of mashed potatoes on the plate is a quantity over quality kind of theme. Others are less impressed with their food; a significant drop after the Bon Ton. Too bad we didn't switch the order. Highlight is the 2007 Marietta Zin; big fruit, nice spice that matches well with the sauce and pepper in the duck, just short of being too much vanilla/sweetness, good buy. However, despite having a "team", have to wait nearly 15-20 minutes for the wine to show up at the table and then only after asking where's the wine we ordered? Have to agree with the other reviews that PC is coasting, not what I remember it was. Pazzzz.

Wednesday. No time to get to Central Grocery, so get the muff fix at Cafe Maspero's on Decatur. 5 lbs of meat is the good news, the bad news is it is mostly salty ham. Bread is more like a sesame hamburger bun and the skimpy olive mix isn't cuttin' it. Shoulda just gone back to Johnnies. Oh well, can't win'em all. Pazz. Smaller group ready to kick it up a notch for dinner: Emeril's (sorry, couldn't resist). Start with the mushrooms in tasso cream sauce. Wow! Smoky, spicy, earthy, sauce. Close your eyes and imagine Mr. Burns - exxxxcccceelleent. Still craving redfish, so go for the classic: andouille crusted with creole meuniere. Son of wow! Perfectly cooked, slighty crispy spicy crust with moist firm fish. Sauce is dark, spicy, peppery, unctuous. The shoestring potatoes are perfectly crispy on the outside, moist on the inside, and the pairing with the grilled vegetables works for both flavor and texture. Last night in NOLA, so after passing on the numerous $300+ bottles in the 20 page (at least) wine list, splurge on something that should stand up to the spice in the food: the Radio Coteau 2007 Cherry Camp Syrah. Yowsa! Beautiful nose, with big red fruit, slight pepper, almost floral. Deep plum, cherry fruit in the mouth that is so smooth, floral, integrated, it has a Pinot texture. The nice pepper on the finish, which is easily 30 seconds long, brings you back to Syrah. Definitely worth the price of admission. Still thirsty after that is gone, so a half bottle of the Ridge 2006 Lytton Springs (I think) is ordered, despite my reservations on this wine. Unfortunately, I'm right (I hate when that happens!) and I'm sure it's made worse coming after the RC. Definitely not worth the tariff. Service was spot-on. For those thinking E's is slipping, nothing remotely resembling that this night. Highly recommended. Pet Peeve: wtf is a restaurant of this quality doing with a TV up in the corner? Can't we stand being away from the electrons for a couple of hours? Sheesh!

Lafayette. The Old Tyme shrimp poboy has missed me! Great bread, lots of crispy fried shrimp, what's not to like? Highly Recommended. Dinner is a change of pace after NOLA - Paloma's Spanish restuarant with nice tapas and a decent selection of inexpensive Spanish wines. Highlights are the catalonian mushrooms in a butter-garlic sauce and the serrano ham and fig salad (which is big enough for two). Our Napoleon Dynamite waiter is earnest, but not very experienced. I'm ready to dollar cost average after the bill at Emeril's and spy a nice Tinto de Toro. After a trip to the bar, Napoleon reports back they are out. Okay, how 'bout the Abadia Retuerta. After I am complimented on my choice, he returns empty-handed. Out too, but, I am told, they expect the distributor to come by the next day. Mmmm, can't wait that long as the food will be out shortly, so end up with a 2005 Panarroz. Funky nose that eventually blows off, ok quaffer with some earth, mineral, dark fruit, not as good as either of my first two choices. Recommended.

Now, back to beans and rice and running!

[edible complex]

gave up on Palace Cafe about 10 yrs ago and Cafe Maspero about 25 yrs ago.
Emeril's has a TV so you can watch the Saints win! a lot of people go there on game day. pls forgive us, but it's been a really fun year to watch the Saints.

[JazzyB]

FWIW, the sauce served with the PC cheesecake and Emeril's redfish is menuiere.
The smoked mushrooms on angel hair w/tasso cream is easily duplicated if you have a stovetop smoker. I smoke a ton of the mushrooms then freeze. Just a tad provides a complimentary garnish to many dishes. Recipe is in Emeril's "New New Orleans" cookbook. Probably on his site as well.