Upperline chef

[kibbles]

dunno if its been posted, but the 19-year veteran of Upperline is leaving in a few weeks. hes joining the seminary.

if youre an UL fan, best get it soon...we're going tonite.

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Upperline Restaurant
1413 Upperline St, New Orleans, LA

[Davebr]

Who's the replacement?

[kibbles]

just been named - Nathan Winowich, of the Foundation Room (House of Blues).

http://www.nola.com/dining/index.ssf/...

...his attitude seems really cool, i wish him well.

[FoodChic]

I look forward to the reviews on his work at Upperline. It would be great for him to really shine there.

Purely out of curiosity, I'd love to know who else JoAnn interviewed.

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Upperline Restaurant
1413 Upperline St, New Orleans, LA

[FoodChic]

Very sorry to read this, but I have to say a change and a breath of fresh air may be just what Upperline needs.

[kibbles]

really? to me that's like saying Irene's needs a change..! what we enjoy about them both is that it's consistent. the food may not be the best in class, but it's good and it's reliable - I know what I'm getting and I like it. for more avant garde fare we head someplace avant garde.

in this sense I'd much rather change venues for fresh air rather than chefs.

[FoodChic]

Actually, IMHO Upperline has lost it's edge. I was there with collegue last month and it wasn't nearlly as good as it used to be. It used to be a regular stop on our vacations as we loved it so, but we went twice after Katrina and it was just lack luster. So, I thought I'd give it another shot last month and I had the same reaction. I just think sometimes after the doing the same thing for years the desire to be on top of your game wanes.

That being said, I adore the quirkiness of the restaurant and I think JoAnn is a doll.

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Upperline Restaurant
1413 Upperline St, New Orleans, LA

[JazzyB]

Underwhelming food.

[kibbles]

Care to detail that a bit further? What didn't you like, and why?

The sweetbreads and foie gras are excellent; the foie gras the best I've had in recent memory. In my experience UL continues to be what it's always been for us -- consistently good food. Not formal fine dining nor pushing-the-edge cuisine, but consistently good. In this sense it is the same as Irene's to me.

Combine that with excellent service and interesting atmoshere, and you have a success on your hands.

[piglet3000]

We've never been, but are planning to go in a few weeks. Any recommendations? thanks!

[Monch]

We both ordered the New Orleans tasting menu and were NOT disappointed!

[kibbles]

the sweetbreads are good, served in a hearty brown sauce. the seared foie gras is the best ive had in recent memory, served w/ toast triangles and poached pear, wonderful. for entrees i really enjoy the drum meuneire w/ corn bread and collard greens, covered in jumbo lump crab (an extra). for dessert we split a slice of pecan pie w/ perfect whipped cream (not overly sweetened; which is a nice foil for the pie itself).

joann the owner is a hoot to chat with table-side, and the rest of the staff are courteous and great.

[Monch]

True dat about Joann!

We're from Wisconsin and she asked about how we had heard of Upperline. We told her of our connection to the Chowhound community and she was WELL aware of us Hound and our network of communication.

Gotta hand it to an owner that is THAT plugged into things.

We will return and intend to make Upperline a "not to be missed" destination, along with Brigtsen's, for our New Orleans adventures!

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Brigtsen's Restaurant
723 Dante St, New Orleans, LA 70118

Upperline Restaurant
1413 Upperline St, New Orleans, LA

[Monch]

This makes me doubly thankful that we finally made it to Upperline on our visit last month.

What a welcoming place and very good food.

Here's to hoping that they find a wonderful new chef.

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Upperline Restaurant
1413 Upperline St, New Orleans, LA