AlwaysTraveling: Emeril’s (New Orleans, LA)
Jeff Zalaznick — February 05, 2010
At Emeril’s, clockwise from top: Black Pasta with Crawfish Meatballs, Andouille and Boudin Sausages, and Banana Cream Pie.
Restaurant: Emeril’s New Orleans
Address: 800 Tchoupitoulas St,New Orleans, LA 70130
Contact: (504)528 9393
Hours: Lunch, Mon-Fri, 11:30am-2pm; Dinner, Mon-Sun, 6pm-10pm
Grade: B+
Always Hungry Recommends: Gumbo, Black Pasta with Crawfish Meatballs, Rabbit Remoulade, Boudin Sausage, Banana Cream Pie.
About five years ago, I attended a small dinner in the tasting room at Italian Wine Merchants that was being cooked by Mario Batali and Emeril Lagasse. Aside from it obviously being an epic experience, the one thing that I have never been able to forget was a white gumbo that Emeril served. It has been seared into my food memory as a wonderful flavor profile that I have not known since. So, there was little choice but to make a pilgrimage to the place where these flavors brewed long before the country become familiar with him as the screaming Food Network star.
As I expected, the meal had highs and lows, but one thing that it did deliver was that flavor that I had been yearning for. Both the Gumbo and the Boudin were perfectly rendered, and the black spaghetti with crawfish meatballs gave the perfect fusion twist.
But the highlight of the meal was a conversation I had with the restaurant’s general manager. He was telling me how he used to be one of Emeril’s executive sous-chefs. When I told him that I was from New York, he said that he had once visited the City with Emeril to cook a dinner, and that he would never forget it because he had been responsible for the gumbo, and that he made an experimental white gumbo that people are still talking about. My night was complete.
AlwaysTraveling: Café du Monde & Central Grocery
Jeff Zalaznick — February 05, 2010
Clockwise from top: Café du Monde, Powdered Sugar-Covered Beignets from Café du Monde, Central Grocery, Muffuletta from Central Grocery.
There is a long checklist for New Orleans eating, and it is no mistake that both Café du Monde and Central Grocery have found themselves at the top of this list for over 100 years._ These Decatur Street institutions are symbols of one of the country’s great cities and a reminder that the people of New Orleans have been eating and drinking better than we have for a long, long time.
When you visit, there is no better way to start your day than by taking a stroll through Jackson Square, sitting outside at Café du Monde and having Chicory Coffee and Beignets, and then strolling down the street to pick up a world famous Muffuletta at the Central Grocery. Last week, I did it three times in a row, and I cannot tell you how natural it felt. It is the most pleasurable morning routine that I have ever experienced. There is no question that both Café du Monde and Central Grocery deserve their iconic reputations.
Click for More About Café du Monde and Central Grocery >>
AlwaysTraveling: Restaurant August (New Orleans, LA)
Jeff Zalaznick — February 04, 2010
Clockwise from left: Salad with Beets and Crabmeat, Potato Gnocchi with Blue Crab and Truffle, Slow Cooked Venison Shoulder, and Redfish “Courtbouillon.”
Restaurant: Restaurant August
Address: 301 Tchoupitoulas St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Contact: (504)299-9777
Hours: Lunch, M-F, 11am-2pm. Dinner, daily, 5-10pm
Grade: A-
Always Hungy Recommends: Oyster Trio, “Chop Salad,” Trout Pontchartrain, Duck & Foie Gras.
Classic New Orleans cocktails, local ingredients, and contemporary French food done by local celebrity chef John Besh. It is a prerequisite when it comes to New Orleans fine dining, and while it may not be the most exciting meal that you have in town, it will most certainly be one of best.
AlwaysTraveling: Cochon (New Orleans, LA)
Jeff Zalaznick — February 03, 2010
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Clockwise from top: Exterior, Oyster and Bacon Sandwich, Dining Room, Oven-Roasted Gulf Redfish.
Restaurant: Cochon
Address: 930 Tchoupitoulas St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Contact: (504)588-2123
Hours: Mon-Fri, 11am-10pm; Sat, 5:30pm-10pm; Closed Sunday
Grade: A+
Always Hungry Recommends: Wood-Fired Oyster Roast, Fried Boudin, Mushroom Salad, Oyster and Bacon Sandwich, Oven-Roasted Gulf Redfish, Banana Cream Pie
Cochon, and its chefs, Donald Link and Stephen Stryjewski, have received much praise since the restaurant opened in 2006. The James Beard Foundation, which named Link the Best Chef: South, in 2007 for his restaurant, Herbsaint, also nominated Cochon for Best New Restaurant that same year. It has been celebrated for its in-house preparations (whole pig boucherie and homebrewed whiskey), its gourmet renditions of New Orleans classics, and a commitment to fresh, local ingredients. In fact, they source most everything from within a 100-mile radius.
Still, even amidst the hype, it is so rewarding when a great restaurant can live up to its reputation, and so rare when it can surpass expectations. This restaurant does both in stride. Cochon is New Orleans food done the best way it can be done. Everything here is good, but the dishes that truly shine are those that take New Orleans’ tradition and combine it with a skilled hand and a creative touch.
The Round-Up: NYT’s 10 Best New Restaurants in the U.S.
June 27, 2008
Taking a pause from “making or breaking” the success of restaurants and chefs in New York City, Frank Bruni has canvased the country’s culinary landscape and found what he considers to be the top ten best new restaurants in the U.S excluding NYC. (2/27)
Central Michel Richard (Washington)
Cochon (New Orleans)
Coi (San Francisco)
Fearing’s (Dallas)
Fraiche (Culver City, CA)
Guy Savoy (Las Vegas)
Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink (Miami)
O Ya (Boston)
Tilth (Seattle)
Ubuntu (Napa, CA)
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