Category Archives: food

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Sylvain review

One of the good things about having friends working on Treme (the HBO show) is that they get out and experience the city in ways that non-Hollywood people sometimes forget to. Last night, after ‘tit Rәx and drinks at Cosimo’s, E and I went to see if we could squeeze in this newish place on Chartres (where the bakery La Marquise used to be, a few doors back of Le Petit Theater- or what’s left of the theater!) for dinner. Since she often goes there with her T coworkers, she got us in quickly and also could recommend items from the menu.
We started with drinks- me, a Moscow Mule (which is showing up on menus all over town all of a sudden) and she a French 75 (another favorite of mine) along with a fried eggplant appetizer (nice lemon tang) to start. Then to the shaved brussel sprout salad (good) and my entree, the duck confit with black-eyed peas and Maras farm sprouts (seemed odd to call them that- is Gerard still growing sprouts? I thought not…) and a nice bourbon mustard. E had the roasted beets on bruschetta which she thought had slightly overcooked bruschetta, so they agreeably toasted some new ones for her. We added another drink that was a pleasant gin based cocktail with orange slice (did not catch the name or the recipe) near the end. All very good, service was excellent and even though crowded, the place has a nice ambience and not overly smushed (even with people chatting up the Hollywood actor 2 tables down who was in for dinner.) So, a pleasant end to a pleasant day, and another restaurant to recommend in the Quarter and some duck for brunch today while Barkus rolls past.


Sylvain site

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Gumbo

A classic version found on the corner of St. Ann and Chartres (aka Jackson Square). Stanley’s gumbo has loads of meat and seafood amid a nice dark roux that’s not too thick. That they offer the added potato salad is nice: I have turned some heads in parts of the city that don’t believe in potato salad in the gumbo, but once in a while I like it. I learned about it at a demonstration at the old Wednesday Crescent City Farmers Market by Wayne Baquet, the Creole restauranteur of Lil Dizzy’s and Zachary’s fame even though he says in this interview with Sara Roahen that he doesn’t use it.

Southern Gumbo Trail oral interview

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Tales of the Cocktail raises spirits in the summer

One of the most successful and useful events on the New Orleans social calendar, this serious homage to the drink runs from June 20th-24th in the French Quarter. In under 10 years, Tales of the Cocktail has elevated the drink back to its pre-hippie state and found a reason for summer visitors to pack their pint glasses and head south.
In the organizers’ words, success can be measured easily:

Tales of the Cocktail® 2010 used 207.2 gallons of bitters, 2800 Driscoll’s blackberries, 1305 cucumber slices, 1320 egg whites, 1760 lemon twists, 2902 mint sprigs, 995 orange wheels, 475 ginger slices and 18,750 sets of taste buds that were delighted during the five-day festival.

Filled with events, tours and competitions there is something for the casual, serious or historical fan of the cocktail. And that its headquarters remains the beautiful Hotel Monteleone is another testament to the organizers’ savvy. The events are just about sold out for 2011, so visit it online and mark it down for next year.

Tales

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Any addition to Antoine’s is welcome

On Royal Street, there are some truisms:
1. stuff is expensive.
2. shade is unlikely
3. good public places to sit are taken quickly by musicians and audiences.

So, every time a new place that seems like it might balance one, two or all of the above, I make a beeline for it. The latest is Antoine’s Annex, the coffeehouse brought to us by our oldest restaurant. Just as the Hermes Bar has been such a hit (their newish bar with street entrance which has available Antoine’s appetizers on their menu), it’s likely this Royal Street annex will be too.
I have gone three times since it opened, and I will say the early excitement from the staff seems to have waned. They spent loads of time explaining the pastries back in the day and proudly showing the place itself. Of course, it was a bit much to take when one just wants an espresso and a seat but it was still appreciated.
The pastry case has gotten lighter or has less choices. I mean I didn’t count them, but I remember 2-3 things the first few times I thought looked interesting (and bought one once I remember) but the last 2 times nothing appealed from the case. And I believe it’s all done in-house too so I hope they continue to push the boundaries on pastries- especially with Croissant d’Or’s new owners disappointing so many locals who used to get their croissants, Napoleons and baguettes on Ursulines.
Please Antoine’s Annex, go a little crazy and wow us on the desserts.
The coffee was good; it’s true that cafe au lait is a tough mistress to master in New Orleans, as locals have so many memories and places with which to compare it. I am always unhappy when coffee is served from airpots, as it means it is meant to stay hot longer than it stays fresh in those things. I did see a nice steam but again, am not sure baristas can tell by eyes only when the temperature is perfect as the milk needs to be just below boiling for locals. Their espresso is also fine or good enough (I wonder about the quality of the beans they use), and in all cases the cups used are right and lovely and not just heavy generic coffeehouse stock. And the many flavors offered for espresso was a nice touch.
As for the gelato, they looked okay, but I so appreciate the La Divina local fruit gelato or Brocato’s ice cream, that I have a hard time accepting their small selection as the best they can do. But I promise to come back on a hot evening this month and try one fair and square.
The real treat is the decor and work put into the place. Beautiful. As Royal is as good a place as any to people watch, sit and do that.
Their patio is fine too although it would be nice if the staff would take 5 steps to the street to accept their mobile phone calls and leave the small outside area for sitting and face-to-face level conversations.
But I say let’s keep going and simply ask for more from our Antoine’s. They can handle it.

a nice respite from the street while staying in touch with it.

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Study of a Friday morning

Royal Street at Esplanade.
The camera zooms in to a helmeted female, leisurely biking alongside of the parked cars. Weaving figure 8s, she squints up at the sun and nods to a few people on either sidewalk. We see her:
catch sight of the wisteria blooming on Royal in the Princess of Monaco courtyard. She pulls up on the sidewalk under it and stops to admire it.

Early morning wisteria at Cafe Amelie on Royal

After breakfast at Royal Blend, she takes a middle seat inside the Historic New Orleans Collection for the first Master Class of the year at the Tennessee Williams Literary Festival. At its end, she is overheard saying to an acquaintance that it was more of a panel than a class. No matter. Still useful she says firmly, 2-3 new tidbits of information. She walks politely but quickly ahead of the more mature part of the crowd through the carriageway, into the sunlight and on to the street itself.

Tennessee Williams Literary Festival-Friday Master Class at HNOC

She cuts diagonally down Royal and again diagonally across Toulouse and spies the open door at Kitchen Witch Cook Books. She stops to chat about the Festival with its owners, neighbors and friends of hers. The couple are perennial TWiLFers as well. Lively talk among the 3 for a few minutes, then the female half of the couple kisses the male half goodbye and walks quickly to the corner of Decatur with lunch in hand.The man continues to talk to our heroine (arms folded, scrunched down a bit to be at eye level with her), while the cookbook dogs settle in for a long nap on the floor. On the way out she admires the mix of everything.

Kitchen Witch Cookbooks

A few zigzags across the French Quarter over the next few hours with some writing in a notebook and some chat. At 1 p.m. more or less, she walks to Jackson Square, past table-waiting couples giving their names to a white-shirted waiter and goes directly to the counter inside Stanley’s. She orders quickly and assuredly: small gumbo with potato salad, Italian soda with pomegranate. On either side of her, people watch her settle in. She notices them and engages both sides in conversation: first, on her right-a couple from California, married at the river last Friday. Long time visitors to the city. She thinks to herself it sounds like the woman married the city rather than the man.
Next, at her left is a Colorado couple in for “March Madness” which sounds odd to her ears. All discuss New Orleans, and interestingly both women ask our heroine what “she does”. She answers politely but does not ask them what they do. Instead she asks them what they want to do while here and offers suggestions.

The gumbo with potato salad, and the eggs benedict poboy

The waiter asks her if she likes the gumbo. She wonders why.

Clean plate at Stanley's

Book bag now in the basket, she swings a leg over her bicycle as it begins to roll down Chartres. The camera pans over the entire Square, which is seen with activity and life and music in every corner; at the end of the shot, she and her bicycle are indistinguishable from the rest.
The End. No credits.