New Orleans - Day 2, Part II

Hayley and Dorie took me to August for my 40th birthday. The chef, John Besh, won the 2006 James Beard award for Best Chef in the Southeast and was runner-up in the Next Iron Chef. His restaurant August has been on Gourmet Magazine's list of best restaurants twice, so I knew we were in for a treat. Just check out this sample menu.

The interior of August was comprised of a series of small intimate rooms covered in dark wood paneling. The chandeliers hung from a raised ceiling, and I got the feeling (a good one) that we were in an exclusive turn-of-the-century banker's club. It was the chic modern version of "old money".


We all decided on the four course tasting menu, primarily because it looked so good, but also because it was so reasonable... $60 with wine pairings, $40 without.

Our pre first course was an amuse bouche served in a hollowed out eggshell. Seafood custard with truffle oil and caviar. I love truffles, so this was right up my alley. I also love Hayley's face in this pic.


The first official course was warm salad of pieds du veau, crispy veal sweetbreads and fresh hearts of palm (Flor Prosecco, Bastianich , Friuli, Italy - and wouldn't you know it, according to the Dallas Morning News, Central Market is the only store which sells it). The salad had a nice light vinaigrette, which matched well with the veal foot carpaccio, and lightly fried sweetbreads, which were buttery like foie gras. Now I'll have to add veal feet and and thymus glands to the list of exotic foods I've tried!


The second course was silverqueen corn riz en boule with pecan wood bacon, cipollini onions and chanterelle mushrooms (1998 Rose Rioja, Vina Tondonia, López de Heredia, Spain). Smoky was the operative word here, and the vermouth like quality of the wine really complimented it.


The third course was hand rolled spaghettini with clams, mussels and blue crab with spicy tomato and fresh basil (Pinot Noir, Anne Amie, Oregon). I'd have to say that this was our least favorite dish of the night. Not that it was bad, in fact it was quite pleasant, but the flavors just didn't wow me. The simple light tomato basil sauce with that hint of seafood was good, but not exceptional like the previous three courses had been.


We finished with a napoleon of nougatine with valhrona chocolate bavarois and salted toffee ice cream (2007 banyuls grenache - vintner unknown). This might have been my favorite dish of the night, mostly because of the wine pairing. The banyuls was very sweet on its own, but paired with the bitter chocolate and salt of the dessert, it became something really different and special. Earthy, buttery and a touch savory.


All in all it was a really superb meal, especially for the price. You definitely couldn't get something like this in Austin or Dallas for under $100. Thanks a bunch to Hayley & Dorie for taking me here!



After dinner, we walked to the quarter for drinks at Hotel Monteleone. This place has one of the kitschiest bars I've ever seen. Check it out. And it rotates!!! Love it. A wonderful ending to a wonderful evening.


To view all of the New Orleans pics, go to our Flickr site.