Cuisine Review

Too much buzz can create high expectations. For example, I rarely fully enjoy a movie I know too much about before watching. It ruins it for me when everyone goes on and on about how good it is and I get just enough information to figure out what happens once the movie begins.

For months I have heard a plethora of information about NoJa, in LoDa – the comments always centering on great food but high prices. For various reasons I have not been to eat there until recently. So I entered with high expectations and with those comments in mind. Typically, I am able to arrive with no expectation.

Adding to the problem was that I have known Chakli Diggs since I moved back to Mobile years ago. His first venture, Bienville Bistro was successful as he was one of the first to bring nouvelle cuisine into Mobile and did so very well.

The minute I walked in I could see the staff on alert and whispering to each other. Never had I been so nervous for a review! I felt enormous pressure, yet told my table they would be in for the best meal and service NoJa could deliver. Being an intimate restaurant, Chakli does the right thing, something no other chef really does in town, and visits with your table. He welcomed us, told us about some of the dishes and fresh items that had come in. A great touch, which immediately put me a bit more at ease.

The atmosphere is fantastic. Not to crack on people, but so many keep saying “you don’t feel like you are in Mobile.” Well, guess what, you are. Try not to cut us down, there are plenty of restaurants in town that have a pleasant atmosphere and others with little atmosphere but good food. NoJa has both.

The room has been set up and decorated in a sophisticated manner. The colors, a dominant warm rustic, deep orange floods the walls with accents of rich, dark purple. Mod lighting, comfortable chairs and nicely sized tables are situated in the space well, just far enough away as to not hear the next table. The open kitchen has a backsplash of avocado green and shows off the cooking action.

You never hear me talk about tableware in a review, but I will now. It is different and inventive. The utensils are large and firm, no bent silverware from the supply store. And the dishes each have a pointed effect, even with soup bowls shaped like canoes. The menus come in nice fabric-covered booklets.

The wine list is extensive and well priced – I cannot remember what we ordered but my friend guzzled down two Bombay martinis – enough that he credited himself with inventing the “just stuffed” bleu cheese olive. The bartender does prepare these, filling them amply.

To begin there are small plates and soups. There is a chef’s special and this night it was crab spring rolls ($11) – flaky, fresh-tasting crabmeat was combined with shredded vegetables and melted feta in a light crust. Some tasted more feta and my wife tasted more crab, but it was well received.

We also selected the ahi tuna tataki ($9) on top of lime-chive oil and lemongrass ginger gastrique (I looked it up; it is essentially a sweet and sour sauce with exotic ingredients). The tuna was bright pink and nicely seared and it appeared it was going to be tasty. Unfortunately this was the only disappointment of the evening, as it was devoid of flavor.

There is a sampler trio ($17) of the tuna, sea scallops with shallots and applewood-smoked bacon and herb-crusted mozzarella. Chakli also has three soups, among them an excellent – the best I have ever had -vichyssoise ($5 cup, $12 bowl). Next time I will slurp up a bowl of instead of a cup.

The main courses are varied and enticing. Chakli had suggested the hanger steak with herb goat cheese and bordelaise sauce ($28) as the choice of the night. Martini man jumped on this one. The beef was unbelievably tender and enveloped in a rich, viscous brown sauce that complemented the beef, allowing the flavor to come through. My wife ordered the panko crusted catch ($28), which was grouper. Panko is a Japanese breadcrumb that has become quite popular with chefs, as it is light and crunchy and keeps its hardness, not getting soggy.

Roasted almonds and a citrus herb reduction that produced some tartness helped, but it was most tasty due to its excellent preparation – the panko crust held in the moisture of the fish, keeping it flaky.

The martini man’s wife ordered the shrimp and jumbo Ravioli ($24) with several large shrimp floating in a garlic tomato herb broth. The ravioli were stuffed with a wild mushroom mixture, almost pate-like, that soaked up some of the delicious broth.

Chakli’s talent really shines with the main courses. I had the oven-roasted pork chops with a sage orange glace ($25). All plates are well presented, and mine arrived with fried sage crowning one of the largest chops ever – and so moist, simple and about the best cut of pork I have ever had. Most definitely get this when you go.

Martini man and I had NoJa potatoes – basic white and sweet potatoes with roasted garlic and sea salt, pureed to a light mash. Not sweet in the least, that are soft in taste, the only real sweetness I tasted was the hint of roasted garlic. We also, along with my wife, had crisp asparagus and carrots on our plate as well.

I could rework the column here, as I neglected the salads, but I will pretend it was a European meal. Of four salads, three of us choose the chilled iceberg “steak” salad ($6), a thick, oval slice of iceberg covered with bacon and sprinkled with bleu cheese with a creamy, fresh bleu cheese dressing that was not overpowering. The other one was the sweet baby bleu salad ($8) a fruity salad with pear, bleu cheese and a tri-citrus vinaigrette. There are a host of other sides and a few salads, but I am running out of space.

For dessert, I tried the sampler plate (market price, $14 that evening), which was the cappuccino chocolate ganache cake – too many flavors for me, but decadent for others; lemon tarts – crumbly crust with dense citrus filling and the best – a ginger doughnut with vanilla bean ice cream, which is the best beignet ever.

The end – don’t complain about the cost. We ate for an average of $60, which is more than fair for the quality of produce, fish, meat and ingredients Chakli searches for and secures. Was it a blockbuster? Well, you decide.

If there was a local Academy Awards NoJa would likely win for some individual categories, and might just walk away with the best. They have the atmosphere, the food and style. I might polish up the service just a hair.

Kinnon Phillips is Lagniappe cuisine editor. Contact him at kphillips@lagniappemobile.com.

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