Cuisine Review

I have had a great many incredible meals lately, all out of town. In the last few weeks, I have traveled to New Orleans and Atlanta, eating my way through both cities. No review this time, it is the Nappies, so I figured I would give you some ideas when headed to either city.

New Orleans

I arrived in New Orleans prior to lunch, and had for some time been told repeatedly about Lilette, a French Bistro located Uptown, on Magazine Street. It began to pour as we walked to the restaurant, and we entered, looking like drowned rats. Of course, every head turned, diners all crisp and dry.

Lilette is on a corner, with wide, clear picture windows that bring in each passerby and bustle on the street. I felt like I was back in Paris. The tables are arranged like kissing cousins, and you are apt to get to know your neighbors. Rich red walls, white tablecloths and chalkboard specials further evoke a true bistro. The menu is complete with a variety of choices. You can begin or end your meal with a cheese plate, which was shared at my table – a pungent blue cheese, strong white cheddar and a creamy Camembert, accompanied by crusty warm French bread and apples.

I noticed a duck confit with baby greens and a mushroom prosciutto vinaigrette appetizer at the next table, and listened to the eater rave. I forget some of our items (all this good food is running together), but I had a soup of chicken broth with leeks, tomato, Parmagiano and soft poached egg. Pillows of poached egg rested in the light broth, with an undercarriage of almost to a mince chopped vegetables.

This was quite light and refreshing. Another was a capicola, proscuitto and provolone sandwich that was very large and slightly spicy. I finished with a rich, satisfying salad of shaved Hawaiian hearts of palm, with chopped core heart on top, with a deeply strong olive oil, cracked pepper and large, thick curls of fresh Parmesan.

That evening, I went to Bayona, a well-established restaurant, located in a 200-year-old Creole cottage in the French Quarter. I had not eaten here in over a decade, and it was a more-than-welcome experience. Warm ochre-colored walls and cozy tables are found in one small and another, larger room. We were in the larger room, and I had a view of everything for some good people watching. I had the thickest, richest asparagus vichyssoise ever, topped with cream fraiche that removed all the heat from my body – New Orleans was pretty humid that weekend. For dinner, an enormous, juicy pork chop was accompanied by lyonnaise potatoes and wilted arugula.

Atlanta

The next week I spent some time in Atlanta with my parents, and we ate out pretty much all of our meals. The first night we were at Ecco, almost in Downtown Atlanta in a renovated former slime bar.

A large brick oven with a roaring oak fire is about the entire cooking source. With an open kitchen, ultra hip and cool, muted dark tones with brushed steel accents, it slowly filled up with a mixed crowd. I will say July 4th is the time to be in Atlanta, there are no crowds and the streets are clear.

We began with some of what they call “taste and share” items. The Burchett of the day was, in celebration of the Fourth, heirloom tomatoes, blueberries and goat cheese. The combination was different, easy to replicate and we ate it up. The bread was a bit too thick and crunchy however. Next, we shared the finest salad ever of baby eggplant, pine nuts and sultanas.

Sultanas are a white seedless grape of Turkish origin. The oak-grilled eggplant, toasted nuts – with a last sweet taste (the grapes are small, like raisins) was difficult not to hog. For our main, my mother ordered oak-grilled asparagus with marinated heirloom tomato salad. What was best about this was a simple olive oil dressing that accented rather than took over the freshness of the vegetables.

The pizza is supposed to be good, but for me was mediocre, one with Marzano tomatoes, house made mozzarella and basil. My dad’s was the choice pick of the evening, a peppered skirt steak, arugula, ricotta and fried lemon along with hard fried pomme frites.

Hold onto your hat for this dessert – burnt honey gorgonzola ice cream. It was unbelievable. The sweet taste of honey was followed by the salty cheese, with little chunks that had been mixed throughout. The trend in Atlanta at almost all of the restaurants where I ate is lots of heirloom tomatoes, skirt steak and pomme frites – these were on almost every menu.

The next morning, we had a wholesome breakfast at a small local chain – The Flying Biscuit Café – very Silver Palette like. I had poached eggs with black bean cakes with salsa and sour cream cake. The bean cakes were mostly bean, soft and held together well. The biscuit was fluffy and served with a cranberry butter (similar to apple butter).

My mother had a tasty egg white omelet with spinach, feta and some other vegetables. Wish we had one here! For dinner, BluePointe, located across from Phipps Plaza was stunning. Soaring ceilings and contemporary décor set the stage for American food with a “splash of Asian flavor.”

For an appetizer, I had a spicy tuna roll with avocado – wrapped in tuna. The pieces disappeared – you have heard what a sushi hog I am. My mother had one piece. For dinner, the waiter recommended what turned out to be a perfectly cooked steak with elephant garlic mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. My mother had soy seasoned Peruvian sea bass over sesame infused sticky rice – delicate with just the right amount of soy. My father ate up his pork tenderloin with shiitake mushrooms and wild leek spring rolls with a Thai peanut sauce. For dessert, we had a large assortment of ice creams and sorbets – coconut, peach, mango and others.

I am now way out of space – so to end I recommend two others in Atlanta. The Tamarind Seed is a delicious Thai place in Colony Square, Midtown near the art museum, along with the excellent and ethereal Floataway Café. I need to go on a crackers and water diet after all this eating!

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

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