new orleans – Page 4

Tivoli & Lee (Lee’s Circle, New Orleans, LA)

Posted on May 3, 2015 by chefsgirlnola@gmail.com

On Easter morning, “The Chef” and I had brunch reservations at Tivoli & Lee. It’s located right in the center of Lee’s Circle, a very prime location for an up and coming restaurant. Tivoli & Lee’s menu had a variety of interesting dishes that I couldn’t wait to try…

Bottomless Mimosa. Usually, they place it in a different cup as an identifier for “bottomless” and unlimited refills, but this day was so busy they ran out of the bottomless mimosa cups. This is the cup for a single mimosa.

Boudin Dip. Duck cracklin. Seasonal jam. Dijon Mustard.

House-made Drop Biscuits. Devil Ham spread (highly recommended by our waitress)

Charlie’s Gumbo. Chicken. Oyster. Andouille Sausage.

Quail-N-Waffle.

Oyster Salad. Arugula. Frisee. Celery. Chopped Egg. Spiced Pecans. Blackberries. Candied Mustard Seed Vinaigrette.

I understand that Easter brunch is a very busy time, but we had made reservations around 1:30 PM. Our waitress was sweet and made some decent recommendations. I ordered the bottomless mimosa, because who can eat brunch without bottomless mimosas?! Plus, the single mimosa price was $3, but unlimited was $10. It’s worth it! Unfortunately, it was such a busy day that they ran out of the unlimited mimosa cups and there was a ton of confusion when I did not get refills. To start off my meal, I wasn’t too happy with that…

45 painful and “hangry” minutes later, we received our first wave of appetizers: Boudin Dip with Duck Cracklins, Drop biscuits with devil ham spread, and the Gumbo. The boudin dip was interesting. I don’t think I’ve seen that dish anywhere in the city and it had to be my favorite of these 3 dishes. The Drop biscuits were dense and dry, but the Devil Ham spread was pretty good. If only it had a fluffier and more delicious medium to be spread onto. The Gumbo (see pictures) was obviously sitting for quite a while under a heat lamp. There was a layer of soup skin that had formed on top from sitting for so long. I can’t tell if it was the kitchen’s fault or the wait staff’s fault for the delay in food expediting. As for the gumbo itself, I wouldn’t try it again…

30 minutes after our first wave of appetizers, we received the Quail-N-Waffle and Oyster Salad. The Quail was cold and the waffles were soggy from the sauce. Eating any type of poultry dish that comes out cold is always disappointing. The Oyster Salad had to be the highlight of the meal, since you can’t really go wrong with fried oysters and the salad was refreshing, but easily forgotten.

It’s not often that I do poor reviews, but I feel this was worth sharing because the menu at Tivoli & Lee was very attractive but the execution was lacking. At the same time, I don’t know whether or not to blame the wait staff or the kitchen. Although our waitress was nice, she didn’t address the long wait and didn’t update us on our food progress. It was a long and disappointing brunch…Hopefully, Tivoli & Lee can improve on this, because I see potential for a good restaurant, but service issues need to be addressed.

Rating: 1/5 spoons

Atomic Burger vs. Mooyah Burger

Posted on April 28, 2015 by chefsgirlnola@gmail.com

This past week I have been craving burgers like crazy! I found two burger joints off of Veterans Memorial that are both delicious and similar, but which burger had the best bite??

The Atomic Burger. Fresh ground beef. Special A.B. sauce. American Cheese. Dressed.

When I have a stressful day at work, I get into my car and drive home thinking “burgerrrr…”. A coworker recommended Atomic Burger as her favorite fast food burger joint so I drove straight to it. The patty was really fresh…even fresher tasting than some local, restaurant burgers. This is a neater-eating burger and doesn’t cause much of a mess. Atomic Burger’s menu is a lot more simplified and sometimes you just don’t want to complicate a burger. Every now and then, I just want my beef patty on burger buns with a side of fries and in that case Atomic Burger has my vote!

Rating: 3.5/5 spoons

Mooyah Burger. Double meat. Swiss. Dressed. Fried Onions. Mushrooms.

Mooyah isn’t too far from Atomic Burger and is located right next to World of Beer, where they have probably THE widest selection of beer. Unfortunately, the burger joint itself doesn’t sell beer so I couldn’t enjoy a cold one while I ate my burger, but that’s okay. That’s what the bar next door is for! Anyways, back to my burger, there’s the option for a double patty burger and on this particular day, I definitely needed a double. I have to mention that the service at Mooyah is a little lacking. The cashier at the counter wasn’t helpful or friendly at all. It wasn’t busy and there was only one person behind me. Regardless, the menu is easy to figure out. Mooyah also offers a variety of toppings. I ordered my classic swiss, fried onions, mushrooms burger. Everything was great, but I will say that the bottom bun is thicker and more pillowy than most burgers. The Mooyah Burger is a lot messier, but probably a result of adding a double patty and a multitude of toppings. I like the variety and options that Mooyah offers.

Rating: 3/5 spoons

So it comes down to, who has the better burger???

In this battle of the burger, Atomic Burger wins! Both burgers are great, but when it comes down to flavor and eatability, Atomic Burger’s patties are clearly fresher tasting and ergonomically pleasing.

French Quarter Festival 2015

Posted on April 22, 2015 by chefsgirlnola@gmail.com

French Quarter Festival has to be one of favorite food festivals of the year. This year, the weather wasn’t as optimal since it rained most of the weekend. Regardless, my cousin and I decided to trek our way through the wet, muggy weather for delicious food. Luckily, it wasn’t crowded and there were no lines…

Jacques-Imo’s Cafe: Slow Roasted Duck Poboy

This was the first thing that caught my eye as we approached the park in front of the St. Louis Cathedral. There’s usually more food tents setup near Woldenburg Park for the rest of the festival, but it was a Sunday and the rain was just unrelenting. I love Jacques-Imo’s Duck Poboys. It’s messy. It’s sloppy. But oh so good! They also have another restaurant called Crabby Jack’s, which falls under he Jacques-Imo’s family, that offers the same poboy in a more casual setting and in an industrial part of town.

GW Fins: Ponchatoula Strawberry Shortcake.

GW Fins is one of my top 10 seafood restaurants in New Orleans. However, on this Sunday afternoon at the FQF, they only had dessert options. Their desserts are always very classic and exactly what you’re looking for. They’re never “deconstructing” anything or trying to revamp any old classic recipes, which I love and miss. Too many places are “trying something different/new”.

Haydel’s Bakery: White Chocolate Kingcake Bread Pudding.

Oh my, what can I say about this except phenomenal! It doesn’t look like much, but it’s so moist and flavorful. My cousin and I shared this small little bowl no larger than the size of my palm. We should have each gotten our own. Good job Haydel! I’ll definitely be back and order a whole tray of this!

Tujague’s Restaurant: Chicken & Andouille Jambalaya

I’ve never actually been to Tujague’s, but I’ve heard great things. Unfortunately, this jambalaya was just OK. There was just too much “flavor” but not enough depth. I could taste all the wonderful herbs thrown into the mix, but possibly not the right proportion. I’d give this jambalaya 2.5/5 spoons because it was almost there. It just needs some improvement…

Mrs. Wheat’s Louisiana Foods: Crawfish Pie & Meat Pie

This was probably one of my favorite items at the Food Fest. Anything empanada-like or meat pie like just attracts me and this one in particular has the perfect flaky crust. It’s not too greasy and the filling is so well-seasoned. Other meat pies that you usually find in small convenience stores or gas stations tend to be dry with subpar filling, but this was amazing. Another plus is that I decided to order some to-go and it reheats very well. Where can you actually find it’s brick and mortar? It’s located in the St. Roch area of New Orleans, but the website isn’t working and there aren’t any photos on Yelp and I couldn’t find info on Urbanspoon. I’m speculating the place is very new, but I’ll come back for more and keep you posted!

Doris Metropolitan (French Quarter, New Orleans)

Posted on March 19, 2015 by chefsgirlnola@gmail.com

During my birth”month” (it’s an all month thing..a day just doesn’t do it!), I was craving steak. I craved steak so much that I went to 3 different restaurants that week! One of them was Doris Metropolitan, who specializes in meats and even offers butchering services from their fine selection of beef that are dry-aged for at least 21 days.

Bar seating.

Bread Foccacia White Spongebread. White Sourdough. Butters: White Truffle Oil, Wasabi, and Saffron.

Sweetbreads. Demi-glace. Roasted poblano yogurt sphere. Pearl Onion. Truffle Oil.

Endive Salad. Fennel. Carrots. Shallots. Walnuts. Asparagus. Gorgonzola. Balsamic Pearls. Black Garlic. Ginger Vinaigrette.

34 oz Porterhouse.

Truffle Fries.

Foie Gras.

Chocolate Semifreddo.

The restaurant has a very clean, modern look. There’s a mixed crowd of businessmen, couples, and large groups, which was refreshing because some restaurants tend to attract a certain demographic, but there was a good mix of everyone.

The food:

1. The Sweetbreads were large, tender, and juicy. I do wish there was a light crisp on the outside, but overall the sauce was sweet yet savory.

2. The Endive Salad had many components and the endives were perfect for scooping like a dip. Not very lady-like, but it works!

3. The 34 oz Porterhouse steak is perfect for sharing. I love that you get some tenderloin on one side of the bone and strip steak on the other side. Not to mention the perfectly cooked med-rare steak. One disappointment had to be when I requested more truffle butter that came with our bread plate to eat with my steak, the waiter decided to suggest foie gras instead without mentioning the $25 upcharge. And after eating the foie gras, I still wished I had the truffle butter instead. OK, it’s not the healthiest dipping for steak, but it was so good!

4. The truffle fries were delicious! Perfectly thinly cut fries with just enough truffle oil. I hate how some places claim to have “truffle fries” but they have not a bit of truffle oil.

5. Chocolate Semifreddo was delicious, but I found it a little too dainty for my taste. I prefer a simple dessert that I can take a bite and and just feel like I had a piece of heaven.

Great job on creativity, but I will say that as delicious and juicy the steak was I didn’t find it “special” or worth $82 considering it was mostly a big chunk of bone. The appetizer dishes balanced the meal very well and I loved the small touches of molecular gastronomic “pearls” in many of the appetizer dishes. Overall, it was an enjoyable birthday meal with good service, but the price is definitely a little steep.

Rating: 4/5 spoons

Herbsaint Bar Restaurant (Lafayette Square, New Orleans, LA)

Posted on November 15, 2014 by chefsgirl

Years ago, my fiance and I went to Herbsaint and had the best bread ever. It was a buttery sourdough-type bread and we requested tons of it. We might’ve even taken some home! Every time I hear or think of Herbsaint, I think of that buttery soft bite…

Now, years later, we hope to have a bite of that same bread again…

Amuse Bouche. Fried Shrimphead.

Sourdough & Focaccia.

Soup of the day: Lump Crab meat Gazpacho

Gumbo of the Day: Duck Gumbo.

Beef Short Rib with Potato Rösti. Salsa Verde. Horseradish Cream.

Rabbit Fricassee. Garganelli. Bacon. Pumpkin. Madeira.

Gnocchi. Pancetta. Parmesan broth.

Seared Drum with risotto.

If you’re wondering if we got that buttery bread this time, we sure did! Not in the same amount as we did before since the focaccia bread was pretty delicious too. As for the meal, every dish was so great, that I have to share my thoughts on each dish.Let’s start from the first dish. I’m not the biggest fan of cold soups, but we ordered the lump crab meat gazpacho and it was amazing! It was light, refreshing, and herbacious. I had low expectations, but that was wiped out completely and I almost ate all of “The Chef”‘s portion.

The Gumbo is a must! Herbsaint creates gumbo with a darker, deeper roux, which adds so much flavor. Just get it.

The Beef Short ribs were so moist and the salsa verde was herby and refreshing. For such a rich and savory dish, you never would have thought that it would be so refreshing. Loved it!

The Rabbit Fricassee came in a small cast iron bowl and didn’t look like much, but that bite! That first bite was moist rabbit with a delicate pasta, wrapped in a coating of Madeira sauce. mMm! I can really still taste it.

The Gnocchi was just as good. Gnocchi is a dish that if not seasoned and sauced properly, it can be very bland and boring. Not this Gnocchi! The pancetta added a perfect saltiness and the parmesan broth added a nice, rich finish.

The fish of the day was a drum that was seared to perfection. It was moist and was completed by the most flavorful risotto! This risotto had an Asian flare, but with a French refinement. Even though we were stuffed at this point, I still couldn’t stop eating this risotto.

Judging by my list, pictures, and tummy that night, we probably over ordered. If we didn’t order the last dish, I would have definitely had room for dessert. Either way, the whole meal was worth every penny and remaining belly space. From one dish to another, not a single one had any ounce of disappointment. Now, when I think of Herbsaint, I’ll remember that soft bite of bread I ate right before probably one of my most memorable food experiences…

Rating: 5/5 spoons!

Biscuits & Buns on Banks (Mid-City, New Orleans, LA)

Posted on November 14, 2014 by chefsgirl

It’s the weekend and I can’t stress enough how much I love brunch. I can eat brunch any time of day. So I was excited to eat here!

Biscuits & Buns on Banks is a new brunch spot that’s been open for about a year now. There was a bit of a wait, but outside there’s some seating and coffee while you wait. 3 or 4 groups were ahead of us, but we waited no more than 25 minutes. It could be more or less depending on what time of day or how busy they may get…

Mini Biscuits. Steen’s Cane Syrup & Butter.

3 Egg omelette with mushrooms, onions, and crabmeat.

Abita glazed pot roast and debris. Over grits. I added an egg!

Normally, the chef and I would order a variety of things, but thank goodness we didn’t! The portion sizes are large and trust me, I can eat, but for the first time in a long time, we had to take home to-go boxes. The omelette was great…we stuffed it with our favorite things: spinach, onions, mushrooms, and crabmeat. I love crabmeat…

My favorite dish was without a doubt, the Abita glazed pot roast and debris. Order it over grits and add an egg. So scrumptious. Every bite you can tell was so bad, but oh so good! This was the dish that I had to take home and it made the best leftovers the next morning especially since the grits just marinated in the debris and goodness overnight. The biscuit is delicious as well. I kind of wish they toasted their biscuits a bit, because it was so good when I toasted it at home. Be sure to order the jelly with your biscuits.

It’s too bad we couldn’t order more so I could get a little taste of everything. The next items I’m eyeing are the Grilled Brie on Waffles with blueberry compote. That’s a combination I can’t turn down! Another would be the BBB Seafood Etouffee over house biscuit/grits.

You can tell the owner is very involved and very friendly. Keep it up! The menu is great with a variety of delicious brunch options. I can’t wait to come back for another filling meal!

Rating: 4.5/5 spoons

Ignatius Eatery (Magazine St., New Orleans, LA)

Posted on October 31, 2014 by chefsgirl

It’s the weekend and there’s nothing I look forward to more than weekend brunch. Call me a fatty! Ignatius Eatery is a very homey brunch restaurant on Magazine St. It’s the perfect blend of Southern cooking meets breakfast. Quite a few years ago, this spot was a coffee house called Rue De La Course. It’s where I spent my undergraduate days studying. It brought back so many memories…coffee, school, and what I thought at the time was the worst stress I’ve ever felt. Now, Ignatius has taken what I remembered to be this little coffee shop and revamped those old memories into a different kind of hangout spot…

Shrimp Remoulade Salad. Shrimp. Cucumbers. Grape Tomatoes.

Poche’s Pork and Jalapeno Boudin. Creole mustard.

Creole Seafood Gumbo.

Corn and Crab Bisque.

Crab Omelette. 3 egg omelette. Creole Cream Cheese. Local crab meat. Stone ground grits. Fresh fruit.

Tons of crabmeat!

Not pictured above, but the restaurant even kept Rue De La Course’s old coffee mugs, which I thought was a really nice touch. Years ago, this place was filled with college kids intensely studying for their next big test, but now I see a different crowd…middle-aged folks, retirees, and couples like “The Chef” and I.

It’s homey, but the food is refined. I really loved the omelette dish, because it had tons of crabmeat! The grits were cheesy and delicious. The Shrimp and Remoulade Salad is also a great choice and it went so well with the gumbo. I was slightly disappointed with my Corn & Crab bisque, since it wasn’t thickened like I expect chowder to be. It probably needed to be reduced down a bit more…

Overall, everything was the perfect mix of South Louisiana meets brunch. I would love to come back to try the Dinner menu.

Rating: 3.5/5 spoons

Meauxbar Bistro (French Quarter, New Orleans, LA)

Posted on October 27, 2014 by chefsgirl

Meauxbar is a trendy bar and restaurant located in the French Quarter. There’s definitely a mixed crowd…businessmen, couples, and large groups. It’s fitting for most groups except young families, obviously! The customer service was superb! We received awesome recommendations from our waitress and the rest followed…

Sweetbreads. Toasted Brioche. Roasted Sunflower Seed Butter. Pickled Strawberries. Madeira Demi Glace.

Pork Belly & Watermelon. Red Wine Vinaigrette. Pickled Watermelon Rind. Arugula.

Chicken Liver Pate. Roasted Beet Caviar. Grilled Bellgarde Bread.

Moules-frites. Pastis. Fennel.

Basil Semifreddo. Basil Lime Syrup. Louisiana Melon. Coconut Tuile.

(Not pictured here is the Chocolate & Salted Caramel Dacquoise)

The menu offered many small and large plates. I prefer to choose many small plates…it teases your taste buds, in a good way! My favorite dish was the sweetbreads.They were large and juicy…just the way I like it. I’ve had my fair share of sweetbreads and here in Louisiana, and we tend to do a light, herby and buttery sauce, but Chef Kristen Kessig prepared it with a deeper flavored sauce, which was different and I loved it.

Of the desserts my favorite was the Basil Semifreddo. As simple and light as this dessert may sound, it’s packed with layers of flavors and was recommended by Chef Kessig herself! The Chocolate & Salted Caramel was delicious too. I mean, how can chocolate cake and salted caramel not be delicious?

Overall, “The Chef” and I had such a great experience. It was a great environment for date night and the food left us satiated, yet wanting more!

Rating: 4/5 spoons

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Tag Archives: new orleans

Tivoli & Lee (Lee’s Circle, New Orleans, LA)

Atomic Burger vs. Mooyah Burger

French Quarter Festival 2015

Doris Metropolitan (French Quarter, New Orleans)

Herbsaint Bar Restaurant (Lafayette Square, New Orleans, LA)

Biscuits & Buns on Banks (Mid-City, New Orleans, LA)

Ignatius Eatery (Magazine St., New Orleans, LA)

Meauxbar Bistro (French Quarter, New Orleans, LA)

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