Coquette
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Coquette
Well this is my new favorite restaurant in New Orleans. Coquette, at the corner of Magazine and Washington, is a handsome, unassuming place, yet when you walk in, you feel as if you're entering a grand and inviting old home. The pressed tin ceilings tower above you while gloriously lit chandeliers illumine the great bar, exposed brick and long line of set tables.
We were seated towards the rear of Coquette and presented with an extensive, creative wine list and a menu on which everything sounded remarkable. A bottle of Priorat was ordered, appetizers and entrees considered, warm and perfect bread slathered with salty butter and downed.
I started with the market vegetable salad with candied olive praline crumble and it was truly wonderful. Tom chose the farro with a poached egg and bacon, Mom the fried sweetbreads on celeriac puree, and Dad the beef tartare. T's was great, I don't do beef tartare, and I also don't do sweetbreads but the puree was insanely good.
Coquette's market vegetable salad
For dinner, T and Mom went with the duck breast with jalapeno, greens and bacon, Dad the sea scallops (and sadly I can't remember on what they were nestled), and I won by ordering this absolutely outstanding, forever memorable NY Strip with mushrooms and an soft-boiled egg-stuffed raviolo.
NY Strip with mushrooms and egg raviolo
As if all that weren't enough, we managed to jostle the fillings of our stomachs enough for dessert. T and I split the best banana cream pie I've ever had: more a tart, with caramelized banana slivers, caramel, and cinnamon ice cream on top. Oh my god. Mom got her own banana cream goodie as she didn't want to share, and I do wish I'd done the same. Dad opted for the milk chocolate-peanut mousse. All gorgeous! I would return to Coquette in a heartbeat.
banana cream pie
milk chocolate-peanut mousse
Dejeuner a La Petite Grocery
/My god, lunch was a balm for my cold soul. La Petite Grocery is such a lovely spot; perched on the corner of Magazine and General Pershing, it's got a high, pressed-tin ceiling, lots of natural light, a fabulously inviting bar, friendly staff and an uncrowded floor set with comfortable tables. T started with a Belgian triple and a glass of Burgundian chardonnay while we waited for our shared appetizer of oysters baked with country ham, collard greens and cornbread crumbs. When in Louisiana, eat oysters. And collards. And bacon. So really, this dish was a no-brainer order. And it was definitely good but they need to cut back on the cornbread's sweetness. I sweetly relayed this message to our dear waiter.
For our mains, Tom ordered the pastrami sandwich on rye with pickled cabbage, Gruyere and house-made Russian dressing. Also the best fries ever. People, no one should ever peel potatoes before making fries. Skin.is.good. On potatoes, apples, chicken, etc.
I went for two sides: roasted beets with crawfish, shaved asparagus and horseradish cream and the caramelized Brussels sprouts with pancetta, thyme and pancetta. I swear I almost plunged my face into the sprouts. I could have eaten nine plates of them. Ridiculous. The crawfish salad wished for more zing and pep, from cracked pepper, lemon and so forth. Good, not great. The sprouts stole the show.
