After leaving the Dixie Brewery reopening last week, Tom suggested we drive to Andrea’s 35th anniversary dinner in Metairie by way of the Prom Night Route. To those unfamiliar, and I can't imagine who you are, the night of Tom’s Junior-Senior prom was the “night he became a man”, though not for the reason usually implied. No, some girl accepted his invitation to be his date then reneged with the excuse that she had to wash her hair. His reaction was to drive a very long route all around the city, something he repeated on the anniversary every year. Yes, this is true, and no, he’s not embarrassed to admit it. Rather, he is proud of it, as sort of an existential piece of artistic expression. He did promise to give it all up on the 50th anniversary in 2017, and he has, but finding himself in the neighborhood was too irresistible that night. We did it. I’ve never witnessed the Prom Night Phenom firsthand, so I went along willingly until we took a wrong turn. We were already late for Andrea’s and I had to insist we abort this project, arriving at Andrea’s frightfully late.
The very large room was full to capacity, with a celebratory warmth exuding from it. A quick scan of the room revealed a lot of people we knew, including a fair amount of past Eat Club cruisers. We were immediately seated at the two-top they held for us, directly across from the cake, a three-tiered affair covered in whipped cream-based frosting with a large 35 atop. Waiters came immediately with champagne and another wine.
A menu for the evening’s $65 prix fixe offered a lot of choices for each course. It was entree time when we arrived, so we watched a lot of lobsters go by.. Here is a team of really experienced professionals, so the service was executed without a hitch. Regularly waiters stopped by to see if there was anything they could do for us. Everyone here was having a good time, including the waiters.
I had eaten enough at the Dixie party, so I drank champagne. Tom had some scallops to start. These were served with risotto. He liked these very well. Tom's second course was a grilled pompano with green beans and red cabbage and some roasted potatoes. They sent out a pork entree with fingerling potatoes and Brussels sprouts for me. The pork was fork-tender and covered in a thick sauce. I boxed this up. Tom ate every bit of his fish and loved it. The fish was very thin and distinctly formed with a fish outline. Since we arrived so late we didn’t really eat off the menu, which follows:
Assagini-Hors d’ oeuvres
Served with Umani Ronchi Verdicchio “Castelli Di Jesus”
Primo Piatto
U10 Sea Scallops oveer Risotto Verde
Served with Rocco Di Montemassi Rose
Second Course
Zuppa Laribollita
Ghizzano Il Ghizanno Sangiovese
Third Course
Lobster Tail and Beef Tenderloin
or
Filet of Pork tenderloin with Porcini Mushroom Sauce
or
Veal Scallopini Romano
Served with Antinori Bramito or Venetulso Tenuta di Ghizzano “Super Tuscan”
Dessert
Andrea’s Anniversary Cake
Ferrari Brut Champagne Toast
All these Italian wines were delicious, and provided by Antonio Molesini from Republic, a really fun and knowledgeable rep who does all of Andrea’s dinners, and adds a lot to them.
It was a great party befitting a great accomplishment. Everyone left happy, especially Andrea. Kudos to him on 35 years and counting…
Andrea’s Restaurant
3100 19th St Metairie
504-834-8583
Sun-Th 11-9
Friday & Saturday till 10
andreasrestaurant.com
