For some reason this Christmas season I was in the mood to party. We started with Friday lunches, and we did a Révillon for the first time in a long while. But this wasn’t enough. We also cruised some of the bars around town. For us, this does not mean drinking. It means bar food.
The Carousel Bar at The Monteleone Hotel is a place locals are very familiar with, but we don't go there. We have eaten at Criollo, the restaurant, but we have never been to the bar. Never ridden the Carousel.
The place was packed the day we went. It was a recent Saturday afternoon. There was no way we could hover for a seat with Tom, so we grabbed a little table at the end of a row of small tables. They were so close it felt like we were part of someone else’s party. Tom would have loved this.
A waitress came to get an order as soon as we sat down. I was impressed by this. The place was a madhouse, but it seemed that service was quick all around. We ordered some Oysters Rockefeller, potstickers, French fries, and sliders. No cocktails, but Tom had an iced tea.
The Oysters Rockefeller looked like something you would serve to tourists. Not interesting or appealing at all.
My potstickers were a little better, stuffed into a small serving “pot.”These had a little dipping sauce. I expected them to be pan-seared, but I have no idea why I expected that. They were not, and it was disappointing. The flavor wasn’t bad but they were a little pasty, as potstickers not pan-seared can be.
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The fries were ordinary frozen fries but were good enough for this scene.
What was the most interesting of the lot was the plate of sliders, which came two to an order. These were the size of Krystal burgers, though they were chicken, and they were served on biscuits. These little biscuits were flaky and great, with a little tiny fried chicken piece inside. Housemade pickles that were very good were also part of this.
I realize this is a bar and a very popular one, but I was stunned by the bill for this. It was $81, with no drinks. The baby sliders were $18 and the Oysters Rockefeller were also $18, meaning that each oyster was $6!
The food here seems to be pretty good, and I think we may have ordered wrong. I kept seeing a steady stream of good-looking food coming quickly from the kitchen. The place is fun, and it is certainly hopping. And next time I will be prepared to spend a lot more money.
On our next outing, we went to The Chloe, a place I have read about and heard about, but never been. It’s probably because I knew it was not my scene. And I was right, but I still found the place intriguing. I'm twice as old as the average customer here. It’s a hip place that reminds me of a hotel in NYC where we stayed at the turn of the century. The kids were little and Tom was wearing a fedora, but not a cool one. It was more like the one Topol wore in "Fiddler On The Roof." This hotel was so cool it looked like the furniture could bite you. We were so out of place there it was amusing.
I felt that same way about The Chloe, but if the staff noticed, they were good at hiding it. We felt very welcome. I was intrigued by the place, which had a different look to each room, and the most eclectic collection of humans I have encountered in a while.
We sat in a cozy room in the bar and ordered lunch. I was expecting a day-long bar menu, but they served food in meals. We were there midday so we ordered lunch.
There was a Wedge Salad on the menu which was a misnomer I thought. There was no Bleu Cheese to be had, but there was a generous amount of boiled Royal Red Shrimp and copious amounts of fresh dill. This had a pile of crisp Bibb lettuce as a base and intriguing condiments that clashed in the most delightful way. I loved this salad.
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The next appetizer was disappointing. It was more potstickers, here called dumplings. These were pasty with almost a gravy underneath, and an odd set of flavors, with a bunch of weird crunchy bits on unidentifiable things. I love dumplings and potstickers, and I didn't even finish these.
The burger that followed was delicious. It was smallish, served not on brioche but on a regular bun loaded with poppy seeds. The meat itself was quite tasty. There were two patties with melted American cheese and lots of fresh dressings. A classic American burger, one with good ingredients done well. The accompanying fries were of the ordinary frozen kind, but seasoned well and part of a good pairing.
We should have stopped there but Tom was intrigued by pork belly of all things (He hates pork belly) I love pork belly but hated this. Pork belly done well is braised to the point of disintegrating. It should at least wiggle a lot. This needed a lot more cooking. There was more of that crisp lettuce and interesting condiments and fresh herbs like mint, with some pickled onions though, so it was like another good salad.
We left when a group of young musicians gathered in the front yard for a concert. The Chloe is a most interesting place, not for us, but I can see why it is popular.
The third bar we visited is by far my favorite. The Davenport Lounge at The Ritz-Carlton is more my speed. I have stayed in my share of Ritz-Carltons around the world, and in general, I am surprised at the food service in a place with that price point. I find it unimaginative. This one is an exception, M Bistro is a good restaurant. I guess it would have to be in a place like New Orleans.
We went to the Saenger to see the LPO play the score for Elf. The Ritz was decorated beautifully and it was buzzing. I have always loved this lounge and it was particularly fun that day.
Tom was interested in meat pies for some reason, and I’m glad we got them. A half-dozen plump pies came with Poblano Remoulade as a dipping sauce. These were exceptionally good. The crust was flaky and the filling great, but the Remoulade was drinkable. These were terrific.
There was also a seafood gumbo with andouille served with popcorn rice that was so good we almost got another bowl. Popcorn rice kicks everything up a notch, but this soup was brilliant on its own. A terrific bite of food.
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Tom ordered redfish, as he always does. There was a huge portion of blackened redfish with brabant potatoes and broccoli florets that Tom ate completely, though it seemed a little dry to me.
We also had a Cobb Salad with a delicious Buttermilk Ranch dressing and plenty of thick crumbled bacon A classic preparation minus the avocado.
What I noticed in our bar crawl was that eating in bars is an expensive way to eat. Even when you don’t drink. But there is something especially fun about it, especially at the holidays
