A Bliss Filled Brunch

Now that the brutal heat has left us, we try to eat outside every chance we get. To be honest, I’m the regular driver so I drive us to places where we can be outside. It's the only time Tom gets outside, because he is definitely not an al Fresco guy.

It was great news to learn that our favorite restaurant, Tchefuncte’s, is now serving outside. They had a great patio from the beginning, but it seemed to be only for cocktails around a fire pit. That is gone now and tables are ready for service. Usually, we ate downstairs at the Anchor, but we would much rather eat the food at Tchefuncte’s, which is certainly more in Tom’s wheelhouse, and even mine.

It was lovely outside though farther from the water than downstairs at Anchor, but the food and service here is in another league. It’s also twice the price, but you’ve heard the saying…

I miss the lobster bisque and I hope they bring it back but there was still plenty to interest me here. In a remarkable twist, Tom settled on the hamburger, after staring at the menu for a half hour and carefully considering it all. 

While he was doing that, I ordered and ate a bowl of smoked chicken and andouille gumbo. This was indeed smoky, but at just the right level. It’s there but not overpowering. There was so much shredded chicken in this gumbo that it was almost too much. Unlike some people, I hold firm that there can be too much of a good thing, but this hadn’t hit that level. It was just a pronounced flavor. Served with popcorn rice, what’s not to love? It was not too thick, filled with bits of interesting things. I very much enjoyed this, and it was quite filling.

Finally, Tom made his decision for lunch. He would have the hamburger, which was an unusual choice for him, Normally he would get a waffle or the veal medallions he considered, but he seemed sold on the burger. The burger at Tchefuncte’s is not especially visually appealing, but I love it. I wondered how Tom would react to his choice.

Since I was no longer hungry, I went with something light. The BBQ shrimp called to me. There were two versions on this menu: an appetizer served with a chive biscuit, and an entree that was far more complex, served with grits.

Tom’s burger arrived, looking like the Tchefuncte burger, except this one had a fried egg inserted on top. The burger here is fat. A large patty smaller in circumference, with a brioche bun to match. The patty is rounded so that the top of the bun always slides to the side. This one was additionally fat because the bacon was thick and folded, adding extra girth. This came with uninteresting brabant potatoes.

I always quarter sandwiches for Tom to make it easier for him to eat, and I often steal the first quarter to taste. After a bite or two, I return it, but this was a sensational burger. The flavor of the patty was terrific, and the combination of the bacon and patty was outstanding. At first glance, I thought the bacon was undercooked for my taste, but it was great. A weird proclivity of mine is that bacon must be stiff or it is undercooked, but I was proven wrong here. I wanted to eat all the rest while Tom wasn’t looking.

But I had something fantastic waiting for me. I went with the app version of the shrimp, the one with the chive biscuit. In front of me was a carefully stacked collection of five large shrimp atop a flat biscuit bottom, with what looked like a moat of an opaque and thicker sauce. Colorful bits of things were scattered about and clustered on top. The top of the large biscuit was perched on the side as a lean-to of the main stack. 

This was a divine plate of food. The shrimp were not excessively large, which I love. There were five, and together with the hearty chive biscuit, this would have been a meal, even without the gumbo starter. I was suspicious of the sauce at first because of its thicker consistency, but it was addictive. I lost control and heard myself ask for another biscuit to make sure I ate every bit of the sauce.

Tom was across the table busily devouring every scrap of his burger, continually remarking at its goodness. I felt guilty that I had kept him from the entire burger. He would surely have eaten it all. 

I was overwhelmed by how delightful this lunch was. The perfect day, the wonderful scene of the river and the busy activity on it were entertaining, and the food was spectacular. We had to extend this. Dessert would be included in this meal.

The waiter brought a dessert menu, and I saw a new entrant. There was a trio of Liquid Nitrogen Ice Creams listed among the choices. I asked the waiter about this, and he told us the trio included the basics of chocolate and vanilla, but also a real favorite of mine, butter pecan. This was Tchefuncte’s, so I knew it would be an exceptional version of this flavor. A plate with three healthy scoops of ice cream arrived with two tiny pitchers: one with chocolate sauce and the other with caramel. This was all utterly decadent. A generous amount of large chunks of pecans, some whole halves, studded this scoop of ice cream with a rich butter flavor. High butterfat content made for that silky mouthfeel. Superb! The chocolate and vanilla were also terrific. I expected the chocolate to be darker because everything here is done to the ultimate end. The chocolate sauce was perfect, as was the caramel, but these ice creams didn't need any help.

And then it was over. We couldn’t eat anything else to prolong this experience, so it was time to go. I continue to be amazed at how great the place is, and how lucky we are to have it so close.