[title type="h6"]Thursday, September 5, 2013.[/title]
I had some production work to do at the radio station after the show. If I had any brains at all--or any slack in my day--I'd record these commercials first thing in the morning, when the voice is best. The two worst times to do the job are a) after finishing three hours of almost nonstop talking on the daily radio show, or 2) right after a large meal in a restaurant where one must yell to be heard. The first, unfortunately, is when I wind up doing all this.
To dinner at Desi Vega's. I figured if I could have a good sampling of the fringe items on the menu, I'd have enough info for the CityBusiness review next week. The place wasn't busy--we are still in the very slowest week of the year. Customers began to filter in as it got later. One table was occupied by a group of Saints players, who Desi told me were regulars. If I could name any Saints other than Archie Manning and Obert Logan, I'd report who they were.
Desi Vega's, unlike its brother restaurant Mr. John's Steak House, doesn't have the Italian appetizers and entrees that always were an interesting alternative to the menu at the older place. Although I learned today that they can indeed serve a plate of pasta with red sauce. That's because the standard amuse bouche is one of Desi's mother's meatballs.
Most of the menu here is standard steakhouse fare. Well prepared from great ingredients, but with few surprises. On the other hand, the daily specials add another dimension to the place, one in which I dined all night tonight.
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Soft-shell crab with a rouille, all as an appetizer.[/caption]
The first special the waiter gave was a fried soft-shell crab with an aioli. How small is it? I asked.
"Not small at all," he said. "In fact, they're really big."
How much, then? "Sixteen dollars." What else? "A two bone lamb chop. Same price."
These mustn't be the chops you serve for an entree, are they? I asked.
"Same chops, different sauce."
Could I get them without that sauce? (It was a sweet-heat kind of thing, which I like on a lot of dishes, but not on lamb.) Could I have them with bearnaise?
"Sure," said the waiter. Desi Vega, who spent his early career at Commander's Palace, Emeril's, and Ruth's Chris, is obviously training his staff to always agree to serve anything within reason that a customer asks for.
The soft-shell was the first course. (Well, after the meatball.) It was without question an entree-size crab. Maybe it's the restaurant critic portion. On the other hand, I'll bet those Saints get treatment at least as special as I do. Back to the crab: beautiful, light, crisp, nice zingy sauce.
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House salad. That's it.[/caption]
I had the house salad after that, and followed it with the lamb chops. They were the baby chops I identify with New Zealand, not the big ones like you get at Galatoire's or Antoine's. I couldn't be disappointed. These were still a good buy at the price. And very well prepared, sharpened with pepper and soothed with the bearnaise.
Earlier in this visit, I got to talking with Desi about his new place here was doing with his very regular Mr. John's patrons. "It's funny," he said. "They say they like the dining room, the service, and the food. But then they look away, and say that there's a certain something missing."
My guess as to what would cause that was familiarity. But later in the dinner, something else presented a better explanation. Desi Vega's is still playing the background music that Vicky Bayley had installed when she opened this place as Mike's on the Avenue a couple of years ago. It's the same kind of thing you'd hear in a spa. Mr. John's, on the other hand, is playing selections from the Sinatra Galaxy. Yeah. That's it. They need to change the music.
I wonder how much additional income the voice of Frank Sinatra has added to American restaurants? It would be hard to measure, but I'll bet it's significant. It's one of those things that won't be discussed in mainstream dining circles or on most food websites, because it's not cool enough. But it's in the same realm as another datum that came out recently, to the effect that Baby Boomers spend more money in restaurants than any other comparable demographic.
Desi Vega's. CBD: 628 St Charles Ave. 504-523-7600.
