Wednesday, January 20, 2016.
An Unique Wine Dinner In The Old Jax Brewery.
"Did I tell you we have a dinner engagement tonight?" Mary Ann asked me yesterday. No, she didn't. She only thought she had. But, she says, I am wrong about that. But surely I would have remembered that we are to dine with Vickie Bayley.
Vicky is involved in another classy food operation to append themselves to a long list of previous restaurants. A few: Desi Vega's Steakhouse, the Lakehouse, Mike's on the Avenue (both iterations) and Artesia.
The new place is Jaxson, on an upper floor of the old Jax Brewery. It's in the the part of that old building where beer actually was made, not merely referred to. It became touristy real estate in the 1970s, and never has quite accomplished what was widely expected. The part of the building where Jaxson is was at one time the French Quarter location of Trey Yuen. Or was that Roy Guste, Jr.'s short-lived restaurant? I can't quite recall which big restaurant was on which floor.
There is no doubt that the Jax Brewery has possibilities. It's the only event space in town with a view of the Mississippi River, since Galvez closed. Vickie's taste is so adventuresome that something good may come of this.
Tonight, they're showing off some of that potential with a pop-up wine dinner orchestrated by Chef Robert Vasquez--he of the tiny but brilliant café in Mandeville. Robert and Vickie worked together before, and one is more sophisticated and forward-looking than the other.
I've attended hundreds of wine dinners over the decades, but I can't recall anything quite like what Chef Robert has planned for tonight. Two wine dinners will progress simultaneously in the same dining room. Same tables, in fact. The guests find that they are served different food and wine from what the people they're sitting next to get.
In an act of astonishing bravado, Chef Robert cooks all of the eats and drinks in one motion. The plates reach the tables all at the same time, too. The wines are similar to one another, but Group A has wines from around Europe, while Group B has some premium California juice from one winery.
As confusing as this may seem, it was a tour de force. Most of the diners shared their platters, bringing the five-course repast up to ten. In only a few instances was one dish clearly better than the other. The A Group got a creamy soup with lobster, while Group B had a tomato soup with a fried cheese croquette. A: Fried oyster. B: Empanada. A: Brisket (amazingly tender, best dish of the night) atop a potato cake. B: Ballottine of chicken. A: Lost bread. B: A luscious pile of berries covered with a sauce anglais.
On the other hand, the advantage distinctly went to the wines from Europe--particularly the Chateau St. Didier-Parnac, from the Cahors region of France. The wines from there--most made from Malbec--lately have been talked up by those who enjoy browsing for little-known vintages.
By the end of the evening, all palates were much entertained. Robert and Vickie promised there will be more such adventuresome events. In fact, the dates are known: February 17 and March 16. One can sign up at info@opalbasil.com.
The dual-service aspect aside, this was also unusual in being a pop-up event for most of us. I had never been to one. The idea in intriguing: A chef from an outside restaurant (or, maybe, one with no regular kitchen at all) comes in and cooks his food in the hosts' eatery's kitchen.
This idea--very much a current trend--engenders a great deal of talk. I can't say I think it's a good idea. How does one choose a restaurant when you don't know what exactly is going to happen there? Exciting for some, I guess. . . but not for me.
Vickie was thrilled to hear that Mary Leigh is getting married later this year. And when she heard that we just nailed down the reception venue, she asked us to get in touch with her, and that the Jaxson might be able to do it at a good price. With a river view, yet.
I don't think that will happen. Today we received the detailed plan from John Besh's new Pigeon and Prince--formerly La Foret. The bottom line officially passed five figures. I take a deep breath and decide that this is my daughter we're talking about.
Opal Basil @ The Jaxson. French Quarter: 620 Decatur St. 985-257-0707.
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Thursday, January 21, 2016.
Meeting The Big Boss.
David Field is the president of Entercom, the fourth-largest radio station group in America, and the owner of the stations on which I broadcast. I've met him a couple of times. He is a gourmet, and on previous visits I made short lists of places he should try. He is in town today to meet with the staff. "There were enough people who wanted to be there that we had to take over an empty room on a floor above ours.
After twenty-seven years, this is only the second such gathering I attended. In the past I was always on the air during the meetings. Today, all I had to do was leave for the South Shore early to attend. I was glad to be there. Field is completely upbeat about everything. All the bugbears of the radio business--much of which freaks out when there are major changes in its world--seem to have no effect on our company. Radio, says Field, currently reaches a bigger audience than any other medium. And that while we were supposed to have taken a major hit from satellite radio, Ipads, smart phones, and the internet. But we're still here.
After this uplift, I settle into my new office and commence to finishing the day's newsletter. But I am missing a web address without which I can't post the diary. So we are short one article this day. I hope this doesn't set off a wave of cancellations. [Report from Real Time: It didn't.]
With two hours free before showtime, I have lunch at the Café At The Square. The Square in question is Lafayette Square, where none of the statues (Henry Clay and John McDonough) offend anyone. This is a breakfast spot for the guests in the hotel at the corner of St. Charles and Poydras, and a lunch room for the many people (most in the law business) who work in this neighborhood. So we have a menu full of salads and sandwiches. The latter keep their distance from the poor boy style, leaning more in the direction of American deli eats.
It's a cold, windy day, which fires up a desire for a hot soup. I don't like the du jour, but here on the permanent menu is French onion soup. Ordering that is risky, I have discovered over the years. But I got lucky today. This is a very good version, with a nice flavor of caramelized onions and a melted-cheese crouton in an advanced state of sinking. It was a lot of soup, and I could have made a mail of it.
But no. I continue with a Cobb salad. It is big enough to serve three, perhaps four people. The ingredients are layered out, as in the classic presentation. The only thing missing is blue cheese. But had it been there, where would I have put it?
Although the kitchen did a fine job on everything and the prices were attractive, I'm glad I don't live in a place where this kind of restaurant dominates the scene. When I was in Seattle a few months ago, I observed menus like this one everywhere we went. This is how New Orleans is different, and enhances our lives.
On the other hand, I'm glad I stuffed myself. A cold, windy weather system that set off warnings about tornados during my show, moved me to leave for home as soon as the show was over. I hope the squalls are finished by tomorrow, when Mary Ann is leaving for Los Angeles and another visit with our son and grandson and family. I still have not seen Jackson face to face.
Cafe At The Square. CBD: 500 St Charles Ave. 504-304-7831.
The new place is Jaxson, on an upper floor of the old Jax Brewery. It's in the the part of that old building where beer actually was made, not merely referred to. It became touristy real estate in the 1970s, and never has quite accomplished what was widely expected. The part of the building where Jaxson is was at one time the French Quarter location of Trey Yuen. Or was that Roy Guste, Jr.'s short-lived restaurant? I can't quite recall which big restaurant was on which floor.
There is no doubt that the Jax Brewery has possibilities. It's the only event space in town with a view of the Mississippi River, since Galvez closed. Vickie's taste is so adventuresome that something good may come of this.
Tonight, they're showing off some of that potential with a pop-up wine dinner orchestrated by Chef Robert Vasquez--he of the tiny but brilliant café in Mandeville. Robert and Vickie worked together before, and one is more sophisticated and forward-looking than the other.
I've attended hundreds of wine dinners over the decades, but I can't recall anything quite like what Chef Robert has planned for tonight. Two wine dinners will progress simultaneously in the same dining room. Same tables, in fact. The guests find that they are served different food and wine from what the people they're sitting next to get.
In an act of astonishing bravado, Chef Robert cooks all of the eats and drinks in one motion. The plates reach the tables all at the same time, too. The wines are similar to one another, but Group A has wines from around Europe, while Group B has some premium California juice from one winery.
As confusing as this may seem, it was a tour de force. Most of the diners shared their platters, bringing the five-course repast up to ten. In only a few instances was one dish clearly better than the other. The A Group got a creamy soup with lobster, while Group B had a tomato soup with a fried cheese croquette. A: Fried oyster. B: Empanada. A: Brisket (amazingly tender, best dish of the night) atop a potato cake. B: Ballottine of chicken. A: Lost bread. B: A luscious pile of berries covered with a sauce anglais.
On the other hand, the advantage distinctly went to the wines from Europe--particularly the Chateau St. Didier-Parnac, from the Cahors region of France. The wines from there--most made from Malbec--lately have been talked up by those who enjoy browsing for little-known vintages.
By the end of the evening, all palates were much entertained. Robert and Vickie promised there will be more such adventuresome events. In fact, the dates are known: February 17 and March 16. One can sign up at info@opalbasil.com.
The dual-service aspect aside, this was also unusual in being a pop-up event for most of us. I had never been to one. The idea in intriguing: A chef from an outside restaurant (or, maybe, one with no regular kitchen at all) comes in and cooks his food in the hosts' eatery's kitchen.
This idea--very much a current trend--engenders a great deal of talk. I can't say I think it's a good idea. How does one choose a restaurant when you don't know what exactly is going to happen there? Exciting for some, I guess. . . but not for me.
Vickie was thrilled to hear that Mary Leigh is getting married later this year. And when she heard that we just nailed down the reception venue, she asked us to get in touch with her, and that the Jaxson might be able to do it at a good price. With a river view, yet.
I don't think that will happen. Today we received the detailed plan from John Besh's new Pigeon and Prince--formerly La Foret. The bottom line officially passed five figures. I take a deep breath and decide that this is my daughter we're talking about.
