Thursday, October 27, 2016.
Angeline Again.
Mary Ann is in town today, calling on her clients. At the end of my radio show, she calls to let me know of her availability for dinner. I suggest Angeline, where I need to dine one more time, to finish my notes for an article for Inside New Orleans.
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Charcuterie, pickles, and a bottle of wine at Angeline.[/caption]
Without so much as a taste of food tonight, I have already concluded that Chef Alex Harrell (we all know him for his years at Sylvain) places on having an entertained buzz in his dining rooms. Every time we've tried Angeline our table was looked after by a waitress (different one each time) with a sparkling sense of humor, allowing me to engage them in absurdity without offending them. Not one of my jokes went over their heads. It was a delightful evening.
We begin with one of the best bargains I've encountered among first-class restaurants recently. For thirty-six dollars, you get the "Happy Good Sense" package, which brings a board of very interesting nibbles that range from charcuterie to fried cauliflower nubbins (yes, as in deep-fried, and it was very good) to house-pickled vegetables. Included with the deal is a bottle of wine--red or white.
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Curried pumpkin soup.[/caption]Which wine would be best with a curried pumpkin soup with toasted pumpkin seeds? We decide on red. Then we go after the soup, which is served in a bowl big enough for two (a running theme here). Except for a convincing shot of hot peppers, the flavors in the soup are more about spice than heat. This makes a running score of three good soups out of three in our visits.
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The pork chop at Angeline.[/caption]I'm also interested in the red (Italian) wine. I made up my mind before I arrived here tonight that my entree will be the double-cut pork chop. It is worth waiting for, the business end of the rib bone carrying a cylinder of juicy, just barely pink pork ribeye, sliced across into six thin choplets. Like most of what I've had here, it is too much food. But MA likes pork chops as much as I do, so that will be considered a bonus.
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Angeline's shrimp and country ham.[/caption]Mary Ann orders her own entree, as well. It is shrimp of nice size with country ham (that means dry-cured, like prosciutto but with its own Southern American appeal). Those two ingredients come tossed wuth stewed butter beans and sweet potatoes. Angeline is in the holiday season without hanging a single decoration.
Other than the French Quarter location, MA loves this place. She has a taste for rustic, unpretentious food, and that's what Chef Alex makes. She even has an appreciation for the dining room, which itself has a bit of small-town atmosphere.
I get the feeling that a certain percentage of the diners here are visitors from elsewhere whose guidebooks are out of date. But anyone who wanders into the courtyard expecting the extremes of Stella! will not be put off by what they do find. Chef Alex's food certainly passes as New Orleans, Cajun, and Southern flavor.
Angeline. French Quarter: 1032 Chartres St. 504-308-3106.
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Friday, October 28, 2016.
Catching Up With Café Giovanni.
Mary Ann announces early in the day that under no circumstances will I get her as a dinner date tonight, what with the damage that has been done to her diet in the past several days. It is all my fault, of course.
Café Giovanni has been on my mind for months. I haven't answered that call, because Eat Club dinners there are so frequent that I feel I've had my taste of Chef Duke's cookery. But most of what shows up in the dinner menus is different and new each time. Meanwhile, Chef Duke's specialties sometimes get neglected.
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Bruschetta @ Cafe Giovanni.[/caption]I look over the menu to refresh my memories, and decide on an all-appetizer repast. First I get the butte-like bruschetta--an enhancement of garlic bread, topped with tomatoes, cheese, garlic, and a few other good tastes. Then Duke sends me an alligator meatball in marinara sauce. He says that this has been a very popular item, especially with the visitors. Where else would a person find alligator meatballs, anyway?
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Oysters Giovanni.[/caption]Next is the dish I came for, the beautiful oysters Giovanni, in which the oysters are fried before falling into a swirling, colorful maelstrom of sauces carrying everything from pepper to fruity sweetness. Now and forever, the great dish here.
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Seafood Caprese salad at Cafe Giovanni.[/caption]Mixed in here somewhere is the superb pile of chilled crabmeat and shrimp, with the ingredients of a an insalata Caprese underneath. Finally comes a small order of ravioli stuffed with the highly miscellaneous meats loved by the people of Bologna. This is another specialty that I haven't enjoyed in a long time, and I'm glad I did tonight.
The singing staff--another hallmark of Café Giovanni-- tonight is represented by a soprano who has been at Café Giovanni for quite a while. Her repertoire moved away from solid opera to an admixture of classical, the Great American Songbook, and show tunes. That's my kind of music, and they permit me to indulge myself (who else would be pleased by it?) in a pair of songs. "If I Loved You" is first, then "Where Or When." If I say so myself, I packed more power into the second song than I think I ever have. But I'm singing a lot more in the last two years, and learning from excellent performers standing next to me.
Cafe Giovanni. French Quarter: 117 Decatur. 504-529-2154.
