Thursday, December 4, 2015.
Historic Dinner.
Antoine's series of Historic Dinners continued tonight. A bigger crowd than I expected showed up for the fourth in a series with a unique concept. The restaurant brings in an illustrious chef, who they ask to produce two or three dishes in the spirit of Antoine's. Between courses, there's a presentation--complete with slides.
As usual, the slides added less than nothing to the evening. When is the last time you ever watch a slide show that told you anything? The radio corporate guys send us one or two a year, usually taking an hour or so to run through.
[caption id="attachment_49828" align="alignnone" width="480"]
The Historic Dinner at Antoine's. CEO Rick Blount on the left looks across the room to his wife Lisa, on the right.[/caption]
But the talks given by Antoine's CEO Rick Blount and his wife Lisa at these dinners are fascinating. Tonight, we learn that the paperwork has been found, and alleged Frenchman Antoine Alciatore--the founder of Antoine's, and Rick's great-great grandfather--was actually born in Italy as Antonio Alciatore. The last name gets a decided Italian pronunciation. This has long been suspected, but now it's accepted. We also learn that Antoine, after decades of operating his restaurant, left in his later years to return to Italy. His wife took over the restaurant and ran it for a long time until their son Jules bought his mother out.
We already knew that Jules was the man who made Antoine's into a great restaurant. I wasn't as aware of his marketing abilities. He would stop in at concerts, operas, prize fights--anything with a star and a big audience. He would invite the stars to come to dinner at Antoine's, with his compliments. Antoine's was the place to be.
And then came Roy Alciatore, who was a quiet, formal, short man, in contrast with Jules. That's when the menu and the environment were set in stone. They would stay that way until hurricane Katrina, which gave Rick--who was running things by then--the chance to reinvent the restaurant from the ground up.
[caption id="attachment_49827" align="alignnone" width="480"]
Crabcake and barbecue shrimp, from Broussard's chef Neal Swidler.[/caption]
We ate well while this entertaining presentation went on. The waiters passed around tiny patty shells filled with crawfish, the great shrimp canapes, and soufflee potatoes. We sat down for a soft crab cake with slices of avocado and a few barbecue shrimp. Sweet heat: always a hit. The wine choice for this was inspired: Vouvray from Monmousseau, a little sweet. The pepper in the dish now had two forms of sweetness to play against.
[caption id="attachment_49826" align="alignnone" width="480"]
Chef Neal's Washday Cassoulet," with duck confit, pork belly and red beans.[/caption]
That dish came from the guest chef, Neal Swidler from Broussard's. After Antoine's Chef Mike Regua sent out an oyster-artichoke soup, Chef Neal was back with the most interesting dish of the night: "Washday Cassoulet," a plate of red beans, duck confit, and pork belly. Very good. Neal says he is soon to add this to Broussard's menu. We had St. Cosme Cote du Rhone--a hundred percent Sarah--another nice pairing.
[caption id="attachment_49825" align="alignnone" width="480"]
Veal porterhouse with red wine sauce.[/caption]
Mike's entree was something I knew was going to be trouble. Veal porterhouse steaks sound like a good idea, but they aren't. No fat, hardly any gelatin. Comes out of the oven or off the grill tough. I suggest that here is a cut of meat that would greatly benefit from brining. But I wouldn't guarantee it. Looked very good on the plate, though, and the red wine sauce was nice.
We finished with baked Alaska, of course. Nobody could remember another time when the name "Antoine's" was written with whipped cream on one side of the meringue football, and the name of another restaurant on the other. What a concordance!
[caption id="attachment_49824" align="alignnone" width="480"]
Antoine's Chef Mike Regua and Broussard's Chef Neal Swidler.[/caption]
About thirty diners showed up for this dinner, some of them as much interested in the historical stuff and they are by the food and wine.
Antoine's. French Quarter: 713 St Louis. 504-581-4422.
The Historic Dinner at Antoine's. CEO Rick Blount on the left looks across the room to his wife Lisa, on the right.[/caption]
But the talks given by Antoine's CEO Rick Blount and his wife Lisa at these dinners are fascinating. Tonight, we learn that the paperwork has been found, and alleged Frenchman Antoine Alciatore--the founder of Antoine's, and Rick's great-great grandfather--was actually born in Italy as Antonio Alciatore. The last name gets a decided Italian pronunciation. This has long been suspected, but now it's accepted. We also learn that Antoine, after decades of operating his restaurant, left in his later years to return to Italy. His wife took over the restaurant and ran it for a long time until their son Jules bought his mother out.
We already knew that Jules was the man who made Antoine's into a great restaurant. I wasn't as aware of his marketing abilities. He would stop in at concerts, operas, prize fights--anything with a star and a big audience. He would invite the stars to come to dinner at Antoine's, with his compliments. Antoine's was the place to be.
And then came Roy Alciatore, who was a quiet, formal, short man, in contrast with Jules. That's when the menu and the environment were set in stone. They would stay that way until hurricane Katrina, which gave Rick--who was running things by then--the chance to reinvent the restaurant from the ground up.
[caption id="attachment_49827" align="alignnone" width="480"]
Crabcake and barbecue shrimp, from Broussard's chef Neal Swidler.[/caption]
We ate well while this entertaining presentation went on. The waiters passed around tiny patty shells filled with crawfish, the great shrimp canapes, and soufflee potatoes. We sat down for a soft crab cake with slices of avocado and a few barbecue shrimp. Sweet heat: always a hit. The wine choice for this was inspired: Vouvray from Monmousseau, a little sweet. The pepper in the dish now had two forms of sweetness to play against.
[caption id="attachment_49826" align="alignnone" width="480"]
Chef Neal's Washday Cassoulet," with duck confit, pork belly and red beans.[/caption]
That dish came from the guest chef, Neal Swidler from Broussard's. After Antoine's Chef Mike Regua sent out an oyster-artichoke soup, Chef Neal was back with the most interesting dish of the night: "Washday Cassoulet," a plate of red beans, duck confit, and pork belly. Very good. Neal says he is soon to add this to Broussard's menu. We had St. Cosme Cote du Rhone--a hundred percent Sarah--another nice pairing.
[caption id="attachment_49825" align="alignnone" width="480"]
Veal porterhouse with red wine sauce.[/caption]
Mike's entree was something I knew was going to be trouble. Veal porterhouse steaks sound like a good idea, but they aren't. No fat, hardly any gelatin. Comes out of the oven or off the grill tough. I suggest that here is a cut of meat that would greatly benefit from brining. But I wouldn't guarantee it. Looked very good on the plate, though, and the red wine sauce was nice.
We finished with baked Alaska, of course. Nobody could remember another time when the name "Antoine's" was written with whipped cream on one side of the meringue football, and the name of another restaurant on the other. What a concordance!
[caption id="attachment_49824" align="alignnone" width="480"]
Antoine's Chef Mike Regua and Broussard's Chef Neal Swidler.[/caption]
About thirty diners showed up for this dinner, some of them as much interested in the historical stuff and they are by the food and wine.
