Friday, June 24, 2016.
A New--Really New--Entree At Antoine's.
When MA is out of town, she encourages me to pleasure myself with my many personal traditions--many of them restaurants whose appeal she can't quite figure out. For example, my single-guy habit of dining at Antoine's every Friday. She put the kibosh on that right around the time Jude was born. How could I justify dining in the same restaurant every week, she wanted to know--and an expensive one, at that?
Now that our home life is much attenuated by the disappearance of our children, I have been given permission to resume the tradition somewhat. Five or six times a year. This works for me, because it means thinking about the next time I go for about two months before it happens. This amplifies the experience. If it's really good, I appreciate it even more. (If not, the disappointment swells. But that doesn't happen much.)
I will remember this evening's dinner for a long time, because a new entree has appeared on Antoine's menu. And it really is new--not merely a variation on one of the restaurant's standards.
The dish's name is misspelled on the menu as "cote de veau Rossellini." Cote de veau=veal rib chop. The real surname is Rossini, for Gioachino Rossini, one of the most celebrated composers in the history of opera. Rossini was not only a gourmet but a culinary master. He created the dish, the most famous version of which is made with beef tournedos.
[caption id="attachment_51983" align="alignnone" width="480"]
Veal chop Rossini @ Antoine's. [/caption]
I don't think this has ever been on Antoine's regular menu. Back in the mid-1970s, before the web and before I had a copy of Larousse Gastrononique, I ran into a mention of tournedos Rossini in an article. I called Joe Guerra, my waiter at Antoine's then. He checked with the chef who, while knowing what the dish was, said that Antoine's didn't serve it. And if Antoine's didn't, then nobody did.
[caption id="attachment_46563" align="alignnone" width="480"]
Oysters Rockefeller, Bienville, and Thermidor @ Antoine's.[/caption]
After checking to make sure that the new dish is not made with veal porterhouse (a cut beautiful to look at but not especially great to eat), I place the order. While waiting, I have soufflee potatoes, oysters 2-2-2 (Rockefeller, Bienville and Thermidor), and a cup of crawfish bisque (no stuffed heads, thank goodness; the season is almost over).
The veal chop comes out with the big rib bone still attached, as well as with a few little bits of fat and cartilage (all this adds flavor). Once past that, I see that it's medium rare, and the knife encounters little resistance. The chop is topped by slices of pate de foie gras, then the dark brown, deli-glace-like red wine sauce.
It is excellent. What's more, it fills a gap in Antoine's entree selection. I hope it catches on. A glass of Spanish red slakes my thirst.
I have meringue glacee--sort of a miniature baked Alaska--for dessert. I also have a glass of Riesling from somewhere in Germany. Nice combination with the dessert.
At this point, some people would like to go out for a nightcap in some interesting bar nearby. Others would go to the French Market for café au lait and beignets. Most would go home. What I wish I were famous enough to do would be to walk into a music club where is played the American Songbook, and sing a few numbers with the approval of the other musicians.
I can dream, can't I?
Antoine's. French Quarter: 713 St Louis. 504-581-4422.
Veal chop Rossini @ Antoine's. [/caption]
I don't think this has ever been on Antoine's regular menu. Back in the mid-1970s, before the web and before I had a copy of Larousse Gastrononique, I ran into a mention of tournedos Rossini in an article. I called Joe Guerra, my waiter at Antoine's then. He checked with the chef who, while knowing what the dish was, said that Antoine's didn't serve it. And if Antoine's didn't, then nobody did.
[caption id="attachment_46563" align="alignnone" width="480"]
Oysters Rockefeller, Bienville, and Thermidor @ Antoine's.[/caption]
After checking to make sure that the new dish is not made with veal porterhouse (a cut beautiful to look at but not especially great to eat), I place the order. While waiting, I have soufflee potatoes, oysters 2-2-2 (Rockefeller, Bienville and Thermidor), and a cup of crawfish bisque (no stuffed heads, thank goodness; the season is almost over).
The veal chop comes out with the big rib bone still attached, as well as with a few little bits of fat and cartilage (all this adds flavor). Once past that, I see that it's medium rare, and the knife encounters little resistance. The chop is topped by slices of pate de foie gras, then the dark brown, deli-glace-like red wine sauce.
It is excellent. What's more, it fills a gap in Antoine's entree selection. I hope it catches on. A glass of Spanish red slakes my thirst.
I have meringue glacee--sort of a miniature baked Alaska--for dessert. I also have a glass of Riesling from somewhere in Germany. Nice combination with the dessert.
At this point, some people would like to go out for a nightcap in some interesting bar nearby. Others would go to the French Market for café au lait and beignets. Most would go home. What I wish I were famous enough to do would be to walk into a music club where is played the American Songbook, and sing a few numbers with the approval of the other musicians.
I can dream, can't I?
