Tuesday, September 13, 2016.
Eat Clubbing At Muriel's.
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Indoor courtyard at Muriel's.[/caption]
At this time of year, even dinners of exceptional wine and food are hard to sell. And so it is ats Muriel's, where in the past we have filled the entire upstairs dining rooms. Not today. Fifteen people is all we can scare up. And, given that Muriel's French Quarter, former macaroni factory building has a table for the resident ghost. Who, I see, has two place settings at his table since the last time I was here. I hear he has been complaining about a lack of dates.
We begin with a nice run of fresh seafood, much of it at or near the raw area. That comes to us in the bordello-like bar on the second floor, where the conversation is always busier than in other sectors of the second-floor dining area.
We move to that venue for four courses. The first is very simple, but very appealing: big lump crabmeat morsels atop a bed of lettuce. The crabmeat is in charge of the taste array, as it should be this time of year.
Next some lane snapper--a very good cousin of red snapper. It is encrusted with herbs and a random bread crumbs. Very nice. The comes duck cooked two ways: the breast roasted, the legs and fat turned into something that's almost a sauce. The standard belief about duck breast is that it should be served rare. I am an eater of rare and even raw proteins, but every time rare duck comes my way (rarely), I am again convinced that brush should be cooked futhermore.
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The ghost's table at Muriel's.[/caption]
The dessert was interesting in being essentially three or even four desserts in one. There is a lemon pound cake and some berries and pastry cream (I think). All of this is made into a trifle: very soft, rich, fruity, and generally a mouthful.
Muriel's has its own wines vinified for them by a Napa winery whose name I think is a secret. But co-owner Rick Gratia is a long-time wine guy, and his house wines--more expensive than many of the other wines here--are exceptionally good. Particularly the reds.
The attendees at our dinner tonight make up in interesting repartee what they lacked in numbers. One of them is a long-time public servant who tells me that he was largely behind the laws that took redfish off the menus in restaurants and seafood shops. From there we covered a lot of other ground. That might not have come up in a bigger gathering.
Muriel's. French Quarter: 801 Chartres. 504-568-1885.
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Wednesday, September 14, 2016.
Easy Going At Impastato's.
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Impastato's main dining room.[/caption]
And if the dinner at Muriel's made it clear that early September is among the worst times of the year in the restaurant trade, then Joe Impastato has found away around the problem. We came close to filling the stained-glass ceilinged dining room in the Metairie restaurant tonight, although things didn't start out that way.
And it surely can't be said that Impastato's regular customers demand new dishes. If we deviate by more than a degree or two, people start complaining.
So here we are, eating the crab claws and the remoulade-like shrimp Capri, then the fettuccine (I hear it may soon be nominated for sainthood) and the spicy angel hair asciutta. Then the semi-Caesar house salad.
And there came the veal porterhouse steaks. This is as much a visual thrill as it is a flavor sensation. Joe and his chefs have figured how to keep it fomr getting stiff. Veal, with so little fat and cartilaginous tissue, is notorious for cooking down tough. But you would never know that to hear the comments of those who ordered the big chop.
I stay on the seashore with grilled redfish with mushrooms, artichokes, and lemon butter. Always love that. Many soft shell crabs of imperious size graced the tables of other seafood lovers.
My intention is to head home early. I have a tremendous amount of work to do before leaving with the Eat Club on our cruise to New England and Canada. It's not a crisis yet, but a number of matters need to be settled.
Impastato's. Metairie 2: Orleans Line To Houma Blvd: 3400 16th St. 504-455-1545.
Dining Diary From The High Seas.
Ten Days Of Eating Lots Of Lobsters, Scallops and Mussels.
I'm writing this at home the day before we depart for New York, the first stop on a search for fall foliage and Yankee food. Until I return on October 3, the New Orleans Menu will skip a few days' publication and publish a bit less than usual on other days. All the while, I'll be writing longer pieces about the food scene in the Northeast and in Canada to send you when I return. With, I hope, of stunning views of the tree colors other than green. Thanks for your patience.
Tastefully yours,
Tom Fitzmorris
