Friday, January 9, 2009.
Mary Ann Leaves. Seven On Fulton.
With less trepidation than on past trips, Mary Ann flew out to Los Angeles to observe Jude's first day in college. And, no doubt, listen to him say that he doesn't have time to spend with her, what with work and all. He's hooked up with an outfit producing a pilot for a television show. He says these guys are serious, and have contracts to produce a commercial to run in the Super Bowl. And those have budgets in seven figures. I hope he finds time for school.
Dinner at 7 On Fulton, the restaurant in the Wyndham Riverfront Hotel, an associate of Harrah's Casino. Vicky Bayley--the creator of Mike's on the Avenue and Artesia, among other restaurants--opened this place after the hurricane. She dumped out of it about a year ago. I guess the hotel is running it now. They push the place pretty hard, and every now and then someone calls on the radio to say that they had a very good meal there. 
But what I found was in line with all my previous visits: an empty dining room. The single waitress was eager enough to serve me, though, and Chef Matthew Fultz cooked up an impressive enough dinner.
I started with a martini. They had to find a bartender to make it, but it came out fast and good enough. Then some crispy (read fried) sweetbreads with a grits cake and a little bacon. Grits have certainly established themselves in the main course lately. And, unlike most other trends, it makes sense there. So now we have potatoes, rice, pasta, and grits to put beneath or next to the proteins.
The entree involved another trendy item that makes much less sense to me, but this was a good plate anyway. It was a trio of very pretty seared sea scallops, sent out with mashed potatoes and a couple of pieces of braised short ribs. Short ribs? They made no contribution to this dish. Mashed potatoes and seafood? One day chefs will stop sidling them next to one another. It doesn't work, either in flavor or texture. (Beans, guys! Beans!) The scallops were foamed over with something or other--another gimmick, but harmless. Despite all
the distractions, the scallops were so good that I was glad I ordered them.
All this food was brilliantly presented, came out hot, tasted good, and was otherwise impressive. The room is sharp and handsome, if a shade dark. They have free valet parking. It's right in the middle of everything. So where are the customers? The curse of the downtown district on restaurants trying to serve dinner there is very pervasive. Going on as long as I can remember, with few eateries immune.
I skipped dessert. This was punishment for eating that whole slice of cheesecake at Zoe last night.
7 On Fulton. Warehouse District: 700 Fulton (in the Riverfront Hotel). 504-681-1034. Contemporary American.
