Friday, June 17, 2011
Rue 127 With A Federal Prosecutor.
My friend and dermatologist Bob DeBellevue doesn't follow my suggestion that one should wait a few months before trying a new restaurant. He has a sixth sense about which ones might be good, and is forgiving of the little issues new places sometimes have. He bumped me into action more than a few times over the years.
He is currently enthusiastic is Rue 127. He's been after me to join him for dinner there for the past few months, but my difficulty in getting around has until recently kept me from joining him. But I can walk now.
Bob, in addition to being a great skin doctor, world-class birdwatcher, and expert on Australian wines, is a friend of a lot of very well-known people. Allen Toussaint, for example. Tonight, he invited U.S. Attorney Jim Letten and his wife to join us. Letten is best known for putting Edwin Edwards in jail. He's done enough other high-profile prosecutions that several people stopped by to say things like, "You keep going after all those crooks!"
We didn't talk about political or legal matters too much, although Mary Ann could not resist hearing a few stories. Our conversation drifted into more mundane directions. Letten joined Bob ind me in our quest for the kind of humor that makes the women wonder why we think it's funny.
Letten and I got into a lengthy appreciation of Bud's Broiler. He's a Number Two aficionado. (I am a Number One man.) Then he revealed that he could not resist Krystal Hamburgers. I, too, have this weakness, and it was nice for a change to speak with someone who understands with this addiction is about.
Talking mostly about food was easy in this great new restaurant. Rue 127 is yet another proof of the theory that the smallest kitchens cook the best food. The one here is about the size of those at the Bistro at the Maison DeVille, Brigtsen's, and One. The restaurant itself is minuscule--so tiny it will be tough for the place to make a respectable profit.
Rue 127 is doing fine right now, though. The restaurant was full shortly after we arrived, and by the time we left the tables out on the sidewalk were also full. It's this way every night.
Mary Ann dropped me off in front of the restaurant and then parked the car. While I waited, Mike Juan appeared. He was the maitre d' at Christian's for many years, then at Le Parvenu and the Rib Room. Mike recently opened a new place called Juicy Lucy's next door to Rue 127. It's named for a hamburger popular in the Midwest. It's made by stuffing the uncooked meat patty with cheese, and then grilling it. Other add-ins are possible, too.
He showed me around the place, much sleeker than the two Latin American restaurants that preceded Juicy Lucy's there. He wanted me to sample a burger, but I need to have a big meal tonight, and told him I'd check back later.
Back to Rue 127. The staff here is sharper than I expected. They're fired up about their bustling new bistro. Maybe a little too much. The hostess didn't catch on that every weird thing I say is a joke until about halfway through the meal, and I think she may have been mildly offended. But I made up by taking all her suggestions for my order.
Bob brought four bottles of wine, and we started in on a fine, modern-style Loire Valley Pouilly Fume called Silex. The label depicts a rock from the vineyard. This was nice with my bowl of steamed mussels, sent out with too much cheese but otherwise entirely enjoyable.
The scallop appetizer are among the most talked-about dishes here, and indeed they were good, with a foam of something citrusy. Letten, who admits to a preference for simpler dishes, complained about the foam trend. I assured him he wasn't the only one, and that the trend was running out as more diners come around to sharing our thought that foam on a plate resembles something distasteful if you let your mind go that way.
Two other appetizers had the heavy involvement of heirloom tomatoes, but in very different ways. One was a straightforward insalata caprese, with fresh-milk mozzarella. The other was a risotto of tomato whose flavor was off the charts. The effect was heightened by the simplicity of the dish.
Everything kept heading up in the entree act. The seared salmon with Israeli couscous and what looked like bok choy made Mary Ann happy--and she's pretty stringent about her salmon. Whoever got the scallops with fennel and oyster mushrooms had the best dish of the night. Not even the mashed potatoes underneath could get in the way of these beautiful bivalves and the orange emulsion.
But the pork chop that came my way was almost as good as that. It was a double-thick job--big enough for two, really, Juicy and tasty, with a topping of fried shallots atop. By this time Bob had pulled out a 1990 Cornas--one of my favorite red wines, but one I don't get too often. And certainly not with twenty-one years of age on it. The bouquet was everything you'd want from a big old Rhone, and the flavor was big and youthful. (Dr. Bob has good storage conditions.)
The dessert chef here is Joanna Palmer, who has spent time in some major local kitchens. Lots of nice finished, the best of which is the frozen lemon soufflee cake. Mary Ann liked the chocolate caramel tart, and I dug the sticky toffee pudding--a British answer to bread pudding--was just the right size.
This is the best new restaurant of 2011 so far. I hope it moves to a bigger and better space. This old house is handsome and they've done a terrific renovation. But the air conditioning couldn't handle the crowd on a hot day like this, and the small dining room will wear them down after awhile. I think they will also have to raise their prices. Nothing went past the thirty-dollar line, and they actually have entrees in the teens. None of that showed a downward pressure on the ingredients or cooking.
I hope chef-owner Ray Gruezke has a long career in New Orleans.
Rue 127. Mid-City: 127 N Carrollton Ave. 504-483-1571.
It has been over three years since a day was missed in the Dining Diary. To browse through all of the entries since 2008, go here.
