Keeping Up With Dr. Jones

The little Metairie hotspot Dr. Jones opened almost exactly a year ago this week. I went not long after they opened, and talked to one of the owners, Billy Jones, about the collaboration with his partner David Rouse. They worked together in restaurants around town, and Billy opened and closed Blue Giant a few years back. Both have great resumes that include Donald Link’s restaurants.

Like so many others around town, I was disappointed with the closure of Blue Giant, and I had high expectations for Dr. Jones. The restaurant is located in a miniscule space on Veterans at Homestead. A few things on the menu had already created a buzz when I went the first time, but the two items I had mystified me. In the last year since that first visit, I tried to go several times before realizing that they were closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. 

Lately the buzz about the place has gotten much louder, so I tried a little harder to make it there. Every perusal of the menu online dampened my interest. Too hip for me. Unlike apparently the entire rest of the dining public, I am not all about Asian fusion, and it seems that now everything is fused with Asian flavors. So I went to Dr. Jones with trepidation.

The hours have changed as well so I went on Tuesday at lunch, and discovered a menu completely different from the one I saw online. It’s a smallish menu. My brother told me I had to get the crabmeat croquettes, so I added two other courses. I selected a pickled beets salad and the Chicken a la Plancha as an entree.

I waited in the tiny space counting the seats. There are 23, including all barstools. It’s a spartan place with an open kitchen. It’s so small it’s almost like being a guest in their home, so cozy it is.

The waitress couldn't have been more welcoming. I enjoyed talking to her. She was so enthusiastic about the food it was contagious. And then the food came and I became as enthusiastic as she was.

I was dazzled by the sight of the beet salad. It exploded with color. The green from the fresh torn herbs contrasted with the purple beets and the orange mandarin pieces. Coarsely chopped hazelnuts were sprinkled throughout this collection of beautiful ingredients. This tasted even better than it looked. I couldn’t believe how collectively exciting these flavors were.  Soft fruit and crunchy nuts were tossed in a perky vinaigrette. Fresh mint, dill, and parsley made it feel even fresher. I can’t remember ever being as delighted about a salad.

The croquettes that so thrilled my brother also thrilled me. They were very large and deep-fried, which surprised me, though I don’t know why. Croquettes are usually deep-fried. They were served with a small ramekin of unusual sauce, between a tartar sauce and aioli. It’s a pity that the flavors of our delicious seafood are often subdued by the flavor of tartar sauce, so when I saw how beautiful these croquettes were I made a point of savoring a bit of the croquettes without the sauce. Then I tasted the sauce without the croquette.

The croquette was perfect exactly as it was, without the sauce. And the sauce was outstanding by itself. Together they were even better. The crab had plenty of visible crabmeat and a great filling. They were right out of the fryer and were so hot I had to wait to eat them. But I didn't want to! 

Intense is the best way to describe the sauce. Horseradish jumped out at me, but I had to ask for details. Billy Jones was so close I asked him what was in the sauce. He told me Japanese mayo, Japanese mustard, horseradish, and some hot sauce. Yikes! It was definitely not shy, this sauce. I loved it so well I took the remainder home.

The chicken arrived after I finished the croquettes and it too was beautiful. A deboned breast and thigh were still connected and slightly flattened. It was pan-seared with skin on and coated with a fresh Chimichurri sauce. I do so love Chimichurri! This was accompanied with roasted and fried crisped potato cubes. A mustardy aioli was also on the plate. I was immersed in the lemony light oily sauce/dressing on this plate. There was plenty to eat here but I just couldn’t quit eating until the plate was empty. It had nothing to do with waste and everything to do with pure enjoyment. I loved this too.

This was such a fantastic meal that I couldn’t decide which of these three excellent dishes I liked better than the others, but I definitely concluded that I had to come back for more of this, and soon.