It may seem strange, but New Orleans has a tradition of Oktoberfest being celebrated by Mexican chefs. Okay, there are only two examples of this, but anything that recurs more than once becomes a tradition. The original was Mark Hollger, the German-born chef-owner of the Santa Fe.That's a Mexican restaurant, but it always did Oktoberfest until Mark retired.
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Chef Gullermo Peters.[/caption]Chef Guillermo Peters came at this from a different direction. He was born in Mexico, but his heritage is German. In most of his restaurants (which have been mostly Mexican and all fabulously good) he has always served a certain amount of German food, too.
Through the end of October, the German menu he usually features one night a week will be on tap for Fridays and Saturdays. Gullermo and his daughter-chef Ingrid hung up the usual Oktoberfest decorations and brought in some good German beers. Here's the a la carte menu:
Spätzle Gratinee
Braised red cabbage
Beer Braised Sausages
Horseradish-beer mustard
Pretzel
Black mustard goat cheese
Cream of Asparagus Soup
Weiner Schnitzel
Veal cutlet served with potato salad and sliced lemon
Jagerschnitzel
Pork cutlet served with mushroom-cognac sauce and mashed potatoes
Geschmorte Kalbshax
Braised pork roast served with vegetables, red wine gravy and spätzle
Schweinebraten
Bavarian pork roast served with gravy, vegetables and sauerkraut
Gebratene Ente
Roasted duck served with red cabbage and spätzle
Rheinischer Sauerbraten
Roast beef served with mashed potatoes, sweet and sour gravy and braised red cabbage
Guillermo’s German Chocolate Cheesecake
Ingrid’s Pear Tart
Lowen’s Spaten
Spice Layer Cake
He is borrowing a restaurant to serve this dinner. The Eco Cafe in Mid-City is a breakfast and lunch spot most of the time, but they're closed at dinner. Last month Guillermo did one of these one-night stands with his Mexican food and it apparently went well. So here is a taste of Germany from one of the best chefs around. (Not to mention one of the hardest to keep still.)
You need reservations for this. They are available any time you like between six and nine p.m. To sign up, write Guellermo at chefgpeters@gmail.com.
Mid-City: 3903 Canal St. 504-482-1225. www.canalstreetbistro.com.
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