Tuesday, August 21, 2012.
Pinot Noir And Chocolate Truffle Coffee. Rue 127 Expands.
Round-table radio show. As usual, I knew only half the guests. A few people I expected didn't show, because MA replaced them with guests I wasn't expecting. It might be easier to just post a sign-in sheet at the door and go with that, instead of being introduced during the actual show.
We began the conversation with Sue Zemanik, who for eight years has been the executive chef at Gautreau's--the eighth chef in the restaurant's twenty-nine years. I may be wrong about that count. What I will defend strongly is my opinion that Sue is one of the two or three best chef's Gautreau's has had, rivaled only by John Harris (now the owner of Lilette) and Armand Jonte (now cheffing Johnny V's).
Sue was reserved in our few meetings over the years, but she was fully engaged with our radio party after a few minutes. She had a great answer to my question about her non-cooking of Creole food: "Do I look Creole?" She was also able to explain to me what beer pong is.
Beer pong came up because Brian Landry (not the chef at Borgne, but another guy) was here to talk about an event called Slobsterfest. I had an idea about this he told me: lobsters cooked in something like crab boil. I've never thought that's a good idea, but it grabs the imagination of many. And now we have a festival devoted to it. All day into the night, this Saturday and Sunday, at Lafreniere Park. (I'll put the details in Friday's "Eating Around New Orleans" department.)
Brian is a member of the ancient (oldest in Metairie) Carnival krewe, Zeus. Slobsterfest is a fund-raising party for the krewe's lineup of charitable causes. He said there would be beer pong. My producer Mindy (whose twenty-third birthday is today!) knew enough about beer pong to have tips on how to play it. You set up a triangle of cups filled with beer, and bounce a ping-pong ball off the table into a cup. Your opponent then has to drink that cup.
Kristin Davis is a graduate student at LSU. Guess what? She knew all about beer pong, too. But she had more interesting matters. In a content put on by PJ's Coffee to find the best new coffee flavor, she suggested "chocolate truffle." Winner! And here was that java (actually, it was a Brazilian Santos coffee), ready for us to brew and taste. If only we had a coffee mill! But PJ's roastmaster Felton James--who was on mic #238--took a pound down to the PJ's two blocks from the studios and had them make a gallon of the stuff for us. I can't say I identified a chocolate truffle aspect--the creaminess that makes truffles rich didn't stand out in the flavor--but it was certainly good.
We had other interesting beverages. Dr. James Moises--an emergency room MD who owns vineyard land in Oregon--was here with three of his current vintages of Pinot Noir, his specialty. All three were single vineyard growths made with Pommard clones--for whatever that's worth. Two were 2008 vintage the third from 2009. The younger wine was the most fruit-forward of the bunch, but I liked the two lighter ones, which I found had more complexity.
Balancing the gender makeup of our guest list was Aislinn Hinyup, the promotions manager of Channel 12, our public television station. She touted the upcoming "Season of Good Taste" dinners. Those raise money for WYES. Which only yesterday moved into its new building, behind the Katrina-devastated old studios on Navarre Avenue. Her presence also explain what Sue Zemanik was doing here. Gautreau's is one of the restaurants offering a Season of Good Taste dinner. This is the twenty-first year for those. Our Eat Club dinners--which are very similar--started around the same time.
After washing all the glassware, I recorded a couple of commercials and headed out to dinner. Rue 127 was due for a visit from me, especially because a couple of weeks ago they opened an addition to the restaurant. Ten seats were added in what used to be the side porch of the former cottage. Ten seats represents a one-third increase in the restaurant's capacity. Small size has held this restaurant back, but this might be just enough.
The bartender came over to sample me on a Boulevardier, a cocktail new to me. It's like a Negroni, but made with Bourbon instead--and a small-batch bourbon, at that. Good drink. I'm not strong on the current cocktail-food pairing business, but this really was good with the mussels, steamed with the usual wine and mussel juices and some ground chorizo. And a cone of fresh-cut fries. I resolved to eat only half of those, but who can resist pommes frites?
The chef, not to be outdone by his bartender, sent a freelance course consisting of sauteed sweetbreads atop a creamy risotto. That was the best dish of the night, the sweetbreads part being especially perfect.
I was surprised by the entree, whose salient parts were two cylinders of lamb loin and a patty of lamb sausage, merguez style. The sauce was good, the rich grits cake was good, and the sausage was good. But the lamb was no paragon of tenderness. And a chunk of artichoke was so tough that I never could macerate it enough to swallow. Long as I'm complaining, the plate they served this on was too small to look like an entree. Even a bigger plate underneath would have solved the problem. Strictly a visual, but a curveball.
But I like what they've done to the place. I sat in the new area, which I suspect some people will find a little claustrophobic. But I will ask for these tables, because they're brighter and quieter.
Rue 127. Mid-City: 127 N Carrollton Ave. 504-483-1571.
It's over three years since a day was missed in the Dining Diary. To browse through all of the entries since 2008, go here.
