When the Peppermill closed earlier this year, it was a heartbreaker for many. The much-beloved breakfast hotspot was a Metairie treasure. Its surprise departure from the dining scene came when its longtime steward Cammie Chiarella retired, with no one to step in. Even in large families like the Riccobono family, there must be a younger generation to accept a torch. The Riccobono’s have a deep enough bench, but all the willing players were otherwise occupied.
The shock of the closure was exacerbated by its timing. Everyone noticed the strip mall had just gotten a beautiful facelift. The Peppermill exterior never looked better. Inside was unchanged.
Drago’s stepped up to offer breakfast to patrons adrift by the closure but it wasn’t the same. The Peppermill was a place to gather as much as a place to eat. But the Peppermill wasn’t just a breakfast spot. It served all three meals, and it was a reliable neighborhood restaurant to the end. It left a big void in the restaurant landscape for Metairie. What would replace it?
Rumors swirled that the landlords wanted steep rent for the space, which needed a full renovation inside. Who would do that?
It turned out that no one needed to take a chance. The owners teamed with some investors and opened Vacca Steakhouse just three weeks ago. In a complete reversal of Tom’s career-long admonitions to wait six months before visiting a new restaurant, we are often among the first ones in. I have my own theory about this phenomenon. In the world of social media, any restaurant that opens its doors without firing on all cylinders is taking a big chance. Most are usually ready.
Vacca Steakhouse is beautiful inside. The dark sumptuous look of an expensive steakhouse is unmistakable. The footprint from the Peppermill remains, but the walls separating the bar are gone.
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This is not the staid steakhouses of Metairie. It is a hip place catering to young people. The music is that techno beat I hear in all the cool places, and the glamorous bar is inviting. It was a Friday lunch, so we’d get a steakhouse burger and a few apps and sides. The full steakhouse experience would have to wait.
I ordered crabcakes because I am compelled to do so when I see them on a menu, but only if they are not deep-fried. I was told they were pan-seared. At $28 they had to be the good ones. Tom got crispy oysters and I ordered a burger to split with a side of creamed spinach. I was excited to see they were doing housecut fries. (As they should be in such a place.)
The crabcakes were beautiful. They came in an order of three, with a lot of lump crabmeat in them. Sizzling butter covered them and the plate. There was a lot of breading but also a lot of crabmeat. These were nice. The sizzling butter added a depth of richness to them.
Tom’s oysters were set on a slab of very thick bacon. What could be wrong with that? They were plump and crispy with a generous dollop of Hollandaise.
When the burger came I thought they had cut it in the back because we were splitting it, but that is how the burger is served here. It is piled high with dressings and covered in cheddar cheese, but between the meat and cheese is a thick layer of grilled onions. Grilled onions can be a terrific addition to something or register as a mass of slimy mellow pungency. (Yes, you read that right.) This was not the latter but it was not a welcome addition to anything.
The bun was ordinary, but what troubled me most about this was the grind of the meat. It was so ground as to be the consistency of sausage. Why do that to The Great American dish?
But worse than the burger was its accompanying “housecut fries.” These were steak fries, and they were a little greasy. But more important, they were inconsistent in their size, so some of them were undercooked. The weirdest thing about them though, was the fact that they were baked first! That might explain the grease factor. A place as fancy as this should be doing housecut fries, but this version of housecut fries just didn’t work at all.
The creamed spinach made so little an impression I forgot to add it to this piece. It was very basic chream and spinach, with little flavor beyond that. I will doctor it up here with Parmesan cheese and basic salt and pepper.
After this, Tom wanted dessert. We got bread pudding for him, and here is where our fortunes improved. The bread pudding that arrived at the table was beautiful, and the portion was generous. Tom ate this savoring every bite.
This food came on a cart, which was a nice touch. When the chef came out of the kitchen to speak to the manager, he looked familiar. It turns out that the former manager from Pascal’s Manale in the Ray Brandt era is in the kitchen. Carmen Provenzana was in the front of the house at Pascal’s Manale, but he did some cooking for fun, since he had spent 12 years in the kitchen at the restaurant when he was younger.
The manager at Vacca Steakhouse had previously been at Criollo at the Monteleone, and he appears to be very much on top of things. He is constantly watching the excellent service staff to make sure they keep glasses filled and pick up plates and detritus. He can relax. This is one of the friendliest, most helpful, and competent service teams I have seen in a while, especially for one so new.
Vacca Steakhouse is a good example of what Tom said about not going to new restaurants. They haven't worked out their kinks. There should be and hopefully will be some tweaking here, but until that happens, and even if it doesn't, this is still a very welcome addition to the fine dining scene in Metairie.
