MiLa

Restaurant Review

Backstory

Proprietors Slade Rushing and Allison Vines-Rushing are both chefs, and married to each other. They grew up in different rural areas around New Orleans, and met while working together at Gerard's Downtown, the short-lived bistro run by Gerard Maras in the early 2000s. After stints at Mr. B's and Brennan's, the Rushings left to work in New York City--impressively enough that Allison won a James Beard Award there. They returned to this area shortly after Hurricane Katrina to take over the former Artesia in Abita Springs. Their food at the renamed Longbranch was excellent but over the heads of the customer base. They shut it down after less than two years in favor of a deal with the Renaissance Pere Marquette Hotel. In 2007, they took over the former Rene Bistrot (the former home of Chef Rene Bajeux), renamed it MiLa (for the first and last letters in Mississippi and Louisiana) and opened with a promise of food with a rustic Southern quality.

Dining Room

Like the rest of the hotel's lobby level, MiLa is unambiguously forward in design, colorful and sharp-edged. Still, it reminds me of the Four Seasons in New York, in miniature. Small, multicolored tiles cover the columns and walls. Tall, all-encompassing windows are shaded by thin curtains. In lieu of tablecloths, placemats top the sleek wood tables. Big lamps floating near the ceiling add a soft playfulness to the otherwise geometric room. Very modern--but in a 1950s kind of way.

For Best Results

The tasting menu is the best possible meal here, and a bargain at $65. For a few more dollars, they'll do an inspired wine pairing all the way through. No matter what, make sure some of the truffled grits come to the table. The deconstructed oysters Rockefeller is a clever dish (all the flavor element are there, but rearranged), but will not remind you much of the original.