The moment when chefs moved guys in suits aside in the management of grand restaurants was when Emeril opened his first restaurant, in 1990. Eleven years later, Chef John Besh took that game to the next level. Restaurant August was incontestibly one of the most culinary advanced restaurant in New Orleans, and even though competitors at that level appeared, remained a contender.
Besh now has six restaurants locally: twice as many as Emeril or any branch of the Brennan family. Having that many restaurants takes an uber-chef out of the kitchen. Indeed, Besh and his lead partner Octavio Mantilla were elsewhere on all of my last three visits to Restaurant August. If this made a difference in the food or service, it was lost on me. The only decline I see at August is in the dress of the customers--but that disease is endemic now.
Restaurant August had such a long run at the top of the New Orleans dining tower that at least the perception of decline was inevitable. In fact, I think it happened, during 2008 and 2009, when John Besh started opening other restaurants and getting caught in other chefs' vogues. How long was he going to keep short ribs and ribeye cap steak on the menu? Well, August has clearly shifted into a new gear. Recent meals have been as fresh and original as I remember in the place's heyday.
John Besh began cooking in his hometown Slidell. He kept at it while a Marina in the first Gulf War. When he returned, he became Chef Chris Kerageorgiou's favorite protege at La Provence (which Besh bought right before Chris died). Some time at the Windsor Court, a few stints in France, and a rise to local prominence at Artesia in Abita Springs preceded the opening of August a few days after 9/11. His good taste, sharp skills, articulate style and good looks made him a darling of the fine-dining set. His style is right with the times, understated in terms of richness, spice, and protein bulk--quite a contrast with the generation of New Orleans chefs before him.
In an early-1800s building, the restaurant has towering ceilings, antique-wood walls and columns, large windows, and a general feeling of antebellum grandeur. The wine room and the bar look a bit more modern, but are equally comfortable. The service staff is exceptionally knowledgeable, and the sommelier--a woman we first met twenty years ago at the Windsor Court Grill Room--is one of the best in town, too.
The six-course, $110 degustation menus are the best possible meals here. The latter is devised more or less on the spot with the day's best ingredients. Wine pairings can be had for another $40. A recent addition to the menu is a vegetarian degustation, easily good enough for a carnivore to enjoy.
| Attitude | 3 |
|---|---|
| Environment | 2 |
| Hipness | 3 |
| Local Color | 2 |
| Service | 2 |
| Value | 0 |
| Wine | 3 |
