Le Creole and Roux Wine Team Up on a Wine Dinner

Le Creole recently teamed up with Roux Wine and Spirits to put on a Romantic Summer Dinner crafted by Chef Ryan Andre.  Fresh off the news of being named as one of the five 2012 Chefs to Watch by Louisiana Cookin' Magazine, Chef Andre picked a great way to show off his skills in the kitchen.  Myrna Arroyo from Roux Wine and Spirits paired each dish with amazing wines that are available in her shop on Airline Highway.  The match quickly proved to be magical with the onslaught of passed hors d'oeuvres and sparkling wine.  Chef's first dishes included a one-bite fried Gulf oyster with micro greens and spicy tuna toast that nearly melted in my mouth.  The Brut wine gave the diners an excellent excuse to toast each other, and it partnered very nicely with the seafood appetizers.

The friendly wait staff at Le Creole brought out the wild salmon crudo for our first course after being seated in the spacious dining room.  The plentiful slices of wild Atlantic salmon were topped with a salad of arugula, red onion, crispy capers, and white truffle salt.  Though the salad provided a whole meal of food, I can't complain about large portion sizes!  Plus, everything tasted so well balanced and flavored that I couldn't stop tasting... then tasting again.  The raw salmon had an ideal texture and the truffle salt provided just the right amount of flavor to compliment the dish rather than overpower it.

The next course is the one that I smiled about the most when glancing over the menu before the meal.  The "battling rabbits" featured a rabbit liver bruschetta with spicy tomato jam along side a rabbit boudin gallette.  The livers themselves were delicate and delicious, cooked down to a spreadable form over the crusty bread with a spicy tomato jam that could be bottled and sold.  Chef took his house-made rabbit boudin and formed it into patties before coating them in panko bread crumbs and flash frying them.  Add a couple pickled watermelon rind slivers, and we had quite a plate before us.  The gallette provided an excellent contrast of textures between the crunchy exterior and the moist interior.  I applaud the creativity of the dish as a whole, and it lived up to my high hopes.

The "bayou to nest" dish featured tempura battered and fried soft shell crawfish along with a roasted squab with patty pan squash and baby zucchini.  Another dish with plenty to eat, I tried my hardest to take the whole thing down.  Squab is a decent sized pigeon for one person, but I enjoyed the presentation of the entire bird on the plate.  It had a sweet sauce along with it that actually worked quite well.  And the soft shell crawfish were amazingly unique and delightful.

The meal ended with a mousse tuille duo conjured up by Le Creole's pastry chef.  The plate came with a Ponchatoula strawberry mousse along with a dark chocolate-espresso mousse.  The mousse duo dish provided a great way to end the stomach-stuffing meal.  They were light and refreshing enough to still enjoy them despite having very limited gastronomic real estate for them to go.

The dinner as a whole lived up to all expectations.  I'd like to congratulate Chef Ryan Andre and manager Clark Ellis on the phenomenal event hosting and the meal.  Also props to Myrna Arroyo for the wine pairings!  Though not mentioned much here, the wines were all exquisite and wonderfully paired with the cuisine.  I'd be happy to go to any tag-team dinner like this again.  Not to mention, I really enjoy two businesses in the food and drink world coming together to support and promote each other.  Nothing like some good collaboration!  Cheers!

Salmon, Arugula, Red Onions, Capers, Truffle Salt

Rabbit Liver Bruschetta with Spicy Tomato Jam, Rabbit Boudin Gallette, Pickled Watermelon

Tempura Soft Shell Crawfish, Roasted Squab, Squash, Zucchini

Chocolate Espresso Mousse, Ponchatoula Strawberry Mousse

Capital City Grill with Boo!

One of downtown's nicer dining establishments is Capital City Grill's Shaw Center location.  There you can find lunches and dinners served up daily in a business-casual atmosphere.  Their menu has a Louisiana feel to it with crab claws and gumbo as starters while serving fried seafood dishes and poboys for lunch and dinner.  Capital City Grill also offers standard American upscale dining fare like gourmet steaks, pork chops, chicken breasts, and salads.  Not too long ago I met my brother Eric (known to many simple as Boo!) there for lunch to check the place out.  We took a couple seats at the bar, though couldn't order any booze, and started our meal out with some seafood queso.

Seafood Queso and Chips at Capital City Grill

The seafood queso proved to be every bit as interesting as it was good.  The melted cheese base flourished with lump crab meat, bits of shrimp tails, and spinach.  It came served piping hot with some decent, toasted tortilla chips for dipping.  Judging by the way we gobbled it down, the seafood queso must have been pretty good!

For my meal I ordered the fish of the day lunch special.  What I got was a grilled filet of tilapia topped with a toasted pecan glaze and served with steamed veggies and wild rice. 

Grilled Tilapia with Toasted Pecan Glaze, Squash, Zucchini, and Wild Rice

As a midday fish special at a downtown grill, this meal turned out to be sensational.  The grilled tilapia had a smooth texture that perfectly parted under the edge of a fork.  The toasted pecan glaze gave the fish some sweet and nutty flavors that accented the dish very well.  The addition of steamed squash and zucchini along with some rice made the meal not only extremely tasty, but also rather healthy.  The price ended up being more that I normally spend for lunch fare, but they have cheaper options on the menu as well.  All in all I left satisfied and I might not go back often, but I'd certainly be willing to return to Capital City Grill on occasion. 

Eusebio's House for Barbeque Goodness and Another Saints Victory

I love some good old barbeque, and Eusebio sure knows how to do it right.  Since he is a chef for a living, he doesn't cook at home all that often, but when he does it is certainly worth accepting his invitation!  The other night he grilled some chicken thighs, pork chops, and some good Cajun sausage along with eggplant and squash.  He also whipped up some fresh mashed potatoes and a batch of smoked gouda mac 'n cheese.

Barbeque and Sides from Eusebio's House

Eusebio and I share a passion for chicken thighs.  I feel that they are by far the best part of a chicken.  I'm a fan of all dark meat, but the thigh is usually the most special.  Whether fried, baked, cooked drunk-chicken style, roasted, smoked, grilled, blackened, or other, the thigh meat always stays more tender and far juicier than the rest of the bird.  These thighs were no exception as they came out moist and marvelous.  The pork chop was tender to the bone and coated in a tangy barbeque sauce.

Eggplant and squash are two of my favorite vegetables to flame broil and serve piping hot with some grilled meats.  They were fantastic again on this night, which I never doubted.  Eusebio's mashed potatoes were loaded with sour cream, chives, and garlic.  The fluffy texture perfectly complimented the seasoned chicken and pork.  Finally, the smoked gouda macaroni and cheese rounded out my double-plated feast.  They were a creamy mixture of elbow noodles and delicious cheese.  Pretty hard to go wrong with that!

Banana Pudding from Matherne's Supermarket

Like any good meal, this one ended with something sweet.  Matherne's banana pudding hit the spot, satisfying our sweet teeth with creamy, smooth, rich deliciousness.  I could eat that stuff every day!