Martinique Bistro is a Gem in the Big Easy

Smoked Salmon Starter at Martinique Bistro

Every now and then I have a culinary experience at a restaurant which blows me away. With so many options in New Orleans for world-class cuisine, I've been equally impressed and disappointed over the course of time. It takes a unique combination of tradition and innovation to truly impress me these days. Not to say that I don't like almost everything that I get to eat. I most certainly consider myself to be a food and beverage enthusiast rather than a critic, but I mean to really impress me, it takes something special. To stand out to the point that I'll tell my closest friends that they have to eat somewhere. To meet a chef that reminds me about why the term culinary arts truly is an art, and why a master of kitchen magic is every bit an artist as someone whose medium is canvas or lyrics. Martinique Bistro on Magazine Street in New Orleans had that kind of impact on me. Sitting five blocks away from Audubon Park, it is a quaint gem with an outdoor seating area that is sure to bustle in the fall and an inside dining room small enough to shake everyone's hand from the center table. I got a spot with Aimee Abernathy next to a window overlooking Magazine. Chef Eric Labouchere greeted our table and told us to enjoy the ride as he prepared to unleash a flurry of his finest creations on the summer menu at us.

Double Thyme at Martinique Bistro

Manager Jennifer Sherrod started me off with a Double Thyme to go with a couple starters before our main courses started flowing. The Double Thyme blended High West Double Rye whiskey, Meletti Amaro, Rothman and Winter Apricot, Lilet Blanc, and thyme. I do love a good, well balanced whiskey cocktail, and the Double Thyme worked perfectly to whet my appetite and prepare me for the ensuing gorge.

Chilled Watermelon Gazpacho with Cucumber-Lime Granita

Our meal began with the smoked salmon, a reimagined crostini dish on housemade brioche with vidalia onion, hard boiled Louisiana quail egg, flying fish roe, and caper aioli. The visually stunning dish put together expected flavors with a modern focus to create a couple fantastic bites of scrumptious salmon. At the same time chef sent out a cup of chilled watermelon gazpacho with Louisiana blue crab and a scoop of cucumber-lime granita. The cold appetizer beautifully blended the fruit flavors and it all worked well with the crab at the bottom. During a hot New Orleans summer, this is a go-to dish for a refreshing starter!

Socca

Our tasting menu kicked in with the Socca. A trio of chickpea crepes were garnished with chili oil and topped separately with field pea hummus, heirloom squash ratatouille, and feta. The creative pancakes were delicious savory bites that served as vessels for multiple mediterranean flavors. Next up came a fish dish featuring loup de mer or European seabass. The sauteed fish sat atop butter poached chanterelles and some tender greens. The mushrooms and fish played off each other in the red wine and butter sauce. The taste danced on my tongue as I took bite after bite. It truly is one of the best, more refined seafood dishes that I've had in awhile. It had nothing too complex. Nothing molecular happened to any element of the dish. It simply featured great products, simply prepared, seasoned wonderfully, and combined on plate to make a beautiful arrangement of complementary flavors. I want to cook like that.  

Loup de Mer with Beurre Rouge and Butter Poached Chanterelles

The meat course excited me from the moment I sat down in Martinique Bistro and laid my eyes on the menu. A boneless new zealand lamb loin with cucumber and sweet onion pickles, israeli couscous, meyer lemon-watercress aioli, and tomato-sherry vinegar demi-glace awaited my taste buds. Anybody that reads enough Bite and Booze knows that I detest pickles. They are my arch-nemesis of food. But here, I almost, sorta, maybe looked forward to them. I certainly admired the choices that went into the flavor combination on the dish. There was a lot happening on one plate and I didn't want anything to overpower the lamb, but that didn't happen. The medium rare lamb loin took on the medley of gastronomy and came out a winner because of it. The dish had a certain tang to it for sure due to the vinegar in the pickles and demi as well as the lemon in the aioli and the garnishing tomatoes. Still, it worked. Every bite of lamb and couscous with accoutrement felt like middle eastern flavored fireworks exploding on my tongue. Bravo, chef. Bravo.

Boneless New Zealand Lamb at Martinique Bistro

Of course, with this much goodness, there had to be dessert. I wouldn't dare ruin an epic meal like this without giving it the proper ending that it deserves. Chef sent out a couple sorbets and a couple ice creams to kick off the sweet tooth rally. I don't actually remember what they all were, but I do recall that the ice cream on the far right below is a chanterelle mushroom ice cream. If that doesn't sound good to you, well, you'd be wrong. The earthiness of the mushrooms made love to the rich creaminess and sugar in the ice cream to create a truly unique and amazing dessert. Chef Labouchere had one last trick up his sleeve. He presented Aimee and I with a blueberry cornmeal tart complete with blueberry curd and lavender chantilly. Another splendid dish, this dessert hit right on the money balancing the natural sweetness from the berries with the nearly savory cornmeal crust.

Blueberry Cornmeal Tart

My experience at Martinique Bistro came to an end but I know for sure that I'll be back. This uptown eatery impressed me immensely. I know they'll have a fall seasonal menu coming out soon, so your chances to try any of these dishes may be limited to only the next couple weeks. I'll have to make sure I get back there once the new menu is out. I can't wait to see what Chef Labouchere comes up with next.

Recap: Post Olympics Beer Dinner at The Londoner

Tripel Karmeliet and La Trappe Quad

The Londoner, on the appropriately named Sherwood Forest Boulevard (actually, while Sherwood Forest is famous due to Robin Hood lure in England, it isn't that close to London, but still...) in Baton Rouge, recently had me over to help host a beer dinner.  We did four courses with eight beers from around the world shortly after the Summer Olympics ended in aforementioned London.  Each of the four courses were paired with two beers of similar style from different countries.  The first course featured the famous Belgian treat of mussels and frites with Belgian style ales from Belgium and the Netherlands.  The mussels had a wonderfully flavorful broth with tomatoes, basil, and bacon.  We paired them with the Tripel Karmeliet from Belgium and the La Trappe Quad, which is actually a Trappist brewery in the Netherlands.  While the Tripel and Quadrupel are technically two different styles, they still showed of what that Belgian yeast and malt profile can taste like with its signature fruitiness and balance.

Tuna Duo with White Ales

Our second course stayed in the sea but in a far different way than the mussels and frites.  Utilizing white ales from both the USA and Japan, we created two tuna dishes on one plate meant to emulate the cuisine from those counties.  The tuna tartare with cucumber was served on a crispy wonton with sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds.  The obvious Asian flare partnered with the Hitachino Nest White Ale, widely considered to be one of the best beers of its style in the country.  On the American side we plated a seared ahi tuna to go with the Clown Shoes Clementine.  Both dishes were executed very well by Chef Cole at the Londoner and the beer choices were spot on.
 

Lamb Chops and English Style India Pale Ales

The main course featured a delicacy in both England and New Zealand: Lamb.  The beautifully cooked medium rare lamb chops were served with a bit of mashed potatoes.  Accompanying the lamb were a couple of English style India pale ales.  Not quite the hop bomb that American IPAs are, the Tuatara from New Zealand and the Meantime from England both helped cut through the gaminess of the tender lamb.  This, hands down, ended up being my favorite course of the meal both because of the superb sear and seasoning on the lamb and the pairing with the English style IPAs.  It was like both of these beers were meant to be served with lamb... and since they come from countries with a lot of love for eating sheep, perhaps they are!

Dessert with a Russian Imperial Stout and Scottish Porter

Dinner ended with a nice pairing as well.  Norway's Nøgne Ø Imperial Stout poured dark and rich with strong booze and hints of espresso, chocolate, and dark fruit.  While not the same beer style, the Harviestoun Old Engine Oil Black Ale, technically a Porter, out of Scotland also poured incredibly dark (hence the name) with flavors of coffee and dark chocolate.  It only made sense to compliment the flavors of the beer with a chocolate dessert and the sweetness from some fruit.  The Londoner's pastry chef whipped up some stunning chocolate and raspberry tarts that were exactly what these two beers needed.  While not the same style and vastly different up close, the tart played off of flavor notes in each beer to deliver a great ending to the meal.



I enjoyed being able to help the Londoner out with some different beer and food pairings.  All of these beers came from my friend Natalie with International Wine and Spirits.  Look for them at Calandro's Supermarket or wherever fine beers are sold!  And also keep an eye out for some future beer dinners at The Londoner.  You never know who might be making an appearance!