NOLA stands for New Orleans, Louisiana, and only Emeril Lagasse could call a restaurant NOLA and ride with it. NOLA (facade pictured here) is located on St. Louis St.
Although the NOLA site states that the restaurant is “funky” and informal, don’t be fooled into thinking that you can wear jeans to dinner. NOLA is a step up from K-Paul’s Louisiana kitchen, and the service is about three steps up. Three individuals waited on us throughout our two-hour gorge, and that doesn’t count the people who cleared our plates and who continuously filled our glasses with sparkling water.
If you’re not savvy to the rules of our New Orleans eating tour, read about our Friday night dinner at K-Paul’s first. Then return here to read what we ate at NOLA. More importantly, those rules will explain WHY we attempted to eat so much!
The hot martini that Hugh and I had the previous evening was enough alcohol to last us for a week, but Hugh decided to purchase a split of Chardonnay anyway to help cleanse our palettes between dishes. Unfortunately, since he ordered, I didn’t catch the name of the wine. But, I can tell you that it was light, slightly tangy, and it had just enough clarity to wisk away any previous tastes no matter how intense. Perfect touch for a perfect meal.
Appetizers:
1. Wood Oven Roasted Black Mussels with Chardonnay Garlic Broth, Sea Salt, and Toasted Focaccia
2. Pizza of Confit Tomatoes, Homemade Mozzarella, Kalamata Olives and Fresh Basil with Reggiano Parmesan and streaks of Balsamic Vinegar
3. Pan Roasted Crab Cake with Smokey Eggplant Puree, Feta Cheese, Kamata Olives, Crispy Spinach, and Citrus Butter
I ordered the mussels, my daughter ordered the pizza, and Hugh ordered the crab cake. The pizza was awesome - no mention of the fried egg that crowned the pizza, and that was an excellent touch to that appetizer. Hugh’s crab cake melted in the mouth, but it was my choice that won the overall table approval. The Chardonnay garlic broth that swam around my mussels was also treated with bits of bacon, which was a pleasant and tasty surprise and a nice contrast to the Chardonnay flavor.
Salads:
Hugh bent the rules and said that we must also order a salad this evening. My daughter and I were already full from the appetizer so Hugh allowed us to split the Salmon Salad with Hearts of Celery. He chose the Baby Arugula with Maytag Blue cheese, Candied Peans, Kiln Dried Cherries, Sliced Granny Smith Apples and Pear-Vanilla Vinaigrette.
Cora was intent on her upcoming main dish, so I was able to scarf most of her salmon. The salmon, of course, was delicious. But, it was even more tasty in this case because it was sliced so thin that you could see through it. Hugh’s salad came with prosciutto - something that wasn’t mentioned on the menu. The prosciutto was also sliced very, very thin, and it had an other-worldly flavor to it…yes, it was pork, but it must have been a heavenly pig.
Entrees:
1. “Shrimp & Grits” Sauteed Gulf Shrimp, Grilled Green Onions, Smoked Cheddar Grits, Apple Smoked Bacon, Crimini Mushrooms, Creole Tomato Glaze and Red Chili-Abita Butter Sauce.
2. Wood Oven Roasted Veal Chop with Smothered Collard Green-Potato Gratin and Tchoupitoulas Sauce.
3. Filet Mignon with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Homemade Worcestershire Sauce and Walnut-Blue Cheese stuffed Portobello Mushroom.
I had the first dish, my daughter ordered veal for the first time in her life, and Hugh stuck with beef for another night. I had ordered the winner this evening, and my dish was validated by the number of Shrimp & Grits that we saw ordered throughout the two hours we spent at NOLA. I cannot begin to describe the sweet/sour taste that the tomato glaze provided against the backdrop of creamy butter sauce and cheese grits. I couldn’t finish the dish, but I definitely devoured the seven huge shrimp that were nestled in the grits. Bravo for this dish!
My daughter’s veal was a bit of a disappointment, especially for her first go with this meat. She was hesitant to eat veal once she realized its origins (it’s like eating Bambi, only it’s a cow!), but she’s being a trooper for this trip and she wanted to at least taste the dish. The veal had a buttermilk taste to it and it was slightly tough. But, she was satisfied, especially when she received her dessert…
I didn’t know that cow could taste so good until I tasted Hugh’s filet. Now, that meat melted in the mouth. And, the portobello was exquisite. Fresh, slightly firm, and with a dark, smoky taste that was extracted from Emeril’s wood oven.
Tonight we ate on the first floor of the restaurant, because we wanted to watch the chefs. We were seated at a table right next to the chef’s kitchen, which was open and more like a sushi bar than a gourmet hideaway. Thoroughly entertaining (we counted at least seven or more chefs) and wildly aromatic, it was the best seat in the house.
Dessert:
1. Chicory Coffee Crème Brûlée with Brown Sugar Shortbread
2. NOLA Buzz Bomb: Flourless Chocolate Torte with Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse and Brandied Apricots wrapped in Chocolate Ganache
3. Drunken Monkey Ice Cream
My daughter chose the Crème Brûlée, which was one excellent dessert. Two chocolate covered coffee beans graced the top of this dessert, and it was enough to jazz my teenager’s energy level up one notch (Emeril would approve!). Hugh chose the Buzz Bomb, and that dessert was enough to kill a chocolate lover. Once again, the ganache that was nestled in the cake won us all over. I chose the Drunken Monkey ice cream on recommendation from one of the wait staff. He told me that if I didn’t like it, he’d pay for it. He said that this is one dessert that the employees can’t purchase from NOLA because it’s a treasure.
Think caramel flavored with rum, add a bit of sugar, and freeze it. It was gorgeous, although I was so stuffed that I couldn’t finish it. It was a nice icing to the dinner, although we all agreed that the Crème Brûlée with the coffee personality was the winner.
Nine to Ten Stars - although the service was of much higher quality than K-Paul’s, the veal was a disappointment. Everything else was stellar.
Posted by beanybabe at 12:36 AM PST
