New Orleans: Arnaud's

Here I am in NoLa where the music makes your feet wanna dance and the food makes you lose control. Well, maybe the alcohol helps with that too. Either way its a great place to visit, but the ravages of Katrina are still starkly visible. Come and enjoy, support the city and her people, but be a little careful too. Last night I ate at Arnaud's, one of the classic French infused places in the Quarter and it was exactly what you would expect. Old building, beautiful space, wonderful food . . . and too many tourists. So, here's the secret. . . walk past the front door, go two doors down and enter the French 75 Bar, which is a part of Arnaud's [don't go to the first bar, which is kind of a holding area for the restaurant] and serves the same wonderful menu. Its quiet, elegant, the bartenders [Chris is great] know how to make that French 75 for you and you'll have a great time. Tell Chef Tommy that I sent you.

I started the meal off with a hot dish of crab and cream cheese and spices served with toast. It was rich and tasted of crab in just the right way. The portion was small, just enough to get things going without filling up, and its a perfect companion for a crisp white wine. For the main course Chris recommended the trout amandine and he was right . . . perfectly fried trout with a butter sauce fragrant with sliced almonds. The almonds were crunchy and plentiful, unlike what I have had elsewhere, and the dish was classic cooking at its best. Along with the trout I ordered the pommes souffle . . . a somewhat tricky preparation of sliced potatoes that are fried twice . . . where the second dip in the hot fat causes the potatoes to puff. This is a preparation that I first learned about from Julia Child, but had never seen in person, and these little crisp pillows were wonderful. Try them for sure. Maybe two orders just to make sure they are as good as you think they are. For dessert a crepe stuffed with praline, topped with just enough whipped cream. The balance of flavors and textures in the meal was perfect, the progression leisurely ,and the experience a memorable slice of New Orleans. Check this place out for sure.

A reminder, this is in the French Quarter and it is rowdy, to say the least. During my quiet diversion a fight broke out just outside the door . . . involving pushing, punches, yelling and a baseball bat . . . that had to be broken up and was not pretty. The bartender adeptly bolted the door as things heated up so we were a protected audience, but its not an unusual happening in the alcohol fueled haze that is Bourbon street after dark. Just pay attention.

EatHereOrNot: EAT HERE

http://www.arnauds.com/