BUT IN BETWEEN THE CLASSICS ARE
NEW RESTAURANTS LEAD BY DARING
CHEFS AND INSPIRED CULINARY
ENTREPRENEURS WHO ARE CREATING A
NEW AND UNRECOGNIZABLE FOOD SCENE
I immediately wanted a fish cooked so smoky
you could taste the embers of the ash branches
on the crisp skin. Shawn my waiter explained
that the fish is all local and all seasonal. Since
it was June and Redfish season, that’s what I
went with. The large, whole Redfish complete with head and tail arrived at the table,
skin glistening and a dark green chimmichurri
sauce trailing from it’s head to its tail. There
is no tableside deboning at Pêche, but doing
the job was much easier than anticipated. The
thick chunks of meaty, flaky flesh easily fell
from the long, strong bones. It was served with
a green salad that included a healthy dose of
fresh Louisiana pecans.
Pêche is a restaurant with an eclectic theme of
industrial and modern aquatics in an ambience of
loud, blustery excitement. Waiters walked briskly
around diners carrying plates of raw oysters, platters of whole fish and bowls of fresh salads. It was
a Wednesday evening and Pêche was packed with
a growing crowd sipping drinks around the cocktail bar waiting for tables.
With a variety of eateries to round out an exciting New Orleans day,
waking up to good food is just as important to New Orleanders. Willa Jean
(willajean.com) is a destination bakery and café with a seductive display of
tall muffins, squat scones, cookie towers and specialty breakfast cakes gloriously displayed under glass domes. Pastry chef and partner Kelly Fields is a
talented baker crafting muffins in a very un-American-style with less sugar,
more quality ingredients and an appeal of full flavour.
I recommend the Avocado Toast. It begins with a thick slice of house made
multi-grained dark bread with butter lettuce, a smear of guacamole, sliced of
tomato, a heap of shaved chicken, slivers of ripe avocado and garnished with
unprocessed, pieces of Louisiana pecans.
Kelly’s breakfast recommendation is the pure simplicity and decadence of
Cookies and Milk. “We mess with the milk,” says Fields referring to the
addition of Tahitian vanilla in fresh whole milk and she’s proud of her chocolate chip cookie perfection. Kelly works directly with local farmers to secure
the best quality grains for flour, fresh eggs, milk, seasonal fruit and even
sugar. Yes, she has a small local sugar cane farmer who even boils it
down into a sugar syrup that meets Kelly’s standards.
Discovering what’s new in a city you think you know makes
a traveller out of a tourist. Next time you’re in New Orleans
wander into one of the lesser known neighbourhoods
and discover how deliciously unpredictable New
Orleans can be.
Photo Sources: willjean.com &
Pêche Seafood Grill on Facebook
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