217 replies to this topic

[saturnbar]

Clancy's is very indulgent which likely accounts for its continued popularity. The veal and crab meat and the fried softshell topped with more crab meat for good measure being further examples. Its actually a little scary how long they have been serving the oysters and brie, which I was never completely sold on. I would add my dislike of the upstairs dining rooms, they can be loud and small, which makes for a bad combination, and because Clancy's is so clubby, out-of-towners, non regulars, and two tops, frequently end up there. The bar is a better choice if offered. Excellent write ups as usual. ch

[philadining]

After dinner at Clancy's we headed out to Cure for some creative cocktails. Cure's a great spot any night, but we knew that bartender Kirk Estopinal was behind the stick, which means some especially interesting drinks were on the way. Cocktail fans might know Kirk and Maksym Pazuniak from their blog and book, formerly Rogue Cocktails, now Beta Cocktails. Maks has moved to Brooklyn, but Kirk is still at Cure, along with a talented crew.

I started to take notes, but between trying to take pictures, note ingredients, chat with Kirk, and actually try to enjoy the drinks, it got to be too much. So, suffice it to say: the cocktails were delicious. Kirk has a knack for mixing concoctions that are complex and mysterious, yet balanced and approachable. So we just let him make whatever he felt like, with just minimal guidance.

Kirk is all about rum these days, so my friend had a few rum-based drinks, starting with something vaguely like a rum Manhattan, and proceeding through a few variations, into tiki variations...









I started with variations on the classic Sazerac, just riffing on the basic structure, rather than the ingredients. I lost track of specifics, but I do recall that Bonded Applejack and Kummel were employed in there somewhere.





There were a few more that were undocumented as my photography skills deteriorated, but that's an inherent problem...

We finished up with a very interesting and tasty creation by Nick that employed the recently re-released original formula Herbsaint, which I expect to see turning up in drinks more and more.

Somewhere along the line, despite a large dinner, we felt like a snack, and thankfully, Cure's kitchen has some very good offerings. Our favorite is the Crab Roll. At the risk of angering all of New England, I think a crab roll is even better than a lobster roll. It's a classic structure: a toasted hot dog roll, and cool crabmeat with mayo.


In a city where cocktails are ubiquitous, Cure is one of the most creative bars, and totally worth a visit if you're interested in cutting-edge mixology.

Cure
4905 Freret (at Upperline)
504-302-2357
http://www.curenola.com/

[saturnbar]

We went to Patois last night, and the pheasant blew my mind. The other hit for me was the gnochi. I really that place. ch

[philadining]

Good to know about the Patois pheasant - thanks! We were so close...

To bring this visit full-circle, we woke up tuesday, and I hiked over to Central Grocery to stock-up on muffulettas, while my buddy hopped in a cab and headed over to NOLA Grocery and Cochon Butcher.

I bought 6 muffulettas. My friend stocked-up on boudin, andouille, and other sausages that we have a hard time finding back east. We threw those in a duffle bag (a mufful bag?) and brought them on the plane with us. On previous trips, the security people have jokingly threatened to confiscate similar cargo, but they were just hungry, it's not actually a problem to bring sausages and sandwiches on an airplane.

We've found that the Central Grocery muffulettas travel really successfully and they last freaking indefinitely, it's actually kind of weird. They're well-packaged, and the fact that the ingredients are all cured, the meat and cheese and olives, are all pretty durable, and there's something about the bread that lets it stay shockingly fresh. After a couple of days in the refrigerator, the bread benefits from a little heat: we've found that taking a quarter section, and zapping it for about a minute in a microwave, then another minute or two in a toaster over at medium heat brings it right back to life, and hey, a warm muffuletta is a beautiful thing.

Many of the sausages from NOLA Grocery are frozen, so they keep just fine for a few hours on a plane, and actually help keep everything else cool too.

So, not only did we have a great trip, we haven't had to let go quite yet either, we've got sandwiches and sausages to ease the transition. But this visit only stimulated our appetites, so we'll be back...

NOLA Grocery
351 Andrew Higgins Drive
302-9928
http://www.nolagrocery.com/

Cochon Butcher
930 Tchoupitoulas
504-588-PORK
http://www.cochonbutcher.com/

Edited by philadining, 07 May 2010 - 08:44 AM.

[fiftydollars]

We are looking at going in late October for somewhere around 72 hours. We'll be arriving late Thursday evening (11pm) and leaving Monday afternoon(5pm). What should I know about visiting this time of year?

[TAPrice]

We are looking at going in late October for somewhere around 72 hours. We'll be arriving late Thursday evening (11pm) and leaving Monday afternoon(5pm). What should I know about visiting this time of year?

The weather is great, oysters are in season, crawfish aren't.

[fiftydollars]

Thanks, Todd. We are very much looking forward to visiting and this is the only time of year that I'll be able to get around to it for quite some time.
And I do love oysters!

[TAPrice]

There are also a whole bunch of new restaurants/high-end bars opening at the moment.

John Harris of Lilette has a new wine bar. A fancy wine bar called Oak opened on Oak Street. An arty lounge on St. Charles with food and drinks by the Iris crew opens this weekend on St. Charles. Feast, a Houston head-to-tail operation, will open its New Orleans outlet this month.