Service: informative and cheerful
Atmosphere: understated
The restaurant lies on a vibrant street, just a few blocks from the Majestic Theater (the man and I were headed to the symphony later, so it worked out perfectly). Some reviewers have noted that its location in the lobby of an Embassy Suites detracts from its ambience, but I entered on Houston Street and didn’t even notice. The décor nods to the chef’s New Orleans inspiration without being distracting or kitschy. It dresses up well for a special night out but chill enough for a relaxing meal at any time.
I have heard such great things about this restaurant, that I was disappointed to find that even as a pescetarian, my options were very limited. However, our very helpful server mentioned that if I would rather have something veggi-friendly, the chef would be happy to prepare a special dish for me. Very considerate. However, I hadn’t had much protein that day, so instead of risking a protein-less meal, I opted to go with the fresh Gulf Coast fish meuniere. My only other option was the mussels, but I appreciated that the fish was relatively local compared to the PEI mussels. The fish that day was a black grouper accompanied by potatoes and cauliflower (fresh winter veggies, yum!). The breading on the fish was delicate but was awfully salty. The spicing had just the right amount of kick to make me think Cajun but not so much that my senses were overwhelmed.
The meat-eater says: “I had the prix fixe menu, which I definitely enjoyed – it was a venison sausage and potato dish. Very tasty – felt like I nabbed the deer myself. It was a little tougher, but they prepared it so that the sausage flavored the potatoes – made it awesome. I’d recommend it.”
For dessert, we made the mistake of ordering one each, since the desserts are so large that they could be main dishes! I had the bread pudding, which was moist and subtly spiced with nutmeg. They keep the almond cake simple, so that the almond flavor sings, and it reminded my man of marzipan.
Recommendation: Only if you are open to seafood or if you are brave enough to see what sort of veggie dish kitchen turns out. My meat-eating husband loved it, so I may go back and see what the chef comes up with.
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