By Dwight Casimere
New Orleans is the undisputed culinary capitol of America. That fact resonated with stunning clarity during New Orleans Restaurant Week 2022, June 20-26. From neighborhood bistros to fine dining in the French Quarter, restaurants rolled out the culinary Red Carpet with specially priced multi-course menus designed to show off the depth and variety of the city’s celebrated cuisine.
It turns out that Restaurant Week was an excellent sneak peak at what the city has to offer during the impending tourist season. A trip to New Orleans to explore all of its great restaurants is a foodie’s ideal version of Adventure Travel.
Few cities can boast such a profound and historic impact on the American culinary landscape. New Orleans is where the concept of Brunch was developed. It is also said to be the home of the nation’s first stand-bar. Mixologists in New Orleans, first created some of the most popular cocktails called for in bars around the world. The list reads like a users guide at bartender school; the Martini, Sidecar, Bloody Mary, Ramos Fizz and the local classic Sazerac cocktails all originated in New Orleans.
Culinary favorites roll off the tip of the tongue; Oysters Rockefeller, Bananas Foster, Beignets, Muffuletta sandwich, Gulf Shrimp Po’boys, Creole Gumbo, Turtle Soup, are just a few of the New Orleans originals that have earned their place in culinary history. Crème Brulee originated in France, but you wouldn’t know it. Visit any restaurant with anything resembling a white table cloth, and it’s on the menu, right next to the Bread Pudding!
From neighborhood dives to hundred and century-old French Quarter dynasties, the choices are dizzying.
Crescent City culinary titan Alex Harrell, well known for his intimate French Quarter bistro Angeline and Executive Chef stint at the James Beard nominated Elysian Bar, is at the helm of Common’s Club, the flagship restaurant at Sir Richard Bransom’s lifestyle haven Virgin Hotel in the burgeoning Warehouse District. Those attending conventions in the Big Easy will find that Common’s Club is just a short walk or cab ride away.
The Elysian Bar is worth a side trip all its own. For information, visit https://www.restaurantji.com/la/new-orleans/the-elysian-bar-/.
Walking into Commons Club is like stepping into the pages of Architectural Digest. Every detail is designed to exude a sense of relaxed luxury. The bar and library lounge areas create enough visual eye-candy that they invite imbibing into a long leisurely cocktail before venturing into the stunning dining room. Executive Chef Alex Harrell’s contemporary take on New Orleans classics create a feast for the eye as well as the palate.
Artfully composed plates blend local staples with fresh ingredients infused with influences from Europe and Asia. A mélange of contrasting flavors and textures adds an air of excitement to the otherwise serene, garden-like setting.
Server, Augustin, provided a vivid description of the items on the Restaurant Week menu, including a beautifully conceived Smoked Beets salad with orange slices, pecan, radish and gremolata. This was a refreshing way to start the meal with bright citrus flavors that danced in the mouth in contrast to the slightly acidic orange slices with a hint of sweetness and a welcome crunch from the crushed pecans.
An imaginative entrée was the Cavatelli house made pasta curls flavored with bits of Louisiana crawfish, pickled ramps, which gave it a bit of a tang, a spring peas for a textured crunch. This was essentially a warm pasta salad that was covered with a restrained dusting of nutty Parmesan Romano cheese. Residual juices from the Crawfish and veggies provided a natural reduction that created a light sauce for the pasta. It was a pleasant and flavorful dish from beginning to end.
Non-vintage Cavicchioli Prosecco from Italy was the sparkling wine that was paired throughout the meal. From the Veneto in northeastern Italy near Venice, this is an off-dry sparkling with just a hint of sweetness and a really nice floral nose and an abundance of tropical fruit flavor. It went perfectly with the lighter fare offered on the Common’s Club menu, especially salads, seafood and light meat dishes. The fusion of flavors prepared by Chef Harrell is the perfect match for this Prosecco.
Butterscotch Pot De Crème Chantilly harkened back to the flavors of so many traditional New Orleans dessert favorites, but the real standout was the homemade cranberry ice cream. Even though this writer is somewhat lactose intolerant, this creamy, soft ice cream and its bursts of fruit flavor were well worth the price of some mild physical discomfort afterwards.
If you’re planning to visit Commons Club in the future, consider a Brunch excursion. Chef Harrell has been praised for his tastes on Avocado Toast with added Poached Eggs, Brioche French Toast, Gulf Shrimp and Bayou Cora Grits, Crispy Boudin and his signature Wagyu Burger.
The curated prix-fixe menu from Restaurant Week New Orleans isn’t available going forward into the summer tourism season at this and other restaurants that participated, but it serves as a snapshot of the depth and scope of the menus they provide.
Next: A plunge into a flavor-packed and local-packed neighborhood dive