I needed a place to post our menu selections while in the Big Easy so that friends and family could become insanely jealous. I figured that Coffee Bean Shop would be the most appropriate blog to post our New Orleans restaurant experiences. After all, we’re still focused on coffee, at least after every meal…
We arrived in New Orleans on Friday evening, just in time to relax a bit, unpack and freshen up after driving for two days in pouring rain. Our first stop on our eat-till-you-drop tour was K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen, located on Chartres St. For those not in-the-know, this is Paul Prudhomme’s place. We heard we missed meeting him by one day, but we sensed his spirit throughout the meal. Everything was spicy, spicy - even the martinis, a Prudhomme specialty. The recipe is simple - take a bottle of gin or vodka, cut up a jalepeno pepper, and drop it in the bottle. Let the alcohol sit in the sun for a day or two and voila! A hot martini! This drink was Hugh’s suggestion as he had one years ago, and his choice fit the meal perfectly.
To understand our menu selections, it might help to know that: 1) three people are eating; 2) one rule is to choose a menu item that is different from the other two choices; 3) each person must choose an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert - but, none of us have to eat everything that’s served up on the plates. Of course, when you’re at a place like K-Paul’s, it’s difficult to not lick the plate…
The appetizers for Friday evening:
1. Turtle Soup (Cup): Ground turtle meat with onions, bell peppers, celery, tomatoes & seasonings, simmered in a beef and chicken stock and finished with fresh spinach, parsley, chopped hard boiled eggs and dry sherry (the waiter asked if I wanted the sherry, and he poured to my taste).
2. Fried Green Tomatoes with Shrimp Bayou St. John: Green tomatoes seasoned and dipped in corn meal batter, deep-fried and layered with sauteed fresh Louisiana shrimp in a sauce of smothered leeks, shiitake mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, onions and seasonings, and de-glazed with champagne and stock and finished with cream and smoked gouda and cheddar cheese.
3. Roasted Garlic and Alligator Sausage: Fresh Louisiana alligator tail meat and ground pork, combined with roasted garlic, bell peppers, celery, seasonings, stock and caramelized onions, stuffed in a casing then roasted and served with Creole sauce.
I had the turtle soup, my friend Hugh had the fried green tomatoes, and my daughter had the alligator (she was game for trying anything new). All the appetizers were stunning - spicy, but in different ways (the alligator was a back-of-the-mouth hot that was sneaky but nice…). We all agreed that the alligator sausage was the best of the three appetizers, but the turtle soup was a close second.
Entrees:
1. Duck and Shrimp St. Rose: Fresh julienned duck breast and Louisiana shrimp in a sauce of a medley of crimini, shiitake, portobello and oyster mushrooms and duck glaze. Served with Basmati rice and veggies.
2. Pan-Fried Rabbit with Shrimp Chartres Street Jambalaya: Fresh rabbit seasoned, lightly battered, pan-fried and served with the most famous rice dish in Louisiana cooking. They start with onions, bell peppers, celery, tasso, sausage, chicken, tomatoes, jalapenos &garlic, combined with a rich stock and simmered for hours with the right amount of rice folded in and served with sauce piquant and topped with fried Louisiana shrimp. Served with veggies.
3. Blackened Beef Tenders with Debris Sauce: Twin filet mignon seasoned and blackened in a cast iron sillet and served with K-Paul’s famous debris sauce. Served with potatoes and veggies.
I had the duck, which was - of course - rich and filling although it was sliced into medallion-sized pieces. Hugh had the beef tenders, and my daughter had the rabbit. This was her first time with rabbit and we all agreed that it was the best dish (my daughter made out well with her choices!). The rabbit was so lightly cooked that it seemed it would fly, rather than hop, away. In contrast, the rice dish that accompanied the rabbit was heavy - almost a gumbo-type rice. The sauce was very similar to that which accompanied her alligator sausage, so that appetizer and entree combo was perfect together.
Hugh had visited K-Paul’s New York restaurant experiment the first day that Paul opened the doors. His choice - the beef tenders with debris sauce. So, he wanted to revisit that taste, but he said that the debris sauce was much heavier this time around. That was the only downside to this meal, and you really can’t count the weight of a tasty sauce against such a wide variety of astounding food and great service to boot.
Dessert
By this time we all were almost comatose, but we had to abide by the rules. So, our dessert choices included:
1. Bread Pudding with a Hard Sauce: A New Orleans tradition, a mixture of breads soaked in a rich egg cream, then baked with raisins and pecans to create a moist pudding, with cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla flavors. The hard sauce was made from butter, powdered sugar, and Courvoisier.
2. Chocolate Hill: Individual homemade chocolate bundt cake filled with warm chocolate ganache, drizzled with white and dark chocolate.
3. Special of the Day: Triple-chocolate Cheesecake. Need I say more?
Our desserts looked like they’d been through a war zone after we were through. I had picked the day’s special, my daughter had the Chocolate Hill, and Hugh went for the bread pudding. We couldn’t decide on the best dessert, but the Chocolate Hill definitely won for the most chocolate in one plate during one sitting - the chocolate ganache, which spilled out onto the plate when the bundt cake was cut - was KILLER. I had a fondness for the bread pudding - it was simple, but way beyond just “good.”
A note: We sat upstairs in the two-floor restaurant, which was a great choice. It wasn’t a noisy as downstairs and it was more intimate, but the decor was similar between the two floors. We decided that it was nice that we were given that choice, as it enabled us to take in the entire restaurant. Dress was semi-casual (no jeans), and the service was excellent. Our waiter and the bartender were both friendly and outgoing, and they were well-versed in the menu as they answered all our questions without hesitation.
Ten stars, without a doubt!
Posted by beanybabe at 10:33 PM PST
