Good bread, good company, a giant pile of hearts of palm - what more could I ask for?
While the guys were off being uber-manly, covered in fish guts and being snipped at by a cantankerous yet brilliant cap'm of the fishing seas, Mama Bear and I put on our best traveling suits - yes, divided skirts for riding and all - and went down to New Orleans. We even kidnapped the lovely B, fresh from her second week of work and newly returned to New Orleans after a long absence traveling and working around the world.
After a couple hours of trying on ridiculous hats and $12 suits up and down Magazine Street, it was time for an extra-late lunch at Lilette, which B chose for us because if there's one thing late lunchin' ladies need, it's champagne cocktails. Our lunch ended up being so late, as a matter of fact, that we arrived moments after service ended - but they took pity on us as it had started to rain outside.
Warm, crusty, delicious rolls arrived quickly with a little pot of butter. Thumbs up. There's really nothing worse at a nice restaurant than being served insipid, cold bread with a brick of frozen butter.
Soon after, our drinks arrived. The lovely color of our Lilette Rouge is due to the mild herbacious bitterness of the aperitif Lillet Rouge, the sparkle from champagne, and the citrus, well, from citrus. Lime and orange. Not too heavy, not too sweet, just right and refreshing.
Like many bars and restaurants in New Orleans, Lilette has a formidably interesting cocktail menu. Lots of different liqueurs make an appearance, but blue curacao and crème de bananes are conspicuously and thankfully absent.
The restaurant's cute and comfortable, and I covet their shelving along with their rich red walls.
I was having a lot of trouble making up my mind, and thankfully B stepped into the gap with the suggestion that we share several items. Mama Bear was drawn to a pulled pork sandwich, while B and I ordered five dishes from the appetizer/salad/soup sections of the menu.
The pulled pork sandwich, when it came, looked delicious. Mama Bear pronounced the fries the tastiest she's had the pleasure to eat recently, but when I asked the waitress what oil they were fried in, she responded that the gremolata was what made them so tasty.
I did steal a couple bites of the lady's sandwich. The bread did not disappoint, and the pulled pork was moist and seasoned liberally.
Then, suddenly, the table was covered with lots of dainty edibles and two glasses of a crisply floral Keuntz-Bas 2005 vin d'alsace.
First out - the steamed littleneck clams in saffron broth with a comically large bruschetta di ricotta.
Not that I minded the size. Though it did look a little strange perched all over the clams. Don't worry, we finished it.
The clams were nice. The saffron broth was strong and couldn't have been mistaken for anything else. Mama Bear thought it was perhaps too strong, but I liked the earthiness especially as a foil for the smooth, otherwise bland ricotta.
The potato gnocchi, with sage brown butter and crema di parmigiano? What could be wrong with that combination? I see nowhere to pick a fault with this dish, except perhaps that I'd prefer it to be served in a trough. The gnocchi were light, but not fall-apart, the sage was mild, and the cream sauce was creamy and cheesy. What's not to like, unless you're my waistline?
And then, the only real dud of the lunch - the chicken broth with leeks, tomato, parmigiano and a soft-poached egg. This was crying out for salt, salt, SALT PLEASE. The parmigiano flavor wasn't there, the egg took up about half the small cup, and the leeks were still chewy. Not a total fail, since the broth itself was good, but somebody needs to get to the seasoning before it hits the table.
But then, back to the land of fun-timey deliciousness with shaved Hawaiian hearts of palm with lemon, olive oil, and parmigiano.
Come to think of it, there was a freaking lot of Parmigiano in this meal. I didn't notice it at the time, and it was handled well, but in retrospect? Dang.
I've always liked hearts of palm, at least the canned kind my family would always throw into special-occasion salads along with artichoke hearts and pitted black olives, but I haven't often had fresh shaved ones. They're good, with a satisfying crunch and a nice, mild, vaguely tropical flavor. The lemon and olive oil dressing was very good, but I'm not convinced that the parmigiano really needs to be there. The cheese's flavor is just so strong, with such a punch of umami, and it was really trying to take over the subtle palm hearts.
Last but not least, grilled beets with goat cheese and walnuts provided a lovely deep red splash of color against the whiteness of the hearts of palm and cheese. I love beets. Grilled, roasted, raw, boiled, pickled. Please, just not sliced and canned and put on the cafeteria lunch line with cottage cheese. Eugghgh. And they do go so well with walnuts or pecans and with goat cheese or blue cheese. I imagine most combinations of prepared beet with tangy cheese and tree nut would be good. I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't try to stump me. (I'm not so sure about pickled beets with taleggio and Brazil nuts.)
So, there you have it - another great New Orleans restaurant that would take us about eight hours door to door from our home here in Austin, and that's if we bring along a sack of jerky and only stop to get gas. I'd love another meal at Lilette, but the other restaurants of New Orleans continue their siren call! Good recommendation, B, and a great meal.
Lilette. 3637 Magazine Street. 504.895.1636. Chef John Harris was a 2002 Food and Wine Best New Chef, so if you go there, you can cross one more of those guys off your list.
AND Shanah Tovah Tikatevu, y'all! Happy hippity hoppity new year! Apples and honey tonight, and sweetness throughout the year to everyone.
