Winesday

Peter: This wine is intense. Dark color. Strong tannins. Drinking this wine tastes like staring into the abyss, but in a good way. If I had to guess the grape, I would say Petite Sirah. This would go deliciously well with a bittersweet chocolate dessert. Maybe the chocolate decadence cake from Cafe Degas (courtesy of Maurice's) or the molten chocolate cake from Chateau du Lac.

Rene: Big structure to this wine, it cascades from cherry to spice and then a meaty finish. I don't even want to go out to dinner with this wine. No instead, I want a cold January night, some friends, a roaring fire, some leather chairs, a big wheel of blue cheese, some spiced pecans, and hours of conversation. To do so, we would need more than one bottle. There will of course be a hangover in the morning, but it is a price we should all be willing to pay.

Joe the Wine Guy: 2004 Rosenblum Cellars Santa Barbara County Syrah is what you have in your glass. This offering is sourced grapes grown in the warm days and cool evenings of Santa Barbara County. The enticing opaque purple color and room-filling aromas of blackberries, smoke, plum, licorice, and cracked black pepper give way to a lush palate loaded with dark berries, roasted herbs, and black currants. This wine is perfect with roasted meats, pasta in red sauces, and ripe cheeses. It retails for $15 and can be found at Leblanc's and Tsunami.

The Gospel According to OffBeat

Jazz Fest 2011 officially kicks off today, and as the throngs pass through the entrance gate, the most seasoned veterans will be sure to grab a copy of the Jazz Fest Bible, which is as quintessential to Jazz Fest as sunscreen and a contraband bottle of vodka to spike your mango freeze. In addition to the low down all of artists, stage schedules, and editors' picks, you can read Rene's little diddy on how the Jazz Fest seafood vendors are still going strong one year after the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

And if for some reason you're still hungry after you leave the Fair Grounds, those willing to brave the crowds can swing by Cafe Degas, which coincidentally is the subject of our Dining Out column in this month's issue of OffBeat. With weather like it is today, a seat in the open air dining room may be worth the wait.

Have a great weekend.

Week in Preview

At Blackened Out we are happy to promote any and all dinners, tastings, and other events that help further New Orleans as one of the premier fun-loving, food-centric cities in the country. This week, the Big Easy is bursting at the seems with myriad of opportunities to taste a bit of controversy, praise all things pork, and enjoy some of America's best roadside eats, plus a whole lot more.

Your faithful bloggers have a personal stake in two events this week - the Encore of Gabrielle in Purgatory on Thursday night and Hogs for the Cause on Saturday. We hope to meet and greet many of our readers at both of those events. But in any case, whether you are a cheese lover headed to St. James or a wineaux looking forward to Once Upon a Vine, this week we encourage everyone to get out there and taste what New Orleans has to offer. Remember that everywhere else in the world, it's just another week in March.

Tuesday

• Cafe Degas 25th Anniversary Dinner - Join Cafe Degas in celebrating their 25th Anniversary with a food and specialty cocktails pairing menu.
• Opus One Wine Dinner (SOLD OUT!) - The French Quarter Wine Festival dinners kicks off with one of Napa's elite wineries.

Wednesday

• Wine Sense - Cork & Bottle's wine tasting series continues with a tour of Southern Italy led by Italian wine specialist Antonio Molesini.
• Cakebread Cellars Dinner (SOLD OUT!) - Chef Michael Farrell creates a multi-course dinner paired with wines from one of The Pope's favorite California producers.
• St. James Cheese School - Our favorite cheese mongers are teaming up with New Orleans winemaker James Moises for a cheese tasting featuring his Oregon pinots.

Thursday

• Gabrielle in Purgatory - Encore! - A second chance to taste crowd favorites from the Sonniers' beloved Mid-City restaurant
• An Edible Evening - The Edible Schoolyard New Orleansand FirstLine Schools present the Second Annual "An Edible Evening" garden party under the stars.
• Abita Beer Dinner at Coquette - Chef Michael Stolzfus cooks up a special 5 course menu served with a different Abita beer to complement each dish.
• St James Cheese School - Another opportunity to taste the wines of James Moises and a selection of cheeses to match.

Friday

• Taste of the Town - The Louisiana Restaurant Association holds its annual culinary event at Lafreniere Park.
• Oysters, Cocktails 'n Cracklins - The New Orleans Roadfood Festival kicks off with this cocktail party at the Southern Food & Beverage Museum.

Saturday

• Hogs for the Cause - The Gulf South's premier pig cookoff explodes onto City Pork with plenty of live music and the crowning of the High on the Hog Grand Champion.
• New Orleans Roadfood Street Festival - Six blocks of Royal Street are overtaken with vendors cooking up some of America's best roadside grub, plus the world's longest oyster po-boy will be built.
• Taste at the Lake - The Lakeview Civic Association hosts this inaugural celebration of food, wine, and neighborhoos strength.

Sunday

• Once Upon a Vine - Martin Wine Cellar takes over the Pavilion of the Two Sisters for a tasting featuring over 150 wines and a grazing buffet from Martin's catering kitchen.
• New Orleans Roadfood Street Festival - The good times continue on Royal Street with a whole other day of roadside specialties and the beignet contest between the New Orleans Police and Fire Departments.

Edgar

The Folk Singer and I have been in a bistro mood as of late. Sometimes there is nothing better than simple but refined French fare. Cafe Degas, one of the longest running French bistros in the city, is my standby. Something about the cramped seating, candlelit tables, and open-air dining room just relaxes the mind and body. The food is quite good as well.

Starters are limited to the classics: patés, cheese, mussels, boudin noir, and escargot. We usually start with a combination paté and cheese board which offers two selections of each for $18. The onion soup (above) is also a popular choice while the weather is still cool. The daily specials placed inside the menu cover can surprise as well. On one visit a purse of phyllo dough surrounding duck confit and goat cheese was phenomenal; the sweetness of a raspberry vinaigrette giving the light pastry an almost baklava quality.

With such a short list of entrees (only 4 on the regular menu), it's a wonder why I always have so much difficulty deciding what to order. The parmesan crusted veal usually wins out. The dish is so simple: thinly pounded veal medallions encrusted in bread crumbs and parmesan with a simple yet superb lemon and caper beurre blanc.

The Australian rack of lamb (The Pope's favorite) is a trifecta and a deuce of succulent, rosy-fleshed lamb served with baby carrots and hush puppies. The hanger steak is a bit chewy and better enjoyed elsewhere, but the long, thin fresh cut french fries are worthy of sharing among the table.

The desserts are handwritten with marker on a whiteboard - a European (albeit modernized) touch which I have waxed about before. Some desserts are made in house while others admitted come straight from Maurice's. The chocolate decadence cake is one of the latter, but the Grand Marnier syrup drizzled on top was a nice added bit of jazz.

As we exited the empty dining room on a recent Sunday night, we passed the owners sipping wine in the bar. They bid us au revoir with a smile, and as the door closed behind us I said to The Folk Singer, "How much fun do you think they have running that restaurant?"

Perhaps almost as much as we have eating there.

Cafe Degas - Birdie

After Work Tomorrow...

Hey looking for something to do on Friday after 5, once your boss leaves the office. Ok, more like 3 p.m. Want to be quasi-philanthropic, drink some wine, and then maybe head over to Esplanade to eat at either Lola's or Cafe Degas? Well you are in luck. On Friday night from 5:30-7:30, Cork & Bottle Fine Wines is hosting a wine tasting at the historic Pitot House overlooking Bayou St. John with Jon Smith leading the charge. I am resisting the urge to mention he should rename Clever, Bar St. Jon.* The cost is $10 and all proceeds go to the Pitot House.

Look at it this way. You could go to a bar and spend $10 on some crap Bud Light, while some investment banker tries to bag your lady and the DJ spins Sandstorm in Yiddish. Or you could drop a ten spot, sit along the banks of a beautiful bayou, in a gracious New Orleans house, drink four remarkable wines, and just relax. I don't know but as my cousin from the Sham-Wow commercials says, "this things sells itself" and "cause I can't do this all day."

For more info contact Cork & Bottle at 504.483.6314 or you can call the Pitot House at 482.0312.

The Pitot House is located at 1440 Moss Street and can be found on the web at www.pitothouse.org.

*Background. When Jon Smith, no relation to the explorer, began blogging on the world wide web, I suggested he should call his blog Cork and Bloggle. He originally laughed it off, but eventually agreed with me. As you should always do.

Cafe Degas

Huge fan of this French bistro in Faubourg St. John. A short menu, tightly packed tables, and a kitchen the size of a walk-in closet all are qualities which remind me of a special place: the restaurant on Île Saint-Louis where my family ate Christmas dinner one year. I remember marveling at the quality food which came forth from a kitchen barely big enough to allow the two cooks to pass plates between each other.

Parmesan crusted veal with lemon caper beurre blanc. This is so good that I order every time. The accompanying broccoli florets would be best left off the plate, in my opinion.

This is the Australian rack of lamb which was tender, mildly gamey, and cooked to a perfect medium-rare. Unlike the broccoli above, the baby carrots were a great asset to the dish. That pile of fresh cut fries was an additional $4.

This was dessert. Actually, it was my appetizer AND dessert. This Tomme de Chevre was so good as a starter that I ordered another round to finish off the meal. It's just a high quality goat cheese rolled in an ash of dried herbs, but very worthy of being eaten as two courses.

The prices are higher than what you would expect from such a no frills restaurant, but the quality of the raw ingredients shines through. Great place for a low key dinner.

Cafe Degas - Birdie.