Dueling Bloggers: Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Last Saturday while poking around the Farmer's Market, a devoted reader who is not related to either of us, asked, "You guys should debate restaurants that never change their menus." The reader went on to note that they had gone to Lilette the night before "for about the thousandth time" and that the menu never changes. "We really like Lilette, but come on!" he implored. So without further ado, let's debate menus and restaurants.

Rene: The idea of the ever evolving menu at a restaurant is a relatively new one. Well, that is not entirely true. Places like Chez Panisse and the thousand of French restaurants it was inspired by have served different menus everyday. Certainly a restaurant with an ever changing menu has become very popular in the last ten years. This is mostly due to the proliferation and abundance of farmers markets along with a growing sense of seasonal based cooking. All of which is a long winded way of saying, while I enjoy restaurants that are always challenging themselves to work with what God gives them, I am not sold that a restaurant has to use that formula to be considered great. The idea of a restaurant constantly changing its menu is more a reaction to what the consumer wants. Through magazines, shows, etc... the way a restaurant appeals to consumers is by being "market inspired". While it is a noble and delicious goal, it tends to make many restaurants seem monotonous. I want more personality out of a restaurant.

Peter: You know what lacks personality? Tomatoes in December and oysters in July. Should a chef force himself to use scientifically altered produce and frozen seafood just because his customers want to eat the same crawfish etouffee in November that they did in May? Or does it make more sense for a chef to talk to his suppliers, figure out what the harvest brought this week, and decide what to tailor his menu toward the freshest ingredients available? Changing your menu to reflect the seasons is not monotonous; serving Oysters Rockefeller and Baked Alaska everyday for 170 years is.

Rene: Distilling it down even further, there are chefs the world over who have created dishes people travel to taste. I am thinking of bites like Robuchon's pommes puree, Thomas Keller's Oysters and Pearls, or Drago's chargrilled oysters. Dishes define restaurants. No trip to Herbsaint is complete for me without an order of spaghetti with guanciale and fried poached egg. There is no reason for a menu to change completely when there are dishes that can stand the test of time. I don't begrudge either tactic a restaurant may take, but I get cravings for specific dishes or specific approaches to food more than I get cravings for a specific restaurant. Imagine the horror if you walked into La Boca and learned they had become vegetarian?

Peter: My worst nightmare is walking into La Boca and having Jared tell me that the sweetbreads and hanger steak have been replaced by watermelon carpaccio and eggplant stuffed with bulgur wheat. That being said, I understand that sometimes I can order flash fried brussels sprouts with my skirt steak and other times I have to settle for asparagus. Just as the crops change with the seasons, so do my tastebuds, which is why I'm more likely to opt for a restaurant that serves vichychoisse in the summer instead of one that insists on serving gumbo even when its 110 degrees outside. And maybe if we as consumers are more willing to accept the fact that we can't always order what we want, then our ecosystem will become more sustainable and less reliant on foods with artificial preservatives.

Rene: Take for instance, Boucherie which is always cycling in new dishes, cuisines, and techniques into their repertoire. Go there this month and Indian may be the theme. However, one is always guaranteed to find a few select dishes - the boudin balls, the grit cake with blackened shrimp - never leave. They don't leave the menu because they are an anchor to the chef's vision. A constantly changing menu is a sign of a chef who is both continuing to learn and also unsure of his or her food personality. I don't mean to say a chef should ever stop learning and expanding, but rather I like them to know a hit when they taste it.

Peter: You have enunciated what is known as the Great Compromise, a/k/a the Three-Fifths Compromise. If a restaurant allocates 60% of its menu to the greatest hits and the other 40% to dishes comprised of seasonal ingredients or the chef's own innovations, then harmony is achieved both by giving the people what they have come to expect from the kitchen and by allowing the chef enough room both to stay creative and to take advantage of nature's cycle. Boucherie and Herbsaint are great examples, but Susan Spicer has it down to a science at Bayona. On the left side of the menu are the signature dishes - goat cheese crouton, garlic soup, sweetbreads with sherry mustard - and on the right side of the menu are the nightly specials that change with the chef's whim and whatever raw ingredients are available. A little something for everyone.

Winesday

Rene: Crisp and mineral this wine has a faint taste of salt, the ocean. I get a little bit of citrus, like a squirt of grapefruit. It is a perhaps a little heavy for an aperitif, but it definitely needs seafood. Maybe some fried seafood, but not in a heavy batter. I'd want a batter more resembling tempura, so maybe the fried Gulf shrimp with sambal and grapefruit that is always on the menu at Coquette. Or ditch the batter and go with the marinated Spanish anchovies with stewed onions from Lilette. If you choose the latter, just make sure your date will kiss you regardless.

Peter: This is a nicely balanced wine. Kind of heavy in the mouth, a little buttery but not overly oaky or rich. This wine tastes like a pear with a little effervescence. Would go well with the Veal Alyssa from Mr. John's playing nicely with the saltiness of the capers and the tang of the lemon beurre blanc.

Joe the Wine Guy: 93% Pinot Grigio and 7% Chardonnay make up this 2009 Stellina di Notte Pinot Grigio. This is a gorgeous fresh, dry white wine with fragrant floral, fruit, and spice aromas. The silky flavors are filled with pear, kiwi, melon, honey, and spice notes that culminate in a lemony finish. This Pinot Grigio makes the perfect aperitivo and pairs well with light, fresh salads and seafoods. The wine retails for $12.99 and you can find it on the wine list at Byblos and Cafe Amelie.


Editor's Note: When we saw the price of this wine, it became clear of all the wines tasted in this series, this may be the best value we have run across. Thanksgiving is coming; stock up for Aunt Gertrude. 

Winesday

Peter: Stuck your nose in the glass and you smell a fruit bomb ready to explode. The flavor is much softer on the palate. This is a very drinkable red wine, hardly any spice. Would go great with the veal cheeks and gnocchi on the lunch menu at Lilette. That is if I drank during lunch - which I don't.

Rene: There is a deep, woodsy aroma on the nose like breathing in a pine forest. I get a lot of spice at first and then red fruits, cherries, raspberries, and the like. This would be near perfect with the fat ribeye at Mr. John's alongside the potatoes au gratin, which as the best classic steakhouse in town could use a little bit better of a wine list.

Joe the Wine Guy: The Terrazas Cheval des Andes is a collaboration among the winemakers from Pierre Lurton, Cheval Blanc, Chateau d'Yquem, Roberto de la Mota, and Terrazas de Los Andes. The wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Petit Verdot and is deep black cherry in color. First aromas are of dried apricots and flowers, warm tobacco scents, red berries macerated in brandy, cherry stones and house made jam, together with cedar-wood, bay leaves, and chocolate. On the palate, the wine is warm and nuanced, with fresh minerals, black currant, spices, and almond. Sweet tannins mingle with a long and elegant finish. Available by special request at Martin Wine Cellar and Wine Seller, this wine retails for $79.99 a bottle.

Pork and Fruit

Pork and apples, pork and pineapple, pork and melon, pork and coconut... you name the fruit, chances are it goes very well with pork. And seriously who doesn't get along with pork? A few days ago, the pork belly and melon dish from Lilette knocked me barefoot.

Pork and fruit work well together because pork has amazing ninja like skills when it comes to absorbing and retaining salt. With pork chops, you should always brine them for a few hours before cooking (wet or dry, they both work). The pork will gain an added juiciness and the seasoning will penetrate through the meat.

Rub some pork down with a mixture of paprika, salt, some brown sugar, and pepper. For proportions, use about double what you would use. Place pork back in the fridge and allow to sit for a few hours or overnight.

While the meat rests, chop up some pineapple, cilantro, cucumber or zucchini, and shallot. Combing in a bowl and toss with salt, pepper, a tablespoon of soy, 2 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar, and a 5 second pour of olive oil (or peanut oil would be good). Allow flavors to come together for as long as you got.

I was using some thick boneless pork loin chops, so I butterflied them and pounded them into a thin circle. Then quickly seared them off in a hot pan. Spoon salsa on plate, top with pork cutlet, then add more salsa on top.

Lilette

John Harris has once again been nominated for a James Beard Award, and the food coming out of his kitchen deserves all the accolades, Grammys, and honors one can bestow. The service, however, needs a serious kick in the ass.

The interior of Lilette presents one of the most charming restaurants in New Orleans. Big, plate glass windows surround cozy white booths and intimate tables. There is a bar along the back wall which looks right out of an ad for the finer things in life.

Upon sitting we ordered a bottle of Rene Barth 2007 Pinot Gris, a wonderful easy drinking white with a touch of sweetness. We also tried to order a half-dozen Kumamoto oysters to nibble on as we perused the menu. "No, sorry. You have to order everything... all food at once," was the answer we received. ("What about dessert?" was the smart ass remark I withheld).

Eventually we were allowed to order the oysters. And when they arrived, they were worth their wait in scold. These tiny, jewels of the ocean exploded with minerality and the taste of the icy seas.

Choosing from the menu at Lilette will prove daunting. Do you go with the duck confit or escargots in Calvados cream? The truffle toast or the raw fish? The pork belly or the bouillabaisse? My best answer for you is to go with a group and try everything.

We started with the boudin noir and chicken soup. The boudin noir arrived wrapped in a crisp shell, while inside the pudding-like meat exploded with flavor. Lindsay stole most of the cornichons, but they along with the mustard provided a wonderful balance to the richness of the sausage.

Lindsay's chicken soup went in an entirely different direction. The broth had the lusty body of a supermodel. Under the surface of the soup floated a delicately poached egg, the yolk of which burst from the whites to mingle and thicken the soup. Just a delicious, soulful bite of food, and an intelligent take on chicken noodle soup.

"Could you please leave the wine out, it is getting a little cold," I asked nicely.

"Why? There is barely anything left," the waiter dismissed.

Ok, then.

Onto the mains. Lindsay was very pleased with the Hawaiian spearfish with braised escarole and sunchoke puree. But no bite of food, I have had in the last twelve months compared with the pork belly dish. Tender, salted cubes of pork belly nestled alongside bright, juicy cubes of melon, slivers of onion, mint, and baby arugula. If you go to Lilette, this dish needs to be ordered.

Complaining about service is not something I like to do, and the two above passages may not seem like much (and in the grand scheme of things are not). But snooty service really chaps my ass. I don't snap fingers, yell at waiters, or tip poorly. I am not asking for you to address me as sir. I appreciate how hard you work. So please quit acting like you are doing me a favor, or else I can and will take my business elsewhere.

Can you tell I should let it go?

Lilette - So close to Eagle, but Birdie.