Ending The Year For a Great Cause

After almost an entire year of failing to live up to your expectations, we are taking a breather this week to relax, recharge, and rush to meet our billable hour requirements. But before we bid farewell to 2011, we want to spread the word about a special event on Friday.

Those of us who are fans of the lunch time tapas menu at Rio Mar probably know Lorie Gandy by face but not by name. Since 2004 Lorie has been the one woman orchestra during every lunch shift at Rio Mar, cranking out plates of blistering morcilla, crispy patatas bravas, and crusty pressed sandwiches filled with jamon and manchego. More recently, Lorie could be found at local markets dishing out cochon de lait po-boys and other fare at a booth sponsored by her Bon Vivant Catering venture.

Last week during lunch at Rio Mar I was surprised to see Nic Bazan, co-owner of Rio Mar and a man of many talents, dressed in his chef whites and working the line. After our table finished a delicious meal (which was punctuated by the absolute best tasting flan that has ever touched my lips), I asked Nic why he was wearing a different hat on this particular day.

It was then that I learned that Lorie was in Houston after an overnight trip was extended indefinitely when she unexpectedly delivered twin boys, Knox and Gabriel, 3 months before her due date. Lorie and her husband Will have been in Houston since then, caring for their boys who are under 24 hour watch at Women's Hospital of Texas and will likely stay there until mid March at the earliest. Once Knox and Gabe are healthy enough for travel, the family plan on making the drive back home to New Orleans.

During lunch on Friday December 30th, the Rio Mar family is throwing a tapas fundraiser to support and assist the Gandy family. Joining the cause will be Slade Rushing and Allison Vines-Rushing from MiLa. The cost is $40 per person (which covers tapas and tax), and although there is no specific menu, you can be sure that these chefs will be feeding you well and that no one will leave hungry. Alcohol will be sold separately, and only cash and checks will be accepted.

Most of us were fortunate enough to spend this holiday season at home surrounded by our family and friends. Let's all do as much as we can to ensure that next year the Gandy family will get to do the same.

Lunch at MiLa

Ah, lunch. Once our favorite time of the school day, lunch now often consists of an ever-shortening window of time during which we wolf down a $5 footlong in between meetings, phone calls, and TPS reports. The need for speed is one of the many blessings of the work place, and sometimes we are lucky enough to snag a bag of peanuts from the vending machine to hold off starvation before heading home.

But there is lunch, and then there is lunch. The kind of meal where you transport yourself, if only for 60 minutes, to a place where the rest of the world takes a break from the daily hustle and bustle to allow you to enjoy real food, maybe a glass of wine, and some non-work related conversation before getting back to the grind.


At MiLa, such an experience will only run you $20.

Meals at MiLa still begin with the a basket filled with rolls and thin wedges of firm corn bread presented with miniature cast iron skillets of lima bean puree and cold salted butter. Venison pâté, rustic in appearance but elegant in flavor, is served with creole mustard, thinly sliced cornichon and buttery slices of toasted baguette. $10 well spent to supplement the prix fixe.

Soup or salad begins the prix fix. The novelty of butternut squash soup may have long since passed, but the familiarity of the dish does not detract from the worthiness of MiLa's version, which is enriched with spiced crème fraiche and served with crispy shitake chips and lumps of crabmeat bobbing up and down upon the surface. The salad is a simple composition of organic greens, salty Louisiana feta, sunflower seeds for crunch, and a bright lemon vinaigrette.

On to the main events. I ordered the phyllo crusted redfish on my first visit to MiLa, and three years later here it is still, with the thatched roof of phyllo dough providing a nice crunch to the moist fillet underneath. Israeli couscous, wilted and slightly bitter greens, and a sauce of thickened lobster stock rounds out the dish. For the carnivores, braised veal cheeks (which we have seen on a lot of menus lately) atop a puree of fingerling potatoes.

Dessert is a choice between simple pleasures. The omnipresent vanilla bean rice pudding topped with glazed seasonal berries, blue ones in this case, is a dish whose humble connotation as peasant food is wiped away with just one spoonful. It's just plain good. Or maybe a bowl of housemade ice cream - banana on the most recent visit - topped with crunchy almond streusel.

For those who enjoy a glass of wine with their lunch (only on Fridays, of course), the list at MiLa offers a number of bottles in the $30 range. Service, once the Achilles heel of the restaurant, has markedly improved in terms of both polish and speed. On this most recent visit, the lunch hour need only be extended by a few minutes in order to enjoy a 3 course meal from one of the city's most underrated and often forgotten about restaurants.

Lunch at MiLa - Eagle
$20 for 3 Courses
Mon-Fri 11:30am-2:30pm
817 Common Street at the Pere Marquette Hotel
(504) 412-2580

Winesday

Peter - Put my nose in the glass and get this chocolate aroma. But then take a sip and the wine tastes surprisingly juicy with a little smoke. Seems remarkably smooth at first, but then about halfway through the glass I start noticing some spice on the end. It's delicious all the way around. A perfect pairing would be the andouillette in mustard sauce that I had at L'Amphitryon in Lyon back in 2007, but the cost of airfare will force me to settle for the choucroute maison from Luke. (Give me 2 lbs of pork products and take me straight to heaven.) Or I could finish my meal at Cowbell by pairing a glass with a slice of their Chocolate City.

Rene - Best to let this bottle sit and open up. On the nose, I smell cedar, a cigar box or humidor. Taste red fruit and licorice with almost a sherry-like dryness. High in alcohol but not harsh and long finish of spice. Would like to have this wine over the course of two dishes at MiLa. First the sweetbreads with truffled grits and bacon sherry jus would pair nicely with the woodsy and spice flavors. Then the braised veal cheeks would get along quite well with the juicier flavors of the wine after it has opened up.

Joe the Wine Guy - Here we have the Orogeny 2007 Green Valley Pinot Noir. This wine displays crystalline and red fruit character from grapes grown within Sonoma County's Russian River Valley. The texture is opulent, with a firm, integrated tannin structure at 14.4% alcohol. Hints of toffee from barrell aging heighten the nose and linger on the fruit-imbued finish. Enjoy this pinot noir's lush flavors with a broad range of entrees, including beef tenderloin, roast lamb or poultry, grilled pork or salmon, and especially pasta or risotto dishes laden with wild mushrooms. This wine retails for $39 and is poured at Emeril's Delmonico and Le Foret.

The Post-Katrina Top 20: #15 - #11

We start off this week with the continuation of our countdown of the Top 20 new and improved food and beverage accomplishments in post-Katrina New Orleans. If you missed #20-#16, click here.

#15: Stein's Deli - Sometimes things just make sense. Dan Stein realized New Orleans did not need another po boy shop. What it did need was a New York/Philadelphia/Jewish Delicatessen with an amazing beer selection and an attitude to match. In February 2007, Stein and partner Andre Moreau found a sliver of space on Magazine and crammed it to the rafters with fine meats, stinky cheeses, beer, hard cider, and other hard to find food items. But the true genius is in their sandwiches. Philly cheesesteaks, Reuben's, Chicago beefs, Fernandos, and Kellys have made this place a regular in our rotation. Plus, it is a great place to tell Mike Vick jokes.

#14: MiLa - While Mississippi and Louisiana were fighting over recovery dollars, Chefs Slade Rushing and Allison Vines-Rushing were marrying the cuisines of their respective home states in what's still the best and most over-looked hotel restaurant in the city. If we could only eat one dish before we die, then we choose MiLa's pan-roasted sweetbreads over truffled grits with bacon jus. The $20 lunch special is the value of the decade, well besides that Tiger Woods stock we bought last August.

#13: Mahony's Po-Boy Shop - After he simply could not rid himself of the memory of a few bogey po-boy experiences, Chef Ben Wicks decided to open up his own place in homage to the po-boy shops which he grew up with. At Mahony's, the kitchen cooks everything from scratch and does well by both the classics (like pot-roast style roast beef and fried oysters) to the avant garde (like fried chicken livers with cole slaw). Throw in the sensational shaved onion rings and an cold draft Abita root beer, and you have shining beacon of hope for the continuation of the po-boy tradition.

#12: Bistro Daisy - When Chef Anton Schulte left La Petite Grocery, his fans wondered (a) where he would end up next and (b) if he could replicate that soft and magical touch elsewhere. The Chef and his wife Diane went two-for-two when they opened their own bistro inside this old shotgun on Magazine Street. Now the name "Daisy" will always be synonymous with both their daughter and the artful salad of fresh mozzarella and roasted yellow peppers. The crawfish and mascarpone ravioli garners most of the well-deserved praise, but the lamb strip and parmesan risotto should not be overlooked either.

#11: NOLA Brew - After dealing with the hassles of insurance adjusters, contractors, and bureaucrats, Kirk Coco and Peter Caddo knew that what New Orleans really needed was a drink. So they set up a brewery in a warehouse on Tchoupitoulas and started brewing beer. Sound crazy? Well, maybe it is. But there is no denying the goodness of their NOLA Brown with a roast beef po-boy or the Seventh Street Wheat with a bowl of Vietnamese chargrilled pork. With the exile of Dixie, New Orleans once again has a beer to call their own.

MiLa

A plate of pan roasted halibut with tangerine hollandaise and spring vegetables gets a final dusting of spice from Chef Allison Vines-Rushing of MiLa.

A grit. As a single speck of coarsely ground corn meal, it draws little attraction or attention. But when cooked gently with friends - salt, some cream, a pat of butter - they become human. When a cook folds bits of black truffle into those grits, they become feminine. And when that heaping pile of grits is topped with crispy sweetbreads and a sherry bacon jus, you are staring at the sexiest dish in this hemisphere.

Such a dish is one of the many standouts at MiLa, a powerhouse of a restaurant in the Pere Marquette Renaissance Arts Hotel. The beauty in this dish, and what we have learned is representative of the cooking at MiLa, is how the dish seems so simple, yet so complex. Chefs Slade Rushing and Allison Vines-Rushing have assembled a well-tuned machine of cooks who seem to instinctively know how to not let technique ruin a pristine ingredient.

The craftsmanship of the kitchen crew highlights the ingredients without overshadowing them - much like a loud rock band deciding to play an acoustic first set. Take, for example, a ravioli at a recent dinner held in conjunction with the Crescent City Farmer's Market. First, they juiced kale, reduced it, and added it to fresh pasta dough. Then they stuffed the inside of the plumpy green ravioli with tender, but toothsome, greens. Under the ravioli, dijon punched up the sweetness of a beet puree. On top, a scattering of fried mushrooms marinated to infuse them with the smokiness of bacon. Earthy, rich, umami, soulful, etc... are all words one could use to describe it. But here is something simpler: delicious.

Lettuces most often find themselves relegated to salad bars, burgers, and e. coli outbreaks. But at MiLa, bitter greens and sweet lettuces are braised and pureed into a thick, satisfying soup. The bottom of the bowl holds a little treasure trove of truffles, while a poached egg serves as a raft for a chapeau of crouton. This is not the springy, grassy flavor of lettuces, but a hearty, sturdy undertone of an ingredient which endured through the winter. The assembly of the soup brought forth the image of a field in spring - truffle culled from the earth, the green grass, white cloud of egg, and peeking out from behind the cloud a single burst of bright orange yolk. Artistry, yes; but food first.

On the lunch menu the butter poached chicken deserves your attention. The chicken, plump and juicy, cradles little baby fingerling potatoes. A slight patina of red wine demi glace fortified with bacon added the deep flavors that braising brings to a dish, without sacrificing the juiciness of a well-cooked breast of chicken.

The kitchen here delights in taking a classic Southern or New Orleans dish and reworking it, with new ingredients and techniques. The example oft quoted is their Oysters Rockefeller Deconstructed. But that is not the best example, as we find the licorice root to be too emotional and attention grabbing in what should be a dish highlighting oysters.

But on an early visit, a tian of crab called to mind a variety of dishes from the New Orleans shellfish repertoire, while remaining entirely unique. Petite dice of tomato served as a base and acid component for the sweet jumbo lump tossed in a light sauce. The result was both comforting and challenging.

Shrimp remoulade from MiLa.

Desserts have always been a strong course at MiLa. The desserts bear the watermark of Slade, while Allison usually works the hot or savory side of the line. Slade's desserts call into focus most clearly the vision of the restaurant, "Tastes inspired by a Southern childhood." There are peanut butter and chocolate confections, root beer floats, and strawberry shortcakes all gussied up, without being fussed up.

Service at MiLa struggled in the beginning but has significantly improved with a steady cadre of well-tuned waiters and waitresses. They dress to fit the role of this hip eatery. Brown button downs, designer jeans, and hip sneakers. That can guide your wardrobe choice as well.

As you first enter the restaurant a wall of glass enclosed wine welcomes you. The wine list offers an attractive program where everyday promises 30 wines for $30 by the bottle. That special helps lower the check average if you are dining on a budget, as food costs come in on the higher end of the spectrum. But fear not, as you can experience MiLa at lunch for around $20 for 3 courses.

But what you are paying for is locally sourced, impeccable ingredients and very fine cooking. When MiLa first opened, while we loved the food, it seemed to be a restaurant looking for its identity. And in the same vein, as diners we were trying to figure out what kind of restaurant it was. Is it a hotel restaurant catering to New York hipsters? A place to grab a bite to eat while the wedding you were invited to finishes up next door? French cuisine with a Southern bend? What?

Luckily, for both parties, the question has been answered. MiLa has established itself as a player in the ultra competitive, New Orleans fine dining field. Look around at the number of chefs, highly regarded around the country and world, who practice their craft right here. The competition is fierce to be the best fine dining restaurant in New Orleans. While we don't know if MiLa owns the crown, it certainly belongs in the title round.

The Rankings

Food - Eagle. This kitchen can cook in a highly technical manner without messing up what nature intended. Don't miss - Sweetbreads, truffle grits, sherry bacon jus; BBQ lobster; Scallops; Duck; Whatever dessert makes you remember childhood.

Bar/Wine/Service - Birdie/Par. Great cocktails (Chris McMillan tends bar in the hotel's lobby) and affordable, broad wine list make the bar at MiLa a good place to have a quick bite and a glass of something nice. While service has improved steadily, at these price points and with this beautiful food it could be a bit more attentive. But maybe that is not the vibe they are going for.

Overall - Birdie. Ranking fine dining restaurants is going to be very hard, but MiLa delivers where it counts: with the food and booze. We consider this restaurant to be worth both your time and more importantly your money.

Full Disclosure: We were invited to attend last week's vegetarian dinner. We went and brought the women in our lives. We paid for their meals, but ours were on the house. We tasted the food on their plates, and it was no different.

Hogs for the Cause

Hogs for the Cause, the number one porcine related charity event held at the Fly, returns this Saturday, March 6th from sun up to sun down. With over 25 teams competing for your dollars in the Louisiana High on the Hog Pork Cook Off, the competition will be fiercer than you can shake three sticks at. Judging will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. but feel free to come out whenever you want as we will have beer, oysters, pork, music, and silent auction items ready for your perusal.

As you may already know, last year's recipient and the inspiration behind this Cause, Ben Sarrat, Jr., lost his battle with cancer last Thursday. There are no words to express how close Becker and I had grown to Ben and his family. His outlook on life - always positive, smiling, and most of all full of jokes - motivates us to make this year's Hogs for the Cause bigger and better.

To this aim, Hogs has established a cancer research fund, whereby all monies raised will be directed to childhood cancer research. Specifically, we want to help fund the cure for Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Gilioma (DIPG). And what is DIPG? The worst disease imaginable. Most cases are present in small children, and the survival rate is nearly zero. What we do know is that funding for DIPG research is at an all time low, and that is where you come in.

We have been blown away by the support and generosity from our patrons in New Orleans. Donations, raffle items, free equipment and supplies have poured in from across the metropolitan area. Many of us in New Orleans have spent the last half-decade helping each other out. Be it a spare generator or a few extra MREs, we take good care of those in need. We have learned compassion, and that is a wonderful thing.

Now we need you to come out and show your support on what will be a beautiful spring day. We want you to accidentally get sunburned, drink some NOLA Brown, bet on some raffle items, take a plunge on a weekend getaway to Point Clear, and just enjoy the day. There is no charge for admission because we want you to give whatever you feel comfortable with giving. The cook off teams, however, will be vying for your support as monies you donate to each team will help go to towards their point total.

We look forward to seeing you out there.

Together we can do something great.

Fish Fridays - Scallops

Let's keep the pressure on the mollusks. But this week, let's talk scallops. No sure, scallops aren't really from around these parts, but that doesn't mean some restaurants in New Orleans can't use them.

One of the number one thing we get asked is how can you cook scallops at home. The easy answer is you cant. This is because restaurants that serve the scallops you want to emulate are using day boat scallops or diver scallops. Day boat scallops are those which are usually harvested on boats which return to shore each night. The scallops are then rushed off to fish markets around the world. The scallops you are likely buying from the grocery store come from scallop factory boats. These boats dip the scallops in a chemical substance to keep them fresh and milky white for transport. That chemical inhibits caramelizing, and so you tend to overcook your scallops waiting on the color.

So either leave it to the pros or go diving in cold, Atlantic waters. But if you want good scallops in New Orleans, might we suggest the following:

Iris - Hands down, the meatiest, sweetest scallops in the city. The scallops arrive looking like albino filet mignons. Usually, Chef Ian swabs them down with a crisp, grapefruit butter.

Gautreau's - Peter and I have a huge crush on Sue Zemanick's refined take on motherly cuisine. Something about the way she creates such a crisp crust on her scallops makes us feel warm and safe. Then when she serves it with a bacon and corn relish, it is enough to make us want to take her on a date. But we are too nervous.

MiLa - We have talked before about the lunch menu at MiLa before, and on that prix fixe, occasionally, is a puree of squash or pumpkin with a petite dice of scallop that heightens the sweetness of scallops to a whole 'nother level. If you go for lunch (and you should), and this soup is on the menu, get it.

Where are your favorite places to enjoy the scallop?

Best Fine Dining Lunch Deals in CBD

We here at the Blackened Out School of Economics and Ponzi Schemes are acutely aware that dining out is getting harder and harder to do. This is mostly because of global fluctuations in the drachma and a strong desire by everyone save the guvuhment to save, save, save. So maybe you can not order that second bottle of Yellow Tail, but you can still enjoy some great dining for little more than it costs you to go to Subway twice.

Here is our take on the best fine dining in the CBD.

MiLa has to be the best lunch special in the city. This is based on a variety of factors. First, the husband and wife team of Slade Rushing and Allison Vines-Rushing have a Ph.D in cooking. Secondly, MiLa relies on using farm fresh ingredients to such an extent they actually have a farmer who grows crops for them. Thirdly, and most importantly the building in which MiLa is located was formerly the situs of the original Jesuit High School. For $20, here is what I ate recently: a butternut squash soup with chopped scallops, a seared flat iron steak with long beans and a red wine demi glace, and homemade bannana ice cream with cookies. Perfect lunch, it has to be the spirit of the Jesuits.

Cuvee is the perfect nooner of the lunchroom. It seduces you with .25 cent martinis, delivers you 3 courses of inventive and delicious food, and then sends you back to the office with a smile and no guilt. Recently I had the misfortune to dine there with the Dread Pirate and although he tried his best to ruin my meal, the pork belly with a sweet glaze and heat-driven slaw was magnifcient. Speaking of martinis, I would like to pass on a great quote about drinking during work hours: "Always order gin martinis, that way when you return to the office, everyone will know you are drunk and not stupid."

Everyday Luke runs a different plat du jour. For $15 you get a soup and a hearty plate of food. The lamb ragu, has unfortunately been replaced, but the lamb neck ravioli is just as good and filing as its older more successful brother. Be forewarned that after you eat at Luke for lunch, that TPS report is likely to be put off until the following morning.

A Worthy Cause

On January 9th at 6:30 p.m., a benefit wine dinner will take place at La Cote Brasserie to help raise funds for a local 5 year old, Ben Sarrat, Jr., who is battling brain cancer. A team of chefs from New Orleans restaurants, including the Rushing/Vines-Rushings from Mila and Chuck Subra from La Cote Brasserie, will offer a six course dinner all paired with wines and hors d'oeuvres. The cost is $100 all inclusive. All proceeds benefit Ben Jr. and to paraphrase Judge Smails, "the remaining chefs are no slouches either."

I realize the holidays just stole your wallet, turned your liver into a homicidal maniac, and caused you to make a bunch of resolutions you have no intention of honoring, but this should be a great dinner. It is the second Friday in January, so you should not be busy. Please consider going or making a donation.

Here is the Menu and list of Chefs

Master Ben Sarrat Jr.
Wine - Dinner Fundraiser
ESTANCIA*ROBERT MONDAVI WINERY* SIMI* MOUNT VEEDER WINERY

6:30pm Hors d’ oeuvres
Crawfish Remoulade Fried Green Tomato
Alligator Beignets, Tabasco Sweet Heat Charbroiled Oysters

~~~Six Course Dinner~~~
Ter rine of Alabama Pig and Foie Gras
Pickled Winter Vegetable Salad
Chefs Allison & Slade Rushing - “Mila”

Pan Roasted Scallop
Wild Mushroom Sweet Corn Ragout
Chef Tom Wolfe -“Wolfe’s”

Shula’s Lobs te r Bisque
Chef Lou Sander - “Shula’s Steak House”

Cedar Smoked Red Fish
Crawfish Tasso Spoon Bread Green Tomato Chow Chow
Chef Chuck Subra - “La Cote Brasserie”

Silverado Rack of Lamb Chop
Wood Grilled, Truffle Fingerling Potatoes
Chef Mark Quitney - “5 Fifty 5”

Flourles s Black Forest Cake
Cherry Cream, Brandy Tuiles
Chef Matt Murphy &
Pastry Chef Simone Fleming - “Melange”

If you go, you will most certainly feel better about that resolution to help others more in 2009. Lindsay and I will be there which means there is a 99% chance you will have a good time. The other 1% is a decent time.

Contact 613-2350 for reservations or for more information. Shoot us an email if you plan on going, we will make it a quasi-State Dinner.

After Work Today...

Well, I dont need to tell you that it is the scariest night of the year tonight. Lots going on but just make sure you are costumed; preferably as a food object. Once in college Legend and I dressed as Trick or Treat. He went in a drag as a hooker, and I hot glued candy to some sweat pants and a sweat shirt.

Let's just say better ideas have sprung forth from this brain, but I had candy to eat for about a year after that and new fat clothes, which paired nicely with my steady diet of Za, Nat Light, chicken fingers, and Skol Vodka. Ohh, and a year later 45 extra pounds and 4 cavities. And at that point in my life, a few complications from eating qualified as a sexually transmitted disease

Other costume ideas are a Lucky Dog Vendor or Ignatius J. O'Reilly. You could also dress up as a baked potato by wrapping yourself in foil and putting a piece of yellow construction paper on top of your head. But please, choose one of those three.

There are a bunch of events going on tonight. Have fun and be safe, kiddos.

Krewe of Boo, uptown.

Widespread Panic Rock and Roll Show at the UNO Lakefront Arena.

A huge blockparty on Frenchmen St. In the words of a friend, its "where all the freaks go." Expect to see Peter there dressed as a side of truffled grits from MiLa.

Or you could stay home and pass out candy. And if you happen to get some candy with hot glue on it, don't worry its fresh.

After Work Today...

Who are we kidding? Today is the day that the Louisiana Supreme Court releases the July Bar Exam results. No lawyer works today and even if you do, you will probably knock off around 9:30 for lunch. And non-lawyers can do things like long lunches all the time. So, this post should really be entitled: "Where to Celebrate or Drown Your Sorrows Today."*

First, a few tips for you:

1. A little known fact is that the LASC mails out the individual results to candidates on the day before publicly releasing them via the web and posting them on the door of the LASC building on Royal Street. If you don't pass, then next time around you can intercept the letter from the post office and know your fate before everyone else does.**
2. If you have an inside connection at the LASC, you may be able to call them before the results are posted at 9:00am. You have waited 11 weeks already, but we all know that finding out an hour earlier will make a world of a difference. Or just wait, patience es un virtue.
3. If you choose to go "old school" and check the list posted at the Supreme Court, please be respectful of your fellow candidates.
4. If you email this article to everyone you know, your results will come faster. Its like bells ringing and angel winging.

Now, to the more important question: Where should I go to lunch? If you are one who likes to see and be seen, then, much like The Highlander, there can only be one: Galatoire's. In the future, you will probably be holding court there on many a Friday afternoon, so you may as well start now.

Or more accurately, you took that Big Law job because you thought "all lawyers do is go to long lunches at Galatoire's on Fridays." Ohhh, how wrong you were. But at least you passed. So this is probably your last time to go there for Friday lunch for at least 10-12 years. By the time you can go, wife, kids, clients, and general b.s. will keep you away; please remove your rose colored Vuarnets. So go while you can and don't ever leave. However, if you are reading this post and have not yet dispatched a secretary to wait in line or the kid who did not pass, then you will likely be relegated to lunching in Siberia.

But perhaps you are one of the many young attorneys who finds him/herself working at one of the many firms struggling to generate enough work for the partners (much less the newly minted associates), and thus a four hour lunch is not in the cards (i.e., budget). Or no one gives a flying hoot that you passed the bar. No problem. Hit up one of the prix fix menus at MiLa or Cuvée - where the atmosphere may not be such a raucous as at Galatoire's but the food will indeed be much more exciting.

But no matter whether you feast upon Oysters Rockefeller or a Lucky Dog during your celebratory lunch, there is only one place to go when you finish:

For one of these:

Congrats.

* If you conditioned or worse , do not go downtown and even attempt to have a good time. Turn off your cell phone, load up your car with booze, drive at least to Orange Beach (or further), do not check Facebook updates, and just generally try to get away from it all. Remember: JFK, Jr. took the New York Bar three times before he passed, and I would say that he had a pretty successful life. If only a pilot's license was harder to obtain. What? Too soon?

** We have no evidence to either dispute or verify this information, thus hereby indemnifying ourselves from all liability which may result from advocating such an action. In fact, it is the oldest lie told in Louisiana.

Don't take my word for it...

Either Southern Living is a huge fan BlackenedOut, or they are an equally big fan of MILA. Regardless, the accolades continue to pile up for this perfect Contemporary Southern Eatery. However, we disagree with their love for the lima bean puree.

http://www.southernliving.com/southern/travel/food/article/0,28012,1830278,00.html

Thanks to the Bride Has Been for passing along this information.

Mila Again, Great Again

Lindsay and I had a great meal last Thursday at Mila. I really like this place. I was going to blog about it, but Thor stole our thunder. Listen, I beat dead horses. Mila in my opinion is one of the city's best restaurants. Thats right, not best new, not best hotel restaurant, but best.

Quick Highlights:
Well made cocktails. Sweetbreads with truffled grits. A word about those. For anyone who is scared of or doesnt get either sweetbreads or truffles, try these. The aroma, taste, and texture would make even Hitler's heart melt. Get a side order of the grits. Tenderloin dishes (veal or pork). And the peanut butter cup dessert. The tasting menu (both at lunch and dinner) is a great option. Great service.

Just go already so I can shut up.

Tell Her What She's Won...

Let no one ever say that the "young Turks" of Blackened Out are not men of our word. In celebration of our 5000th visitor, we (actually it was Rene, without my knowledge or consent, mind you) offered to take the lucky winner to lunch. Who would have thought our winner would have actually taken us up on our offer? (Not us.) But we are glad she did.

So off we went to MiLa for a late lunch with our winner St. James Girl (SJG) and her main squeeze Mike. We had toyed with the idea of going to Nine Roses or some other hidden gem off the beaten path; but we thought that if we told her to meet us under the interstate on the Westbank, then she would probably come down with a sudden case of the flu and we would likely be facing an attempted kidnapping charge.

SJG is a serious foodie - so much so that I would have to say that she is much more knowledgeable about food than myself and could probably give Rene a run for his money. So we ate, and drank, and talked about food, and laughed about food, and generally entertained SJG and Mike with tales of our past shenanigans. They both seemed to have enjoyed themselves.

The food was awesome. After we finished, I was amazed as to why the dining room had been half empty when we arrived. The 3 course lunch prix fix is an absolute steal of a deal at $20, though I admit that the portions are small. Of course we ordered 3 additional appetizers and 2 bottles of wine, but if you exercise self control, you can enjoy one hell of a meal for less than $30 inclusive.

Before the prix fix began, we decided to start with a few passed appetizers. The terrine of pork was some of the best charcouterie that I have had, but the homemade pickles and mustard might have been even better than the head cheese itself. Next, we sampled the tian of crab which was a simple dish of jumbo lump crabmeat topped with a slightly acidic tomato concassee - basically a saute of finely chopped tomato. Then we asked our waiter if we could order the pan roasted sweetbreads with black truffle grits and bacon jus (which is only on the dinner menu), and the chef kindly obliged. All I can really say about that dish is it was so fantastic that SJG scraped the bowl of the last bit of grits and made no qualms about it.

On to the prix fix. The first course was a choice between a curried squash soup with lobster knuckles or a summer squash salad. The soup was smooth and rich, flavored with saffron and just a hint of spice from the curry. The salad had thinly sliced squash with some sort of vinaigrette. Winner: the soup.

The entree choices were phyllo crusted redfish or a filet with pureed fingerling potatoes. The quality of the fish was a testament to MiLa's focus on finding the freshest seafood. But the filet was hands-down the best dish of the meal. The beef was incredibly tender, yet flavorful (which is usually the knock on filet) and sauced with a serious demi glace. I was really pissed off that I had not ordered the filet, but c'est la vie.

I finished with rice pudding and strawberries, and the others had sorbet of a flavor which I cannot recall. Simple, nothing exciting, yet delicious.

The only "problem" that I have with MiLa is the white bean (or lima bean) puree that is served with the cornbread. Every time I try it, I wonder why I did because I never like it. Next time (and there will most certainly be a next time) I eat at MiLa, I will just ask for more butter instead. Not sure if that should even be considered a "flaw," but I wonder if I'm the only one who does not care for that stuff.

MiLa - Eagle

O Sole Mila

Next week I am going to New York; last night I got a taste of the Big Apple. My sister found a babysitter and wanted to go out for an adult evening. Why she chose to spend it with me, I lack an answer for. We tossed around a few ideas before settling on Mila.

Mila operates in the space that was formerly Rene Bistrot but long before that the original home of Jesuit High School. The space is sleek, but comfortable with large banquettes circling the walls and huge picture windows. Golds, blues, and chocolates dominate the color palate; while serious food rules your palate.

We started with some cocktails. A madras for my sister, a Louisiana 75 for Lady, and a mint julep. The Louisiana 75 missed the mark. An amuse arrived. A crawfish and lobster empanada. Really tasty start right there. The buttery crust serving as the de facto "drawn butter" normally served with lobster.

Appetizers got a little larger. A Tian of Louisiana Crab for sister displayed the utter sweetness of crab this time of year. New Orleans Barbecue Lobster revealed perfectly cooked lobster with just enough flavoring to make the dish interesting without overpowering the taste of lobster. I got a salad; albeit, one with house cured duck ham. Would have liked a touch more acid on the mizuna greens but maybe that is just me.

Entrees really displayed the entirety of the Rushing's vision. Based on the portions sizes up to now, we were all expecting a rather minuscule main (which would have been fine) instead we each received a sizable and satisfying main dish. Tea smoked duck with a sweet glaze on top. Love duck prepared this way, Lady said she would have liked some more vegetables on the plate (so all of a sudden you are a health nut). Sister enjoyed her lemon fish in what looked to be a ramp or other spring onion vinaigrette; although she found some pieces of the fish tasted more fishy than other pieces. I rocked and I do mean rocked the veal medallions. Beyond tender pieces of veal served with a mushroom cream sauce.

2006 Acacia Pinot Noir paired nicely with all the above; the wine cellar of the restaurant is really unique. I can not describe it other than to say, "cool."

A Cheese plate with an eggplant marmalade satisfied Lady. I chose to go another more adult route and got the peanut butter and chocolate tart. If I had to pick one last sweet to eat before going to the great gig in the sky, it would probably be a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup (or egg if Easter). This dish was a sophisticated, damn fine version of that.

Service is incredibly efficient and approachable. Besides the New York vibe of the space, this restaurant is within arm's reach of familiar New Orleans cuisine. Hopefully, Mila will continue to push the New Orleans food scene further.

Even better, walking in we ran into Tom Fitzmorris who was also dining at Mila that evening. What is that saying about great minds?

Birdie on a really difficult par 5.