Lunch at eat

After a promising brunch at eat, I returned with Blondie to try out the lunch menu. While I would not say that I left disappointed, I was not exactly wowed either.

We started with the crawfish boullettes - a quintet of golf ball sized cornbread fritters studded with tails. The more interesting aspect of the dish was the remoulade, which was unlike any other I have had. There was no identifiable mayo, and the consistency was that of a chutney. The flavor though had a nice acidity which cut the richness of the boullettes.

The fried green tomatoes were atypical as well, with a batter as light as tempura in texture but the flavor of biscuit dough. The three thick slices, however, did not justify the $8 price tag.

The special of the day was a buffalo oyster sandwich. Fried oysters tossed in buffalo wing sauce and placed between two thin slices of buttered french bread. Very rich, and the sandwich would have benefited from a smear of blue cheese dressing but none was provided. But like the fried green tomatoes before it, the price ($12) was not justified by the sandwich (which contained 6 oysters). The accompanying side of smothered greens were sad as well - obviously straight from the freezer and quite bland.

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In summation, I would say that eat does a much better job at brunch, when the BYOB factor plays a much stronger role. Of course, you could always bring a bottle of wine to lunch, but the firm frowns upon drinking during the day.

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Lunch at eat - Bogey

eat

Looking for a not-so-crowded brunch spot on Easter Sunday is tough enough, but throw in "The Challenge" and it's downright near impossible in the case that you have already hit up your favorites. But after some research The Folk Singer and I thought that eat* might still be under the radar enough so that we would not need to wait. And we were right.

The space is a corner split-level with wood floors, vaulted ceilings, and lots of windows.  The crowd was an eclectic mix of families decked out in seersucker to French Quarter locals, yet no one seemed out of place.  The tables are draped in white table cloths and then covered with a protective layer of white butcher paper.  Minimalism at its finest.

We started with the Tomato Pesto and Feta Torte, which was big enough to share between 6 people. The pesto was very assertive in flavor, with the acidity causing me to believe that it was made with sundried tomatoes. I think that the layers of feta were mixed with a bit of cream cheese, but I could be wrong.

The flavors were strong, but in a good way. My only complaint was the torte was served straight out of the fridge. I think it would have been better closer to room temperature.

TFS had the Fried Green Tomato Breakfast complete with hollandaise, bacon, and poached eggs. These were probably the best fried green tomatoes I have ever had - thick-sliced with a flaky coating. The hollandaise was kind of a bust though as it was closer to broken than it was a thick and fluffy emulsion.

I had the special: homemade corned beef "hash" with poached eggs and hollandaise. The "hash" was incredible - a loose mixture of uniform cubes of potatoes and crisped chunks of corned beef with a few slices of red pepper thrown in for fun. The eggs were perfectly poached, and if the previously mentioned hollandaise had been better, this would make my all time top 5 breakfasts list.

I really enjoyed our brunch. The service and atmosphere at eat is very laid back and relaxed, but not to the point where we ever felt neglected. The freshly squeezed orange juice was phenomenal, and the best part: BYOB (just bring your own champagne).  Couple this experience with TFS' rave review of their roast beef po-boy at French Quarter Fest, and I can't wait to go back. (But not till next year, of course.)

eat - Birdie

* Per the website and sign on the door, "eat" is spelled in all lower case letters, which is why I followed suit. In reality, I HATE/DESPISE/LOATHE improperly capitalized names. But I deal with it.