Review: Philip Chan’s Asian Cajun Bistro

Asian Cajun Bistro is an exciting, dynamic place to eat. The dishes are exotic, fusing elements of traditional Asian concepts with spicy Louisiana flavors. And the menu is enormous.

With so much to choose from, my girlfriend and I ordered an assortment of smaller dishes. We started with fried green tomatoes with crawfish and lump crab meat in a creamy béarnaise sauce, which was prepared with limited Asian influence, but was still excellent. Then we had two dishes from their small portions menu: fried calamari with a really spicy chili cocktail sauce and seared tuna over seaweed salad with a sweet sesame sauce—-both perfectly cooked and extremely flavorful. We also ordered tofu fried rice. I’m a MEAT guy, but my girlfriend wanted tofu, and it was actually really tasty—-not your mundane, run-of-the-mill fried rice.

Asian Cajun has mastered the art of sauce-making. That’s why the menu is so extensive and the food so creative—-it’s all about the sauce. In addition, items on the menu have a wide range of prices. You can order $15-$30 entrees if you want, or you can sample a few different appetizers or small portions for $7-$10. Your options at Asian Cajun Bistro are virtually limitless; you can try something new and have a totally different experience every time you go.

Asian Cajun also offers a fairly large wine and sake selection, as well as daily lunch specials. Reservations advised Friday and Saturday night.

Contact Info:
8400 Oak Street
New Orleans, LA 70118
(504) 522-4964
www.asiancajunbistro.com

Review: Brunch at Dante’s Kitchen

Dante’s Kitchen is a quaint uptown cottage turned restaurant. There is a welcoming, cozy air both inside and out—-wooden floors, fireplaces, brightly-colored walls, and a lovely patio outside, surrounded by plants, flowers and a wooden fence.

Dante’s is open every day for dinner; but it’s extremely popular for brunch on Saturdays and Sundays (10:30am-2:00pm). I’ve had brunch at Dante’s a few times and it’s exquisite. The first time, everything on the brunch menu looked so good it literally took me a half hour to decide what to order. I finally decided on the “Debris and Poached Eggs on a caramelized onion biscuit, topped with a demi-glace hollandaise” and had no regrets. Since then, everything I’ve ordered or tasted has been awesome, as well—-from the Bread Pudding French Toast to the Seafood Cakes.

For the most part, the entrees are bold, rich and fairly heavy; but if you’re in the mood for something lighter (and healthier), the menu offers a variety of salads and sandwiches, too. The BLT is without question the best BLT I’ve ever tasted.

The entire menu is reasonably priced, with most dishes under $13. Reservations advised.

Contact Info:
736 Dante Street
New Orleans, LA 70118
(504) 861-3121
www.danteskitchen.com

Review: Venezia Restaurant

Born and raised in NY, I take my Italian food seriously. When I walked through the front door of Venezia Restaurant, the first thing I noticed was the aroma. It smelled like “real” Italian, which is always a treat outside NY. I know I sound like the arrogant New Yorker who thinks everything about NY is so great, but come on—-when it comes to pizza and Italian food, nowhere else does it better…at least in this country.

Anyway, sitting in Venezia, enjoying the fine aroma of fresh tomatoes and garlic, and sipping on my tasty Peroni (a light, refreshing beer imported from Italy), I was extremely excited for the meal. As always, my girlfriend and I ordered a few dishes to share: to start, a stuffed artichoke, followed by chicken parmigiana and pork osso buco. The spaghetti and meatballs looked really good, so we ordered a side of meatballs to go with our sides of pasta.

 

After my favorable first impression, I had really high expectations for the food; but to be honest, the food fell a little short. The chicken parm was awesome—-good quality chicken, breaded and fried perfectly, with delicious marinara sauce (I’m very picky about my sauce!) It was one of the best chicken parms I’ve ever had, period. The meatballs were also very good–tender, juicy, well-seasoned. On the other hand, however, the stuffed artichoke and pork osso buco were sub par. The artichoke was actually cold when our server brought it out; and the osso buco, though cooked well, was bland and unseasoned.

When I weigh all aspects of Venezia, the overall dining experience was pretty good—-a little disappointing, but still good. I would hesitate before ordering a dish that didn’t include their excellent marinara sauce; but I would definitely go back for the ambiance, chicken parm, meatballs and Peroni.

Contact Info:
134 N. Carrollton Ave.
New Orleans, LA 70119
(504) 488-7991

 

photo courtesy of zero-g, used under this Creative Commons license
photo courtesy of eliazar, used under this Creative Commons license

Japanese Food in Uptown NOLA

There are four places that come to mind when I want Japanese food in the uptown area–Mikimoto, Kyoto, Hana and Ninja. All of these places are comparably priced with solid sushi, appetizers and entrees. So how do you know where to go?

KYOTO:
As far as looks, Kyoto is has the nicest setting. It’s a great place to eat out with a group; and it has sort of become a double date spot for me and my girlfriend. It also has relatively inexpensive hot sake and Sapporo, so it’s definitely where I go if I wanna get wasted off some sake bombs. The servers get a tad annoyed if we bang on the tables when we take the sake bombs, but that’s understandable.

MIKIMOTO:
Mikimoto seats until 10:30pm (11pm on Friday and Saturday), so it’s great for a late night dinner or snack. It’s also the only one with a drive-thru window and delivery service…all open until 10:30 or 11pm. The service is very good and extremely fast for sit-down, pick-up and delivery. I’ve ordered delivery from Mikimoto dozens of times, and it’s almost always at my door in less than 25 minutes! As far as ambiance, the outside looks sketchy, but it’s actually rather nice inside. I’ve enjoyed the few times I’ve eaten-in; however, I choose Mikimoto mainly for take-out or delivery.

HANA and NINJA:
I rarely eat at Hana and Ninja because I am so fond of the other two. Hana and Ninja are both good, especially if you go for lunch when they have cheap specials. However, for both quality and service, Kyoto and Mikimoto are simply better.

photo courtesy of avlxyz, used under this Creative Commons license
photo courtesy of avlxyz, used under this Creative Commons license

Review: One Restaurant & Lounge

One Restaurant & Lounge is one of those places you don’t really hear much about; the sign in front is small, and to be honest, the first few times I passed it, I thought it was a clothing store.

That being said, when I finally had dinner at One, I was extremely impressed. The restaurant’s layout is a blend of classy and casual. The lighting is romantic; the black napkins really pop against the white tablecloths. As my girlfriend said, it’s a great place to bring a date. There is also a friendly, laid back element to the restaurant. The service was solid; and I enjoyed watching the chef work in the open kitchen, visible from most of the tables. I also enjoyed glancing over at the TV for a few downs of Monday Night Football throughout the course of the meal.

My girlfriend and I ordered a small array of dishes to share.

Appetizers:
“Herbed Gnocchi and Escargots in a Leek & Bacon Meuniere;” and “Pepper-Seared Scallops atop Roasted Acorn Squash, served with a Honey & Paprika Gastrique.”

Salad:
“Arugula & Roasted Beets Salad with Raspberry & Balsamic Vinaigrette, Goat Cheese and Candied Walnuts.”

Entree:
“Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Warm Beef Shoulder Rillete & Stilton Cheese Glacage Served with Dauphinoise Potatoes and Sauteed Vegetables.”

I order scallops a lot–perhaps my favorite seafood. These pepper-seared scallops were the best I’ve eaten in a while. They were cooked and seasoned perfectly, with the sweetness of the gastrique providing a delightful balance to the spice of the scallops. All the dishes we ordered were fantastic, but I will remember and talk about these scallops for a long time–this dish is a must order!

Contact Info:
8132 Hampson St.
New Orleans, LA. 70118
(504) 301-9061
www.one-sl.com