Cava

789 Harrison Ave

New Orleans, Louisiana 70124

504-595-3305

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cava/1416513878561683

Photo from Cava Facebook page

Overall Ratings (H in orange, C in purple)

Food:  A / A-

Ambiance: B+ / A-

Service:   B+ / B+

Drinks: A-

Overall Experience: A- / A-

H says, Cava is an experience not to be missed if you are going to be out in the Metairie/Lakeview area: the ambiance is good if a bit noisy, the drinks are well done, and the food is terrific.

C says, Cava is fairly new, and I had wanted to try it, so when Henry said he wanted to go out to dinner with some friends, i suggested it.
Overall Thoughts:
H says,

C and I went there with my friend Ken and his wife. Thank goodness we had reservations because the place was packed! We had been hearing good things about it since it had opened a few months ago and after eating there I would have to agree. My drinks were all made top notch, the only bad thing I could say was the food and service was a bit slow. From what we were told they had a few people call in sick. Still it was a great meal. [C says, It was the drinks that were atrociously slow--they only had one bartender and their barback called in sick, so I am going to assume it was a one-time thing, but it is why I downgraded the service]

I started off with their special of the day which was bbq duck wings--sounds weird, I know, but they were fabulous. But, the best was yet to come. For the main course I had a risotto with wild mushrooms and lobster. It was out of this world, by far the best risotto I have ever had. Definitely going back again when my parents come to town. Lastly I had their special house made bread pudding, which is made out of donuts. [C says, They call  it "secret ingredient" bread pudding, but I am telling you, it is donuts--Krispy Kreme, if I had to guess] Again, fabulous. Can’t wait to go back!

C says, Reservations are essential. There was a backup at the door when we arrived, and the bar service was sooooo slow, but I assume these are newish restaurant kinks that will be worked out, and that the service score would improve if we went back. It is a LOUD place, though, so be prepared to speak up a bit so your dining companions can hear you. I had the crab cakes trio appetizer, which was yummy--3 cyllindrical deep-fried cakes, taller than they are wide. For dinner, I had the soft-shelled crab. The crab was big and juicy, but could have been a but warmer and the corn maque choux was really a creamy sauce that was almost too rich, but it was still enjoyable. I would definitely go back--I might make H split the risotto with me next time--it was really good! And, of course, the company we had with us made the night even more enjoyable.

Vega Tapas Cafe

2051 Metairie Rd, Metairie, LA 70005

(504) 836-2007

http://vegatapascafe.com/

Overall Ratings (H in orange, C in purple)

Food:  B+ / A-

Ambiance:  B / A-

Service:  B / A-

Drinks: B

Overall Experience: B- / B-

H says, If I were to sum up the experience in one sentence, it would be “Cute interior, nice staff, good food, but way too damn expensive.” Look, C will be the first to tell you I am not cheap and have no problem with paying more for good food. The problem here is the food is just good, not great, and on top of that there isn’t very much of it for what you pay for.

C says, I had wanted to try Vega for a while, so when Dine Out Against AIDS rolled around, supporting the NO/AIDS task force, we decided to go. I downgraded the experience because although the food was good, the value for the money left something to be desired. I’ll go into more detail about that below.

Overall thoughts:

 

H says, C and I went there on Dine Out Against AIDS night for dinner. Since moving to Metairie, we have been trying to try out more locations out that way. First off, Vega is right on Metairie Rd., parking is very easy and they had plenty of tables. Didn’t seem to need a reservation, at least during the week. [C says, I'm not even sure you can make a reservation--at least not online]

The inside is very yellow with high ceilings, noise levels were acceptable and we had a nice table next to the window. While the server was quick to our table, I would say the food came out a bit slow. It might have been that they had just opened but they seemed a bit slow to me. The food itself was very tasty. My concern though is that the food was overpriced. As good as it was, I would say it was up to New Orleans standards. The portions were tapas but the prices were much higher. Personally I will not be going back again, I would much rather go to Rolls and Bowls which is right up the street. You get a lot more for your money and its just as good.

If you are set on going however, make sure you try the mussels. They were my favorite out of the 4 dishes that we had.
C says, So, I knew the restaurant mainly centers on tapas, but I was still surprised at the portion size. We ordered the mussels first, which were very tasty, and priced around $10, which is what I expect for a mussels appetizer--however, I am accustomed to getting a mound of mussels for that price. We got 6 mussels. They were large, but nonetheless, that doesn't live up to expectations. We akso ordered the mushroom ravioli, except they didn't have ravioli, so they served pappardelle with some mushrooms. The flavors were good, but again the portion size was quite small. The calamari portion was more in line with what I expected, but the gambas (garlic shrimp) portion was 3 large shrimp. The bill wasn't astronomical, just a little high for what we got and for such a casual setting. This isn't Herbsaint--I expect more for my money. I would disagree with H though and say if you get one thing, go for the gambas. The portion is not generous, but they are delicious.

Patois

6078 Laurel Street  New Orleans, LA

504.895.9441

http://www.patoisnola.com/

Overall Ratings (H in orange, C in purple)

Food:   A / A

Ambiance: A / A

Service:    A / A

Drinks: B+

Overall Experience: A / A

H says, Overall, Patois is a fantastic place to eat. C and I just had small plates, a salad, and a dessert when we went, but each was very good. The only real issue with Patois is that it is located in the same city as Herbsaint. It is my opinion that each dish was just a bit below that which you would get at Herbsaint. That being said, it is still a fantastic place to eat.

C says, I had gone to Patois several years ago and really enjoyed it, so I decided H and I should go for Valentine’s Day. Patois is tucked away in a mostly residential neighborhood, and I think gets a lot of business from the neighbors. It’s a cute little place with really good food.

Overall thoughts:

H says, Patois is located uptown in a residential area.  Parking was easy and the staff met as at the door and quickly seated us. They have a daily list of specials along with their specialty drinks. I enjoyed mine, but C said it tasted like cough syrup. [C says, Guess I don’t like Chartreuse!] For our dinner, we had Roasted Octopus, Gnocchi, Mussels & fries, and a Fried Oyster salad. The octopus was cooked perfectly, nice and tender with great flavor, the Gnocchi were very good but a bit heavier than those found at Herbsaint. Still very tasty though. The mussels were very unique. They had a smokey flavor and were topped by great fries. Lastly, the Fried Oyster salad was amazing. This was by far the best dish we tried. Really enjoyed it. For dessert we had their famous snickers bar, which was very good, but I felt that they skimped too much on the salted caramel. If they had included more it would have been fantastic. Overall I would recommend if you are here for a few weeks, otherwise just go to Herbsaint.

C says, I thought everything we had was good, and I was proud of H for being adventurous. He even ate the white bean hummus with the octopus, which he usually claims not to like. The gnocchi came with crab and small fava beans (I think) and was tasty, but H is right, the gnocchi at Herbsaint are just beyond compare. The mussels were in a smoked tomato broth, which was quite good, and the fries were crispy and delicious. The aioli served with them was not my favorite--I like a more garlicky one; this I think had a lot of paprika in it--but it wasn’t bad, and H liked it a lot. The oyster salad was the best thing we had. For dessert, we ordered the “Snickers bar,” which was my favorite dessert until I ate at Herbsaint. It has a layer of cake topped with mousse, a crisp layer of caramelized sugar, chocolate ice cream, salted caramel and peanuts. Still really delicious, but Herbsaint does win out. So, overall, Patois was very enjoyable for a night out, and nice for a change, though it doesn’t beat out Herbsaint.

Rolls n Bowls

605 Metairie Rd, Metairie, LA 70005

(504) 309-0519

http://www.rollsnbowlsnola.com/

Overall Ratings (H in orange, C in purple)

Food:   A / A

Ambiance: B / B

Service:   A / A

Drinks: A+

Overall Experience: A / A

H says, Rolls n Bowls is a must if you live in Metairie, and even if you don’t, it’s worth a trip over. I can say that normally I don’t want to go anywhere but to Shogun, but C convinced me to give it a try, so we went over on a quiet weeknight to grab some food. Let me tell you, I loved it.

C says, I finally convinced Henry that we should try out the new Vietnamese place near us--it was the bubble tea (aka fruit smoothies) that convinced him. Now it’s a new fave for a casual meal.

Overall thoughts:

H says, Rolls n Bowls is just a small shop run by a group of young kids who have a passion for food and service. When we walked in, we were greeted by the staff and pointed toward the menu on the wall or, if you wanted, a paper menu. The decor is clean and nice, but nothing special. Don’t worry, though, you are here for the food, not the ambiance. Each option is amazing. I had the vermicelli with beef, fried egg rolls and a strawberry smoothie without tapioca. As each dish came out, I was more and more amazed. They each had such great flavor and taste. The group next to us kept asking what we ordered as the plates looked as amazing as they tasted. The smoothie was also amazing. I ended up going back for a second. To summarize, go and eat some great food. You won’t regret it.

C says, The fried egg rolls were different, but really good. I’m usually not a pork fan, but these were made with ground pork and were delish. I had the edamame fried rice with shrimp, which was really yummy, but I am eager to go back to try the fresh spring rolls and the pho. I’ve heard they’re every bit as good as what we had. Great for a casual Vietnamese meal for eat-in or take-out.

Clancy's

6100 Annunciation Street New Orleans, Louisiana .

(504) 895-1111

http://clancysneworleans.com/

Overall Ratings (H in orange, C in purple)

Food:  B+ / B+

Ambiance: A / A

Service:  A / A

Drinks: B+

Overall Experience: B+ / A-

Photo courtesy of Clancy's website

H says, I had been to Clancy’s before and really enjoyed it. I had planned on bringing C here eventually but, we don’t eat uptown all that often. As fate would have it, though, when we went to take my parents to Crepe Nanou, the power went down. I quickly called Clancy’s and they had a table for us upstairs.

C says, We went to Clancy’s on a fluke. H had been there before, and when the restaurant where we were supposed to have dinner lost power, he suggested Clancy’s. Since I had heard good things (and it was not in the power outage zone), away we went.

Overall thoughts:

H says, Clancy’s is a wonderful little restaurant located on a quiet corner of Uptown. The inside is very inviting, and has a family-type atmosphere. I really enjoy it. Now, the first thing you need to remember when you go is that Clancy’s does one thing really well: Meats and desserts. [C says, That’s two things...] The rest of the food is good, but nothing amazing. The lamb/steak/pork are all fabulous. C and I had an appetizer of mussels, which were good, but not amazing. I much prefer Adolfo’s still when it comes to mussels. For dinner I had a filet mignon, which was wonderful. Cooked to perfection with just the right amount of sauce and taste. The wine list is extensive and very well stocked. My parents and I shared a bottle of wine and it was very nice. Overall, I would recommend Clancy’s. It’s not in my top 5, but I would definitely go back again.

C says, Clancy’s is an upscale neighborhood restaurant--it’s smack in the middle of a residential zone. The atmosphere inside was quite nice; we sat upstairs, which was quiet and a bit secluded (only one other table in the room we were in)--I liked it. They bring hot french bread and butter to the table, as any self-respecting old school NOLA restaurant should. I thought the mussels H and I had first were delicious. We told them we wanted to split them, so they divided the serving into two bowls for us. For dinner, I had the drum with muddy waters sauce--which was invented at Uglesich’s--a NOLA restaurant that “ain’t dere no more.” It’s basically a meuniere sauce with garlic and jalapenos, and they add some parmesan on top as well. It was fine, but I wouldn’t order it again. The corn and asparagus with it were good, but the yellow rice was underseasoned. That is why I marked down the food score; Henry’s dad, who also had fish, was similarly unimpressed, whereas the meat diners (lamb and steak), were in heaven. So maybe fish just isn’t the way to go. The brownie dessert, with ice cream and hot fudge, was good, but nothing really special, and should have had a little more ice cream. The butterscotch budino (pudding) with salt and caramel sauce was heavenly, though, and H’s mom loved the fresh strawberry sorbet she had.

Budino. Photo courtesy of Clancy's website.

Oyster Festival

Woldenberg Park, NOLA

Early June

http://www.neworleansoysterfestival.org

Overall Ratings (H in orange, C in purple)

Food:   A / A

Ambiance: A / A

Music:   A-

Drinks: A

Overall Experience: A / A

H says, I didn’t go to this last year for some reason; boy did I miss out. [C says, I think he did go, but he says I am thinking of the Seafood festival, not the Oyster Fest...] I had a blast, even though I was melting in the heat. The food here was amazing. The only thing that I felt wasn’t very good was Drago’s, which is sad because normally their oysters are amazing. This year though they didn’t have enough butter and sauce on them. They were just cooked oysters :( . My favorite by far was the Fried Oyster Taco from GW Fins. It was amazing. Too bad they don’t offer it at their restaurant. If you are in town, you have to go. Period. I wouldn’t fly down for it as French Quarter fest and Mardi Gras are better but it is definitely ranked up there as far as fun and food goes.

C says, I love a good festival, so I thought we would give you some thoughts on what we sampled at the recent Oyster Festival here in NOLA. The menu will probably change somewhat by next year, but this will give you an idea of what to expect. Plus, the dishes are from restaurants around town, so maybe it will give you an idea of some new places to eat!

Dishes we tried:

Shrimp and Oyster Eggrolls from Arnaud’s: Quite tasty, with a nice dipping sauce. These, to me, were really spring rolls, not eggrolls (different wrapper), but yummy nonetheless!

1/2 Dozen Charbroiled Oysters from Drago’s: Generally, we’d recommend these highly, but they were skimpy with the butter this time. They know better than that! Hopefully this was just a fluke.

Fried Oyster Taco from G W Fins: Pretty simple, but absolutely delicious. Our favorite thing.

"St. Louis" Po-Boy: Fried Oysters, Bacon and Provel Cheese from Katie’s: Pretty darn tasty. Bacon was nice and crisp.

Sno Balls from Original New Orleans Snoballs: They never have cherry, which is my preferred flavor, but the strawberry was pretty good!

Oyster Pastries from Royal House: Two puff pastry shells topped with a spinach and artichoke sauce and a fried oyster atop each. Not overly generous with the oysters, but tasty.

Friends said the Bacon & Tasso crusted oysters w/ dill fondu from Cafe Reconcile were amazing and also enjoyed the BBQ shrimp po-boy (but I don’t see the one she had listed on the website, so I am not sure where it was from!)

Boucherie

8115 Jeannette St, NOLA

504.862.5514 http://boucherie-nola.com/

Overall Ratings (H in orange, C in purple)

Food:  B- / B++

Ambiance: B / A

Service: C / B+

Drinks: C

Overall Experience: C / B+

Photo courtesy of the Boucherie Facebook page

H says, Not impressed. I was looking forward to dinner with Caitlin, but I hadn’t really read much about the restaurant. It was converted from a house to a restaurant and it is very cramped inside. I felt that they tried to fit one too many tables into the space. Also I felt the service was slow for such a small place. Normally I am ok with it, but it just felt off to me.

C says, I had heard good things about Boucherie, so I suggested to H that we try it out. The restaurant is tucked away in a little uptown cottage off of Carrollton, though they also run a big purple food truck sometimes spotted around town. The truck serves much more casual fare than the restaurant, though the restaurant is not expensive (but portions are not overly generous, either).

Overall thoughts from H:

First off, don’t go. It’s inexpensive but the portions are not great and the portion size is quite small. We had the mussels appetizer and it was well...terrible. It was basically just boiled mussels. The grit bread that they served with it was good but the mussels themselves just tasted like mussels; there was nothing to the broth. Not a fan. I ordered brisket and fries as my main course and I was planning on having a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon but they didn’t have one listed. I was a bit shocked honestly. I had never been to a restaurant that didn’t have a simple glass of Cabernet available. So I ended up skipping any of the drinks (they seemed overly expensive) and just went with water. The brisket was quite good but also quite small. It’s not overly expensive, but I did feel let down by the portions. Honestly, I could have gotten more and better from The Joint for about ½ the cost. We ended up skipping dessert and I was glad to leave. Never going back.

Overall thoughts from C:
I think H’s review is way too negative! The restaurant is small, and they do have as many tables in there as they can, but I didn’t find it cramped; I thought it was cozy, and the decor is very nice. I would describe the service as leisurely; I was a little annoyed that they didn’t bring silverware right away, but that was pretty much my only complaint. H was turned off right away when he saw that the wines by the glass didn’t include a Cabernet. First, they bring an amuse bouche; it was a snapper terrine, which was pretty tasty--I would guess that they change this up depending upon what they have, but maybe it’s always snapper! We ordered the mussels first--as H said, the grits crackers that came with it were great, and the collard greens were delish (H didn’t try them), but the mussels themselves were a little underwhelming--I’m not sure if they were cooked separately, but they didn’t seem to soak up the flavor of the sauce much. It was a small portion, but most mussel appetizers tend to be overly generous, honestly. I had the blue cheese gnocchi for an entree. It was quite good--not nearly as good as Herbsaint, though! It was also a small portion and when it first arrived I was rather surprised at how small it seemed, but by the time I ate it, I was not disappointed. I didn’t really need a bigger serving. I also tried some of H’s fries, which were pretty tasty. So, I gave the food a B++ not because it wasn’t good, but because the portions are moderate and mostly because there is not a lot on the menu I would actually order; most of what they offer is meatier than I prefer. I don’t think we will be back, but I certainly wasn’t as disappointed as H was. [I will also note that I gave him 3 choices for dinner, and he picked this one, so he can’t blame it all on me!]