Baru (#226, 10/10/12)
I had avoided Baru for quite a long time because I have something against tapas places. Maybe because I have always hated sharing food. But I guess I’m coming around on that. For whatever reason, after a Wednesday in the Square, I opted for Baru and was pleasantly surprised to see it’s not all tapas, they even have entrees. It had an inauspicious start – had to sit outside on a table that was sort of tilted to the street – and the service was pretty awful. Took a long time to get drinks (but good sangria, even though I don’t practice sangra-lia). Billed as a Latrin-Caribbean bistory, I ordered the churrasco, which is skirt steak with a chimicurri sauce. It was unbelievable. Just an outstanding meal, except for the one time when my chair tipped over and I feel in the street (ok, that may not have happened…or maybe it did). I will definitely be back to try the tapa-sized churrasco with a few other things. I believe you can bring your own wine as well here, so that has some appeal.
Root* (#225, 9/25/2012)
It was a long break, but made it to No. 214 in late September. Dropped in at Root (“modern American cuisine with old world flavors”) for a bit of a business lunch. I really like the place; it’s been getting a lot of positive attention, which usually turns me off, but it’s solid. I like the feel/atmosphere, pretty casual and open. I definitely need to get back there for dinner as I’m not sure lunch really gives the full effect. However, the burger I had was outstanding. I went for that instead of the fried bologna sandwich, which seems rather intriguing to me. I’ll be heading back for the scallop dinner in a cigar box that everyone is talking about.
Sylvain (#224, 8/22/2012)
One of the great things about New Orleans is that you can go to 210 restaurants and then hit your 213th and it’s sensational and you wonder how you haven’t been yet. Sylvain is a cool, semi-hole-in-the-wall place right near Jackson Square. It has a small, unlit sign and you slip up an alley to enter through the back. The place is rather dark and a little loud, but I enjoyed the atmosphere. And then the food was great, well, one item was amazing – beef cheeks. I don’t even know what that means and I’m afraid to know. If it is actually cheeks, I think they should call it something else, but no matter what it is, it’s incredibly tender beef awesomeness. I also had a mahi-mahi special which was very good, but not like the beef cheeks. The pork shoulder is another specialty, but I didn’t try it, this time around. I also tried the fried eggplant as an appetizer and that was very good as well. Go eat beef cheeks!
Brennan’s (#223, 8/22/2012)
This was a big decision for me – one of the most well-known restaurants in town and I ate there, but does it count? I only had breakfast here which always feels off to me. It seems like I should have a real “meal” at a restaurant in order for it to count (unless it’s a breakfast joint, you know?). But I’ve decided I will count it (along with Zoe in the W) since I actually had a meal at the place. I will, however, strive to eat a real meal there sometime as well. Anyway, I had an andouille cheddar omelet and it was very good. They also served some sort of cinnamon bread sticks which were tasty. It’s a very fancy place and it looks like it has an excellent courtyard area as well. The only drawback is that they refused to serve me orange juice. What’s with that? Maybe they just forgot, but I prefer to think that I was being persecuted for something.
Cosimo’s (#222, 8/15/2012)
This is a place I probably never would have gone if not for my Groupon addiction. But it’s not too bad. It’s in a shady neighborhood on Burgundy Street (pronounced bur-GUN-dee). I guess it’s a dive, though not as much of a dive as many places in town. It had good music playing (but no juke box, as far as I could tell); it also has a Ms. Pacman machine, some decent pool tables and a good selection of tv’s (I think if you’ve upgraded to flat screens, you’re no longer a dive bar, right?). The food is basically bar food; I went for a cheeseburger with some pot stickers, but also considered the spring rolls – trying new things with my ban on French fries. There was quite a long wait, but overall a decent meal. They also serve food very late, so if you’re wondering the back alleys of the deep Quarter in the late hours, then this isn’t a bad stop for a burger and a beer. In other words, I’ll probably be back.
Guy’s Po-Boys (#221, 8/4/12)
Quite a blow when you have a shrimp po-boy from Crabby Jack’s on your mind, then you find out they’re closed for vacation. Damn. I decided I was getting a shrimp po-boy no matter what. The wait at Mahony’s was close to an hour, so Urban Spoon suggested Guy’s on Magazine. I gave it a run; they told me 15 minutes on the phone. I ended up waiting about 45 minutes anyway; I can’t figure it out. It was packed at 2 p.m. on a Saturday, and I think they served everybody, including people who came after me, before finally giving me my sandwich, assuring me the wait would be worth it. I just brought it home to eat and it was pretty good. If Crabby Jack’s is the 10 of shrimp po-boys, then this was probably about a 5.
Flaming Torch* (#220, 7/25/12)
I’ve always heard the Flaming Torch is a big-time restaurant, but have never been wowed by the menu so it took me a while to get there. It was actually very good; I went simple with the filet after opening with some crawfish beignets. Our waiter was very good, so that always improves things. Seems like a good place for a date-night, if you’re so inclined.
Tamarind* (#219, 7/25/2012)
Made my first visit to Tamarind (in the Hotel Modern on Lee Circle) and just dropped in for lunch. Hopefully they’re not relying on the lunch crowd for making money, because there were two of us there until almost one, when a couple more tables were taken. The food was decent, vietnamese-french fusion, I guess. Egg rolls and the like. Not memorable, doubt I’ll be going back; and doubt it will be there much longer.
Edit: This ended up closing in December of 2012.
Magasin* (#217, 6/12/2012)
The word on the street is that Magasin has outstanding Vietnamese food. One issue is that I don’t really like Vietnamese all that much – or maybe just haven’t explored it enough to come up with the things that I would like. I checked out this place anyway; lots of soups and unique sandwiches. I don’t really like hot liquid, so soup was out for me. Prices are very reasonable, so if you like Vietnamese, go and check it out.