I’d heard nothing at all about this place since they took over the old Galatoire’s space, good or bad. Finally got around to checking it out and discovered an intriguing menu and a good physical transition from the old store. They took in the patio and did a nice job of it. Lots of fans, a couple of tv’s and good tunes. Solid, low key tables and chairs, french striped linen. A lot to like about the feel of the place.
The menu is a little hard to place, maybe intentionally so. The website claims a whole new sort of approach, but after a bit of consideration, it sort of strikes me as a high end hunting camp. A menu constructed of favorite recipes rather than a theme. Even the salads are kind of heavy, nothing really light on the board at all. I took advantage of the wide range to try the pecan smoked chicken and andouille gumbo side by side with a wild mushroom ravioli drenched in pork bolognese sauce. Both were very good and very hearty. Definitely raised my confidence in trying some of the other plates like the short ribs with goat cheese and thyme grits, the frog legs and beignets, and the duck breast with tasso fried rice (which I definitely would have gone for if I didn’t have a whole duck thawing in the fridge to roast on Sunday). Definitely that hunting camp vibe you get at places like Doe’s. Here’s what we do, we do it well, we aren’t worried about rounding out the menu with anything we don’t want to do.
