NOLA Day 1: Muriel's Jackson Square

My first dinner in New Orleans was at Muriel's (@MurielsNOLA), a contemporary Creole joint, in the heart of Jackson Square.  The interiors on the first floor had an elegant and historical feel to it with antique frames and mirrors lining exposed brick walls.  For much of the seventeen and eighteen hundreds, the property was primarily a residence to the likes of the Destrehan and Poydras families, which explains its homey character.  

I can describe the service as charming and accommodating.  Our wait staff were also very knowledgeable with the food and drink menus making various recommendations throughout our meal.

Many of us took advantage of the table d'hote menu which essentially is a 3-course prix fixe (appetizer, entree, and dessert) for $39.95.

The turtle soup was one of our appetizers.  I was excited to taste this dish as it was my first experience with the soup and because many reviewers of the New Orleans food scene claim that it is a must-try specialty.  But, the first reason I was disappointed with the soup was because it was served relatively cold.  This could have been a function of our large party (there were 14 of us) since they were attempting to serve us all at once; however, it's still unacceptable.  Further, the soup was bland and flavourless despite the traditional pour of sherry on top of the soup right before serving.  I'm glad this was not my only experience of turtle soup while I was in New Orleans; otherwise, it would have skewed my opinion on this delicacy.

Turtle Soup

On the other hand, the shrimp and goat cheese crepe appetizer, was fantastic.  The crepe was crispy to contrast the warm goat cheese within.  The goat cheese itself was quite mild, perhaps mild enough for a non-goat cheese lover to appreciate.  The shrimp were fresh and tasty and the buttery cream sauce of chardonnay brought everything together.  The dish was topped with onions, tomatoes and bell peppers.

Shrimp & Goat Cheese Crepes

The pecan encrusted baby drum, one of our mains, was delicious.  The drum itself was cooked perfectly.  While the roasted pecan crust was an ingenious idea, I thought it would be crunchier.  The sauce was amazing though as it creamy yet foamy and had a lemon tartness to it.

Pecan Encrusted Baby Drum

Shrimp and Grits

The grits served in my shrimp and grits entree were deliciously creamy, airy and smooth - although I loved how some of the texture was retained. However, I wish I could say the same about the shrimp.  The shrimp seemed on the edge of going bad as the flesh tasted a bit moldy to me despite being in a flavourful green tomato relish.

On to dessert!  In my opinion, the desserts were the stars of the entire meal.  What really stood out was the bread pudding - it's a must-have.  The spongy and eggy bread was warm throughout and the candied pecans gave that crunchy element.  The caramelized rum sauce had a good viscosity to it and had the right amount of sweetness!

Pain Perdu Bread Pudding with Candied Pecans and Rum Sauce

Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Ice Cream Sandwich

In all, there were definitely enough favourites to warrant a return visit.  A great first dinner in the French Quarter!

Muriel's Jackson Square
801 Chartres Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70116

NOLA Day 1: Deanie's Seafood

New Orleans or N'Awlins is known for its Louisiana Creole cuisine, which combines French, West African, Amerindian, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian influences.  The blend of culture screams deliciousness.  How can you go wrong?  Seafood is a staple in this type of cuisine, no doubt due to the proximity to the Mississippi river and the Gulf.  So it was exciting that the Urban Foodie's first taste experience was at Deanie's (@DeaniesSeafood)!

Deanie's interiors have a casual diner look 

At Deanie's, we were welcomed promptly and were seated quickly by a friendly hostess.  After we ordered, the waitress served up a complimentary appetizer of boiled potatoes with butter.  The spicy kick in the red skin of the potatoes was a welcomed surprise to an otherwise plain looking dish.

 

The first dish that came out was the charbroiled oysters.  They were charbroiled to perfection giving the oysters in a half shell a crunchy surface with gooey Romano cheese beneath and flavours of garlic, butter and spices.  Delicious.  They oysters were better alone than with the French bread... but the bread was useful in sopping up the juices in the pan.

Deanie's Charbroiled Oysters

The barbecue shrimp dish was presented nicely with a slice of lemon and a French baguette.  The baguette was superior to the bread that was offered with the oysters as it had a crispier exterior and a warm, fluffy interior - even better for sopping up the New Orleans blend of seasonings in the oily broth that hugged the succulent, jumbo, head-on shrimp.  One of my favourites at Deanie's - just peel and dip!

BBQ Shrimp

Next came the crawfish duo.  The crawfish tails were served two ways, fried and in an étouffée with a side of fries and coleslaw.  The batter of the fried crawfish was not greasy but it was difficult to taste the crawfish.  However, the non-fishy crawfish in the étouffée was sweet and meaty.  Étouffée is a type of stew served over rice.  The word étouffée is French for smother, which describes the process of cooking in a covered pan over low heat with a small amount of liquid.  An étouffée starts with a roux, a base thickening agent that consists of equal portions of fat and flour.  The roux in this étouffée at Deanie's was cooked with onions, peppers, celery and garlic to a brown colour consistency which corresponds to a deeper, richer flavour profile.  It was fantastic!  Though the coleslaw was forgettable as it had too much mayo.

Crawfish Duo

The service at Deanie's was solid.  The waitress was friendly, helpful, and attentive.  I was never able to get to the bottom of my soda as it was refilled time and time again - another one of those perks that I find is always executed better in the United States than Canada.  God Bless America! :)

Deanie's was a great start to a four day food tour excursion!