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!

Model Milk

What can I say about Model Milk? It is hands down my favourite restaurant in Calgary. Since opening in 2011 I have been there a number of times and the menu is different every single time. Sometimes I see an item that I want to try the next time I go there but it's already disappeared from the menu. I swear that's how they keep you coming back!!

Tonight's date night features:

WEATHERVANE SCALLOPS  XO Broth, Brassica Cracker, Prawn Salt

WILD PACIFIC SABLEFISH  Potato Crust, Clam and Pea Broth, Tokyo Turnips

WILD PACIFIC HALIBUT  Poached, Sesame and Soy Broth, Sidestripe Prawns

Just like before my taste buds were blown away!!!! I guess the trend for this evening was seafood in soup broths. First we started with Scallops in a XO broth and it was DELICIOUS, possibly the only way I ever want to eat scallops again. Then the mister had Sablefish while I dined on the Halibut. I'm a bit picky with fish cause I never know if it will be too fishy but halibut is usually a safe bet. Both fishes were perfectly cooked and moist. The pea broth that came with the sablefish was light and fresh tasting while the soy broth that accompanied my halibut was a bit heavier because of the butter base. The first couple bites were great but near the end the butter flavour was overpowering, not to fret the shitake mushrooms and raddish were a great change of flavour.

The only thing I don't like about this place is how dang popular it is. It is nearly impossible to get a decent reservation time at this place unless you are calling a week in advance and that's IF they even take your reservation. They usually don't take them at peak dinner hours (6pm-9pm) so you might have to try your luck with a walk in. If you are lucky you'll walk in just when another table is clearing up. And don't decline a seat at the kitchen bar. It's quite entertaining watching the hustle and bustle of a busy kitchen. Plus you get to see all the food as it comes out allowing you to make mental notes of the items to try next time. :)

Kwan Dim Sum & Chinese Cuisine

Kwan

1496 Yonge Street

Toronto, ON 

416-901-6618

Date Visited: December 27, 2013

Kwan is one of the latest restaurants to pop up in midtown at the heart of Yonge and St. Clair.  It is located at the former site of Didier, serving upscale Chinese cuisine in an area previously devoid of any good representation. 

Kwan's interiors have a contemporary feel with rectangular motifs throughout. 

During the day, Kwan serves up dim sum. Who better to open up a dim sum joint than Debbie Lui, the former restaurateur and mastermind behind Royal Tea House?

During the evening, Debbie Lui has given the reigns of the restaurant to head chef Ronny Lam, of former Lai Wah Heen fame. 

Our evening meal started with a standard offering of Peking duck ( 2 courses - $48). Pancake wraps, cucumbers, scallions and Hoisin sauce accompanied our carved duck pieces with crispy skin. 

Bostonian lettuce was served with our second course of minced, stir fried Peking duck instead of the usual ice berg variety.  Although softer than ice berg, the lettuce was the perfect exterior to wrap the crunchy minced duck mix filling to yield delicious bitefuls. 

Next, a Crispy Shrimp Ball ($6) was served.  The exterior batter was crispy and not greasy.  The piping hot interior had minced shrimp wrapped with whole shrimp - how can you go wrong?  Great shrimp flavour and a sweet plum sauce to compliment it. 

A glass with sliced carrots in it and an edible "floor" on top of it elevated the shrimp ball for presentation but those components didn't really do much else taste wise. The "floor" that the shrimp ball that was resting on wasn't very appetizing.  

Seafood Pumpkin Soup ($8) - Great for a cold winter day!  A rich and creamy bisque-like soup with pieces of crab meat and scallop. The seafood wasn't fishy like you might imagine in a preparation like this.  Delicious. Is this Chinese cuisine?  It's quite innovative!

Scallop Cakes ($20) - Each cake comprised of mashed up scallop wrapped in a crunchy seaweed wrap. Another dish served piping hot and drizzled with a layer of decadent truffle oil!  Another imaginative dish!

Asparagus with Bamboo Shoots ($20) - Crunchy asparagus topped with delicate, melt in your mouth bamboo shoots. 

The seventh dish served was Red Wine Short Ribs Casserole ( $36) - The most memorable dish of the night. This dish ate like a stew. The short ribs were so tender and fall off the bone - no doubt a product of the acidity of the wine.  The wine also was responsible for the deep, complex flavours in the dish. A must try!  Again, am I having Chinese cuisine here?

Grouper Fillet with Kwan's XO Sauce ($20) - This dish had some heat which is always welcome. A subtle crust on the outside of this fried grouper and tender on the inside.  The snap peas still had their snap if you will.  A tad too much oil overall but cooked for the right amount of time. 

Pan Seared Noodles with Seafood ($18) - Kwan's take on Cantonese chow mein?  This noodle dish is loaded with seafood - no complaints there. Delicious sauce makes you come back for more but just a bit much since you lose the crunchy parts you traditionally get with Cantonese chow mein. 

Last savoury dish was XO Seafood Fried Rice ($18). 

For dessert?  

A glutinous sesame ball sat atop a jello-like coffee flavoured square. 

The verdict?  

Kwan is a welcomed addition to midtown.  It features refined Cantonese style cuisine with a few inventive surprises along the way!  Back for dim sum?  Absolutely.