Tuesday
Arrived back in New Orleans accompanied by my nephew, Justin. He came in for a visit with Lane and to see Chelsea and Jeff. Lane picked us up at the airport and we went to Butcher for lunch. I had a BLT and Justin had the turkey sandwich, both of which were very good....we love Butcher...what can I say?
Last night we went to Dominique's on Magazine for dinner. I'd spoken to Dominique and found out that they are featuring an Argentinian menu on Tuesdays and Wednesdays through the month of June from 5:30-7:30 PM, in honor of the two Argentinian staff working in the kitchen. I know them personally and they are both outstanding individuals. They put 100% effort in the work they do and deserve to be commended for it. I'm sure their personal touches went into developing this delicious menu.
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The menu consisted of 4 courses:
Eggplant in Escabeche....the eggplant had been marinated with roasted yellow peppers and served with parsley, garlic crouton.
Empanadas....one filled with Morgan Ranch Waygu Beef with Braised Vidalia Onion and the other filled with Silver Queen and Red Onion Confit.
Grilled Morgan Ranch Waygu Steak with Local Irish Potatoes and Grilled, Marinaed Calabasa and Malbec Jus
Pimenton Crusted Drum with Saffron and Roasted Vegetable Rice Pilaf, Cucumber and Creole Tomato Relish and Lemon-Thyme Buerre Blanc.
Vanilla Flan with Dulce de Leche and Toasted Almond Chantilly.
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Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables and this dish did not disappoint. The flavor of the eggplant was sweet and mild and played well against the marinade and the parsley and garlic croutons were a great accompaniment.
There were two types of empanadas and both were delicious. The beef filling was very tasty and melted in your mouth. The corn and onion filling was delicious as well, with the tender kernels of Silver Queen corn bursting with sweetness and a lovely counterpart to the beef. The crust was crisp and tender at the same time... a beautiful mid-course.
Justin had the beef entree and I had the drum so we could sample them both. The Waygu beef was very tasty and sliced on a bias to maintain tenderness. The Malbec Jus was beautiful, dark and glistening with a very rich taste achieved by the Malbec reduction. The potatoes and squash were lovely with this entree
My drum was perfectly cooked and the Lemon-Thyme Buerre Blanc was amazing....everything a perfectly executed buerre blanc should be. I was left wanting more. The saffron and roasted vegetable rice pilaf was flavorful and complimented the drum well.
The texture of the flan was dense and the flavor, rich, served with a drizzle of dulce de leche and toasted almond chantilly....need I say more?
We had a lovely evening and great service. If you get a chance to try this menu, you owe it to yourself to go to Dominique's on Magazine this month
http://www.dominiquesneworleans.com