Desautel's

I have decided to post more about one of my favorite hobbies/pastimes, besides all things design.  What is this hobby you say?  Why, dining out in all places, but particularly, Nola, baby!

There are so many excellent restaurants here, and I hope to share our tremendous culinary offerings with both Nola Gimleters and soon-to-be-visiting Nola Gimleters, too.  (I will happily discuss the design and interiors of these hot spots, too....)

What prompted this post is the fact that Beau and I have a little date night planned tonight.  Since Project Baby Haynes '11 was put into action, I have been kind of unable to enjoy our favorite dining activites due to the obvious food aversion issues and exhaustion.  (I remember in the thick of the sickies/pregs feeling so proud of myself for sitting inside one of our favorite pizza places at 5:30 pm on a Friday and nibbling on bread sticks and Sprite...and making it out alive.)

Now that I am back in business, we decided that we should celebrate by hitting one of our fave spots in Uptown Nola, Patois.  Beau prefers to standardly refer to it as "Desautel's," which is the name of the fictional restaurant in the HBO show, Treme.  If you haven't seen the show, the actual Patois Restaurant is the location for Desautel's. 

Chef Jeannette Desautel wowing Tom Colicchio and friends (Eric Ripert, Wiley Dufresne, and David Chang)in "Treme."

Love Tommy C!

It is a precious French bistro nestled on a residential corner about 2.5 blocks from our house on Laurel Street near Audubon Park.  I adore not only the drink menu (RIP for me) and the cuisine, but also the interior and ambiance generale.  It is hard to find restaurants that perfectly balance sophistication and comfort.  Patois maintains a lively vibe without being sceney.  Thanks, Patois!

Fresh and modern, yet very warm and very "new Nola."

 

Intimate neighborhood dining at its finest.

Food and Wine

Corner shot of the restaurant's glowing exterior.

Patois' Facebook page

So, what are the shining star highlights at Patois, in my humble opinion?  (I will include Beau's usual picks as well for the majority of you Gimleters who are non-vegetarians! )

The Stand outs....

Appetizers:

Potato Gnochhi; Crispy Pork Belly and Seared Scallop; Grilled Lamb Ribs

*I also love the cheese plate, but I have never met a cheese plate I didn't like.

Salads:

Jumbo Lump Crab Salad

Not to be missed!

Entrees:

Grilled Hangar Steak; Crispy Half Roasted Duck; Gulf Shrimp and Housemade Fettucini

I am unable to access the specialty drink menu, but will update you on which mocktail I select tonight.  Seriously, though, you cannot go wrong with one of their fresh seasonal fruit-based cocktails. 

If you haven't tried Patois OR are thinking about visiting Nola and want to veer off the touristed path, this is a great option.  I highly recommend...bon appetit!

Cheers,

JSH

P.S.  Have a wonderful and safe Labor Day.  So ready for a three day weekend filled with organizing projects.  Yes, I really mean that.