Sunday, October 9, 2011

cafe b

A friend of mine had her birthday dinner at cafe b, one of Ralph Brennan's restaurants.

I arrived a few minutes before the rest of the group and sat at the bar. Eric made me a very tasty margarita and we were able to chat at little about football and Halloween before I was joined by some other guests.

Once everyone arrived, we moved to our table and ordered a selection of starters. There were fried oysters, calamari (the sweet and spicy dipping sauce was very good) and crab dip (good enough but the toasted brioche was killer). Good flavor combinations but nothing really extraordinary.

I ordered the hanger steak with garlic fries. It came with a bearnaise sauce but the meat was so tender and delicious on its own that I only used a small amount. Not a fan of the brussel sprouts that it came with, I also ordered some roasted wild mushrooms. This was the only item on the menu that needed a pinch of extra seasoning.

I was able to taste the shrimp and lobster ravioli that several folks ordered and was completely blown away at how incredibly good it was. Smooth with a champagne beurre blanc that made every bite a taste of creamy heaven.

I ended the meal with some chocolate bliss--a brownie in a cup of ice cream and whipped cream. It had sufficient chocolately goodness to satisfy my cravings. The lemon ice box pie was passed near enough to me that I was able to grab a bite as it went by. It could have used a little meringue but had a nice lemon bite to it.

The service was excellent. Our server, Malyssa, was very attentive and quick to top off glasses and to make sure that we had everything we needed. As you can see from my wall of drinks (water, iced tea, two different glasses of Evening Land pinot noirs - one from California and the other from Oregon), I was keeping hydrated.

I have to confess that I was quite surprised to find such a great meal there on Metairie Road. I can definitely see a return trip to try the burger but only if I convince someone else to come with and share their ravioli with me!

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