Gautreau’s New Orleans

Three things I know for sure about New Orleans after a recent dinner at @gautreausrestaurant :

September is still deep summer

It’s still the best time of year to dine out

And even though it’s been around 40+ years, this counts as one of the city’s best new restaurants.

Here’s the math:

The Uptown institution recently began a new era with new owners and operators and really is a new restaurant now, carrying on the classic contours and in some ways the roles of its older self.

But it is now hitting a higher gear, sometimes daring, sometimes dazzling, and, for the next month, it’s all wrapped around an extended summer dining deal — an unorthodox Coolinary menu extended to the end of September, with two courses each with a wine pairing built in for $56.

Link in my bio has the full read on this.

Here are a few hits from the Coolinary and regular menu (because I can never help adding on...)

#wherenolaeats #igersneworleans #nolaeats #uptownnola #coolinary

Chilled corn and truffle soup finished with charred leeks and olive oil (Coolinary menu)

Oysters are topped with bacon and Herbsaint butter, like a hint of Rockefeller with the meaty heft of Bienveille (Coolinary)

Lobster crepe topped with mushrooms and herbs and finished lobster bisque (regular menu)

Crab toasts made on house-baked milk bread shot through with crunchy noodles and served with a cool chutney and spicy sambar curry (Coolinary)

Watermelon salad finished with whipped blue cheese (regular menu)

Three bean chaat topped with caviar, moated by yogurt sauce and topped with threads of Flamin’ Hot sev (Coolinary)

Wagyu steak with a stuffed pepper and a “braised beef doughnut” bao (regular menu)

Katie Adams and chef Rob Mistry , keeping it cool Less

Yes to the Coolinary menu at @gautreausrestaurant and of course yes to the wine pairing.

If you’ve not yet tried the new-era Gautreau’s, with its classic look and increasingly contemporary and original menu, this summer special is a screaming good deal through August and September (they’re extending Coolinary an extra month).

Two courses with lots of choices, and each with a glass of wine.

Per usual, we added on so:

Martinis to end the day and start the meal

Grilled oysters with Herbsaint butter and bacon

Lobster crepe from the regular (non Coolinary) menu, in a bisque with deep shellfish stock flavor as the sauce

Blue crab toast with two sauces - spicy sambar and cool chutney

Five-bean chaat with caviar and flamin’ hot crisps

Not pictured but don’t miss the corn and truffle soup

Lamb sausage maque choux with gorgeous sweet summer corn with a cloud of garlic emulsion over the top

Yellowfin tuna au poivre with a tempest of shoestring potatoes

Dessert isn’t part of the Coolinary list, but we tried an off menu dish the kitchen is workshopping — black sesame ice cream sandwich, fudgy-dense and not too sweet. Less