Bayona: A restaurant worth your applause
Written: Sep 28 '99
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fabulous food, among the best in the city; intimate, romantic dining
Cons: Nary a one
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| Chuq's Full Review: New Orleans |
One of the city's top dining experiences, Bayona (at 430 Dauphine St. in the French Quarter) is well-beloved by savvy New Orleanians, and is a personal favorite of mine. In fact, my friend Dean and I were showing my friend Michael around the Quarter and then broke into completely unprompted and spontaneous applause as we passed the Dauphine Street restaurant. (Michael's been tittering about that for years now.)
Chef Susan Spicer, who honed her considerable skills and talents in France and at The Bistro at the Maison de Ville, offers elegant eclectic contemporary cuisine with Asian and Mediterranean flavors in a two century-old French Quarter Creole cottage; you may dine indoors where it's dark, quiet and intimate, or out in the courtyard for a charming, romantic meal you won't soon forget -- definitely bring your sweetie here. Bayona is quiet, intimate, and one of New Orleans' most romantic dining spots.
Begin with one of Chef Spicer's daily soups, always superb, or the cream of garlic soup, a perennial favorite. Appetizers include grilled shrimp with a cilantro sauce and black bean cakes, or delicate veal sweetbreads sautéed with scallions and diced potatoes in a sherry vinaigrette. (Don't be hesitant to try the sweetbreads; you don't have to consider it an "adventurous" choice, and you'll be amply rewarded by their incredible flavor.)
Past entrées that knocked us out have included lamb chop and medallions of lamb loin with a subtly perfumey lavender honey aïoli, and a Zinfandel demiglace sauce; or a grilled pork chop stuffed with fontina cheese, fresh sage and prosciutto. The chop was over an inch thick, perfectly grilled, tender and juicy; the flavors of the stuffing were intense, and there was a beautifully flavorful seasoning crust on the outside. Heaven. The entrées are also served with a well-balanced selection of sides, such as herbed sautéed new potatoes or gnocchi, puréed butternut squash, fresh sweet corn or steamed haricots verts. The wine selection is extensive, and the wait staff is extremely helpful in assisting you in choosing the right wine for your meal.
Desserts are varied and exciting, and range from towering creations like a triple-layered stack of pistachio meringues alternated with a rich, intense chocolate-orange mousse to such simple pleasures as a coffee crème brulée or a fresh watermelon sorbet.
Lunch in the courtyard at Bayona is not to be missed, either. It's the epitome of French Quarter gentility as you relax amidst the lush growth of plants around the courtyard and dine on fabulous but surprisingly affordable lunch dishes, like the duck breast sandwich with Louisiana pepper jelly and cashew butter (oh, my), finishing off with a silky, luxurious pot de crème and a glass of Sauternes.
After a quiet, romantic evening at Bayona, sampling some of the best food our city has to offer, you may well applaud the next time you pass by.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Chuq
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Member: Chuck Taggart
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Reviews written: 29
Trusted by: 81 members
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