I
first knew that the Grill Room was something
particularly special when I attended a
vintner dinner there during the 2001
New Orleans Wine & Food Event.
This was, hands down, the best vintner
dinner I have ever experienced. Not even
a close second comes to mind – and
there’ve been plenty of others. Here’s
the thing. As a wine and food writer,
I go to lots of these dinners. I’d
guess somewhere in the vicinity of fifty
per year. And the truth of it is that
these vintner dinners – where a winery’s
various wines are poured with each of
several courses – are simply not
the best moments for most restaurants.
Because it’s difficult, if not impossible,
to serve seventy or so people the exact
same dish at the exact same time, and
have it come out even remotely well. Think
about it – by the time you plated
the seventieth seared monkfish medallion,
arranged a slice of foie gras and exactly
five quince spaetzle just so, then decoratively
drizzled the Armagnac reduction on the
plate, how hot would that first serving
be? So I understand, and indeed have come
to expect, that a restaurant really should
not be evaluated solely on the basis of
one of these wine dinners. And really,
by about the third or fourth wine, everyone
is having way too much fun to even notice
the food!
So at the Grill Room, when
each course was not only beautifully presented
to all seventy of us at the same time,
but also actually tasted wonderful and
fresh and perfectly hot, I was more than
a little impressed. From the sparkling
fresh speckled trout and fava bean-pancetta
risotto first course, straight through
the fourth course of exquisite beef tenderloin
with stilton flan and cabernet reduction,
Executive Chef James Overbaugh, his
kitchen staff, and the impeccable wait
staff, worked culinary miracles throughout
the evening.
And if a vintner dinner
is this good, imagine how fabulous a "regular"
dinner at the Grill Room can be –
when your order is prepared just for you
as you order it. Not that there is anything
particularly "regular" about
the Grill Room!
Return visits have only
enhanced my appreciation for this superb
restaurant. The menu changes monthly and
features grand international cuisine with
plenty of southern influences. Salmon
with Louisiana Oysters, Andouille-Sweet
Potato Couscous and Okra-Basil Nage. Filet
of Limousin Beef with Porcini Mashed Potatoes,
Goat Cheese Lentils and Pomegranate Demi-Glace.
You get the idea.
The cross-cultural menu
is complemented by one of the finest wine
cellars in New Orleans. Charming Sommelier
David Singer will guide you through the
1000+ wine list that is bursting with
French offerings, including an extensive
collection of Bordeaux. California wines
are also well represented, with many "hard
to find" selections.
The room itself is luxuriously
appointed with cushy armchairs and oh-so-comfy
banquettes, fabric draped tables, and
sophisticated lighting. I highly recommend
making the Grill Room a regular respite
from the hustle and bustle of the Quarter.
This is my idea of heaven. (november
2001)
Windsor Court Hotel
300 Gravier Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
504.523.6000
www.windsorcourthotel.com
Entrees from $24
Appetizers from $8
