Cuisine:

• French
• Diner
• Fine Dining
• Others
• Continental
• Contemporary

Restaurant August Description:
Chef John Besh's Louisiana upbringing and knowledge of cutting-edge culinary trends enables him to compose menus that hold their own among the most stringent standards of fine dining. Firm yet tender puffs of gnocchi become a tasty foil for the flavors of blue crab, truffle oil and Parmigiano-Reggiano in what has become a mainstay offering on a menu that otherwise changes frequently. Anything prepared three ways is worthy of consideration, such as foie gras. Tiny, soft-shelled buster crabs are fried to a turn. The Market Soup of the day, a dish that often reveals laziness in other restaurants, is always a marvel. Take, for example, a bowl of carrot soup singing with ginger essence and garnished with shrimp, peanuts and fried grated carrot. Three-course fixed-price lunches are a steal; such dishes as cane juice-brined chicken breast with mashed celery root show all the polish of Besh's evening feasts. Check out the chef's tasting menu for a food and wine pairing experience. Refinement fills the air, from the dark-wood walls and soft lighting of the bar to the gilt-edged décor in the main dining room with its four big chandeliers, damask-covered walls and French-style chairs.