Le Printemps. This, of course, is the place on Esplanade that replaced Japon. (Not sure if it's the same ownership. Does anybody happen to know?) Anyway, I wasn't blown away the first time I ate there a few months ago, and it seemed a little pricey for what I had. But G. and I went there again Saturday night. We took advantage of the prix fixe deal -- three courses for $28 -- and what we had was really terrific. For an appetizer, I had the tomato terrine, one layer of which seemed to be a tomato/cream cheese mixture, and the other layer of which consisted of vegetables in a clear gelatin. My entree was salmon wrapped in a crepe and served with a cream sauce that was charred on top and frothy underneath. Gary had the snow crab and shrimp "biscuit" as an appetizer -- the biscuit consisted of layers of this odd fortune-cookie-like substance -- and the striped bass as an entree. It was all very tasty.
     It seems to me that this place is a real asset to Mid-City. It helps that, for the time being, they're BYO, and without a corkage fee. The restaurant is in the process of getting a liquor license (see third-to-last graf), but the waitress told me that, even when they get it, they'll still let you bring your own for $5 or so.
     The other thing I like about the place, though, is that the menu seems very creative for a neighborhood restaurant. I don't necessarily need or want my entree to be completely ahistorical, but a lot of traditional New Orleans dishes are kind of boring. This guy clearly wants to do something innovative. There's at least one restaurant in town that's much more polished for the same price or less, but I can't think of many others offhand. (There aren't any in Mid-City, certainly.) I really hope Le Printemps takes off.
 :: posted by Dante Ramos at 10:53 PM
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BYO update. Indigo charges a $15 corkage fee (and their wines ain't cheap), but if you buy one of their bottles they'll let you open one of your own for free.
 :: posted by Stephanie Grace at 8:12 PM
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Local food blog. Not sure who this guy is, but he's local and his site is worth checking out. It's called "Appetites", and you can find it by clicking here. (Thanks to e-mailer Grady for pointing it out.)
 :: posted by Dante Ramos at 6:37 PM
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