Feelings Cafe

Hey ya'll; it's been a while. Today has been real lazy (I mean, it's almost 2 P.M. and I'm still in my PJ's!), but I'm not too tired to give you a great review of my latest restaurant experience. On Friday, I cruised to Feelings Cafe, a restaurant I had wanted to eat at for ages but had never had the chance of visiting. I went there because Madame La Bouffe's Kennedy School friends were visiting and she wanted them to have a cultural New Orleans food experience (at least, that's what I gathered). So after horseback riding, I traveled over to the Bywater and met Madame La Bouffe and her friends at the Feelings bar. Being a teensy bit too young to have martinis and such truck, I absorbed myself in a Harry Potter book until (a long time later) our reserved table for 7 was ready. The bar was small yet charming, bathed in a soft red light, with pictures of Elvis and people like him all over the walls. A sweet-faced lady was playing her heart out at a piano in the corner, singing and winking at me occasionally. Because I was close to starving, the bartender passed around a basket of crisp buttery bread, flavored with garlic and herbs. It tided me over nicely, so I wasn't so peckish. 

After what seemed like forever, our lovely table was ready in the beautiful courtyard of the restaurant. There were huge trees behind me, and a small fountain was bubbling and chattering the the middle of the courtyard. Pretty lights were strung about the trees and fountain. It was a cozy, romantic yet airy place, and full of couples. Evidently it was an ideal date night place (heck, my parents decided to get married while having dinner there). The table was beautifully laid, with a crisp linen tablecloth and napkins, gleaming silverware, a small bouquet of flowers in the center (for once, they weren't fake!), and candles, glowing brightly and steadily in the center of the table. I sat myself down in a rickety wooden chair provided. Okay, so I might skip over most of this dinner, because mostly we spent it WAITING FOR OUR DAMN FOOD! But it was worth it, as I found out. For our appetizers, we ordered a whole lot of stuff, but I only ate mine, which was a salmon mousse with caviar. It came plated beautifully, with the mousse in a tiny ramekin and topped with a dainty plop of caviar, and small croutons placed fussily in a circle around the mousse. OMG it was heavenly! Smooth, creamy, and full of salmon flavor, and the caviar! Briny and totally awesome. The croutons were perfect; so crunchy and mild. This was a complete success! 

My only complaint of Feelings is the wait we had for our entrees. We waited and waited, for what seemed like millions of hours. It was 10 o'clock before we got to eatin!  But my entree, the Gulf Fish Nicolas, was utterly worth the wait. A fresh, grilled, Dijon-brushed drum filet, topped with grilled shrimp, sitting on top of a bed of creamed spinach, and paired with a few New potatoes, it was one of the best fish dishes I've ever had. Both the fish and the shrimp were perfectly cooked, and the Dijon lent a delicious sharp flavor, which paired perfectly with the super mild drum. The spinach was utterly fantastic; by far the most wonderful vegetable ever. I can hardly describe it. It was creamy, but there was no cream it sight! Also, it had a delicious buttery flavor, with no butter that I could see! OMG it was just stunning. All in all, a terrific main.

As you probably have noted from me, as I keep repeating it over and over, a dinner is not complete for me without something sweet at the end. My father told me that Feelings was famous for their peanut butter pie, so I ignored all of the other selections and immediately blurted out, "Peanut butter pie PLEASE!" When it came, sporting a huge puff of whipped cream, and drizzled with chocolate sauce, I felt my mouth water. As soon as our waitress placed it on the table, I dove right in. I reckon it's one of the best pies I've ever had. It was creamy, light, and super nutty (pun intended), and I had no trouble in polishing off the whole slice. No picture, you might be thinking? Well, I was way too intoxicated to take out the iPhone. After I finished, I felt horrible letdown. So I took a mindless picture of my empty plate.

The service at Feelings was great, if powerfully slow. Our pretty waitress took right good care of us. The atmosphere was so relaxing and romantic, so bring your date here, and it's sure to please. Feelings Cafe will have my eternal approval, and I'll be back as quick as ever I can! 

Irene's Cuisine

I know, I haven't blogged in a while; I've haven't been out to eat in (what seems to me) ages. I have, however, been trying out lots of new recipes, like Italian Bean and Pasta Soup. But when you're on a home-cooking binge, you have to start eating out sometime. And I got the perfect chance, when my dad's 55th birthday rolled around. Days before, Madame La Bouffe and I chose a great place: Irene's Cuisine in the Quarter. I had never been there and was looking forward to it all day. Finally, it was time to go, and I was literally humming with excitement. We had a 6 o'clock reservation, and were meeting our friends Norah and Charles there. I had one hell of an appetite and had right high expectations.

We were welcomed into the restaurant by Irene herself, and were led to our reserved table in the cozy dining room. It had a orange silk ribbon on it and a fancy "reserved" card, too. There was a clean white linen tablecloth and gleaming silverware resting on the folded linen napkins. A shiny drinking glass was next to our small appetizer plates. We were seated by our waitress, Nancy, and given our drinks. Our friends arrived and were led to our table, whereupon we greeted each other and they got settled in. For our first hors d'oeuvres, Nancy gave us two small plates of yummy hot bruschetta, with some kind of crispy bread on the bottom topped with tomatoes, basil, melted Parmesan, and melted mozzarella. It was an incredibly fresh, delicious, warm way to begin the meal. After we ordered, they took away the empty plates (the bruschetta did not last long) and brought a basket of warm, crusty bread covered with sesame seeds. I didn't taste it until my entree came, so sit tight for my review on that.

We got an abundance of appetizers, of course. Mine was the Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli in marinara sauce with fresh shavings of Parmesan on top. The pasta, which was restaurant-made, was tender and flavorful, and the filling was creamy and vegetal, with a nice flavor of fresh nutmeg. The sauce, a bright, fresh, and light accompaniment, paired with the ravioli perfectly. The salty Parmesan added a nice sharp flavor. It was delicious! 

For my entree, I chose the Meunière Amandine, a delectable-sounding fish main. The fish itself was like a normal meunière, with lemon, browned butter, and parsley. It was topped with chunks of crabmeat and sliced almonds, and a curled slice of lemon coated in more parsley. There were also sautéed green beans and a piped sweet potato mash on the plate. 

The fish, if very subtle, was extremely tender and so was the crabmeat. The meat was snow white. The browned butter-lemon sauce on the fish was rich and delicious. The almonds were tasty when paired with the fish. The green beans were tender-crisp, and the sweet potato was my clear favorite. Smooth, creamy, sweet, and mildly spicy, these yummy spuds won me over immediately. I dipped a big chunk of the delicious sesame bread in the sauce, and ate it up in a few large bites. It tasted wonderful, worlds better than just slathering it with normal soft butter. All in all, a sensational meal.

But for me, a good meal is not complete without a delicious dessert. So when Nancy told me the dessert selection, I immediately chose my favorite. Guess. OK. Lemme tell ya. TIRAMISU! I adore this dessert, so when I heard they had a good version, I at once cried, "I'll have the tiramisu!" Daddy got the chocolate-hazenut truffle with crème anglaise. My dessert came beautifully plated, with a mint sprig and a few blueberries sprinkled on top of the large square of tiramisu. Chocolate sauce was drizzled on the plate as well. I ate the whole dessert by myself. I can hardly describe it. There was whipped cream everywhere throughout the dessert, and with the soft espresso infused ladyfingers combined in the square, it was absolutely wonderful. I snitched a large spoonful of Daddy's truffle, and it, too, was delicious. It was incredibly dark and decadent and chocolatey, and the white, fluffy crème was perfect with it. The dinner was expensive, but it was SO worth it. 

The atmosphere at Irene's was delightful! It was incredibly cozy and warm, and as you looked out at the cold night outside, you just felt great. The service, as well, was perfect, and Nancy took very good care of us. So if you're looking for a great place to eat for a special occasion or for a date night, you'll be in luck if you're near Irene's. If you get a chance, stop by, and you'll get a meal to remember.