Sylvain NOLA

625 Chartres St New Orleans

The story of the building at 625 Chartres is alluring. I read an article that said when Sylvain closes at night the bartender lights a candle and pours a Sazerac for a former madame who used to and maybe still inhabits the building. There are other cool stories that add to the noir chic vibe of this restaurant. Really though, I went there to eat. At night the dining room is dark, and everything feels old but elegant.

The food is worth coming back for and my server was amazing. Shoutout to Eleanor at Sylvain for being one of the best servers in New Orleans. You have to try the Wagyu Beef Belly that sits on a savory pancake that soaks up the delicious dark sauce. The beef was so tender I didn't use a knife. That gravy was a great connection between the pancake and the beef. My guess, this is Sylvain's most popular starter. I also would recommend the Squash Griddle Cakes.

I had a refreshing citrus champagne cocktail. But Sylvain's cocktail program emphasizes whiskey as the prevailing liquor. This evening was a quick visit to Sylvain but what lasted was the memory of dessert. Their Chocolate Pot de Creme was so good it would have been worth the visit by itself. The cream was so light and airy you could barely feel the dairy. The chocolate was like silk, just the right spot between rich and light.

Last note about Sylvain, the entrance is around the back. Because back in the day cool people didn't want the squares to get in.

Cane and Table NOLA

1113 Decatur Street New Orleans, LA

When you walk in it is pretty and it smells good. At night the lights are warm and the air smells boozy mixed with fruity and aromatic. The bar is functionally decorated with fruits, herbs, some veggies. And you can smell them because they are ingredients in most of the drinks at Cane & Table. They are one of many New Orleans dining spots that pair their alcohol program with the food. 

They do a great job with drink presentations. I ordered a couple of drinks and they looked and tasted great. I am a light drinker I prefer mellow flavors like champagne and fruit. The Watermelon Man cocktail I ordered was watermelon and basil shrub poured over sparkling wine. It was damn good. Caveat, I am a sucker for champagne cocktails. The tiki vibe is well done at Cane & Table. I saw lots of drinks walk by. They all looked cold, colorful, and tropical. 

The drink menu pairs nicely with the dinner menu. I tried three small plates while I drank. A pineapple arugula salad, red peppers stuffed with crab and cheese, and avocado salad with marinated crab fingers. The menu has more detailed descriptions you can look at here.

The menu and the drinks are successfully tropical. It is not a gimmick. The pineapple was grilled and on top was arugula. There was a little jalapeno in there to spice it up. The contrast with the pineapple worked. The stuffed peppers were good but not that exciting. I could taste the crab flavor but it was not obvious the crab was there. 

My favorite plate and Cane & Table was the avocado salad. It was really simple, And like everything I tried it was cool and refreshing. Cold marinated crab fingers went really well on top of the avocado salad that had its own built in flavors. There were little Szechuan looking pepper rings that brought a little heat to go with the fatty avocado and light crab. 

If you like a good alcohol program paired with your dinner. Add Cane & Table to your NOLA list. Just look at that pretty picture I added up there. It tastes as good as it looks.