A gourmet’s guide to what’s happening with food and wine in the city.
Rib Room Chef Anthony Spizale with some of the items on his special Spanish menu.
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Local diners can now explore Spanish cuisine by way of the Rib Room’s new “Festive Flavors of Spain” menu. Based on executive chef Anthony Spizale’s experiences during a recent sojourn to the Castilla y Leon region, the techniques and ingredients he brought back are employed and served up on this special menu which runs through the month of January alongside the restaurant’s traditional fare.
“Each year, Omni Hotels sends a group of their executive chefs and food and beverage managers to a different country to learn about its food, and this year it was Spain,” says Spizale. “The trip was an incredible experience. When it came to the cuisine, our hosts showed us what this region was all about. We’re incorporating their local cheeses and Serrano ham into our menu, along with some of the area’s incredible wines.”
A dinner selection that showcases these influences is Spizale’s grilled beef tenderloin with Mencia wine-marinated pear in puff pastry. It is served with a garnish of crisps made from Castillian cheese, and the cheese, pears, and wine used for the sauce are all imported from Spain. “The ingredients from the region are impeccable,” Spizale says. “And we’ve brought these ingredients here to New Orleans.”
Also appearing on the menu will be a selection of tapas, which will also be available at the Rib Room bar. Staying true to the essence of the tradition, where tapas are typically simple and unpretentious fare served alongside drinks, Spizale’s selection will highlight quality ingredients rather than overly fussy, elaborate preparations. Selections include Serrano ham croquettes, Spanish omelets with potatoes and onions, and a selection of cheeses from Castilla y Leon served with chestnuts in syrup and walnuts.
“In Spain, the tapas come out automatically with the drinks,” Spizale recalls. “One night we went out for tapas in the town square before dinner. They set down this gorgeous selection of anchovies, olives, croquettes and different types of marinated seafood. It was nothing elaborately done, just tapas on these little glass plates with toothpicks to eat them. It made for a really enjoyable experience.”
Spizale encountered an array of regional ingredients he is importing back here to ensure the authenticity of his menu, such as roasted peppers and pine nuts. However, the delicacy that really won him over was the Serrano ham. Spizale has been to Italy and visited the Prosciutto di Parma factory, and feels that the Spanish cured ham is just as good, if not better, than the more popularly know Italian one. “It is fantastic. I’m bringing in the whole leg on the bone and carving it to order in the Rib Room.”
The Spanish theme—along with its ham—extends through the night and into breakfast service as well. “These Spaniards love cured meats, especially for breakfast. So we will also be offering this cured ham plate for breakfast as well.” For early risers with a sweet tooth, Spizale offers churros con chocolate, fresh churros made to order each morning served with a hot chocolate dipping sauce. (The Rib Room is located at 621 Royal St. in the Omni Royal Orleans Hotel.)
At Vega Tapas Café (2051 Metairie Rd.) in Old Metairie, chef and owner Glen Hogh puts his personable spin on the small plate concept. Going beyond the more traditional “toothpick in an olive” school of thought, Hogh offers up plates exhibiting more complex compositions. The veal involtini, medallions of thinly sliced veal wrapped around a savory mash of caramelized onion, Manchego cheese and spinach, is an example of this. Another is the braised rabbit cannelloni, pasta stuffed with rabbit, pine nuts and pearl onions served over a fragrant splash of rosemary jus. These are both composed dishes technically demanding enough to shine as a stand-alone entrée, but through Hogh’s tapas approach diners can sample them in small portions.
Among the other choices from the long and varied menu is the croquettas de Bacalao. The texture of the croquette was fantastic—light and airy and releasing a puff of steam when torn open with a fork—but a little light on the cod. Still, the Manchego cheese and shallots came through just fine, and even these ingredients by themselves would make for a tempting dish. The empanadas vegetal come with two substantially sized savory pastries to a serving and makes for an economical choice.
There’s just one thing about Vega—there is so much to order and taste, since so much on the menu beckons, that the plates ring up a bit faster than a person might expect if they don’t keep track. The dining room has a laid-back, party kind of vibe, making this a fun choice for dining out with a large group of people.
Serrano ham croquettes is a Rib Room tapas selection.
Made to Order
A new taqueria is in town, and this one doesn’t have wheels. An offspring of its popular parent store in Cambridge, Mass., which has been sating hungry college kids now for over two years, Felipe’s Taqueria has branched out and opened a location in New Orleans at 6215 S. Miro St., just behind Claiborne Avenue.
“My father’s cousin lives in Boston and he opened the original restaurant with his friend Felipe,” says manager Courtney Stumm. “It is right in Harvard Square and has done amazing up there.”
The focus of the new venture is simple, fresh food made to order. The menu serves up an array of reasonably-priced college staples—burritos, tostadas, quesadillas and the like—but goes a bit further than most by offering options such as chorizo and carnitas. Al pastor, a pork dish marinated in spices, cooked on a rotisserie, and sliced off the spit like a gyro, is available as well. Drink selections include horchata and a selection of Jarritos sodas.
The new location will distinguish itself from the original by expanding the basic premise to include a touch of New Orleans, like incorporating fresh shrimp and fish into its menu. “It is a very authentic, classic kind of taqueria,” says Stumm. “You just go up to the counter, tell them what you want, and they make it right there in front of you.” Hungry students and taco aficionados now have a fresh, healthy choice for their cravings.
Try This
The Serrano Catalana at Madrid Restaurant (2723 Roosevelt Blvd.) in Kenner is worth the trip. A generous mound of thinly-sliced imported ham sits atop a bed of tomatoes on toasted garlic bread. Simply garnished with salt, pepper and olive oil, this appetizer is so good you might want to double down on the servings.
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