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There are now more restaurants to choose from in New Orleans then prior to Katrina. Those of us who have frequented New Orleans have our old faithful stand-bys that we seem to gravitate to. There are all the Emeril spots, plus Commander’s Palace, Brennan’s, Amaud’s, and Antoine’s, just to mention a few.  Seven years ago a young Chef appeared on the New Orleans scene. John Besh a CIA (the food one) graduate of 1992, a Marine who served in Desert Storm and led a squad in a company that liberated the Kuwait Airport. Chef Besh gained further experience during his stints in Michelin star restaurants in Germany and France prior to returning to New Orleans.
Chef John Opened Restaurant August in 2001 and was one of the first to reopen after Katrina. Chef John is a home-grown Mississippi/ Louisiana boy. He stresses a renewed appreciation (often with modern variations) of local Cajun and Creole cooking, saying he considers them essential to the survival of the city’s cultural heritage. “We’re taking old recipes and bringing them back to life,” he was quoted as saying. He outdid Chef Mario Batali in head-to-head culinary combat in “Battle Andouille” sausage, on the TV show the Iron Chef in 2006.
OK, so Chef John Besh has had his TV fame and is now another restaurant industry mogul anchored in the Louisiana area. I read about these guys, I see them on TV but the real proof is being there, tasting and being exposed to the ambiance and observing the service first hand.
I did just that June 18, 2008 when I dined at Restaurant August. This location was not new to me as it is just across the street from the Windsor Court Hotel. Back in the 80’s I frequently dined at this very location when it was an Italian restaurant known as Pisqualles. Since then Pisqualles burned and was replaced by August within the same exterior walls. I had many fond memories from the past and fortunately for me Restaurant August contributed to new elevated memories.
Pictured below is Octavio Mantilla a John Besh Partner and MrFiveStar Ron Crider.
I chose to sample the 11 course John Besh “Degustation” offering. This is a petite sampling of the best items Chef Besh has in the house that day with fine wine pairing. Yes, do bring your appetite and reserve sufficient time to savor the evening. At Restaurant August you will not be nudged to quickly move on so they can turn the table over. To the contrary, they will be disappointed if you rush them or your meal.
(1) Fresh Melon Soup with Cucumbers, Yogurt and Champagne Paired with Mandois Champagne.
(2) Ricotta Dumplings with Tomatoes, and Parmesan, Paired with Chablis
(3) Fresh Crawfish boil Paired with Chardonnay
(4) Grilled Peaches with Salami, Arugula and Quail Paired with Schmitt Riesling
(5) Scallops with Cauliflower Porcini Mushrooms and Blackberries
(6) Lamb 3 ways with Turnips
(7) Larded Filet of Beef with Polenta & Foie Gras Paired with Zinfandel
(8) Goat Cheese stuffed Figs
(9) Lemon Bombe
(10) Baked Chocolate Marble cake with Bananas
(11) I think the 11th course was a vintage 1989 Warre Port, but I am not sure???
The food service and service was incomparable. You won't find a better meal in New Orleans.
Here is what Gayot.com says:Refinement fills the air at John Besh's Restaurant August, one of New Orleans' most ambitious restaurants. The dark-wood walls and soft lighting of the bar and gilt-edged décor in the main dining room all show signs of money lavishly spent. Dangling from four big chandeliers, hundreds of crystal prisms illuminate the damask-covered walls and French-style chairs. Best of all, though, is the food. 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 delicious foil for the flavors of blue crab, truffle oil and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Another winner is a trio of foie gras creations---a bit of terrine with eggplant, slices from a pastry-edged roulade and a dab of the liver that's been gently smoked. Anything prepared three ways is worthy of consideration. Tiny, soft-shelled buster crabs are fried to a turn. The Market Soup of the day, a dish that often belies 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; dishes like cane juice-brined chicken breast with mashed celery root show all the polish of Besh's evening feasts. Service can be slow, which makes it difficult for businesspeople to squeeze in a Friday lunch in less than two hours. But maybe it's worth it to take the afternoon off once in a while.
Frommer has a totally different idea that I personally don't agree with however check this out, you be the judge. I was there. You must go there at least onece.
Frommer's Review So there's Chef John Besh, feeding people during the dark days immediately post-Katrina, just hauling out jambalaya and anything else he ca n cook up in volume, and helping to bring back the venerable Willie Mae's Scotch House, proving he's as much about local indigenous cooking as he is about fancy-pants frivolity. Then he hauls off and wins the 2006 James Beard Award for Best Chef Southeast, plus scads of other gourmet praise. And here we are, having eaten here several times . . . never really being all that excited by the experience. We feel like heels, but we just don't get it. Too much use of foam and other nouvelle gimmicks, too dainty and fussy, too many flavors and ingredients crammed on a plate, or the opposite problem, work that is all construction and no flavor. Or the menu is misleading, such as the Moroccan-spiced duck, which was largely enjoyable, but not in the least bit Moroccan, or a dessert that comes out in a form distinctly different from what was described in print. We've never had a bad meal here, but we've never been other than underwhelmed. On the other hand, reliable foodie friends dream about that degustation menu (chef's choice and he varies it from table to table) as one of the highlights of their dining lives, while others say the place is the best the city has to offer. Your mileage may well vary.
Ok, Frommers we put this in just because my friend Pierre Wolfe, a great Chef in Denver has frequently come to this same conclusion about numerous restaurants we visited recently. However I don’t really think that would be his verdict at Restaurant August. Next time I will bring Pierre and report our findings. For now I am sticking to my most favorable recommendation. Click here to go directly to Restaurant August web site.
Next time I will tell you about another John Besh Restaurarnt, known as Luke I recently visited. This one has an Alsatian vain like flamenküche, a thin Alsatian onion tarte with bacon, caraway and Emmenthaler cheese.
MrFiveStar is Ron Crider, a freelance Travel and Technical writer. Ron is a world traveler, broadcaster, communications engineer, Travel TV producer and former airline executive. Crider hosts the World Travel and Dining Channel Internet radio station www.wtdradio.com. Crider is also the founder and president of www.mrfivestar.com publications. Ron can be reached at
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