Culinary-2009
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2 Culinary Connoisseurs Culinary Connoisseurs Inside: Introduction . .5 Best New Restaurants Best Sous Chefs Past honorees . .6 Hostel New Orleans . .16 Emanuel Jones . .31 Culinary Connoisseurs Latil’s Landing . .16 Brandon Muetzel . .31 event photos . .20 Restaurant Amis . .17 Alfred Singleton . .32 Restaurant Rambla . .18 Heather Young . .32 Best Fine Dining Establishments Best Caterers Best Sommeliers Arnaud’s . .7 Joel Catering . .19 Joe Briand . .33 Emeril’s Delmonico . .8 LaBella’s Catering . .19 BY FRANK AYMAMI COVER PHOTO Muriel’s Jackson Square . .8 Best Pastry Chefs Ralph’s on the Park . .9 Best Owners Simone Fleming . .33 Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse . .9 John Besh and Tariq Hanna . .34 Octavio Mantilla . .25 Andre McKendall . .34 Best Casual Upscale Dining Dickie Brennan . .25 Laurent Moecklin . .35 Published by the NOPG LLC Establishments Ralph Brennan . .26 Marguerite Riehm . .35 111 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Café Giovanni . .10 Emeril Lagasse . .26 Suite 1440, Metairie, La. 70005 Clancy’s . .10 Duke LoCicero . .27 (504)834-9292; Fax: (504)837-2258 Cochon . .11 Best Maitre D’s Dick and Jenny’s . .11 Best Executive Chefs Michael Juan . .36 Publisher and president: D. Mark Singletary Herbsaint . .12 Scott Boswell . .27 Associate Publisher: Lisa Blossman Justin Devillier . .28 Legend Managing Editor: Greg LaRose Best Neighborhood Dining Tenney Flynn . .28 Ella Brennan . .36 News Editor: Christian Moises Establishments Brian Landry . .29 Associate editor: Autumn C. Giusti Bear’s Po-Boys . .13 Gus Martin . .29 Lifetime Achievement Art director: Alex Borges La Petite Grocery . .13 Jacques Saleun . .30 Sterling Constant . .37 Account executives: Liz Baldini, Jeanne Farrell, Mandina’s . .14 David Slater . .30 Bob and Sandy Defelice . .37 Cassie Foreman, Ginger Graf, Coco Evans Judd Parasol’s Restaurant and Bar . .14 Shirley Lee . .38 Production manager: Julie Bernard Radosta’s . .15 Jorge Pesantes . .38 Salvo’s Seafood and Deli . .15 Latil’s Landing Restaurant 225-473-9380 www.HoumasHouse.com New Orleans CityBusiness April 20, 2009 3 sponsored by: THE GLAZER’S COMPANIES OF LOUISIANA IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT IT HAS BEEN SELECTED TO DISTRIBUTE KETEL ONE VODKA IN LOUISIANA. The Nolet family has distilled Ketel One Vodka for over 300 years at the Nolet Distillery in Schiedam, Holland. Ketel One Vodka is distilled from 100% wheat in alembic copper pot stills, filtered over loose charcoal, and rests in tile lined tanks until ready. Ketel One Vodka is consistently named one of the world’s top spirits for quality and taste. Ketel One Vodka is named after the original, copper pot still, “Distilleerketel #1,” and is handcrafted in small batches. The alcohol content of this spirit is 80 proof. 4 Culinary Connoisseurs Introduction VÉÇzÜtàâÄtà|ÉÇá Cream of the Crop to EMERIL LAGASSE EMERIL’S DELMONICO recognized for and Chef DAVID SLATER of Emeril’s New Orleans Tasty contributions for being chosen as a CityBusiness Culinary Connoisseur! FOOD — FOR MOST OF US — is one of the top perks of living in New Orleans. It’s also one of the most prevalent talking points. When we go out for lunch or dinner, someone inevitably brings up the new restaurant around the corner, where they ate last night or where they’re going tomorrow evening. This conversation usu- ally leads to a string of restaurants being named or how great their gumbo is. It’s only fitting we raise a glass to the restaurants Christian Moises and people who make those conversations so tasty News Editor with Culinary Connoisseurs, recognizing 50 pro- fessionals and establishments in the region’s culinary industry based on cuisine, business success and community involvement. Honorees were divided into 13 categories: fine dining, casual upscale dining, neighborhood dining, new restaurants, caterers, owners, execu- tive chefs, sous chefs, pastry chefs, sommeliers, maitre d’s, legends and lifetime achievement. Many people are familiar with John Besh, Emeril Lagasse and the Brennan family, but what about The Ritz-Carlton’s cupcake expert Simone Fleming or Palace Café soux chef Brandon Muetzel, whose favorite ingredient is the egg? 800 Tchoupitoulas 1300 ST. Charles Avenue 504.528.9393 504.525.4937 Did you know La Petite Grocery executive chef Justin Devillier enjoys eating homemade tacos? Sterling Constant, who’s been at Antoine’s for almost 42 years, can tell if a table is out of place by looking at the leg. Sucre pastry chef Tariq Hanna’s guilty pleasure is Little Debbie Swiss Rolls right out of the fridge. The people profiled in the following pages are the people who make our culinary industry so famous, so successful and one of the biggest rea- sons people worldwide know us and visit our region. In addition to countless hours of community service their staffs provide to the community, they’ve also made a commitment to support our local producers by frequenting area farmer’s markets and seafood suppliers. CityBusiness thanks each of them not only for their tasty contribu- tions, but for their commitment to the New Orleans area. Congratulations to the Culinary Connoisseurs of 2009.• News Editor Christian Moises can be reached at 293-9249 or by e-mail at [email protected]. Taking CAIRE of Hospitality Congratulations to the 2009 CityBusiness Culinary Connoisseurs! VISIT OUR SHOWROOM OPEN TO THE PUBLIC - Mon-Fri 8-5 • Sat 9-1 Call 504.482.0294 Commercial Kitchen Utensils • Pots • Pans • China • Flatware Glassware • Wood Banquet Tables • Heavy Equipment 433 N. Bernadotte • New Orleans, LA • WWW.CAIRESUPPLY.COM New Orleans CityBusiness April 20, 2009 5 Culinary Connoisseurs 2008 Honorees Best Fine Dining Best New Restaurants Best Executive Chefs Best Pastry Chefs Establishments 5 Fifty 5 Rene Bajeux Beth Biundo Antoine’s Restaurant Lüke John Besh Tariq Hanna The Dakota Restaurant MiLa Kim Kringlie Chris Newton August Nathan’s Restaurant Brian Landry New City Grille Donald Link Best Maitre D’s Best Casual Upscale Duke LoCicero Robin Bordelon Dining Establishments Best Caterers Spencer Minch Vedran Komazec Drago’s Seafood Restaurant Fleur de lis New Orleans Darin Nesbit Sergio Lopez Lüke Cuisine Mike Regua Sal and Judy’s Food Art Susan Spicer Legends Tommy’s Cuisine Martin Wine Cellar Leah Chase Patton’s Caterers Best Sous Chefs Paul Prudhomme Best Neighborhood William Briand Dining Establishments Best Owners Larry Herbert Lifetime Blue Duck Café John Besh Mike Nelson Achievement Byblos Restaurant Tommy Cvitanovich Shirley Anthony Deanie’s Seafood — The Tastebuds: Best Sommeliers Marie Laborde Bucktown Greg Reggio, Hans Limburg, Michael Juan Dalton Milton Mother’s Restaurant Gary Darling Chris Ycaza Shirley Rubin GOODGOOD NEWSNEWS ISIS WORTHWORTH REPEATING!REPEATING! Framed Article Articles are reformatted to fit on either one or two pages with “As seen in CityBusiness” on the top of the page. Article size is 8 1/2” x 11”. Framed articles take approximately 1 month to complete Digital Reprint CityBusiness will reformat the article or list with “As seen in CityBusiness” on the top of the page and send it to you in PDF format. Total Cost:$500 Contact Monique Brignac (504) 293-9724 • email: [email protected] 6 Culinary Connoisseurs Best Arnaud’s Fine Dining 813 Bienville St., New Orleans Establishments Interview with vice president Katy Casbarian PHOTO BY FRANK AYMAMI Executive chef: Tommy DiGiovanni Opened: 1918 Price range: Entrees range between $25 and $39, with an inclusive cost for the average diner of about $75. Cuisine: Creole Noted for: We’re probably best known for our Shrimp Arnaud, our flag- ship appetizer. It’s basically a shrimp remoulade, but we took out the mayonnaise base and made it a tangy, mustard-based remoulade. Community involvement: We are involved with the Lighthouse for the Blind, and we sit on the French Quarter Business Association board. We also have a strong commitment to the state and local board of the Louisiana Restaurant Association, whose educational foundation pro- vides culinary education to students throughout the state. Major milestones: One of the biggest milestones for this restaurant was my father Matthew Downs, left, and Derek Licero purchasing it from the Casenave family in 1978. He bought the Most notable guests: chat over drinks at Arnaud’s. restaurant when it was on the brink of shutting down and We’ve hosted a number of U.S. presidents, including Ronald restored it to its original grandeur. We were really fortunate that Reagan, George H.W.Bush and Bill Clinton. Presidents Bush the majority of our dedicated management team returned to and Clinton ate together, and the reception they received was Inspiration to work in the culinary industry: work after the hurricanes of 2005.Their presence is what makes bigger than that of any celebrity guests we’ve served. Brad Pitt My father. Always has been and always will be, in this indus- the restaurant what it is. More recently,we were excited to serve and Angelina Jolie have eaten here, but our staff especially try and outside of it.• as a film set for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” loves hosting Drew Brees, a real local hero. — Tom Leggett Wake Up! IT’S TIME TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT BUSINESS Subscribe now and get the Book of Lists valued at $59 as part of your paid order. We have all the tools you need to keep mixing it up glassware • kitchen utensils • china • flatware • pots & pans heavy equipment • commercial design service Call 1-800-451-9998 to order your subscription and VISIT OUR SHOWROOM • Monday–Friday 9 a.m.–4 p.m. save up to 60% off the 4141 Bienville Ave. • New Orleans, LA newsstand price! 504-482-2554 • 800-878-2554 • www.loubat.com • [email protected] New Orleans CityBusiness April 20, 2009 7 Best Emeril’s Delmonico Fine Dining 829 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans Establishments Interview with president and chief operating officer Eric Linquest PHOTO BY FRANK AYMAMI Executive chef: Spencer Minch Opened: 1998 Price range: Between $6 and $12 for starters, and between $24 and $35 for main courses.