St. Charles Avenue Magazine Food Column, January, 2004
By Michael Depp

There's a special circle of hell for restaurateurs, whether they deserve to be there or not, that works pretty much like this: Find a great old city building with a lot of years of history and even more of neglect. Buy it with big plans for the kind of renovation that does it justice and draws diners as much for the ambiance as the food. Then open up the walls and nearly collapse from shock at the extent of the structural damage; sit by helplessly as your efficient construction schedule falls to pieces; and pray to any kind of God who will listen that the mud on the new walls will be dry in time for that party of 100 that's booked in a week.

I found myself privy to such a scenario at Ralph Brennan's latest venture, Ralph's on the Park, recently, where10 days from their scheduled opening the building was still a skeleton of structural reinforcements, open walls and carpentry-in-progress. The site, a beautiful1860 building that directly overlooks City Park, was a hive of activity - there had to be at least 50 workers doing 100 different jobs simultaneously like so many schoolboys who'd neglected to start work on The Big Project until The Night Before It's Due.

This is a stress-inducing sight to behold, even if you've got no vested interest in the project itself, so my heart was truly going out to the good people of the Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group who, by their own admission, were taken aback by the scope of the job. "It was not our intent to undertake something of this scale, but you play hand you're dealt with, and this building deserves it," Charlee Williamson, Brennan's executive vice president, told me during a tour that played out like a kind of video game as we bobbed and weaved around the workers.

Maybe the project was inducing molten doses of last minute pressure, but the results promise to be a great thing for both the Mid-City restaurant scene as well as the city in general. Conceived of as a for-locals-by-locals affair, Brennan is turning over the restaurant's reigns to a profoundly capable team - chef Gerard Maras and front-of-the-house manager Richard Shakespeare -, which he assembled prior to even finding the building's location. Prices are also local-friendly - dinner entrees scarcely rise above the teens, and starting this month there will also be a very reasonably priced Saturday breakfast and Sunday jazz brunch.

The menu, which I was allowed to peek at, features some very softly priced two course specials including cider pork chop and herb crusted lamb chops. There's also solid and beloved local fare including starters like crispy oyster mushrooms; Louisiana "bluecrab" cakes; and fried green tomatoes and crabmeat; and entrees like Gulf shrimp and fennel pasta and poached Gulf flounder Veronique.

The renovated building (once occupied by restaurateurs Antoine Alciatore and Justin Tujague), which includes both an upstairs and downstairs kitchen, will host private parties upstairs (where they have one of the city's best balcony views, especially when the Celebration in the Oaks lights are up), while the main dining room and completely rebuilt bar are downstairs. So please, let's all help to wean these people off the ulcer medication they're undoubtedly taking after a rough December and visit their ambitious - and worthy effort.

Viva Italia!

Having shaken off the (much-lamented) closing of Belle Forche, chef Matt Yohalem has quickly conjured a New Orleans version of Il Piatto in its ashes. When I talked to him shortly before Il Piatto's opening, he still seemed slightly mystified at how walk-ins were consistently dwindling at his former Frenchmen Street eatery ("The street just died," he says), but he's cut his losses and moved on.

The new Il Piatto, a sister to the 10-year-old Santa Fe restaurant of the same name, came together quickly in the Maple Street digs that formerly housed Nautical, and Yohalem is revved up about the change of scenery. "To me, Uptown is New Orleans," he says, excitedly pointing to features in the new building that he didn't have downtown including a 25-space parking lot behind it and a newly constructed pasta and dessert kitchen that faces out to the street.

The New York-born Yohalem's take on Italian fare is lighter than the fat-heavy concoctions of the Mario Batali stripe that have been in vogue of late, and he also cautions diners that they won't be finding the likes of veal piccata on his menu: "I don't think you have to be clichéd to get to people," he says. His new menu is far more family-priced than Belle Forche, and he aims to win locals' hearts with it. Pastas (priced in the low teens) include pumpkin ravioli with pine nuts and brown sage butter and sundried tomatoes in Mascarpone jus; while entrees include pancetta wrapped trout with grilled polenta and wild mushrooms; and pork loin rollatini with fontina, prosciutto, roasted peppers and garlic mashed potatoes.

Yohalem adds that he's putting even more attention and love into an elaborate specials board that will change constantly. And while he's still jetting off to his Santa Fe restaurant once a month, the chef says he's in New Orleans to stay, hinting that there may be even further local projects in the works once Il Piatta gets securely off the ground.

Another Young Chef Worth Watching

If you haven't been to Gautreaux's since chef Mat Wolf took charge of the menu in June 2002, then you'd do right to check in on the stunning things he's turning out of the Uptown perennial's tiny kitchen. A Seattle native, Wolf worked under the late Jamie Shannon at Commander's Palace in the mid-nineties, then was at Gautreaux's under Dick Benz before returning home for a stint. He came back, longing for the city's rich flavors and lured by an offer from Patrick Singley, Gautreaux's owner, to head up the kitchen, and he's been doing justice to the restaurant's storied history ever since.

Wolf describes his style thusly: "I let the food speak for itself. Let's not try to overdo something or mask it with cream or butter. Complement the proteins - don't cover them." While his menu changes monthly, recent standouts have included peppered shrimp with citrus gastrique; oriechette pasta with peas, prosciutto and Parmigiano-Reggiano; roasted duck breast with a ragout of black lentils, figs and foie gras; and a caramelized banana split with toasted walnuts, butterscotch and fudge sauce that perfectly walks the line between homey nostalgia and haute sensibility.

At just over 30, Wolf is one of a new breed of younger chefs who are taking over some of the city's most important kitchens, and his vitality translates into every dish. So elbow your way in among the Uptown gentry for a taste of the next generation of New Orleans cooking.