[New Orleans, LA] - Compère Lapin
While I have a sizable list of my own for places I want to dine at in New Orleans, I am not one to discount suggestions from like minded friends. One of my friends, when I told her I had gone to Shaya, sent me a link to a YouTube video of another New Orleans chef who ate there. She said that because of this particular video, she wanted to try Shaya. Because of that video, I wanted to try Compère Lapin! It jumped to the top of my list.
On the Compère Lapin website, if you have a party over 5, you have to call to make a reservation. We didn't get the exact time we wanted, but it was still at a reasonable dinner hour (6:30pm).
I definitely felt the pressure for my fellow dining companions to also enjoy the meal. I am happy to report that everyone seemed overall happy with dinner though! The majority of my fellow dining companions also tried something new, which is always a plus for me. Am I the only one who has that dilemma when being tasked with picking a place for a meal?
We started off with some drinks. Based on the server's recommendation, I went with the Andromeda. It tasted like a Pisco sour, and had a cute rabbit shaped in the foam. The Andromeda had pisco along with green chile vodka, lime, grapefruit, and rose. I mostly liked it because of the cute rabbit in the drink though. Next time I visit, I will probably go with wine or beer.
Complimentary bread with whipped butter
Mezza Luna. This was not on the menu as it was a special that day. Called Mezza Luna because it translates into "half moon" and they are hand made to be in the shape of half moons. Inside is ricotta and pickled ramps. Comes with only a few, so if you have a bigger party, you might want to get two orders so everyone can try some.
Listed on the menu as hamachi, this hamachi ceviche was pretty fantastic. It is right up there with the ceviche I've had at Andina and Limón Rotisserie. The Leche de Tigre was very light and lemony, while the cancha provided a great textural contrast. Cancha, for those new to Peruvian food, is toasted corn. Some restaurants use corn nuts, the snack as a substitute. Of course, freshly toasted corn is always best!
Spiced pig ears with smoked aioli. This was a table favorite. Prior to dining here, the majority of the reviews recommended ordering them. Crispy and like a less fluffy version of chicharron, the pieces I had were kind of powdery. Some were a little spicy, but it wasn't consistent. We had two orders of them at our table. One of the plates was mild. I may not have been as wild about it because I'm not a huge aioli fan.
Conch croquettes with pickled pineapple tartar sauce with a dollop of tobiko. Both the conch and the pig ears are under the "small bites section" and are small portions meant for a taste. Well, the conch croquettes were my favorite of the small bites (just after the hamachi). Inside the croquette, it was easy to spot and taste the conch. Texturally, it's a lot like cherry stone clams and has a mild flavor.
Curried Goat with sweet potato gnocchi and cashews. This entree was delicious. The waitress warned us that it's not like Indian curry, because it's a Caribbean style of curry. It's actually what I wanted to order, but a few other people were already ordering it so I ended up ordering something else with the promise to share and try each other's dishes. Really wish I went with the curry. Not because the scialatielli I ordered wasn't good, but because the goat curry was that good. On top of not being able to eat it anywhere else. Ah, regret. I will probably be thinking about that light coconuty flavor for a while to come.
Trio of pork with golden beets and sour cherry jus. The three ways are: sausage, belly, and what I'm guessing is loin. The loin was as expected, cooked to perfection. The pork belly was the best though. It had so much flavor you could eat it plain. The loin went best with the cherry jus.
Black drum on squash with a beurre blanc sauce. Speckled with caviar. The beurre blanc was so light and creamy and paired exceptionally well with the perfectly cooked fish. I feel that it's not often I enjoy well cooked fish outside of the PNW (too many times it's been dry and overcooked that I will only really eat fish at restaurants if it's raw and at a great sushi restaurant), so this black drum was a real treat. That, and the sauce wasn't overpowering.
Scialatielli with clams, shrimp, and chili flakes. The waitress told us that these noodles are hand made, and that the sauce had the juice from the cooked clams. Being a big fan of clams and hand made noodles, I had to give it a try (if not because everyone else ordered the curried goat already!). I'm glad I did. It was, as she said, pretty "clammy." The noodles were very good also (again, sucker for hand made noodles!). Firm but not doughy, and lemony from the sauce.
Strawberry shortcake. It sounded good in theory, but I think we were all a bit disappointed when it arrived. Deconstructed food is a bit douchey for me, and I think for those who are used to a more traditional strawberry shortcake look, it was confusing. I'm sure it works for the hipster crowd though! Aside from the looks, it tasted good. It was a challenge to scoop some of the strawberry sorbet, coconut, hazelnuts, baby chard, strawberry, angel food cake, and whipped cream onto the spoon for one bite. Most of the other diners gave up and I am pretty sure I ended up doing the most damage.
Andromeda
The Van Gogh. It has Gin, ginger, coconut, mint Jasmine, and pineapple. I wanted to try one of their daiquiris because it looked so good but I knew if I did, I wouldn't have enough room for my meal. It was pretty though!
South Island Swizzle which has rhum, Manzanilla, honey, lime, and coconut water. I will admit, I thought they spelled it "rhum" to be cute, but it's actually rum made from sugarcane instead of molasses, and is from the French Caribbean Islands. So it makes a lot of sense in regards to the restaurant and theme Chef Nina Compton is going for!
I love the simplicity of the logo and decor
I love light and airy spaces
All the menus! As held up by Compère Lapin 👯
Menu
Address:
The Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery535 Tchoupitoulas St.
New Orleans, LA 70130
Website
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