EAT DRINK
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FORK + center BY IAN MCNULTY Email Ian McNulty at mcnulty@cox.net
putting everything on the table what
Magasin Cafe
where
4201 Magazine St., 8967611; www.magasincafe.com
when
lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat.
how much inexpensive
reservations not accepted
what works
crepes, rice plates, banh mi on baguettes, spring roll variety
what doesn’t
peak times feel chaotic, and service suffers
check, please
a contemporary approach to casual Vietnamese
Inside the sandwich studio
The art glass produced at Bywater’s Studio Inferno is widely admired for its form and beauty. Recently, though, I found myself admiring the form, beauty and flavor of a Reuben sandwich served at the same address, this time from Jims (3000 Royal St., 304-8224), an impressive new sandwich shop that shares the roof with Studio Inferno’s glass-blowing kilns. The pastrami and corned beef were sliced thin and stacked high, the sauerkraut had a pickled crunch, the Swiss and provolone formed a stretchy cap and a seam of Russian dressing ran along the top piece of dense, golden-griddled rye. It’s hard to find a truly memorable Reuben in New Orleans, but here was one at an unlikely new lunch spot in Bywater. Jims is named for co-owners Jim Renier and Jim Vella. They started talking about opening a food business together, and soon the idea for a specialty sandwich shop took shape. What emerged is a menu of sandwiches that come from traditions not strongly represented in New Orleans: deli classics like the Reuben, a cheese steak, a Cuban sandwich, a bratwurst simmered in beer and chicken cordon bleu. “The first thing people say when they come in is ‘What, no po-boys?’” Vella says. “We’re not anti po-boy by any means, but
Magasin Cafe serves its take on traditional Vietnamese dishes. PHOTO BY CHERYL GERBER
Smart twists and a bold design lift a Vietnamese cafe. By Ian McNulty
Y
ou overhear the darnedest things during a meal at Magasin Cafe, a new Vietnamese restaurant that’s proved so popular, and crowded, that eavesdropping is unavoidable. At one table, a woman wants to know if she can get her spring rolls steamed, at another someone is asking if the Vietnamese crepes are sweet or savory, and in between there’s a request for a side bowl of white rice, in the manner of a Chinese restaurant meal. These aren’t the typical questions you hear at Vietnamese restaurants, but then Magasin and its clientele aren’t typical for Vietnamese restaurants. This isn’t the first Vietnamese restaurant to open Uptown. August Moon and Jazmine Cafe have been serving many of the same dishes for years, and Magasin opened amid a flurry of new Uptown noodle shops this year. But Magasin stood out from the start, luring in capacity crowds, including many newcomers to this famously light cuisine. Occupying a renovated space that formerly was a rundown grocery, Magasin’s sleek, white surfaces and broad picture windows give it a look as contemporary and compelling as a new Apple product. A design-savvy hand set this stage, but even the patio in back — an area of lattice, broken masonry and a portable grill that doesn’t fit in the kitchen — has its own DIY appeal. Like most of its peers, Magasin’s prices are low (very few items cost more than $10, and it’s BYOB), but presentations are prettier and more stylish.
Pho is usually the heart and soul of a Vietnamese cafe, and it’s the dish aficionados judge first. Magasin’s is a fair introduction, though it lacks the robust, cooked-all-day intensity and smooth but substantial viscosity of the best pho. If you already have a favorite, this one is unlikely to sway you. The focus, and the strong suit, of Magasin is in smart, significant twists to other facets of the noodle shop script. Among the many spring roll fillings, for instance, are fried eggs with brick-red links of chewy and dense Chinese sausage. Vietnamese crepes are indeed savory, and they’re more like omelets than pancakes. At Magasin, they’re also very thin and folded taco-style around grilled pork, with shrimp and fried onions on top. Grilled meat and jasmine rice is another standard Vietnamese combo, but at Magasin the meat is balanced on a molded cylinder of rice with the striking addition of a sunny-side-up egg sitting atop that. Eyes follow these dishes around the room as waitresses deliver them. Then there’s Magasin’s unconventional banh mi, which are made on crusty baguettes from nearby La Boulangerie. Foregoing the local standard Vietnamese loaf, with its airy crumb and crackly crisp exterior, is a big deal for banh mi, akin to a muffuletta maker switching to kaiser rolls. The result at Magasin is not necessarily more delicious, but it does effectively frame a familiar Vietnamese staple in a new way. From the dishes it serves to the vibe it stokes, that seems to be Magasin’s mission all over.
WINE OF THE week BY BRENDA MAITLAND Email Brenda Maitland at winediva1@bellsouth.net
2011 The Seeker Sauvignon Blanc MARLBOROUGH, NEW ZEALAND $12-$16 RETAIL
The Seeker label offers high-quality, good-value bottlings sourced from two New Zealand vineyards. Fermented in stainless steel and aged on its lees for 3 months, this wine has a crisp, clean character. In the glass, it offers aromas of citrus, passion fruit and kiwi. On the palate, taste grapefruit, lime and guava leading to an acid-balanced finish. Drink it with soups, salads, artichokes, asparagus, oysters, seafood, Asian cuisines and light meats. Buy it at: most Rouses, Schiro’s Deli and Bar, Bacchanal, Canseco’s Markets in Metairie, Dorignac’s, Lishman’s City Markets in Slidell and Habanos of Slidell. Drink it at: Canal Street Bistro, The Joint and d.b.a.
Gambit > bestofneworleans.com > june 19 > 2012
The Shock of the Noodle
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