>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Email Ian McNulty at imcnulty@cox.net. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< THREE AND OUT >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Mat & Naddie’s (937 Leonidas St., 861-9600; www.matandPUTTING EVERYTHING ON THE TABLE < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < <naddies.com) has a new weekday lunch format. Instead of its long-running lunch buffet, the bistro has a “meat and three” menu featuring entrees and an array of side dish options. WHAT Entrees include fried chicken, Salisbury steak, seared fish, or shrimp and crawfish cakes and can be ordered with choices like Kanno California turnip greens, macaroni and cheese, and okra with tomatoes. Sushi Bar
am
B
WHERE
3205 Edenborn Ave., Metairie, 455-5730 WHEN
Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sat. HOW MUCH
Moderate
RESERVATIONS
Accepted
WHAT WORKS
Five Offbeat Gumbos
Smoked mahi mahi joins crab, shrimp and sweet potato in a unique gumbo.
Hidetoshi Suzuki presents Dijon tuna at Kanno. PHOTO BY CHERYL GERBER
BY IAN MCNULTY
muddle, as with pale slices of toro brought from the sushi fridge like jewels from the case. Kanno’s menu runs the gamut of Japanese cuisine, though as it moves toward more conventional sushi bar items the chef’s attention seems to wander. Some of the specialty rolls are nearly the size of burritos and prove about as messy with sauces, cream cheese and fried seafood routinely overwhelming their wrappers. The tiny confines of Kanno itself put some limitations on the potentially epic meals Suzuki can deliver. When the restaurant is crowded at lunch the place can feel swamped, and at night the jukebox at the adjacent bar is sometimes loud enough to reverberate through the strip mall’s thin wall and across the surface of your sake. But the small scale of this place can also be a blessing, especially with the attention Suzuki and his wife Lin can pay to details. Plenty of Japanese restaurants serve broiled fish neck, but here a salmon neck is smoked so deeply your hands smell like a campfire afterwards. And while the wasabi is a reconstituted paste, as usual, Kanno takes some time preparing this staple, resulting in something that’s sharp but also deeply flavored and almost creamy. Sometimes fresh wasabi root, a pugnacious rarity, turns up in a dish, and it made an erstwhile plain avocado and tofu salad downright exhilarating. For lessons in how a deft hand can transform a few simple ingredients into a craving, it’s best to just belly up to this Fat City bar and ask for something new.
527 JULIA ST., 875-4132 www.cafecarmo.com
COCHON
930 TCHOUPITOULAS ST., 588-2123 ww.cochonrestaurant.com
A rustic-style roux is studded with black-eyed peas and smoked pork.
CHATEAU DU LAC
2037 METAIRIE ROAD, METAIRIE, 831-3773 www.chateaudulacbistro.com
Foie gras enriches the roux and a seared slice floats on top.
PARKWAY BAKERY & TAVERN
538 HAGAN ST., 482-3047 www.parkwaybakeryandtavernnola.com
Turkey and alligator sausage supplant the chicken and andouille standard.
PATOIS
6078 LAUREL ST., 895-9441 www.patoisnola.com
Smoked rabbit and greens join andouille in a dark, thick roux.
Questions? Email winediva1@earthlink.net.
2008 Vitiano Rosso UMBRIA, ITALY / $10-$13 RETAIL
This blend of roughly equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese was produced in Italy’s Umbria region, just below Tuscany’s southern border. The versatile, food-friendly bottling offers subtlety and substance. Aged in French barrels for three months, the wine exhibits aromas of ripe dark fruit with hints of spice and oak. On the palate, taste blackberry, cherry, a hint of anise, an attractive earthy character and a lingering finish. Enjoy it with pizza, meatballs, grilled meats, pasta dishes and cheeses. Buy it at: Whole Foods Markets and Dorignac’s. Drink it at: Domenica. — Brenda Maitland
Gambit > bestofneworleans.com > noVember 08 > 2011
F
IN
WHAT DOESN'T
A precise chef puts his own spin on Japanese flavors
at City has never been the prettiest part of the metro area. But beyond gritty bars and nightclubs, the unexceptional entertainment district has nurtured a lushly diverse dining scene, thanks in large part to first-generation immigrants and other entry-level entrepreneurs opening small eateries. Kanno is in that number, and chef/owner Hidetoshi Suzuki has feathered a little nest he found in a cinderblock strip mall. It’s unique and has become one of the best Japanese restaurants in the area. A native of Osaka, Japan, Suzuki says he was trained as a fine-dining chef back home before learning his sushi skills here in the U.S. That background might explain his penchant for small, composed dishes over the standard array of rolls. The sashimi I’ve tried at Kanno always has been unimpeachably fresh and luscious. But what makes this restaurant worth seeking out are dishes like the Dijon tuna, a sculpted tower made from thick chunks of ruby-red raw fish dressed in a mixture of ponzu and mustard seeds. Miso soup is a standard, but here the “special spicy” miso soup is indeed both. The brick-colored broth — peppery and awash with minced garlic and slices of soft onion— could be a winter’s cure. There’s little need for the standard soy sauce dipping plate at Kanno. The fish arrives either elaborately dressed by the chef, as with swordfish sashimi in a tangle of green and white onions, or too pristine to
five 5 CAFE CARMO
CHECK, PLEASE
BELLY UP TO THIS SUSHI BAR FOR SOME UNUSUAL AND ORIGINAL DISHES.
There’s a new burger specialist in Metairie. Cheeseburger Eddie’s (4517 W. Esplanade Ave., Metairie, 455-5511) opened in October with a menu that includes salmon and tuna burgers, fried pickles and shakes. The Eddie in the name is owner Ed McIntyre, who runs a slew of Jefferson Parish eateries including the mid-range steakhouse Austin’s Restaurant and the neighborhood style Mr. Ed’s restaurants.
Raw fish preparations beyond familiar sushi Bigger rolls can get zany and unwieldy
Fish Tales
CHEESEBURGER, CHEESEBURGER
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