The building, which houses the restaurant on Restaurant Row between 8th and 9th Ave. on 46th Street, possesses all of the things necessary for an authentic New Orleans French Quarter experience. The striking attention to detail in this 100 year-old two-story building, which is a perfect replica of the Bourbon Street establishment of the same name, has been faithfully recreated. The gas-burning lanterns, the “alligator butler” mascot and the outdoor balcony complete with wrought iron railings pulls you out of New York, and makes you feel as though you are overlooking a bayou. To create the bi-level restaurant, the owners conserved some of the original bricks and doors of the centuries’ old building, while also adding reflections of Louisiana including chandeliers adorned with Mardi Gras beads, black checkerboard floors, and a fleur-de-lis motif that extends from the hand-painted walls to the details. Tobacco colored-dining room chairs round out the décor.
The bar and lounge are located on the first floor. Towards the front one will find intimate booths and communal tables suitable for large parties. The lounge is located towards the back of the room and is surrounded with stained glass windows and an arched, wooden doorway, which offers privacy, and that French Quarter feeling. A more formal dining room is located upstairs, complete with a service bar that displays a rare selection of bourbons. A second outdoor patio is located in the back.
Chef Hines is well known for several of his dishes, including his Oysters Rockefeller, Turtle Soup, and the “Buffalo” Alligator. We had the Duck Spring Roll, flash fried with Duck confit, caramelized shallots, fresh parsley, fontina cheese, and orange gastrique. Be prepared for a pleasantly confusing shock to your palate—the complexity of the ingredients, coupled with its crispness is absolutely fabulous. The flash frying makes it crispy, but with much less fat than normal. Chef Hines noted that his goal is to keep the original ingredients with as little fat as possible in order to retain the true taste of the meat.
And is it chicken or is it fish? Upon chewing on it, the hard consistency of the meat was found to be very confusing since it happened to be the Buffalo Alligator Celeriac. The chef applies the flavors of Buffalo wings to the traditional alligator meat of Louisiana. He marinates strips of alligator in buttermilk, flash fries it, then surrounds it with a moat of spicy sauce and blue cheese cream, accompanied by julienned carrots and celeriac (instead of celery). Another favorite is the classic Turtle Soup, a hearty blend of 75 percent ground turtle meat (with veal to balance it out) in a slightly spicy broth. Hines imports many products from Louisiana including turtle, alligator, Gulf oysters and shrimp, andouille sausage, and pork tasso.
For main course, we had the medallion fillet mignon with mushrooms and blue cheese mashed potatoes, which tasted as good as they sound.
You cannot visit a New Orleans restaurant without trying the desserts: perhaps the beignet, those heavenly donuts doused in powdered sugar? Or maybe the bread pudding, made with raisins soaked in Early Times Bourbon? There’s also the Bourbon pecan pie with vanilla ice cream and salted caramel sauce. Finally, there’s yet another New Orleans favorite, the famous sugary pecan praline with Creole cream cheese cheesecake. We ended up choosing the bread pudding and the cheesecake, both of which were A-list.
Recommendations for the casual dining area include the New Orleans Style BBQ shrimp, jumbo shrimp sautéed with Abita (Louisiana beer), Worcestershire, black pepper, butter, with rosemary and lemon and French-influenced roasted chicken “Bonne Femme a bone-in herb-roasted with baby carrots, pearl onions, mushrooms, fingerlings and fresh herbs roasted chicken jus; definitely a great value.
Another one of Hines’ signature dishes is the Bourbon steak and shrimp, his own creative version of surf and turf with wonderfully sweet, hot and tangy Creole seasoned shrimp, glazed with Bourbon-spiked chili and orange juice sauce, paired with a 14 ounce New York Strip.
One of Bourbon Street’s great features is Jazz Brunch. Each weekend, a live New Orleans jazz band fills Bourbon Street with the cool, mellow sounds of the South, setting the mood for authentic New Orleans Pain Perdu (custardy French toast utilizing that special custom-made bread) or Crab Oscar, grilled asparagus and poached eggs topped with béarnaise sauce. There’s also the Veal grillades and grits, tender veal medallions sautéed with peppers and onions in a rich veal reduction with a side of classic Southern cornmeal grits which is enhanced with andouille (spicy sausage) and white cheddar. The list goes on.
Like everything else, the cocktail list is top notch. Prepared by veteran mixologist Allen Boyd, you’ll find all the New Orleans classics as well as some unique interpretations. But don’t expect an overly sweet, sickening Hurricane in a plastic cup. Boyd’s Hurricane is a well-balanced mixture of fresh passion fruit and orange juices with high quality light and dark rum and a touch of grenadine. His award-winning Bloody Mary is reason enough to come for brunch. The carefully marinated garnishes, complete with 15 different ingredients, including wine-soaked cucumber, green olives, okra, haricot verts, and a spiced rim, will change your perception of the cocktail. Boyd’s extra special Mango Martini is made with a special limited edition Absolut New Orleans vodka and mango puree prepared by the chef.
Chef Hines began his culinary career at a young age apprenticing with the famous Brennan restaurateurs. Starting at the Palace Café, he studied under renowned chefs Dickie Brennan, Gus Martin, and Darin Nesbit. He was appointed as one of the youngest sous chefs in the history of the Palace Café. One year later he was asked to take command of the kitchen at Palace Café’s sister restaurant Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse. During his tenure there, it was named one of the top 10 steakhouses in the United States.
THE VERDICT: Relatively light on fat and a small bill for the amount of food consumed. Two thumbs up.
Price range for Lunch $ 10–$20
Dinner $17–45 for a three-course meal and wine
There is also a temperature lunch that is connected to the temperature in Louisiana of the previous day. If it is 100 degrees the day before, then you can have a lunch for $10.00
Bourbon Street Bar & Grille is located at 346 West 46th Street, (212) 245-2030. Sunday-Wednesday, 11 a.m.–1 a.m., and Thursday-Saturday from 11 a.m.–2 a.m.
Brunch is available Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
Web site: www.bourbonny.com
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