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cafe new orleans, fredericksburg, virginia

since moving to fredericksburg from texas, one cuisine my husband and i have missed is authentic cajun food, so we were excited when cafe new orleans opened downtown last year.

the interior of the restaurant was cute, painted with festive colors and accented with relics from new orleans (i.e. mardi gras beads, masks, and jazz posters). cafe new orleans has a nightclub upstairs and perhaps that why the restaurant smelled like a mixture of sweat, alcohol, and stale cigarette smoke. it wasn't an appetizing smell, but after a few minutes i got used to the odor and it didn't affect my enjoyment of the food.

the entrees ranged in price from $11.95 to $16.95. we didn't want to spend much money so we decided to go for the po' boy sandwiches ($5.95 and $6.95). our subdued waiter informed us that the po' boys were not available after five o'clock because their bread supplier closes at that time and they were unable to get fresh french bread for the sandwiches. after consulting the menu again, we decided to split several different dishes instead. we ordered cajun popcorn (fried crawfish) with remoulade dipping sauce ($6.95), a large bowl of red beans & rice ($3.95), a bowl of their classic style gumbo ($4.95 shrimp, crab, oysters, or chicken can be added for an additional price each).

the bite-sized tidbits of cajun popcorn were nicely fried and tender. the accompanying remoulade sauce (a spicy mayonnaise based condiment typical in louisiana) was pleasingly piquant. the red beans and rice were satisfactory, although kind of bland. kidney beans were peppered throughout the red beans, which i thought was different (read, not authentic). the gumbo wasn't like any gumbo i have ever had. authentic gumbo is a rich stew with bold flavor and roux so dark ti looks like mud. at cafe new orleans, the gumbo canb best be described as a scoop of white rice doused in a fairly thin gravy topped with a sprinkling of lightly cooked okra, fresh diced tomatoes, raw red onions and bell peppers, and scallions. it was light and delicate and actually very good. it just wasn't as authentic as the gumbo in louisiana, or even texas.

we were surprised when our waiter told us there would be no charge for our soft drinks or gumbo since he failed to tell us about the unavailability of the po' boys upon our arrival. he certainly didn't have to do that (we had not complained) and it left quite an impression.

although cafe new orleans isn't exactly authentic louisiana fare (we have to remember we are in virginia, not louisiana), the food is decent and the service is above average. we will definately go back. we still want to try the po' boys.

posted by: artichoke72 at 18:11 | link | comments |
restaurant reviews

shrimp enchiladas with goat cheese and chipotle cream

i made these wonderful enchiladas for lunch today. the recipe is by phoenix chef, vincent guerithault and is in the cookbook, savor the southwest. these enchiladas are fairly easy to make and are quite rich. i served them with a simple tossed salad.

shrimp enchiladas with goat cheese and chipotle cream

1 cup diced leek, white and light green parts

½ cup heavy cream

4 ounces mild goat cheese

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 teaspoon olive oil

12 shrimp (26 to 30 per pound), peeled and deveined

chipotle cream

2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

1 cup heavy cream

4 flour tortillas, 8 inches in diameter

fill a saucepan halfway with water and bring to a boil over high heat. add the leeks, cook about 1 minute, and immediately drain and rinse with cold water. wipe the pan dry and return the leeks to the pan. add cream, goat cheese, salt, and pepper. place the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring, until the cheese is melted and the sauce is somewhat thickened, about 10 minutes. set aside.

in a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. when hot, add the shrimp and sauté until they just turn pink, 1 to 2 minutes. when cool enough to handle, slice the shrimp lengthwise along their backs so there are 24 pieces of shrimp.

for the chipotle cream: in a mini food processor or with a sharp knife, very finely chop the chiles; strain into a small saucepan. add the cream to the pan and heat over medium heat, whisking, until the mixture is smooth and heated through.

assembly: preheat oven to 350 degrees. divide the cheese-leek mixture evenly among 4 tortillas, placing the mixture along the length of the center of the tortillas. place 4 shrimp pieces on top and roll up into a cylinder. place in an 8 x 8-inch ovenproof dish and pour the chipotle cream over all; cover with foil. heat in the oven until warmed through, 10 to 15 minutes. remove from the oven and , with a spatula, place 1 enchilada on each plate. top each with 2 pieces of the remaining shrimp and surround with a spoonful of the sauce from the bottom of the baking dish. serve immediately.

recipe notes:

* i divided the cheese mixture and the shrimp between 6 smaller flour tortillas and thought it worked out well (otherwise, each enchilada would contain too much of the cheese mixture).

posted by: artichoke72 at 02:56 | link | comments (1) |
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roasted vegetable paninis

tonight i made roasted vegetable paninis and they were fantastic!

i marinated sliced yellow squash, red onion, and white mushrooms in olive oil and balsamic vinegar seasoned with salt, pepper, and italian herbs. i grilled the veggies in a grill pan and then removed them to a plate. then i put thick slices of rustic tuscan style bread in the grill pan. when the first side was good and toasted, i turned the bread over and layered mozzarella cheese, the grilled vegetables, fresh baby spinach, sliced roma tomatoes, and the other slice of bread. i smashed the sandwich down while it was in the grill pan in order to meld the flavors and turned it once to make sure the other side got good and toasty too. once the cheese was melted, i took the sandwich off the grill and served it with homemade italian vegetable soup.

posted by: artichoke72 at 01:56 | link | comments (2) |
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strawberries

we went to the belvedere plantation (the local pick your own strawberry patch) yesterday and picked about 15 pounds of beautiful, red, ripe strawberries. we ate so many strawberries that day! i came home from the strawberry farm and washed, dried, sliced and bagged strawberries for the freezer. i managed to eat quite a few fresh strawberries during the process.  one of our cats even joined in and ate a few strawberries and spent the rest of the day with pink stains on his white face.  after dinner we had strawberry shortcake. later on, our neighbors came over and we had vodka-spiked strawberry limeade.

this morning i made strawberry pecan pancakes and they were amazing...perhaps the best pancakes i have ever had. i made a basic pancake recipe from the joy of cooking (with a few variations...substituted in some whole wheat flour for the regular flour and then added a bit of oat bran) and then added crushed pecans and fresh strawberry slices to the pancake right after placing the batter in the pan. and if we had not consumed enough strawberries yet, for dinner tonight i made a really good strawberry-chipotle sauce to serve with pork tenderloin. for the strawberry-chipotle sauce  i sauteed shallot and garlic in a bit of olive oil. i added fresh sliced strawberries (frozen would work fine) and a couple of chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and about a cup of water. i let that cook down and then strained the liquid into saucepan. i added a splash of vinegar, a dash of salt and pepper, and a sprinkling of sugar and continued to let the sauce cook down until it became the desired consistency (about like syrup). the sauce was , but tasty. it was sweet but had some kick from the chipotle, although it wasn't overwhelmed by the smokey chipotle flavor. the strawberry-chipotle sauce went with the pork very well.

i still have a freezer full of strawberries, so i will continue to be creative with that brilliant fruit over the next few months.  i'm already looking forward to blackberry season and hope to be able to the pick your own blackberry farm in westmoreland county to pick a considerable supply of big delicious blackberries.

posted by: artichoke72 at 21:10 | link | comments (2) |
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Goat Cheese Stuffed Jalapeños

8 whole fresh jalapeño peppers
4 oz. goat cheese
1 egg
flour for dredging
2 c. crushed crackers (i used panko...japanese bread crumbs)
1 tablespoon milk

slit peppers in half lengthwise (do not cut in half) and discard seeds,leaving stems intact. Stuff each pepper with 1/2 ounce goat cheese. dredge in flour. beat eggs and milk together and dip peppers in egg-wash and then into crushed crackers (or panko). deep fry at 350 degrees until golden brown and serve hot with sour cream and salsa for dipping.

note:  these were pretty good.  i liked the way the panko worked out.  the only thing i would change next time is to make sure i season the goat cheese and the dredging flour well with salt and pepper....the were a bit bland.  this may also been because the goat cheese i used was very very mild, so an aged goat cheese would have been better.

posted by: artichoke72 at 21:15 | link | comments |
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