Saturday, October 11, 2008

Lunch At MiLa

 

Grandpère, my daughter, and I shared lunch a few weeks ago at MiLa Restaurant in New Orleans to celebrate my daughter's birthday and mine. Daughter paid the bill, which I thought was not quite right. GP should have paid, don't you think?

Paul, the BB, first called my attention to the restaurant when he posted a picture of the interior of the restaurant, taken from the outside, during one of his many meanderings around New Orleans in the CBC (Central Business District). I could not find his picture to give a link, but I was intrigued by the decor. When I checked for reviews of the restaurant, I found this, and it was enough for me to suggest that we go to lunch there. I know, I know. Too many links for one post.

We arrived there at a few minutes after two o'clock, late for lunch, but we were the only patrons in the restaurant. I was sorry to see that. I'd have thought we'd see a few diners finishing their lunch. The wait staff was excellent, attentive, but not to the point of intrusiveness. The three-course lunches are reasonably priced and offer a small, but inviting, number of choices. My daughter and I ordered the same dish:

Smoked Pepper Dusted Petit Filet, Mixed Vegetables, Roasted Shiitakes, Red Wine Sauce, along with a Shrimp and Artichoke Salad

GP ordered:

Filo-Crusted Redfish
Spring Peas and Pearl Onions, Lobster Emulsion, with the Shrimp and Artichoke Salad


The salad was delicious, and my daughter and I both loved our entrées. GP didn't rave about his dish, as we did ours. I don't know why he ordered redfish, because he warns me not to order speckled trout and redfish, because he catches them, and why should we pay restaurant prices for them? He's not overly enthusiastic about meals which I think are delicious. He's not overly enthusiastic about any restaurant meals. I think his taste buds are failing. Nothing seems quite good enough.

Then on to dessert. I had the Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding With Confiture of Louisiana Strawberries, which is to die for, and Daughter had the Chocolate Mousse, which is also to die for. I know because we tasted each other's desserts. GP had the Louisiana Citrus Sorbets, Housemade using Plaquemine’s Parish Citrus, Shortbread Cookie, Mint Purée, which he did allow was quite good. Yay! Finally. The menu varies, so you will not find all of the dishes we ordered listed in the menu on their website.

Our waiter told us that the restaurant is busy during the dinner hours. I hope that's so, as I'd really like to see this one make it. From the website:

MiLa is the culmination of both the marriage of chefs Slade Rushing and Allison Vines-Rushing and their respective home state cuisines – Mississippi and Louisiana.

They do quite a good job of it, and I wish them well in their venture. I love the decor that the two chose for the restaurant. I thank Paul for drawing MiLa to my attention. If you're from New Orleans or not far away, I urge you to give this wonderful place a try. Visitors to the city, too, go have a meal there.

23 comments:

  1. Now that looks my sort of place. When I visit I'll take you there.

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  2. DP, when do you think that might be? I'm not getting any younger, you know.

    Do you think I could make money doing restaurant reviews?

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  3. Thank you, thank you, Mimi. I had a reservation to take my boss there on her birthday but her boyfriend flew into town to surprise her and I could only yield the occasion. We have not yet rescheduled but I plan to dine there before leaving NOLA. Especially since I walk past it twice every workday.

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  4. Aha! Buttering up the boss!

    Do go at least one time before you leave. The waiter told us that prices are much higher for dinner. Just sayin'

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  5. Now I would really enjoy that restaurant, as I would enjoy New Orleans as a whole. One day...

    So happy to see you joining the gourmet bloggers in writing a restaurant critique. You have not quite reached the dizzy culinary heights of canned tomatoes on toast, Grandmere, but I feel it's only a mater of time!

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  6. Let's see now. I've done mystery worshiper, food critic, opera critic, art critic, theologian. What shall I take on next that I know very little about?

    I suspect that the canned tomatoes will continue to circulate long beyond their shelf life.

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  7. For those of you who don't know about the canned (or as they say over there "tinned") tomatoes, here's the link to Saintly Rambling's post on the tasty dish - just so you don't feel left out. You may want to have a look at the rave reviews in the comments.

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  8. How I would love to be in New Orleans, eating there- preferably with you. And the BB if he is in town!
    And of course GP and your daughter if they are available!!

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  9. I had thought 2 visits to NO were enough. Loved the city but so many places to visit in the world. However the thought of dining with you could encourage my return. On the last trip I splurged one night and took my sister to Muriels (booked on net). My diary says "Walked down Bourbon St to Jackson Square and Muriel’s Restaurant. Lovely dinner, I had Redfish, Gumbo NZ wine. There was a noisy party at the next table."
    Because of my hiatus hernia I can not be too adventurous when dining. I will have to ask my sister if she remembers her menu. Somewhere I have stored the menu as a souvenir.

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  10. looks good. will have to try it when we get down there.

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  11. Brian, I've eaten at Muriel's. The food is quite good there. So many restaurants, so little time. We try to check out the places we have not been, but, occasionally, we go back to one of our favorites.

    Dennis, good. When will that be?

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  12. I'm glad you had a good day on your birthday. I'm with G'père on the redfish. It's best if caught fresh and thrown on the grill that afternoon! I am enjoying being back on the coast...at least my taste buds are!

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  13. Lindy, I know what you mean. There's nothing like fresh seafood from the coastal waters. I'm quite spoiled for it, and I miss it when I'm away.

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  14. Ooh ... what a lovely restaurant!

    We'll look it up next time we visit NO (Our long-time favorite has been Delmonico's).

    Did you know those are the colors of the dining room in Monet's home at Giverny? Unfortunately my camera batteries died when when visited there. I did get some photos of the garden, but not of the interior of the home. The dining room was my favorite room because of those colors.

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  15. Mike, I have lovely pictures of Giverny, snapshots, not digital, including the dining room. The negatives are not with the pictures. I'd have to go through many envelopes of negatives, some of them unlabeled, to find Giverny and have them put on a disk.

    A picture of the famous willow tree in the garden that appears in the paintings came out so well that I had it blown up and framed, and it hangs on the wall.

    We like Delmonico's, too.

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  16. I got a some great shots in the garden, one seems to be from the same spot where he painted the lily pond with the little bridge in the distance.

    One of these days I have a suprise for you. It's something I have to scan and send via e-mail. It has to do the Episcopal Cathedral in NO.

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  17. Mike, I can't wait. I was at Christ Church Cathedral in NO today for an organ concert. It was beautiful.

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  18. LOL .... If you go to their concert series, you'll really be surprised!

    BTW, I wrote to you at Maddie's about a concert in NO on Tuesday (tomorrow) at St. Louis Cathedral by Olivier Latry, the great French organist. He played at our church yesterday and was absolutely amazing.

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  19. Mike, I know about Latry's concert, but, unfortunately, I won't be able to attend.

    You should hear our Carol Britt from right here in Thibodaux. The concert yesterday was sort of a practice for her performance at St. Thomas Fifth Avenue in NYC in two weeks. She played Liszt! along with Bach and Widor.

    LOL .... If you go to their concert series, you'll really be surprised!

    What CAN you mean?

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  20. Kewl ... did she do the Lizt B-A-C-H or the Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Sagen?

    You'll soon find out what I mean about Cathedral Concerts.

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  21. Mike, for just such music lovers as you, I saved my program. She played:

    Liszt's "Präludium und Fuge über B-A-C-H"

    Charles Widor's "Symphony No. 6 in G minor" - Adagio

    Excerpts from Bach's "Dritter Teil der Klavierübung"

    There you go.

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  22. Lovely program ...

    Now check yer e-mail for your surprise.

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