Restaurant R`evolution

Restaurant Revolution Entry

A lot of attention has been made about the newest fine dining restaurant in New Orleans, Restaurant R`evolution, a partnership between John Folse (of Lafitte’s Landing Restaurant fame) and Rick Tramonto (of Tru fame).

Located right off of Bourbon Street and part of the RoyalSonesta Hotel, Restaurant R`evolution has been garnering a lot of press.

The restaurant does not occupy a large space, but is finely decorated with dark woods in the bar, with an open dining room concept with an eclectic mix of furnishings such as couches, banquettes and the more traditional dining table.

Attention to detail is a main part of the restaurant.  Ladies are given a small ottoman in which to place their purses.

The restaurant is well staffed, perhaps overly so, as the dining room can get crowded with servers and staff at times.

Oxtail Gelee

The meal started off with an amouse bouche of oxtail gelee, which had a nice rich deep flavor.  A great way to get the taste buds going.

Olive Oil, Salted Butter, Unsalted Butter

Herb Biscuit,  Grain Wheat Roll

Bread service begins with a choice of a 7 grain wheat roll, herb biscuit, or flatbread with unsalted butter, salted butter, or olive oil.

Death By Gumbo

The Death by Gumbo is an innovative dish.  The plate is presented with a large silver dome, which is removed tableside.  A quail is presented in the bowl, and the server pours the soup around the quail.  The quail is stuffed with file` rice, Andouille sausage and oysters.  The idea is for the contents to “pour” out of the quail when broken.  This is a more refined gumbo, with a “cleaner” taste, not the real earthy flavors one expects of gumbo.  A nice solid dish to start the meal.

House Salad with Crispy Vegetables

The House Salad with Crispy Vegetables include lettuce, frisee, haricot vert, cucumbers, radicchio with lightly toasted croutons.  The salad was not over dressed and was balanced.  However, no fresh ground pepper was offered.

Sheep Ricotta Gnocchi with Lobster

The Sheep Ricotta Gnocchi with Lobster came with a sauce that was very sweet and citrusy.  It almost tasted like Lemonhead candies were melted down to make the sauce.  The gnocchi were very light and delicate, while the lobster was perfectly cooked, tender and full of flavor.  There was a slight hint of vanilla, but the overwhelming sweet citrus notes made this dish just average.

Red Snapper and Pork Belly A La Plancha

The Red Snapper and Pork Belly A La Plancha, paired a nice piece of red snapper with a rather large piece of pork belly.  Unfortunately, the red snapper was overcooked, which made it dry and somewhat mealy.  The pork belly was full of flavor, but most of the fat had not been rendered which made the fat a little too much for my taste.  Although the fat had been cooked down to the point it became a nice gelatinous texture the whole mouth feel of nothing but fat was a little unappealing.

Truffled Mashed Potatoes

The Truffled Mashed Potatoes were not finely mashed and had a rustic quality that was enjoyable.  There were noticeable pieces of truffle that could be seen throughout the mashed potatoes, which were also mixed with truffle oil.  It was almost like truffle overload, but in a good way.

Brick Oven Brussel Sprouts

The Brick Oven Brussel Sprouts with Bacon were cooked to the point where some of the Brussel sprouts had become carmelized.  Paired with a generous portion of bacon, even non-Brussel sprout eaters would have a hard time not liking this dish.

Banana Cream Pie a' La Mode

The Banana Cream Pie a` La Mode was deconstructed to the point where it was almost impossible to tell what it was supposed to be.  Although all of the components of banana cream pie were there, the vision of the dish became lost on me.

White Chocolate Bread Pudding Creme Brulee

The White Chocolate Bread Pudding Crème Brulee was a nice large portion of bread pudding with crème brulee on top.  The lemon-scented apricots lightened up the dish, while the salted bourbon caramel sauce provided a taste, and textural contrast.

It should be noted that John Folse and Rick Tramonto may not have been in the kitchen during my visit, as they had cooked at the James Beard House the previous night.

In addition to not being offered any ground pepper for the salad, there were also some service issues.  The waitress forgot one of the dishes, and had to come back and confirm our order.  Also, the servers laid out the silverware for the Death By Gumbo dish in front of the wrong person.

I would not expect service flaws like this from a restaurant of this magnitude even if they have been open only a short time.

It appears that the presence of Folse and Tramonto in the kitchen are required until Restaurant R`evolution gets a little more seasoning under their belt.

777 Bienville Street

New Orleans, LA 70130

(504) 553-2277