Whee! Jazz brunch! Forget the raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens; jazz brunches certainly are among my favorite things, expecially when it's New Orleans-style. And that's what Evangeline's Bistro and Music House is delivering on Sundays. Brunch starts at 11 and music starts at 11.30 a.m. The group Miss Jubilee plays the Sunday brunch, great retro music just right for a good time.
The brunch menu certainly covers lunch-y items like jambalaya and salad. But the Potato Queen, Mr. T and I were there for morning food. And morning libation, this being brunch. A Pimm's Royale was delightful, the Pimm's coloring the sparkling wine to a dark amber, very fruity in flavor, but with that mysterious question mark of flavor that Pimm's always brings. The Hemingway daiquiri, using grapefruit rather than lime, arrived strong and rich, a sipping drink rather than one to gulp. A split of Spanish sparkling wine rounded out the table's intial beverage order, although it was very hard to pass up a milk punch, that traditional New Orleans eye-opener, or a Ramos gin fizz, more apt to be found later in the day in its home town.
Stuffed French toast is available in two styles, Bananas Foster and Strawberries Jubilee. Since the strawberry version said it came with "Foster sauce", that seemed like the best of both, and it was very good. Three lengths of New Orleans-style French bread served cut ends up (and resembling osso bucco) were stuffed with cream cheese and strawberries, some fresh berries atop and then the gooey brown sugar-butter sauce, that had been cooked to enough thickness that even a bit of it on a fork drew a string of sweetness up from the plate. The strawberries' tartness bounced off that sweet very happily.
Eggs? The omelet NOLA starts out vegetarian with onion and bell pepper, three cheeses and on top a salsa with vegetables that have been chargrilled. One can add shrimp or andouille sausage; the shrimp option was very tasty, perfectly cooked. Brabant potatoes, another Crescent City-ish dish, are deep-fried squares of potato with more bits of onion and bell pepper. Sometimes this dish is pan-fried, but not in this case.
The piece de resistance, though, may have been the andouille biscuits and gravy. Andouille, a coarsely ground, spicy, twice-smoked pork sausage is a Louisiana specialty, and was right at home in the gravy. The heat was not immense but there was a definite warmth, the seasoning making the dish different from the usual country sausage versions around town. Biscuits were good, tender and light, but I admit that I'd certainly like to see this over a piece of good unsweetened cornbread, hot and buttered, to compare to a biscuit version. A side order of a couple of eggs, over easy, were properly cooked.
Also available as a side order is blackstrap molasses bacon. Thick-cut, it's glazed, sticky, but not as sweet as the brown-sugar versions, and chewy, quite worthwhile.
The one lapse was the beignets. Hot and definitely freshly fried, with almost enough powdered sugar sifted over them – by rights, the hot, doughnut-like rectangles should be adrift in it – they were technically well-done but were pillowy-soft and fully of hot air rather than gnarly and slightly chewy, a la Cafe du Monde and its freres. They're also available glazed, which would move them even closer to the yeast-raised doughnut clan, but that needs to wait for another visit.
Very busy, and short one server on our visit, but the music makes the wait pleasant, and our server kept smiling despite the heavy action. A strong recommendation for reservations here for brunch. Valet parking available.
Evangeline's Bistro and Music House
512 N. Euclid Ave.
314-367-3644
Brunch Sun. 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Credit cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: Good
Smoking: No
Brunch entrees: $8-$22