It's an adage among restaurant aficionados that the better the view, the worse the food. Now, that's certainly not always the case, viz the much-mourned Windows On the World and others. But for many, there's a lingering question about eateries in places like Times Square or Piccadilly Circus or, uh, Jackson Square in New Orleans: How good could they be?
So when I began hearing persistent murmurs about Muriel's Jackson Square when I investigated brunch in the Big Easy, I was jubrous, as my mother used to say. Located on one corner of the square, across St. Ann Street from the Presbytere museum, I remembered the building holding a chain restaurant. No more.
Two dining rooms downstairs recall more the feeling of the Twenties or Thirties than the overdone Victorian that would have been an easy overereach. A a cool-feeling, dark bar stretches away from the corner door and windows, probably a sanctuary on steamy August afternoons. But on a sunny December Sunday morning, Muriel's was welcoming. A three-person jazz combo tootled merrily away, no electrical amplification in use. A window table. An eye-opener – and in New Orleans, that doesn't refer to a surprise, it's a breakfast cocktail. And the music.
Milk punch was on the cocktail menu, happily. It's an old New Orleans drink Sam Kogos of Riverbend in St. Louis introduced me to. Yes, milk, with either brandy or bourbon, a little nutmeg, some simple syrup. Think a less-gooey version of eggnog. Easy going down, and thus dangerous. I suspect that some cream may have wandered into the punchbowl for this batch. Good stuff. Turtle soup for a starter, a little kick of pepper riding atop the complex flavors. Nubbles of vegetables and bits of the turtle meat, gristle carefully removed rather than just being chopped up, showed up in the generous serving. (They happily complied with our request to divide it between the two of us.)
This is a menu full of local food traditions, with ingredients like andouille and chaurice sausages, remoulade sauce and gumbo, but the approach often uses them in a modern way. The difficulty with this is that it's a menu that gives a diner some hard choices. With much sighing, I passed up the duck and chaurice hash and went for an omelet filled with shrimp and andouille, topped with a chunky Creole sauce. The filling was generous, the andouille providing a good contrast to the shrimp, one being firmer and spicy, the other tender and sweet, and the tomato-pepper-onion sauce worked well. But the potatoes on the side were what caused a gasp. When the plate arrived, I remarked, "Mmmm, garlic. Smells good." The server replied with a smile that could have been called smug, "That's the brabant potatoes." The cubes of fried potatoes were indeed golden but otherwise looked unpromising. But one bite proved otherwise. Garlicky, although without any visible bits of it, perfectly cooked – and hot enough, by the way – they soared. The descriptive "Brabant" can describe several ways to do potatoes but this turns out to be a New Orleans staple I hadn't come across.
My pal succumbed to the lure of a daily special, a small steak with a marchand de vin sauce, based on red wine and beef stock, and oyster dressing. A nice piece of meat, and an excellent sauce. The oyster dressing, which had caught my attention, too, used quinoa for its starch. Very flavorful, not surprisingly, but too salty even for my salt-loving palate.
Bread pudding, of course, for dessert, the old New Orleans tradition, with pecans and a sherry-laced sauce. Too firm for my preference, a condition I ran across much of this visit, but very tasty, especially the sauce.
Excellent service, cheerful and knowledgeable, much patience with folks at tne next table who had lots of questions, seemingly their first time in town.
A worthwhile stop, and there's even a balcony upstairs that they use, at least sometimes.
Muriel's Jackson Square
801 Chartres St., New Orleans
504-568-1885
Lunch Mon.-Sat., Dinner nightly, Brunch Sun.
Credit cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: Fair
Smoking: No
Brunch entrees: $16-$21