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It’s All About Food in New Orleans

No trip to New Orleans is complete, in my opinion, without significant sampling of the local cuisine. Now the historic Fairmont New Orleans has teamed up with Culinaria, in creating the Savor New Orleans Package, an experience that allows guests to obtain first hand knowledge of the outstanding signature cuisine for which New Orleans is known. After learning how to create local favorites for yourself, you can relax and let someone else do the cooking at the Sazerac Grill, which boasts a new menu by Chef John Pinkstaff.

This is a wonderful chance to celebrate the art of food, wine and spirits in a city world-renowned for its distinctive flavor. The Savor New Orleans Package at the Fairmont New Orleans will provide guests the opportunity to experience demonstrations and hands-on cooking classes at Culinaria, the state-of-the-art cooking school in the newly-restored 1850s mansion of Duncan Kenner, one of the area's wealthiest Civil War-era citizens. Culinaria boasts the largest showroom of Kitchenaid products in North America, and the city's largest wine cellar, with more than 5,000 bottles.

The Savor New Orleans Package will include a one night's stay in a Fairmont guestroom and a cooking class for one or two people. Participants can either relax and observe the class or roll up their sleeves and work alongside the chef. Classes include wine and spirits pairings and conclude with a multi-course meal in the mansion's formal dining salon. Lunch (10:00 a.m.) and dinner (4:00 p.m.) classes will be approximately three hours long and are offered every weekday, except Thursday. The Savor New Orleans Package will teach a lesson that guests can carry with them for a lifetime.

A visit to the Fairmont New Orleans would not be complete without a trip to the The Sazerac Grill which is celebrating spring with a new menu. Chef John Pinkstaff has developed a menu that features many of the Sazerac's classic dishes and also adds a number of exciting new offerings to his menu, including "Lifestyle Cuisine."  Lifestyle Cuisine selections are created from ingredients that are naturally healthy for today’s self-directed approach to health and wellness.

"In developing this new menu, we focused on creating fresh, bright flavors while utilizing all of the wonderful ingredients indigenous to Louisiana," said Chef Pinkstaff, executive chef at The Sazerac Grill. 

New “Lifestyle Cuisine” menu items include the Seafood Symphony, which features fresh mixed greens, spicy shrimp, lump crabmeat, and Louisiana crawfish tails, topped with shaved fennel, toasted almonds, cane syrup and ginger vinaigrette. Pennette Pistou, featuring fresh whole wheat penne pasta sautéed in a tomato sauce with artichokes, pesto and chèvre crumbles is another new Lifestyle Cuisine offering.

Additional new menu items include a Pecan Crusted Crab Cakes appetizer, served on a bed of "Bloody Mary" tomato and avocado salsa with Balsamic reduction and rémoulade and the delectable Crab en Brulee is a savory crabmeat and Brie bread pudding served with an asparagus & leek fondue.  The Cane Glazed Duck is a pan seared duck breast glazed with a cane syrup and chicory lacquer, served with a “confit” of roasted sweet potatoes. Beef lovers will delight in the Sazerac Carpet Bagger: Grilled filet of beef stuffed with poached gulf oysters and Roquefort cheese, topped with a Tabasco beurre blanc. The Grilled Double Cut Pork Chop is served with a sweet three-pepper cream demi-glace.                    

Decadent daily offerings from Pastry Chef Theirry Marceaux bring a sweet ending to every meal at the Sazerac Grill.

For reservations or more information, please visit www.fairmont.com or call
(800) 441-1414

Edited by Erika Wright

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