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The Besh Steakhouse at Harrah'sNew Orleans casino restaurant is a sure bet for fine diningBy Angela Fox
And who else but John Besh would create a tongue-in-cheek salute to upscale steakhouse excess in the chilled seafood platter that arrived at our table and consisted of three tiers of oysters, shrimp, stone crab, king crab, lobster, mussels and clams? A complete meal for two, this could easily serve as an appetizer for the entire Rat Pack. As it was, we did our best, knowing that we also wanted to try Besh’s appetizer version of the classic New Orleans dish, barbecued shrimp. My husband, a native New Orleanian and no slouch in the kitchen himself when it comes to this spicy-buttery dish, declared it worthy of comparison to the city’s best. I agreed – in between bites of my own fresh tomato appetizer sampler that consisted of both heirloom and Creole (native to southern Louisiana and only in season a short time) varieties accompanied by mozzarella, olive oil and other subtle accents. Besh had explained to us earlier that he maintains a 2-acre garden that produces these ripe beauties, as well as other herbs and vegetables, for both the Steakhouse and Restaurant August.
The restaurant is tucked away at the rear of the casino complex so if you use the main entrance to Harrah’s you’ll have to walk the entire length of the 115,000-square-foot Mardi Gras-themed gaming floor. Or you can do as we did, use the South Peter Street entrance, which is just steps away from the Steakhouse hostess station. Either way, you’ll come out a big winner in the fine dining game. Besh Steakhouse is open for lunch and dinner, 1 p.m.-midnight, Saturday; 1 p.m.-10 p.m., Sunday and for dinner 5-10 p.m., Monday-Thurs. and 5p.m.-midnight Friday. Complimentary valet parking is available. For reservations, call 504-533-6111. For more information on Besh Steakhouse and Harrah’s, go to www.harrahs.com or call 504-533-6000. Harrah’s photo by Virgil Fox Other photos courtesy of Besh Steakhouse and Harrah’s. |
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TM
The concept of the upscale
steakhouse is certainly overdue for a makeover. After all, super-premium cuts of
beef at outrageous prices served up with overpriced à la carte baked potatoes
and asparagus, is pretty 1990s. Still, that’s what you might expect to find at
Harrah’s Casino in New Orleans and what you might expect a casino’s clientele to
even demand. Coloring inside the culinary lines, however, is the last thing
you’d expect from Chef John Besh, the talent behind the Big Easy steakhouse that
bears his name. We learned that first-hand when we dined at Besh’s acclaimed
Restaurant August, where the chef has been combining classic contemporary French
cuisine with local ingredients and New Orleans cooking traditions to rave
reviews since 2001. But we still wondered just how far outside the box a James
Beard Award nominee like Besh could go – and still hit the jackpot.
We found out recently while
staying at the Windsor Court Hotel, just across the street from Harrah’s Casino
and the ideal place for high-rollers (or wannabees like us) to stay while they
play. “It’s my loud and funky restaurant,” a beaming Besh told us when he
stopped by our table to see how we were enjoying our first visit to the
Steakhouse. We had just slipped into our seats at a cozy table for two and were
eyeing the eight large-scale Blue Dog paintings by Louisiana artist George
Rodrigue that dominate the décor. Each features the big, bug-eyed, neon-blue
canine that has become Rodrigue’s trademark and Louisiana’s art icon. In one,
Blue Dog grooves with the Blues Brothers, in another he puts his money on the
Queen of Hearts. The pulsating colors of the paintings are the inspiration for
the restaurant’s amber and cobalt color scheme --- carried through in everything
from the glassware to the buttons on the backs of the high-backed chairs in
which we were so comfortably ensconced. Besh went on to talk a little gardening
and warmly welcome us before disappearing into the open kitchen -- itself a work
of architectural art constructed of stainless steel millwork and exotic
zebrawood framed by velvet drapes.
Studying the menu, we were
struck again by Besh’s sense of fun and food – and his flair for combining the
two. Who else would offer diners a Knuckle Sandwich --- and then deliver a
knockout culinary punch with a mound of Maine lobster knuckle and claw meat
resting on micro-greens in walnut vinaigrette, supported by a tender layer of
brioche that rests atop an 8-ounce filet of premium gold Angus beef surrounded
by savory bordelaise and hollandaise sauces?
Next, we enjoyed our entrees of
perfectly aged and cooked American Kobe beef and the freshest piece of sea bass
I’ve ever had the pleasure of consuming. Beef lovers can also choose from
entrees like the 40-Day Dry-Aged New York Strip Steak with blue cheese butter,
onion rings and molten marrow and the Premium Gold Angus Rib-Eye “Cowboy” Steak
with wild mushrooms and garlic roast fingerling potatoes. We topped it all off
with a sampling of house-made desserts that included a chocolate peanut butter
layer cake encased in a wafer-thin box of pure chocolate that turned heads at
every table nearby.