The Besh Family of RestaurantsPreserving New Orleans’ Culinary CultureEdited by Madelyn Miller
Early in 2007, Chef John Besh effectively doubled the size of his restaurant family by acquiring the venerable La Provence from his celebrated mentor, and opening Lüke, a long-held dream that revives the Franco-Greman brasserie as a New Orleans institution. These, of course, join Restaurant August–twice on Gourmet Magazine’s list of Best Restaurants–and Besh Steak, the chef’s playful interpretation of the all-American steakhouse with a nod to New Orleans cuisine.
Besh and his friend and business partner Octavio Mantilla have assembled and nurtured a team of talented chefs, longtime family friends, and hospitality professionals who are empowered to run each restaurant. Besh remains the expert voice, and continues at the helm in the kitchen of Restaurant August, his first of the four, and arguably his flagship restaurant.
“La Provence has been legendary for decades in this part of the world,” says Besh, “and August and Besh Steak are clearly showing that they have real value not just to the New Orleans community, but to the greater culinary world. I have long wanted to bring back from extinction the great old brasseries that used to thrive in New Orleans, and Lüke is that labor of love. My hope, and my plan, is that each of these restaurants will become, independently and indelibly, part of our food culture here – something our children will cherish.” Lüke
When Lüke opened on New Orleans’ St. Charles Avenue in May 2007, it began to feel like old times – very old times. Chef John Besh, the 2006 James Beard Award winner of Best Chef, Southeast, is expanding his family of restaurant holdings to include an old-fashioned brasserie. In his homage to Gluck’s, Kolb’s, and all the other Old World New Orleans brasseries that have offered warmth, comfort, good food and good cheer to generations before, Besh is teaming up with two life-long friends: Jared Tees will be Executive Chef, and Blake LeMaire will serve as General Manager. Together at Lüke, they are reviving a great New Orleans institution.
The inspiration for Lüke is beloved but bygone New Orleans brasseries like Gluck’s and Kolb’s, landmark restaurants dating back to the 1890’s that combined the best of German and Creole cuisine. They have been gone for years now, but the warmth of the atmosphere, the savory aromas, and the old world décor have remained with Besh as an ideal; a sentimental bonus is that Kolb’s was the site of his first date with his wife, Jenifer. Besh explains, “The brasserie as an entity came to Paris through the Franco-Prussian Wars – they were how the French interpreted the beer houses and weinstubs of the Alsace, Prussia, Luxembourg, and Belgium. A few great ones flourished here in New Orleans for most of the last century, but seem to have vanished completely in recent years.”
Located in the heart of the Central Business District, Lüke will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Not only will Lüke be a rendez-vous amongst friends working together, but the reconnecting of traditions and customs that friends and families celebrated in New Orleans. For those who remember New Orleans’ brasseries of old, it will be a nostalgic treat; and for a whole new generation, it will revive a bit of the Old World and at the same time will be an all new experience – a very good bit. MORE ABOUT NEW ORLEANSFOR MORE INFORMATION HELPFUL WEBSITES TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT Instead of waiting till next year’s Mardi Gras to rally for the city, invest in something that truly shows your support. Find things from New Orleaners. WHERE TO STAY Harrah’s Hotel Monteleone Chateau Sonesta Hotel New Orleans WHAT I WISH I HAD KNOWN BEFORE I WENT TO NEW ORLEANSThere are two kinds of people who go to New Orleans, those who want to party and those who don’t. If you don’t plan to stay up all night, be sure to express that preference when you check in and request a quiet room, perhaps on a courtyard. Or consider staying outside the quarter if you value a good night’s sleep. I stayed at a to-be-nameless hotel (not in any of the hotels recommended above) in the quarter and called down to the front desk because of all the noise. They were prepared. They sent up earplugs. That was not enough. Two sleeping pills and six hours later, I learned there was a long list of people who wanted to change rooms. I waited (and slept) all day in my room waiting for another room, wanting to be sure not to loose my place on that special list. The helpful front desk person told me that more people than usual had called down to complain the night before. MOST LITERARY TIME TO PLAN YOUR VISIT The Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival celebrates its anniversary the last weekend in March.. Weather is cool, reception is warm, topic is hot. BEST FICTIONAL BOOK ABOUT NEW ORLEANS RESTAURANT SCENE Prime BEST PLACE TO GET ONLINE FOR FREE 201 St. Charles in the food court Free internet access at Krystal’s on Bourbon with a $5 purchase BEST “BLUES” EXPERIENCE Blue cheese Burger at Rmeoulade’s BEST SHOPPING ADVICE And Madelyn’s favorite stores BEST LOCAL PLACE TO SHOP RHINO Bywater Art Market BEST SPAS EarthSavers Belladona Arie GREAT GUIDEBOOKSFEET ON THE STREET INSIGHT GUIDES NEW ORLEANS ACCESS NEW ORLEANS NEW ORLEANS EATING NEW ORLEANS 2005 NEW ORLEANS RESTAURANTS STORIES IN STONE: A Field Guide to Cemetery Symbolism and Iconography NEW ORLEANS COOKBOOKS Brenan’s Arnaud’s Restaurant Cookbook Uglesich’s FLAVORS OF LOUISIANNA BEST BOOK FOR MUSIC BACKGROUND Triksta BEST MUSIC TO GET YOU IN THE NEW ORLEANS MOOD American Blues Putumayo World Music Mississippi Blues HELPFUL MAP MAPQUEST NEW ORLEANS City Map . This large scale detailed street map folds up to 2”x3” BEST WALKING TOUR The Scandals Tour Another Great Tour If you are not familiar with the Segway HT, it is the first self-balancing, electric-powered transporter designed to enhance the productivity of people by increasing the distance they travel and the amount they can carry. The Segway HT uses a breakthrough technology called dynamic stabilization, enabling it to work seamlessly with the body's movements. It operates in any pedestrian environment and is perfect for City Segway Tour purposes. Madelyn Miller is a travel and food writer who loves New Orleans. Read her stories on www.travellady.com, www.chocolateatlas.com, www.cocktailatlas.com, www.teaAtlas.com, www.carladynews.com Here are some of her other New Orleans stories http://www.travellady.com/Issues/June05/1348August.htm http://www.travellady.com/Issues/April05/1390RestaurantAugust.htm http://www.travellady.com/Issues/January07/3818CUPIDSCORNER.htm http://www.travellady.com/Issues/December06/3667OdetoJoy.htm http://www.travellady.com/Issues/December06/3668ThinkingChristmas.htm http://www.travellady.com/Issues/September06/3535PUMPKIN.htm http://www.travellady.com/Issues/September06/3529Sonesta.htm http://www.travellady.com/Issues/July06/3421FamousChef.htm http://www.travellady.com/Issues/May05/1364Upperline.htm http://www.travellady.com/Issues/July05/1355BooksBeignets.htm http://www.travellady.com/Issues/July05/1630SouthernComfort.htm http://www.travellady.com/Issues/May05/1351Iatesomuch.htm http://www.travellady.com/Issues/April05/1353ForgetVoodoo.htm http://www.travellady.com/Issues/April05/1366ChiliChick.htm http://www.travellady.com/Issues/February05/1248NewOrleansBelladonnaDaySpa.htm | |
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Many people spend their vacations visiting family. If there was ever a culinary family that I enjoy visiting—it would certainly be John Besh’s family of restaurants.
How does he do it? And why? For all his accomplishments and honors, not even the current holder of the James Beard Award for Best Chef, Southeast can claim to be in four places at once. – nor does he try: “This might seem like a rush of expansion right now, but the timing is right, and the opportunities are blessings” he explains. “My goal is not to grow an enormous machine of a business – this is not a chain – but to secure and preserve our city’s food culture. Each of these restaurants represents a particular culinary passion of mine.”
As each of his chefs is invested as a partner in his particular restaurant, Besh points out, they are building a real future stake for their families and children, as well as for the culinary life of the city.
Un Rendez-vous des Amis on the Avenue
‘Alsace meets New Orleans,’ is how Besh characterizes the cuisine, explaining that the old brasseries were the time-honored establishments of late 19th-century German and Jewish immigrants -- whose influence on the food and culture of New Orleans was profound. “This is everyday food,” says Besh, “that is, food I would choose to eat every day, I love it that much. It may not be special occasion fare, per se, but it’s comforting and wholesome - a lot of favorites that were brought over from the old country. Don’t be surprised to see Matzo Ball Soup on the menu.”
Not surprisingly, Lüke will offer an extensive French, German, and Belgian beer selection, including three exclusive house brews [custom-brewed locally]: Lüke Fru (a very young beer, perfectly suited for the raw bar,) Lüke Export (a golden pilsner with a nose of Austrian hops,) and Lüke Alt (an aged pilsner in the Düsseldorf style, best for the menu’s meatiest dishes.) The wine list will feature reds and whites from the Loire, Alsace, and Savoie regions, as well as Badischerwiens of Germany. In a refreshing turn befitting a humble brasserie, none of the bottles will be over $45, save those on a special reserve list.
The cuisine is unaffectedly Old World, using slow and traditional cooking techniques. Among the Germanic specialtiés de maison are Choucroűte Maison, Housemade Sausages and Slow-Cooked Berkshire Pork Belly and Knuckles; Whole Roast “Cochon de Lait” with Cherry Mustard and Whipped Potatoes; and Slow-cooked Beef Brisket with Horseradish Ravigote Sauce. These are balanced by an equally tempting range of French bistro classics, from the Croque Monsieur and Croque Madame; to the Louisiana Speckled Trout, prepared either Meuničre or Almandine; to Steak Frites with your choice of cuts. A smörgasbord of lovingly tended, house-made pâtés includes a Pâté de Campagne of Texas Wild Boar with Watermelon Pickles, Mustard and Gélée to a Pâté of Louisiana Rabbit and Duck Livers perfumed with Truffle with Country Bread Croutons. Refreshing plates of greens like the Salad of Chicory, Lardons of Alan Benton’s Bacon, Croutons, and Soft Poached Yard Egg, with Creole Mustard and Tarragon make for a thoroughly satisfying lunch. Abundant plateaux of cold fresh seafood will showcase the local Louisiana oysters and shrimp.
And the space is just as warm and nostalgic as the menu. The new interior, on the ground floor of the boutique hotel on St. Charles Avenue newly developed by the Hilton Corporation, will gleam with cherry and cyprus paneling, antique floor boards, a salvaged pressed tin ceiling, and stained glass windows providing a glimpse through to the wine room, which will double as a cozy semi-private dining room. Brasserie features will include rattan bistro chairs, blackboard specials, and newspaper racks. Patrons of Kolb’s will recognize the elaborate pulley-and-belt driven ceiling fans, an early air-conditioning system first admired by visitors in the 1880s; Besh is re-creating it at Lüke. A sweeping fruits de mer display and handsome mirror-backed bar will likewise recall the grand brasseries of the century-before-last.