Top New Orleans chefs: “The best dish I ate in 2011″

Patois chef/partner Aaron Burgau's favorite dish of 2011: Aloo Gobi at Root.

Menus in New Orleans restaurants are so overflowing with unique, delicious, and occasionally bizarre items that it can be a daunting task selecting a restaurant, let alone something to eat once you get there. As we look back on a year of culinary adventure in the Big Easy, we’ve enlisted some uniquely qualified help to sort everything out and leave us with a few highlights – the best of the best. The top dishes of 2011, according to top New Orleans chefs.

Emeril Lagasse

Dish: Chicken pho (pho ga) and pork spring rolls at Pho Tau Bay

“Pho Tau Bay is family-run and their Vietnamese chicken noodle soup (pho-ga) is AH-mazing. Probably one of the best broths I’ve ever tasted. You can just smell and taste all the levels of flavor. I think the secret though is star anise. Add in the fresh herb garnishes and a little bit of jalapeño, there’s nothing better out there. This chicken noodle soup is some of the best I’ve had.”

Pho Tau Bay
113 Westbank Expy
Gretna, LA
(504) 368-9846

 *****

Nathaniel Zimet, Boucherie

Dish: LPG burger from La Petite Grocery

“Justin Devillier, the chef/owner of La Petite Grocery, and his wife Mia – they’re old buddies and were amazing supporters when I was in the hospital after the shooting. So my first day home, when I got out of the hospital, I’m in no shape to eat much or do anything but sit in this recliner, but I had been craving hamburgers. You know how you just crave a good burger? Justin and Mia show up with a burger and fries from La Petite Grocery. It was my first real food, and my first day home. It was the beginning of life again for me. It’s a great burger on its own, but that was the best, most memorable dish I had this year.”

La Petite Grocery
4238 Magazine Street
(504) 891-3377

 *****

The Company Burger's good old-fashioned burger tops chef Donald Link's list of good eats in 2011.

Donald Link, Cochon (New Orleans and Lafayette)/Butcher/Herbsaint

Dish: Cheeseburger at The Company Burger

“I’m not much into gourmet hamburgers; I like a good old-fashioned American cheeseburger with American cheese and good ground meat. The Company Burger delivers everything’s that great about a hamburger.”

The Company Burger
4600 Freret Street
(504) 267-0320

 *****

Ryan Prewitt, Herbsaint

Dish: Pastrami sandwich from Stein’s Deli

“I smuggled the sandwich into the maternity ward of Touro hospital on June 18th after my son was born. It was the first real food I’d had in a few days, and it made a good sandwich great.”

Stein’s Deli
2207 Magazine Street
(504) 527-0771

 *****

Company Burger chef/owner Adam Biderman's top dish 2011: grilled sweetbreads at La Boca.

Adam Biderman, The Company Burger

Dish: Grilled sweetbreads, Entraña Fina con la Piel (outside skirt steak with skin) at La Boca

“The best thing I have eaten this year was after our first month of being open. I took the crew to La Boca for a steak dinner, and we killed it. The sweetbreads and my skirt steak made me feel human again. Simply the best thing this year.”

La Boca
857 Fulton Street
(504) 525-8205

 *****

Restaurant R'Evolution chef Rick Tramonto's favorite dish of 2011: fried chicken from Li'l Dizzy's.

Rick Tramonto, Restaurant R’Evolution (opening 2012 at the Royal Sonesta New Orleans)

Dish: Fried chicken at Li’l Dizzy’s

“It was a full-on “oh my god” moment when I tried the fried chicken at Lil’ Dizzy’s. You know those moments when you can’t stop eating, even though you know you’re full, and you can barely fit another bite, but you simply cannot stop? When you just put your head down and chow, and you look up, and your wife is staring at you like you’re insane? It was that good. The chicken was moist, crispy, and the coating was absolutely perfect – just a little spicy. The sides they bring out with the chicken are pretty outstanding, but the chicken itself was what really won me over and stopped me in my tracks.

Li’l Dizzy’s
1500 Esplanade Avenue
(504) 569-8997

 *****

Phillip Lopez, Root

Dish: Korean short ribs, charred pork spring rolls, lemongrass chicken wings, combination clay pot, pho bo dac biet, and cafe sua da at Tan Dinh

“I seem to always fall back on the Vietnamese flavors and influences when I think about good food. I find myself working more and more now that I have opened ROOT, but on the rare occasion I do have off, you will find me tucked away in the corner at Tan Dinh enjoying a double cafe sua da and a table full of Tan Dinh’s dishes.”

Tan Dinh
1705 Lafayette
Gretna, LA
(504) 361-8008

 *****

Tory McPhail, Commander’s Palace

Dish: Shrimp wrapped sugarcane sticks at Tan Dinh

“The best thing I ate all year was a dozen Apalachicola oysters from Eddie Teach’s Oyster Bar on St. Georges Island in Florida. Locally, the best dish I ate this year as the shrimp wrapped sugarcane sticks at Tan Dinh. When it comes to great flavor, this reigns supreme. I’ve been there four times now and ordered it every time, and it has been consistently fantastic.”

Tan Dinh
1705 Lafayette
Gretna, LA
(504) 361-8008

*****

Coquette's Gulf shrimp, sambals, nicoise olives and grapefruit salad

Tenney Flynn, GW Fins

Dish: Gulf Shrimp, sambal, grapefruit, Nicoise olives, cilantro salad at Coquette

“The grapefruit and sambal was an unusual flavor combination that really worked and the shrimp were cooked perfectly. It was a simple dish with components that worked well together and were executed perfectly.”

Coquette Bistro & Wine Bar
2800 Magazine Street
(504) 265-0421

*****

Vega Tapas chef/owner Glen Hogh: Smoked Portobello po-boy

“The smoked portobello po-boy with arugula, roasted piquillo peppers and goat cheese at Po-Boy Festival. A combination I have used before but never on a crunchy baguette. Awesome.”

Ridge Bistro & Deli
1827 Hickory Ave
Harahan, LA 70123
(504) 305-4195

 *****

John Folse, Restaurant R’Evolution (opening 2012) at the Royal Sonesta New Orleans

Dish: Roast beef po-boy at Radosta Grocery

“After living in Louisiana all my life, and being an expert on po’boys, I went out this spring to find the best roast beef po’boy. I thought beyond a shadow of a doubt that the best was at Radosta Grocery in Metairie. When you can hold a crusty piece of French bread that is absolutely overflowing with fresh, tender, juicy, flavorful slices of roast beef, and it’s saturated on the inside with the wonderful gravy, but the bread is still crusty on the outside, you know it’s something special. The coleslaw at Radosta is seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic, which most places don’t think to do, and dressed with a mayonnaise-based sauce that blends with the gravy and the beef in the most incredible way. After all of these years, I have finally settled on my favorite roast beef po’boy joint!”

Radosta Grocery
249 Aris Avenue
Metairie, LA
(504) 831-1537

 *****

Aaron Burgau, Patois

Dish: Aloo Gobi at Root (top picture)

“It’s an Indian-spiced cauliflower with potatoes and homemade corn nuts. Spicy, crunchy, caramelized cauliflower is my weakness. This past summer, I got the gout, and I did a lot of reading, and one of the foods that can give it to you is cauliflower. I’m a freak for cauliflower. Fried or caramelized, pureed or soup or anything. Great spice to it.”

Root
200 Julia Street
(504) 252-9480

 *****

Ritz-Carlton New Orleans executive chef Vincent Russo's favorite: any pasta dish at Domenica, including this Domenica Papparadelle with mangalitsa belly, pink lady apples and sage butter.

Vincent Russo, executive chef, Ritz-Carlton New Orleans 

Dish:  Any pasta dish, topped with lardo at Domenica

“The best thing I ate in New Orleans would have to be Domenica’s pasta – all of them – topped with a little lardo.”

Domenica at the Roosevelt New Orleans Hotel
123 Baronne Street
(504) 648-6020

*****

Emily Dillport, chef de cuisine at M Bistro and Davenport Lounge, Ritz-Carlton New Orleans

Dish: Thai spicy som tum at La Thai

“It completely rocks my world.”

La Thai
4938 Prytania Street
(504) 899-8886

*****

Rene Bajeux, The Rib Room
Dish: Butternut squash soup at Rue 127, tongue tacos at Panchita

“The butternut squash soup from Rue 127 – sublime! And tongue tacos at Panchita’s: perfectly seasoned and cooked. Simply delicious.”

Rue 127
127 Carrollton Ave.
(504) 483-1571

Panchita’s
1434 S. Carrollton Ave.
(504) 281-4127

*****

Alex and Maribeth Del Castillo, Taceaux Loceaux
Dish: Lamb ribs at Patois, coffee at Velvet
“Alex’s is a bite, and mine is a sip: For Alex, it’s the lamb ribs at Patois. For me, it’s the coffee poured at Velvet. Love the Hairbender!”

Patois
6078 Laurel Street
(504) 895-9441

Velvet Espresso Bar
5637 Magazine Street
(504) 450-2129