Rating: 
I flew into New Orleans yesterday to see my Dad who lives in Slidell, on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain. Since he had just gotten a new tarp for the roof, all was clear for my visit.
After five months of rebuilding, things are starting to clean up. Not to say there isn’t a TON of work left, I can’t even begin to explain the extent of the devastation — a topic for another post.
The primary reaction I had gotten in Atlanta when I told them I was headed to New Orleans was “wow…the food there is amazing…” If the Dakota Restaurant is any indication, I can see why the cuisine in this city would make a lasting impression.
The ambience is romantic with a touch of chic. Dad told me that the dishes were moderately sized (i.e. I would actually be able to finish a soup and/or salad plus an entree). I started with one of their signature dishes: Lump Crabmeat and Brie Soup. It was thick and creamy and sinfully good.
I then got to sample two salads (fortunately my entire family encourages the “wandering fork syndrome”). Lynn ordered the Asian Ahi Tuna Salad — sushi grade ahi, sesame crusted, with a touch of soy and ginger. It was like they had taken a play from Wasabi Bistro’s cookbook and then upped the ante:
Dad’s roquefort salad was a finely executed version of LL’s salad template: [greens]+[nut]+[fruit]+[cheese] (in this case baby greens + roasted cashews + apples + roquefort).
For the main course I ordered the scallops. I can honestly say I’ve never seen scallops anywhere near as large. And yes, they were as yummy as they look — meaty and finely seared on top, served with wild mushroom ravioli in a foie gras sauce that added to the tastebud indulgence:
To complete the round up, Dad had the Parmesan crusted Tilapia (with crabmeat and fried artichoke), and Lynn had the grilled redfish. Both were very well executed and tastefully presented, with the sides complementing the fish (and our Gruner Veltliner) quite nicely. Overall a fantastic meal and a gastronomically sensational beginning to my weekend in New Orleans. This will be fun 🙂
The Dakota Restaurant
629 North Highway 190
Covington, LA 70433
985-892-3712
Mon-Fri 11:30AM-2:30PM (Lunch)
Mon-Th 5:00PM-10:00pm, Fri-Sat 5:00PM-11:00PM (Dinner)