From A Past Issue Of The New Orleans Menu Daily Originally published January 15,2008 Ten Best Marinated Dishes     We have quite a variety of dishes in this list. Several involve game. A number are at least inspired by Asian cooking, in which marinating meats is much more widespread than it is in the West. 1. Lamb chops, Lebanon's Café. 1500 S. Carrollton Ave., 862-6200. These are marinated in olive oil, garlic, pepper, and herbs, then grilled over charcoal. Dollar for dollar, these are the best lamb chops in town. 2. Marinated crab, Mosca's. In season (which would not be right now), you can get it in the shell or picked. They also use the meat in the crab salad. It's subtle but great. 3. Shrimp Arnaud, Arnaud's. 813 Bienville. This may seem a funny one. But this version of remoulade is only halfway boiled, and then allowed to marinate in the sauce for a few hours. The acidity completes the "cooking." 4. Most Fish, Andrea's. 3100 19th St., Metairie; 834-8583. Chef Andrea Apuzzo created a great marinade I use on most fish at home. It's olive oil and white wine, with decreasing amounts of lemon juice, Worcestershire, and Tabasco. The fish sits in this for about a minute on each side, and even that small amount of marinating makes a big difference in the flavor and tenderness of almost any fish. 5. Antipasto, Cafe Giovanni. The secret to great antipasta (and the reason not many restaurants serve it) is that much of it needs to be marinated for long periods of time--weeks, in some cases--the get the flavor. They do that here. 6. Asian-Marinated Shrimp, Zea. (Several locations.) These are big shrimp set in a marinade flavored with things like rice wine vinegar and sesame oil, crusted with panko, fried, and doused with a Thai-style sauce. They also do something like this with oysters certain times of the year. 7. Ceviche, RioMar. 800 S. Peters, 504-525-3474. Every day, RioMar makes up at least three kinds of ceviche, the South American seqafood dish that starts with raw fish and shellfish and "cooks" it by drenching it in something highly acidic. 8. Carne asada, Taqueria Corona. 5932 Magazine, 3535 Severn, 1827 Hickory Ave. (Harahan). The most expensive item on the menu at $13, it's a thin steak of unidentifiable origin, marinated in a fascinating concoction that makes it tenderer and tastier than it looks. 9. Malai kebab, Nirvana. 4308 Magazine. Indian chefs marinate almost all their meats. This one is chicken, marinated not only in yogurt but also cream, with some of that light homemade cheese in the sauce. 10. Bulgogi, Gimchi. 3322 N Turnbull Dr , 454-6426.  The classic beef dish of Korea, it's sliced thin and grilled after marinating in something that makes it a little sweet. © 2007 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com