Archived Article By Tom Fitzmorris
Originally published September 3, 2008
*Restaurants Begin To Reopen Across New Orleans Area
John Besh Reopens Luke Tuesday Night
I received this press release Tuesday afternoon from Chef John Besh's people:
The lights are on, the stove is
hot, and Lüke is ready to serve you for dinner tonight. Located in
the heart of the New Orleans business district, on St. Charles Avenue,
the popular Alsatian brasserie will open its doors at 5 p.m., Tuesday,
September 2, 2008 offering select choices from the dinner menu. This is
the first of Chef Besh’s four restaurants to reopen since closing
during the threat of Hurricane Gustav on New Orleans.
No reservations are necessary, and guests are invited to walk in at their leisure. The menu will be limited, but shall include some of Lüke’s signature dishes such as: Salad Lüke; Roasted Beets with Clemson Blue Cheese and Spiced Pistachios; Grilled Housemade Boudin Noir with a Sauté of Potatoes; Apples and Onions; Steak au Poivre au Frites with Green Peppercorn Sauce; Lüke Burger with Allen Benton’s Bacon; Carmelized Onions and Emmenthaler Cheese; Pressed Sandwich of Whole Roast “Cochon de Lait” with Cherry Mustard; and Croque Monsieur Croque Madame et Frites with Emmenthaler Cheese.
At the helm in the kitchen will be Chef John Besh, Alon Shaya, and Mike Gulotta, while General Manager Blake LeMaire takes over serving duties and co-owner Octavio Mantilla tends bar.
No reservations are necessary, and guests are invited to walk in at their leisure. The menu will be limited, but shall include some of Lüke’s signature dishes such as: Salad Lüke; Roasted Beets with Clemson Blue Cheese and Spiced Pistachios; Grilled Housemade Boudin Noir with a Sauté of Potatoes; Apples and Onions; Steak au Poivre au Frites with Green Peppercorn Sauce; Lüke Burger with Allen Benton’s Bacon; Carmelized Onions and Emmenthaler Cheese; Pressed Sandwich of Whole Roast “Cochon de Lait” with Cherry Mustard; and Croque Monsieur Croque Madame et Frites with Emmenthaler Cheese.
At the helm in the kitchen will be Chef John Besh, Alon Shaya, and Mike Gulotta, while General Manager Blake LeMaire takes over serving duties and co-owner Octavio Mantilla tends bar.
Besh was also one of the first to get back to work after Katrina, starting to cook as soon as the bullets and looting fires on Tchoupitoulas Street died down. He's one of the real restaurateurs, all right.
Numerous other restaurants around town have also been reported as opene, but I think Luke may be the first of the major ones. I expect that a large number--maybe as many as a hundred--will be back in business by the weekend. New Orleanians are being allowed to return home today, and the Saints will play in the Superdome this Sunday.
The faster we get back to normal, the better.
© 2008 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com