From The New Orleans Menu Daily By Tom Fitzmorris Revised July, 2009 Mat & Naddie’s Contemporary Creole. Riverbend: 937 Leonidas. 504-861-9600. Map. Lunch Monday-Friday. Dinner Monday and Thursday-Saturday. Nice Casual AE DC DS MC V www.matandnaddies.com   WHY IT'S ESSENTIAL   It's Uptown's favorite kind of restaurant: a Creole bistro with imaginative (but not too) and delicious (quite) food, in a funny old cottage without much emphasis on interior decor. The feeling that you've discovered a hidden gem charms you.   WHY IT'S GOOD   Maybe it's the contrast with the shack-like exterior, but every time I dine here I'm very pleasantly surprised by the skills and ambitions of the kitchen. The menu is original and familiar at the same time, with enough seldom-seen dishes (venison, for example) to set dinners here apart from the routine. Lunch is a very inexpensive buffet. The nightly wine dinner--three courses with three wines for just over $50--is a particularly good way to sample the place on a first visit.   BACKSTORY   The name is a kidspeak version of the founder's kids' names (really, Nat and Maddie). A few years ago Steve Schwartz, who had been a sous chef for most of the restaurant's history--bought the restaurant, and made a pretty good eatery even better.   DINING ROOM   The restaurant is in a very old flatboat-board house on the Uptown riverfront. The main dining room is a long space with wavy floorboards and many windows. Freight trains passing just outside somehow become romantic. They also have an outdoor dining area on a deck lighted partially by Christmas-tree lights.   ESSENTIAL DISHES   Grilled oysters with mushroom "bacon." Artichoke and sun-dried tomato cheesecake. Duck liver and pork pate maison. Beet and endive salad. Prosciutto-wrapped scallops and greens salad. Duck confit salad. Tempura soft shell crab. Bronzed fish with risotto. Fried chicken with pecan waffles. Garam masala (curry) coated rack of lamb. Filet mignon with marrow compound butter. Venison specials (not always on the menu, but frequently enough.) Panneed white chocolate bread pudding. Dulce de leche cheesecake.   FOR BEST RESULTS   Make a reservation for dinner. Ask about having a dinner paired with wines. They're better at this than you might imagine, with a terrific list to pick from. On Mondays, they have live jazz.   OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT   It's too easy to forget that they're closed for dinner on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.   FACTORS OTHER THAN FOOD   Up to three points, positive or negative, for these characteristics. Absence of points denotes average performance in the matter. Dining Environment +1 Consistency +2 Service +1 Value +1 Attitude +2 Wine and Bar +2 Hipness +2 Local Color +3   SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES    Live music Outdoor dining Romantic Windows with a view Open Monday Easy, nearby parking Reservations accepted Reservations honored promptly Vegetarian dishes Click here for an index to current reviews of the 200 Essential Restaurants, and others. Click here for an index of all restaurant reviews. © 2009 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com.