Contemporary Creole.
Mandeville: 2891 US 190. 985-626-5566. Map.
Lunch Monday-Friday. Dinner Monday-Saturday.
Casual
AE MC V
Website
WHY IT'S NOTEWORTHY
N'Tini's is an over-the-top, casual, New Orleans-style restaurant, serving almost everything under the purple, green and gold sun. Portions are enormous (so are some of the prices), few dishes come out with less than an overload of garnishes and sauces, and kicky themes for the specials vie for your attention. The cooking is better than I'm making it sound, but delicacy is not the byword. This, however, very much suits the tastes of the North Shore.
WHY IT'S GOOD
The kitchen buys food of more-than-decent merit and applies convincing Creole and Cajun flavors to all of it. What the cooking lacks in the fine details it attempts to make up for with large portions. Unlike most restaurants on that tack, this avoids grossness and the hodge-podge effect, and the eating is reasonably good. Seafood is the best specialty, although the straightforward steaks are of fine quality.
BACKSTORY
The name is pronounced "natini's." N'Tini's opened in 2004 in Chalmette, and was just getting popular when Katrina wiped out not only the restaurant but its entire neighborhood. Like many St. Bernard residents, the owner relocated to the North Shore, where he took over an existing (but not very good) restaurant called Rockafella's, which was also dogged by road construction in front. It evolved it into N'Tini's over a period of months, and became immensely popular.
DINING ROOM
A split-level dining area is mostly given over to booth-style tables. An open kitchen at one end adds to the action but not the noise. The bar is always overflowing with customers waiting for tables, or just having cocktails. When an important game is going on, it will dominate the room on the big-screen television. It's that kind of place.
ESSENTIAL DISHES
Seafood martini.
Shrimp or oysters fleur-de-lis (like Buffalo chicken wing sauce).
Crab cake Napoleon (crab cakes and fried eggplant, stacked).
Seared tuna, served cold with sashimi garnishes.
Chicken and sausage gumbo.
Black and blue salad (blackened sirloin, Caesar salad, blue cheese).
Rockafeller [sic] salad.
Wedge salad.
Fried seafood platter.
Tuna, shrimp and sea scallop mixed grill.
Crabmeat-stuffed shrimp.
Grilled fish specials.
Tournedos with two sauces.
Steaks, particularly filet and New York strip.
Surf and Turf (filet with barbecue shrimp).
Barbecue baby back ribs.
Pork osso buco.
Bread pudding.
Dessert specials.
FOR BEST RESULTS
Almost every dish, from the appetizers through the desserts, is big enough to split two ways. Three orders per four persons in each course, at the very most.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
A better sense of taste is needed in the kitchen. This is especially true of the specials.
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
- Service +1
- Value
- Attitude +2
- Wine and Bar
- Hipness -1
- Local Color
SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES
- Good for business meetings
- Medium private room
- Open Monday lunch and dinner
- Unusually large servings
- Good for children
- Easy, nearby parking
- Reservations accepted
This review was updated with new information on 11/2/2009.