Steak.
Gretna: 2020 Belle Chasse Hwy. 504-391-7229. Map.
Lunch Monday-Friday. Dinner Monday-Saturday.
Nice Casual.
AE DC DS MC V
Website
WHY IT'S NOTEWORTHY
After the oil industry on the West Bank hit the skids in the early 1980s, that side of the river has had far fewer white-tablecloth restaurants per capita than most of the rest of the metro area. That seems to be turning around, and this new steakhouse is a sign of that. It has the style, food and service one needs when a special dining occasion is in order.
WHY IT'S GOOD
Although the menu is reasonably comprehensive--seafood and meats other than beef are included--this is unambiguously a steakhouse. The standard is USDA prime, although if it's aged that flavor got past me. The acid test for a steakhouse is the sirloin strip. When they first opened, this was a bone-in job. It's now boneless, a small disappointment for us connoisseurs. All cuts are of fine intrinsic merit and well-handled in the kitchen. They can sauce the steak in any reasonable way you specify. Appetizers are polished and imaginative; the sides, being the standard steakhouse fare, will not make memories.
BACKSTORY
O'Brien's opened in 2008. It was one of the few major restaurants to open that year, and one of the two or three best. The owner is Ken Theriot, whose career in some of the great West Bank restaurants of the past includes LeRuth's. The chef is Matt Donelon, who turned up at Rene Bistrot for awhile before the storm.
DINING ROOM
The exterior has the look of a bank records-storage office. Inside, it's much more interesting, an art deco design that's almost sleek. The windows are too high to see through and shuttered with blinds anyway, lending a borderline speakeasy quality. Many of the tables are booths. The wine list is abbreviated, but with enough bottles of interest to serve well. All this comes together to create a terrific venue for the second or third date, or beyond.
ESSENTIAL DISHES
Grilled scallops with vegetable ravioli (above)
Mussels steamed with sauce piquante
Oysters O'Neil (bread crumbs, cheese, hollandaise)
Fried green tomato napoleon
Panneed rabbit tenderloin
Lobster and corn bisque
Tomato and crab salad
Blue cheese lettuce wedge salad
Spinach salad with warm bacon vinaigrette
Grilled scallops with roasted beet, greens, and pepper jelly vinaigrette
Filet mignon
Bone-in ribeye (above)
New York strip
Prime rib
Braised lamb shank
Grilled tuna with sesame crust
Bread pudding
Creme brulee
FOR BEST RESULTS
Make a reservation, requesting a booth. The tables in the center are sort of out in space.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
I will never understand why any steakhouse with a New Orleans orientation doesn't automatically serve steaks in the distinctive local style, with sizzling butter. But they will if you ask.
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 +2
- Value +1
- Attitude +1
- Wine and Bar
- Hipness -1
- Local Color
SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES
- Romantic
- Good for business meetings
- Open Monday lunch and dinner
- Easy, nearby parking
- Reservations honored promptly
ANECDOTES AND ANALYSIS
The only other excellent steakhouse on the West Bank (the Beef Connection) is only a few blocks away, but O'Brien's Grille seems to have attracted attention anyway. Once you're inside the door, you're in a dining room as elegant as any other on that side of the river.
There's something about a steakhouse that seems to require waiters with a lot of miles on them. Somehow, they've come up with such old pros here, including a fellow who waited on me at Commander's Palace twenty years ago.
This review was updated with new information on 7/21/2010.
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