The Restaurants We Can't Live Without By Tom Fitzmorris. . . Revised April 2009 #15 Vizard's Contemporary Creole Uptown: 5015 Magazine . 504-895-2246. Map. Dinner Tuesday-Saturday. Nice Casual. AE DC DS MC V www.nomenu.com/Restaurants/Vizards.html   WHY IT'S ESSENTIAL   Here is the personal cuisine of one of the best gourmet Creole bistro chefs. Working in a tiny restaurant in which he can control everything, Kevin Vizard cooks an imaginative menu so appetizing that its hard to decide what to order. The clientele is very Uptown, and the buzz in the slightly crowded room is happy.   WHY IT'S GOOD   The flavors and ingredients are unambiguously those of South Louisiana, with just enough of a French gilding to make it feel special. Originality is part of the cooking too. You rarely find a dish here that you've had the likes of before. Yet it rings a familiar chord with your appetite. Some of Vizard's ideas are so clever that they give you a laugh in addition to a good taste.   BACKSTORY   Chef-owner Kevin Vizard learned his skills during the most fecund time in the history of New Orleans cooking. Coming out of Commander's Palace--a chef hatchery in the 1980s--Kevin operated a succession of excellent bistros. The only problem was that he'd close them after a couple of years, and disappear. He opened this iteration of his eatery shortly after the hurricane, in a larger space on St. Charles at Jackson. In early 2008, he moved from there into the former Alberta's--another good post-Katrina bistro. That seemed to suite Vizard's style well, and the place seems here for the long term.   DINING ROOM   An L-shaped dining room was built out as an architect's office, and minimally adapted for dining. The wall closest to the street is entirely of glass; most people passing by note the diners at their tables before they see the sign. (This is a problem, because even after going there a few times you might pass right by without seeing it.) A small bar and a few tables just outside the door provide a waiting area on busy nights. But don't even think of coming here on a weekend without a reservations. I think I've seen every single member of the service staff at some other restaurant over the years.   ESSENTIAL DISHES   The menu changes often, but not deeply. (On one visit, a new menu came out while we were looking at the old one.) Not all of these dishes will be there when you go. Greens, eggs, and ham (just what it sounds like). Crabmeat Nelson (eggplant, crab, mushrooms, béarnaise). Mussels with chorizo. Oysters Foyot (with foie gras and a brown sauce). Gumbo of the day. Soft shell crab with fennel. Fish specials. Lamb chops crusted with pistachios. Ribeye cap steak. Creme brulee.   FOR BEST RESULTS   Often during the week, you can get a table here on moment's notice, but don't count on it. Large parties don't fit well into this dining room.   OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT   Let's hope Kevin sticks with this one!   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 +1 Wine and Bar +1 Hipness +2 Local Color +2   SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES    Romantic Windows with a view Well-known chef Vegetarian dishes Click here for an index to all 200 Essential Restaurant reviews. © 2009 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com