Cafe East
8801 Chef Menteur Hwy, New Orleans, LA 70127, USA
Metairie 3: Houma Blvd To Kenner Line
Backstory
The building once housed the Canton Restaurant, one of the longest-running of New Orleans Chinese eateries. The people who own Cafe East (they're somehow connected with the Sake Cafe, but I'm not sure how) spent a lot of money renovating the place when it opened in 2004, and did it all over again after the flood caused by Katrina.
Dining Room
A striking, almost futuristic cube of a building in which every element makes a statement interesting enough to dwell on, Cafe East resembles no other Chinese restaurant. The enormous main dining room has high ceilings and lots of space between everything. Lighting sconces change colors slowly but constantly, making the place feel alive. The only missing piece is in the service department. Not enough of the waiters are up to the sophistication of the food and wine they serve.
Why It's Essential
The most ambitious and best Chinese restaurant in town when it first opened, Cafe East was the first New Orleans restaurant serving a Pan-Asian menu. It's mostly Chinese, but goodly amounts of Thai, Japanese, and Korean food show up, sometimes fused with other flavors in single dishes. For example, the meal begins with a dish of very good kimchee--the spicy, cold Korean cabbage. All this happens in a stunning, airy dining room with a singular design. In the past couple of years, the food has drifted toward the middle ground, and it's not as exciting as it had been. Nor is the service and other details. But in a town like ours where most Chinese restaurants work the low end of the spectrum, it's still one of the best.
Why It's Good
The kitchen at Cafe East turns out dishes so original and unusual that you can have several meals here without eating a single dish you've had elsewhere. Even the familiar dishes are prepared with new twists. (The Peking duck, for example, comes out in three courses instead of just two.) The menu includes good versions of all the familiar Chinese dishes, too--but it would be a shame not to take advantage of the kitchen's immense creativity.
Most Interesting Dishes
<em><strong>Starters</strong></em> »Crab cake with lime chili plum sauce<br /> Seared ahi tuna on greens, balsamic vinaigrette<br /> »Goat cheese gyoza ravioli, lemongrass dressing <br /> Edamame <br /> Egg roll (pork and vegetables)<br /> Crawfish spring roll <br /> Pork ribs <br /> »Chicken pot stickers<br /> »Szechuan dumplings <br /> Caribbean phyllo-crusted prawns<br /> »Lettuce wrap (around chicken and water chestnuts)<br /> Wok fried calamari <br /> Duck crepes (mango, cucumber, hoisin sauce)<br /> Crab rangoon <br /> Hot and sour chicken soup<br /> »Chicken fire-pot soup<br /> Asian wonton soup<br /> »Seafood in red curry basil soup <br /> Creamy corn egg drop soup<br /> »Squid salad <br /> Aromatic duck salad <br /> Organic spring mix salad <br /> <em><strong>Entrees</strong></em><br /> Sesame shrimp <br /> Ginger shrimp and scallops <br /> Wok shrimp with cashews<br /> »Shrimp with garlic sauce<br /> Kung pao shrimp<br /> Shrimp with broccoli<br /> Szechuan shrimp<br /> Sweet and sour chicken<br /> Chicken with broccoli<br /> »Wok cashew chicken<br /> General Tso's chicken<br /> Kung pao chicken<br /> »Orange peel chicken<br /> Mandarin chicken<br /> »Sesame chicken<br /> Chicken with garlic sauce <br /> Pepper steak<br /> Beef with broccoli<br /> Beef with garlic sauce<br /> »Beef with red curry sauce<br /> »Mongolian beef<br /> »Pork with garlic sauce<br /> »Sizzling teriyaki with chicken, ribeye steak, or salmon<br /> »Sesame seed pan-seared tuna with eggplant<br /> Filet mignon with roasted garlic, red wine reduction <br /> Scallops in firepot sauce with stir-fried beef<br /> Honey walnut shrimp <br /> Two flavor shrimp (tomato and cream sauces)<br /> Shrimp, beef and chicken with mushrooms, okra, spicy sauce <br /> »Crispy orange peel beef <br /> »Wok seared ginger duck <br /> »Szechuan style duck <br /> »Peking duck served in two dishes<br /> »Thai red snapper with green curry<br /> Baked mahi-mahi, potato hash, lemon citrus beurre blanc <br /> Pan seared salmon with raspberry teriyaki<br /> »Crispy whole fish, szechuan style or with garlic and black bean sauce<br /> Grouper meuniere<br /> Fried rice with shrimp, chicken, roast pork, beef, crawfish or combinations<br /> Lo mein with shrimp, chicken, roast pork, beef, crawfish or combinations<br /> Pineapple curry fried rice with shrimp or chicken<br /> Singapore curry noodles with shrimp, chicken, roast pork, beef, crawfish or combinations <br /> Mango basil fried rice with shrimp or chicken<br /> Pad thai with shrimp or chicken<br /> Eggplant and tofu with basil garlic sauce <br /> String bean with garlic sauce <br /> Sesame tofu <br /> Mu shu with chicken, pork or shrimp
Deficiencies
The service staff needs better training in the fine points, and more people. Service really lags sometimes.
For Best Results
Take a chance and order dishes you've never had before, even if you've ordered the same fried won tons and Mandarin chicken all your life. This restaurant will reveal a new world. Be ready for prices higher than you're used to paying for Chinese food, which is underpriced around New Orleans.
Bonus Ratings
2
Environment
1
Hipness
1
Value