Peche Seafood Grill
Shrimp Toast with Bread and Butter Pickles
Seafood Gumbo – Dirty Rice, Dark Roux, Oysters, Shrimp, Crayfish
Crab Stuffed Shrimp with Cajun Aioli
Hushpuppies – Sweet Butter
Salted Peanut Pie – Salted Peanut Ice Cream and Dark Chocolate Sauce
Sticky Apple Toffee Cake – Sour Cream Ice Cream
A quick walk up Magazine Street from the Convention Center, both the Louisiana Children’s Museum and National WWII Museum not far away, Peche Seafood Grill has quickly ascended to the same lofty status as other Donald Link Restaurants by way of the Beard Award for Best New Restaurant and Best Chef: South in 2014, a Wednesday lunch showing the space dedicated to seasonal, coastal Seafood to be a bit more pricey than it could be, but still pretty great.
Continuing a downtown trend to invigorate the Warehouse District, Chef Ryan Prewitt given the reins to a semi-open kitchen and raw bar overlooking worn wood tables and a room bathed in blue, those entering Peche will quickly notice a nautical theme referenced by everything from the bar décor to the wall-art, the service loose but professional in describing a handful of daily specials atop a menu also prone to frequent change.
Seated at a lengthy banquet with back to the kitchen, the bar and dining area quick to fill with a suited lunch crowd of businessmen and convention-goers, it was with an eye on variety that the decision was made to eschew large plates in favor of snacks and small plates, the first round of dark Seafood Gumbo alongside Pepper-infused Shrimp Fritters each impressive in their complex interplay of textures as well as spice profiles best described as piquant or bright as opposed to ‘hot.’
A bit more hit and miss with course two, the Hush Puppies amongst the best ever seen with a golden crust that actually crackles overlying a soft center of Cornmeal and Chives without a hint of oil, the $13 trio of “Crab Stuffed” Shrimp proved barely-so, the version at Jacque-Imo’s only $8.95 for nearly twice the portion of both Shrimp and Stuffing with a far more interesting Pimento Cream Sauce.
Already impressed by Chef Maggie Scales desserts at Cochon and Cochon Butcher, several similarities seen on the Peche Menu, at least in terms of ingredients and concepts, Salted Peanut Pie here was served much like the traditional Pecan Version over a sticky-sweet base with a topping of Salted Peanut Ice Cream and Dark Chocolate Sauce, the steamy Apple Toffee Cake walking a fine line of spices and sugar with a pudding-soft texture alongside a ball of tangy Sour Cream Ice Cream.
http://www.pecherestaurant.com/
