13/09
Eating John Besh: Take Two
After Luke the previous night, it’s on to Besh Steak, John Besh’s restaurant in Harrah’s New Orleans Casino.
What to order? Here, that’s a no-brainer: steak, steak, and more steak. The Cowboy Steak weighs in at a whopping 38 ounces, and the smoked marrow butter served with the filet of tenderloin elicits an almost primal response.
Catch him now before he gets too big. With a cookbook on the way this fall, and the Food Network sniffing around, it’s only a matter of time before it’ll be rare to find him cooking in his own restaurants; he was on duty the night I ate at Besh Steak. His other two restaurants — August and Provence — will definitely be on my short list on my next jaunt to Louisiana.
John Besh Steak House
Before you head to dinner, take a stroll along the riverfront to the other end of the mall to explore the Southern Food & Beverage Museum. It’s a short walk through the Riverwalk Marketplace from Harrahs, and it’s a good place to get a feel for the culinary heritage Besh cut his teeth on whilst growing up in southern Louisiana. The display on history of beignets display will remind you to make a stop at Cafe du Monde, over on Decatur Street, for a plate of hot deep-fried fritters coated with powdered sugar and a mug of cafe au lait. My favorite display was the beverage room, a fascinating cacophony of vintage drink accessories, glasses, bottles, and recipe booklets gone wild. The items from the 1960s are particularly entertaining, ripe with double entendres.
By Lisa Rogak
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