New Orleans Secret Supper Club

When I saw the invitation for the New Orleans Secret Supper Club, I was intrigued and knew immediately that I wanted to attend. First of all, almost any culinary and wine event in NOLA is going to be a good time regardless of who throws it or where it is held. Second, I received a tip from a friend (local wine expert Brenda Maitland) that the Sonniers, who were preparing the food, previously ran one of NOLA's beloved restaurants - Gabrielle. Since we are always up for an adventure, we decided to RSVP.

Upon entering the courtyard of The Uptowner, the event space Uptown where the Supper Club was held, I knew it would be a delightful evening. In typical NOLA fashion, there was no signage so you had to know where you were going, or for whom you were looking. The courtyard was quintessential NOLA - cozy, romantic lighting, and an inviting open door from which were coming the familiar sounds of a NOLA gathering. Immediately upon entering the event we were greeted with a glass of wine, as it should be. The gracious hosts from Partysists gave us a warm hello then introduced us around. (Those ladies know how to throw a party!)

The Super Secret of the evening was not the identity of the guests or even the location but the fabulously exciting menu. The culinary expedition began with passed hors d'oeuvres of Goat Cheese with Marinated Sundried Tomatoes on Toast Points. This was perfectly paired with Foris Pinot Gris '07, a very nice Pinot Gris: more full-bodied than many I've tried, not as citrusy, and much more like a warm vanilla and apricot combination. The next dish was "Oysters Gabie", named after their daughter and restaurant "Gabrielle". This was an oyster dressing, with a surprise whole oyster in the bottom, stuffed in an oyster shell. The next dish was Mixed Sausage Kabob with Lavender Creole Mustard Sauce. This paired very nicely with Cosme Cote du Rhone Rouge '08. Any who know me well know that I am not a big fan of sausage. However, I ate every bit of this. This combination of meats, herbs and spices produced a very hearty, ideal dish for such a cold winter evening. Interestingly, while you may think that something as delicate as lavendar would be overwhelmed by such a hearty dish, I found it to be directly to the contrary. The lavendar brought an exquisitely delicate undertone to what could have been an otherwise overly hearty meat dish. The wine was also a splendid pairing. This Cote du Rhone was vivacious and peppery, a perfect compliment to the enticing flavors of the sausage. Our next course was Petit BBQ Shrimp Pie. This dish made me break my rule of "not messing with shrimp". I generally like a simply prepared shrimp dish, for that's generally the only way to get the full depth of delicious briny flavor common to Gulf Coast shrimp. And, chefs often bury shrimp in heavy sauces because their shrimp is not freshly caught. This was certainly not the case with this dish. It was spicy in an herby way, not too peppery just for the sake of being spicy like some cajun dishes can be. It tasted like a typical NOLA BBQ shrimp preparation (not BBQ sauce like that with which those from other parts of the country are familiar). NOLA BBQ Shrimp sauce is a combination of butter, garlic and Worcestershire sauce, and other tantalizing secret ingredients, that result in a rich and robust dish that somehow manages to not overpower the shrimp. This particular shrimp, nestled in a delicate, flaky mini pie shell, also perfectly paired with the herbacious, peppery Cote du Rhone. We then moved to the Slow Roasted Duck with Roasted Peppers, Mushrooms and Orange Sherry Sauce over Shoestring Potatoes. I'm new to duck as I generally do not care for dark fowl meats. However, the Orange Sherry Sauce was brilliantly paired with what could have been (to me) too gamey of a meat. The citrus in the orange helped to mellow the fatty taste that I usually find off-putting in darker meats. The Sherry provided just a hint of the alcohol needed to further mellow and balance the dish. The duck was paired with Fritz Winery Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley '05. I'm already a Zin addict and this made my condition worse. This was not overly jammy as some Zins can be (the characteristic that turns off many winos who prefer the musty taste of many Europeans wines that taste like the cellar floor from which they came). This wine was fruit forward, in that you could detect the fruit but it wasn't overpowering and syrupy. I thought it had a perfect balance of fruit, spiciness and alcohol. The splendid meal was capped with a choice of two desserts - a Peppermint Patti or Mixed Berry Shortcake. Since James and I are always on the tapas prowl trying anything and everything offered by a restaurant, I chose the Peppermint Patti and he chose the shortcake, planning to each try the other's. The Peppermint Patti was a delectable brownie partnered with a scoop of refreshing peppermint ice cream. This was truly one of the best desserts I have had in a long time, and I'm not a huge fan of sweets. I'm assuming the shortcake was good as I realized later that James didn't even offer me any!

While the menu was fabulously pleasing, the company was just as nice. We were paired with a charming couple and another young lady with whom we talked the entire dinner. It was one of those dinners where we so enjoyed their company that we never had a lull in the conversation and were sorry to see the evening come to an end. Overall, we found the evening to be elegantly pleasant and delightfully delicious, and will certain go again in the future.