INDULGENCES eating out by gregory swim
New Orleans, Louisiana—also known as “The Big
Easy” or NOLA—may be the best ever example of the cross-culturalism that is America. Its rich history is woven with French, Spanish, Italian, African, Native American, Cajun and even Cuban influences. The melting pot’s most visible symbol is its food. After more than two decades cooking around the
globe—including a stint in Louisiana—Chef Frankie Terzoli returned to his hometown of San Diego. He recently sold out to his business partner at their eponymous Frankie The Bull’s BBQ on Morena Blvd. (since renamed), and is now serving up Louisiana specialties at his new eatery, The Big Easy, on Uni- versity Avenue in Hillcrest. With this new restaurant, authentic New Orleans cuisine has found a home in San Diego. Just as if you’re dining in the French Quarter of its namesake, you can expect a rich and decadent good time, whether it’s for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The dinner menu is a straightforward representa-
tion of both Creole and Cajun fare. Starters include tasty “Jumbalaya,” prepared Cajun style without tomatoes, with chicken, shrimp and andouille sausage in a deep brown sauce with “Dirty Rice.” Chef Frankie’s own house-made andouille is as good as any you could import from the Pelican State, and is also a highlight of his Red Beans and Rice. This is the dish by which many residents of the Mississippi Delta region measure a chef’s talents, and Frankie’s stands up to the best. The Chef puts his own sweet and savory spin on an elegant Seared Foie Gras, pair- ing it with Crepe Suzette and Orange Sorbet. On a recent evening the Market Soup of the day
was hearty Seafood Bisque. Nuggets of seafood floated in shellfish–rich soup, bright pink from the combination of tomato and heavy cream. The house Gumbo is equally intense, and packed with shrimp, chicken, and Frankie’s Andouille. Honoring his vow to keep everything fresh, not canned or frozen, out- of-season okra is absent from the dish. Any native Californian can tell you that anything
The BIG Easy
NOLA HITS HILLCREST
Chef Frankie’s Shrimp Creole
64
RAGE monthly | APRIL 2010
“Creole” on a typical menu here whether chicken, shrimp, or whatever, is usually floating in some insipid pale-pink sauce with bits of onion and bell pepper. Chef Frankie’s Shrimp Creole is revelatory, with wild-caught shrimp in a thick, spicy-sweet red sauce. Noshing on a shrimp, one diner was overheard remarking that she’d forgotten how a shrimp is sup- posed to taste until this, having become so used to the weak flavor of farm-raised shellfish. Feeling a little adventuresome? Try the Alligator
Arcadian. Rarely seen on menus outside the South, this other, other white meat is often said to taste like chicken. Others say it is more like a piece of slightly gamey-flavored pork. Here it is first tenderized, then
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