Le Foret's Main Dining Room
Le Foret sits in a tidy four-story building in the Central Business District of New Orleans, just steps from the French Quarter. The clean facade of the building hints ever so gently at Le Foret’s clean, sleek, and elegant interior. Each of the four floors have been amazingly renovated, restored, and renewed. I don’t think there is a single inch of the building that has not been revived. Seriously, during one visit I was snooping around and somehow ended up in a crawl space, and even it was all dolled up! If you have the opportunity, I recommend showing up a little early, grabbing a drink at the bar, and trying to score a tour–including checking out the surprise on the fourth floor.
An amuse of salmon on chilled cucumber, rabbit pate and soup
If you walk in the front door and spend more than five minutes in the restaurant you’ll undoubtedly run into Danny Millan. He’s the poor fellow that probably greeted you when you walked in and has since fretted over every bit of your Le Foret experience. Mr. Danny has run the gauntlet of New Orleans’ finest restaurants and brings that world of knowledge to ensure your experience is top notch.
Le Foret’s Master Chef Jimmy Corwell crafts ever-changing menus of French-inspired contemporary cuisine. On our most recent visit, I ran into a problem I don’t often have–I couldn’t decide on what to eat. Choosing between the grilled quail carbonara, roasted tenderloin of beef, pan-roasted veal chop, and trio of rabbit and grilled scallops, just to name a few, was simply way too much for my brain and stomach to fight over. Fortunately I was with a decent-sized group and I solved the problem by ordering last and more or less taking what was left over. I was not disappointed.
Care for a glass?
This also brings me to one of my favorite aspects of Le Foret–the almost endless complimentary courses, two amuses, and a mini-dessert sampler! With a dessert menu almost as long as the regular menu, you better save yourself some room. Besides being extensive, the dessert menu is incredibly elegant, sporting such indulgences as Sacher Torte, grilled pineapple Madagascar, and a Black Forest souffle. Between the fantastic menu and all that free food it is no surprise that Le Foret won the title of New Orleans’ Best New Restaurant from New Orleans Magazine last year.
Given the combination of location, service, food, and atmosphere, I’m not sure I can recommend a better downtown dining experience.
Le Foret
129 Camp Street
Sunday, Tuesday-Thursday 5:30-10:00 pm
Friday-Saturday 5:30-10:30 pm
Accepts all major credit cards
All photos courtesy of Le Foret
Hungry for more? Visit Just Off the Red Streetcar Line.
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