Chloe's comfort food: the dumplings on their winter menu
The Chloe's winter menu
review by Paul Oswell
Prior to last week, I’d only ever been to The Chloe during the warmer months, for drinks by its secluded pool or dinner on their al fresco terrace out front. During the more bearable moments of New Orleans’ summers, these are idyllic spots at a hotel that rightly attracts a healthy local influx of guests.
It’s a cozy, intimate dining room that we roll up to on St Charles Avenue, perfect for ducking into on a cold night. Office Christmas parties take up a couple of the bigger tables, families and couples filling in the rest and there’s a lively hum of bonhomie. Snug low lighting, tastefully understated decorations and a general atmospheric warmth round out the scene.
How have I worked and lived in New Orleans for over 20 years and never had alligator soup? I can only think that I’ve never seen it on a menu, or I would have snapped it up by now. Either way, it’s the perfect appetizer for a chilly evening, a hearty, savory dish with grated egg adding an extra level of umami. As with turtle soup, a theatrical splash of sherry is delivered tableside.
Shrimp and pork dumplings come out bathed in a roux that’s as dark as the shortening winter nights, the dish doing a great job of balancing out the tangy ginger and piquant chillies. Other small plates include a braised beef agnolotti with mustard greens and smoked pork belly lettuce cups embellished with mint, basil and chili mayo.
The entrees confidently shore up the building comfort levels. Growing up in England, lamb was a near-weekly fixture, but it feels like a delicacy here. I always jump on the chance to try it in New Orleans, and the slow-cooked shoulder with ‘dirty’ farro grains, kale and a sweet potato harissa doesn’t disappoint. The meat is tender and deftly flavored.
My dining companion’s hanger steak is similarly satisfying, coming out with potato au poivre and a charred scallion chimichurri sauce. We were taking a night off the booze, but either of these main dishes would peak with a well-chosen glass of red. The coziness levels would be off the charts.
Vegetarians could plump for the smoked mushroom cassoulet and be just as sated, and there’s roasted pork loin, blackened snapper, butter-crusted drum and a twin-stacked burger also vying for your attention.
We’re not done with feeling content just yet, though. We share an ice cream sandwich, made with brown butter ice cream and a praline crunch biscuit and, under trying circumstances, we can report back that it’s as glorious as it sounds. You can thank us for our service another time.
The short story is: don’t wait until the spring to enjoy The Chloe. Poolside cocktails have their place, but to miss out on the hotel’s winter program is to do yourself a disservice. The Danes call it ‘hygge’, the Swedes call it ‘mysa’, and you can call it whatever you like, but it sure hits the spot at this time of year.
Book your table at The Chloe's website
review by Paul Oswell
Prior to last week, I’d only ever been to The Chloe during the warmer months, for drinks by its secluded pool or dinner on their al fresco terrace out front. During the more bearable moments of New Orleans’ summers, these are idyllic spots at a hotel that rightly attracts a healthy local influx of guests.
It’s a cozy, intimate dining room that we roll up to on St Charles Avenue, perfect for ducking into on a cold night. Office Christmas parties take up a couple of the bigger tables, families and couples filling in the rest and there’s a lively hum of bonhomie. Snug low lighting, tastefully understated decorations and a general atmospheric warmth round out the scene.
How have I worked and lived in New Orleans for over 20 years and never had alligator soup? I can only think that I’ve never seen it on a menu, or I would have snapped it up by now. Either way, it’s the perfect appetizer for a chilly evening, a hearty, savory dish with grated egg adding an extra level of umami. As with turtle soup, a theatrical splash of sherry is delivered tableside.
Shrimp and pork dumplings come out bathed in a roux that’s as dark as the shortening winter nights, the dish doing a great job of balancing out the tangy ginger and piquant chillies. Other small plates include a braised beef agnolotti with mustard greens and smoked pork belly lettuce cups embellished with mint, basil and chili mayo.
The entrees confidently shore up the building comfort levels. Growing up in England, lamb was a near-weekly fixture, but it feels like a delicacy here. I always jump on the chance to try it in New Orleans, and the slow-cooked shoulder with ‘dirty’ farro grains, kale and a sweet potato harissa doesn’t disappoint. The meat is tender and deftly flavored.
My dining companion’s hanger steak is similarly satisfying, coming out with potato au poivre and a charred scallion chimichurri sauce. We were taking a night off the booze, but either of these main dishes would peak with a well-chosen glass of red. The coziness levels would be off the charts.
Vegetarians could plump for the smoked mushroom cassoulet and be just as sated, and there’s roasted pork loin, blackened snapper, butter-crusted drum and a twin-stacked burger also vying for your attention.
We’re not done with feeling content just yet, though. We share an ice cream sandwich, made with brown butter ice cream and a praline crunch biscuit and, under trying circumstances, we can report back that it’s as glorious as it sounds. You can thank us for our service another time.
The short story is: don’t wait until the spring to enjoy The Chloe. Poolside cocktails have their place, but to miss out on the hotel’s winter program is to do yourself a disservice. The Danes call it ‘hygge’, the Swedes call it ‘mysa’, and you can call it whatever you like, but it sure hits the spot at this time of year.
Book your table at The Chloe's website