New Orleans Happy Hours at Besh’s American Sector, Domenica and Lüke

American Sector

National World War II Museum

945 Magazine Street (Museum District)

New Orleans, Louisiana  70130

504-528-1940

www.nationalww2museum.org/american-sector/

Domenica

At The Roosevelt Hotel

123 Baronne Street
New Orleans, LA 70112-2303
(504) 648-6020

www.domenicarestaurant.com

Lüke

333 St. Charles Avenue

New Orleans (CBD), Louisiana 70130

504-378-2840

www.lukeneworleans.com

By Jane Feehan

A good way to end an afternoon or to begin an evening in the Crescent City is at a John Besh establishment. Whet your whistle and tease your palate at American Sector, Domenica or Lüke with a visit during happy hours.

As of now, happy hours at these three restaurants run 3-6 p.m. with the following variations:

   

·         American Sector: Half priced-well drinks and 75-cent sliders (mini-burgers)

·         Domenica: Half-priced liquor, wine, some specialty drinks and half-priced pizza

·         Lüke: Half-priced well drinks and 25-cent oysters

Search blog for reviews of each restaurant. © 2010 Jane Feehan All rights reserved.

Lüke - A salute to Old World New Orleans dining

Lüke

(a John Besh restaurant at the Hilton St Charles in the CBD)

333 St. Charles Avenue

New Orleans (CBD), Louisiana 70130

504-378-2840

www.lukeneworleans.com

Breakfast 7am – 11am M-F  

Breakfast buffet 7am – 10am M-F, 7am-11am Sat – Sun

Brunch 7am – 4pm Sat-Sun

Lunch 11am – 4pm

Dinner 4pm – 11pm • Take Out 7am – 11pm

By Jane Feehan

With Old World ambiance – high ceilings, white tiled floors, dark wood – and a menu inspired by the Franco-German brasseries of 19^th- and early 20th-century New Orleans, Lüke departs from the predominant Creole theme of Crescent City eateries.

Lüke is not for the faint of appetite. They serve lots of sophisticated, heavy comfort foods: house made bratwurst, slow cooked Berkshire pork skin with creamer potatoes, spätzle and choucroute. Other courses feature German-style recipes of veal, beef, tripe, chicken or pork.

Creole is on the menu with redfish “court-bouillon,” a dish of crab, shrimp and oysters with rice, in addition to gumbo, corn and crab bisque or Louisiana shrimp and grits. For die hard shellfish lovers the raw bar is excellent. I sampled some exceptionally tasty oysters while watching beautiful shellfish platters be readied for table diners.

Brunch was a toss up between buttermilk fried chicken and waffles ($20) or stuffed blue crab cakes with country hash browns, poached eggs and hollandaise ($22). Blue crab cakes won. The cakes (lots of crabmeat) and eggs sat atop potatoes and caramelized onions and proved to be a delicious, savory combination which I couldn’t finish; it was rich.

The full bar offers a variety of domestic and European beers. Reservations advised; Lüke is not a large establishment and gets busy (and a bit noisy) by 1 p.m. Service: good. Short walk from Canal Street and the French Quarter. © 2010 Jane Feehan All rights reserved. 


Tags: John Besh, French Quarter, New Orleans restaurants in CBD, 

Domenica - New Orleans

Domenica
123 Baronne Street (Roosevelt Hotel )
New Orleans, LA 504-648-6020
Open 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. Daily
504-648-6020

By Jane Feehan

John Besh’s Domenica is not your 20th-century neighborhood spaghetti house with checkered tablecloths, dim lights and the aroma of garlic wafting throughout. Instead, the décor is modern Italian minimalist, the atmosphere oozes trendy and the menu offers a wider array of dishes and flavors than we usually expect of an Italian restaurant.

There's an interesting collection of cured meats and cheeses on view, an antipasti list featuring wood grilled shrimp, fried squash blossoms, baby lettuces with beets and then, the "secondi," the main menu, that really gets the juices flowing.

The main course offerings are a collection of items that includes anolini, small ravioli with wild mushrooms; fettuccine with oysters, saffron and cream; spinach and ricotta gnocchi; rigatoni with crab; stracci - torn pasta with oxtail ragu; and fresh fish, veal, goat, pork and hen creations. Pizza is also served.

I sampled Burrata Mozzarella with tomatoes and grilled bread as a starter and was so impressed I ordered another antipasto, fried squash blossoms. Both dishes were memorable – as was the quarter-sized delicately flavored anolini, the secondi. I’m not big on desserts but was eager to experience as many of Domenica’s Italian delights as I could. The fig and ricotta fritters served with moscato zabaione – frothy egg yolks whipped with wine and sugar – was a delicious end to a meal I won’t soon forget.

Many of the antipasti and main course dishes are served in two sizes, two different prices - a great option. Reservations are recommended. Service: good. © 2009 All rights reserved. See review on Jane's Bits of another John Besh restaurant, American Sector.

American Sector (Chef John Besh) New Orleans

The American Sector
Chef John Besh
945 Magazine Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
504-528-1940
Sun-Thursday: 11 a.m.- 9 p.m.
Friday-Saturday: 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
www.nationalww2museum.org/american-sector

By Jane Feehan

Chef John Besh scores again with his American Sector restaurant at the National WWII Museum. It’s fun, the food is great and it adds a perfect ending to a day at the museum. If you’re not into WWII but would like to sample American food a la 1940s with a dash of Louisiana thrown in – go.

Soups, salads, sandwiches, milk shakes, sweets, and main courses make this establishment worthy of a visit for anyone, any time of the day. Sloppy Joes, slow cooked beef tongue, and house-made bologna sandwiches are just a smattering of lunch offerings. Delivered on wooden blocks and more than six inches high, sandwiches are big enough to share.

Those hankering for a hot meal can choose from a menu of chicken and dumplings, meatloaf, spaghetti and meat balls, pork cheeks, blue crab and sausage stew, shrimp creole and more. I ordered the Crispy Buster Crabs with baked jalepeño cheese grits –soft shelled crabs tempura fried - and it was scrumptious. I brought more than half of it home for dinner. Dessert for me was Sector Jacks: house-made cracker jacks in an American Sector box replete with a toy soldier, and served with house-made ice cream.

For children under 12, lunch ($7) is served with fries, a cookie, soft drink and a surprise. To the delight of some little ones I watched, their meals were delivered in large lunch boxes.

Lunch boxes and Sector Jacks are just part of the fun eating here. American Sector is as much about the experience as the food. Servers and hostesses dress in 1940s garb, music from the war decade plays continuously and men dressed in vintage military uniforms drop in and walk through the dining room.

The adjacent Stage Door Canteen presents a jazz and swing music performance on Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday matinee for $30. American Sector is a great place for a pre-show meal or Sunday brunch. The full bar – a large square affair in the main dining area – offers a complete list of New Orleans favs: Sazerac cocktail, Ramos’ Gin Fizz, Salty Dog, Mint Julep and plenty more. Reservations suggested. Restaurant will deduct price of parking at museum-designated parking lots. Bring receipt and show before bill arrives. ©2010 Jane Feehan All rights reserved. See my post about another Besh establishment, Domenica. (Search box). Other Besh Restaurants: August; Besh Steaks, Lüke, La Provence.

Tags: New Orleans restaurants, New Orleans restaurant reviews, New Orleans dining

National WWII Museum, New Orleans

National WWII Museum
945 Magazine Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
Near Warehouse District - not far from CBD and French Quarter
504-528-1944
www.nationalww2museum.org
Admission: $8-$16 with children under five free

By Jane Feehan

If you’re interested in World War II, this museum is worth a trip to New Orleans. It’s designated by Congress as the country’s official WWII museum.

Leading off with a prelude to war in the main gallery entrance, it’s organized by the American campaigns in Asia and Europe. With lots of photos, artifacts, military equipment and uniforms, and recorded personal accounts of survivors soldiers, both military and civilian, the museum will take about three hours to walk through. I was impressed with animated and voice over diagrams of D-Day invasions in the Pacific and at Normandy. There are plenty of narrated short films (six to 30 minutes) that run throughout the day.

An hourly 4-D film, Beyond All Boundaries, is shown in the Solomon Victory Theater across the street from the museum. It’s narrated by Tom Hanks and comes with special effects snow, sound and seats with full range oscillation.

Check their website for times and reservations. Parking is available in several pre-pay lots for $5 and $6 dollars. Save the receipt from museum-designated parking lots if you decide to eat at John Besh’s American Sector restaurant in the Solomon Theater building. That amount will be deducted from the bill. Present BEFORE the bill comes to the table.

Weekends tend to be busy with lines for Beyond All Boundaries. Reservations suggested for special exhibits and the film. Be sure to stop at the American Sector Restaurant. See post.©2010 Jane Feehan All rights reserved.