Eating New Orleans: Sac-a-lait

*UPDATE: WITH NO EXPLANATION, THIS RESTAURANT IS NOW CLOSED.*

For more on New Orleans, check out the Hangry Backpacker’s New Orleans Travel Guide. For some good pizza in NOLA, check out this review of Pizza Domenica.

New Orleans is world renowned for its food and fine dining, with the go-tos and staples garnering most of the attention. After years, the mainstays – Commander’s Palace, Galatoire’s, Brennan’s and many others – are largely still doing the same thing, sticking to traditional New Orleans fare. That isn’t to say that you won’t enjoy a phenomenal meal – probably one of the best you ever eat – at all of these places. They have earned the reputations which precede them. But maybe it is time to try some New Orleans food with a twist, something a little different.

For an experience with equally upscale food but a change from the typical lists of roast duck, veal chop, étouffée or fresh-caught gulf-whatever-fish, Sac-a-lait offers an alternative.

Take a glance at the menu – http://www.sac-a-laitrestaurant.com/#menu – and you will see some similarities to a typical New Orleans fine dining experience. But the similarity is only in origin of the dish, as the chefs at Sac-a-lait make everything uniquely their own. If you want a new version of an old standby, by all means, go for it. The talent in the kitchen and the smaller volume of patrons translates to better food for you. But the reason Sac-a-lait has received critical acclaim is not over the crawfish étouffée or gumbo. Standing out in a sea of world-class eating takes nerve, heart and brains. Literally. And this is the place.

Don’t be turned off by the idea of eating something weird. Just because modern America is full of prude, ignorant consumers of food does not mean you have to fall in line with the sheep. Instead, you should eat the sheep, ALL parts of it!

Western society is fully entrenched in a mindset focused on wasting less and being as efficient as possible. Secondhand clothing stores are popular and people are foregoing plastic bags at the supermarket, all in an effort to reduce consumption and waste. Reuse, recycle, etc. That’s the mantra. But, God forbid, through their green-blooded, tree-humping tears that they ever consider not wasting a part of the animal that sounds gross. Even if most people had a clue how that tender veal made its way to their plate, they scoff at the idea of eating its poor little brains. The result: more often than not, food is wasted. Don’t be like this. If we’re being forced to be “open-minded”  and resourceful about everything under the sun, this should be the case with food, too. Don’t be a tree-humping douche. Step out of your comfort zone. Eat something good. Eat something different.

At Sac-a-lait, the menu feels a little strange at first. The dishes are named with unusual words or a Cajun French most of us cannot interpret. Reading the descriptions, many patrons are likely deterred. But the reality is, so long as you are not a bad hunter (i.e. vegetarian), you would very likely enjoy all of the strange things if no one told you what it entrails – pardon, what it entails.*

When the thought of eating brains crosses most minds, people think of some guy on travel television in a remote part of the world scarfing down a mushy plate of gelatinous gray matter over a campfire. However, many places in our world regularly consume brains and other less-sexy bits of animal. Sometimes it can be tasty and other times not so much. At Sac-a-lait, the Cerveau de Veau – deep fried veal brains – is an opportunity for you to try an unusual dish with a twist. Most servings of brains will not wind up quite so pretty as this one. That consistency you’re worried about is masked by the crispy, fried exterior; and the garlic and tartar set off the dish, not masking any unusual flavors, but enhancing the subject. The plate is pretty and, while it may taste unusual, because it is just that – unusual – you will have a tasty try at some brains. Keep an open opinion and your experience will be considerably better.

Further on down in zoological anatomy will bring you to the life force of any being – the heart. Currently on the menu, duck hearts with seared goat cheese grits will wow you. Eating hearts is easier to stomach for most people compared to brains, but many still have reservations about the organ. Here, several duck hearts around a cylinder of grits will have you licking the plate. They arrive rich and dense, and are easy to enjoy, with very little gamey taste.

Not currently on the menu is the wild boar’s heart. If no one told you this was boar’s heart, you likely would never know. It eats like beef with a unique taste of its own. Sac-a-lait stuffs the heart with a bell pepper risotto served with thinly sliced beets and Brussels sprouts in a maple sherry sauce. The heart is fantastic, with a texture and filling nature similar to beef. The Brussels sprouts are, without a doubt, some of the best you could ever eat. In fact, if everyone made vegetables taste like this, the world would be a happier place.

Continuing on the trend of eating strange things, Sac-a-lait’s Chicken Scratch, a dish with chicken feet, gizzards, livers and hearts, is another fun and delicious option. Aggravatingly, these parts of the chicken are too often associated with poor or lower-class dining, You would be hard-pressed to find any of this at an upscale restaurant in New Orleans or elsewhere. But these chefs have taken bits of the chicken people scoff at and made a wonderful (and again, delicious!) plate.

Another negatively-viewed item is the fried pig’s ear. This is nothing to be grossed out about. Simply because wealthy people became too good for this treat years ago does not mean you have to submit to such idiocy. It is served appropriately pleasing to the eye, with a tasty goat’s milk cream cheese and caviar. The caviar is the roe of the choupique, commonly known outside of Louisiana as the bowfin. Again, this restaurant is pushing past barriers and standing up to the norm, as choupique is considered a trash fish by most. They have taken a dish once considered peasant grub and created a work of art. Above all, a delicious work of art!

For more traditional food, the fried alligator does not disappoint. The remoulade, God’s gift to the world of sauce, is right on point. The pickled mustard seeds set this plate apart from other renditions of this classic Louisiana dish and this is a great place to begin your Sac-a-lait experience. You should also call for a plate of chargrilled oysters. The jalapeno-bacon butter will send a wave of pleasure through your body. You will have a tough time getting enough, so maybe think about doubling that order.

Additionally, the fried quail will rock your world. Sweet from the honey and spicy from the lemongrass, habanero and fermented cayenne, it has a kick, but this is nothing to fret over. Perhaps if you are from the Pacific Northwest or another land of bland, have the fire department on standby as you wrestle and cry, overwhelmed by flavored food. Otherwise, enjoy. It is nothing more than a kick, easily extinguished with a splash of water.

Fine dining without the frills. Unlike other nice establishments, you won’t have to worry about looking uncultured when you spill a drop of gumbo on the table. There are no table cloths; instead, beautiful pine tables in a rustically upscale environment. You will not need that coat either, as other patrons are dressed from nice on down to casual. The general atmosphere, in an old mill with a very open feel, is comfortable and friendly, whether Friday afternoon lunch or Saturday night dinner.

The staff is knowledgeable and friendly. The servers are willing to help you understand the menu and provide insight on all the weird items in front of you, calming whatever nerves are acting up as you wrestle with the idea of eating organs and the unknown. The chefs and owners are commonly seen as well, personally checking with guests to insure quality, answer questions and make sure happiness is had. The staff will make you feel incredibly welcome from start to finish.

A new take on New Orleans fine dining and a truly farm-to-table experience. If efficiency and low-waste is the world we are striving towards, food should be no different. And most importantly, if food tastes good, it should not matter if it is something new or sounds unusual. Open your mind to a world of new food in, perhaps, the greatest food city in the world. The traditional favorites in new form and the stranger bits of the farm are side by side. Sac-a-lait will offer you a twist on typical New Orleans fine dining, and it is well worth your visit. Go hungry. Give yourself plenty of time. Eat.