After getting back from New
Orleans, our children had a craving for beignet.
We decided to give Battistella's in downtown Raleigh, a try.
The only day the restaurant serves the fried dough is during Sunday brunch...so that is the day we marched in. This Louisiana native chef sources his ingredients locally and from throughout the Southeast US. It is amazing how abundant we are locally with fresh produce. We were surprised and delighted to see the special on the board:
We decided to give Battistella's in downtown Raleigh, a try.
The only day the restaurant serves the fried dough is during Sunday brunch...so that is the day we marched in. This Louisiana native chef sources his ingredients locally and from throughout the Southeast US. It is amazing how abundant we are locally with fresh produce. We were surprised and delighted to see the special on the board:
 | |||
| Grilled andouille sausage, egg, NC hoop cheddar cheese po-boy Served with chicken sausage shrimp gumbo |
 |
| Fried Georgia quail Over popcorn rice with crawfish étouffée sauce |
What is the verdict?
Gumbo is your best bet here. A spoon full embodied with spice and a kick of the heat like a snap of a reptile at the end.
The andouille sausage and egg po boy was a perfection. The warm dose of eggs dripping over the spicy meat, who needs hollandaise sauce!
The quail was dusted with cornmeal and deep-fried. Imagine eating a whole chicken of dark meat without eating the full size chicken. The quail meat was succulent and the skin was cornmeal crisp. It got a thumb up from our son who loves crispy skin of all kinds. The etuoffe was a bit thick for my taste. The cream, maybe, was added a bit too early and the roux was dense.
Gumbo is your best bet here. A spoon full embodied with spice and a kick of the heat like a snap of a reptile at the end.
The andouille sausage and egg po boy was a perfection. The warm dose of eggs dripping over the spicy meat, who needs hollandaise sauce!
The quail was dusted with cornmeal and deep-fried. Imagine eating a whole chicken of dark meat without eating the full size chicken. The quail meat was succulent and the skin was cornmeal crisp. It got a thumb up from our son who loves crispy skin of all kinds. The etuoffe was a bit thick for my taste. The cream, maybe, was added a bit too early and the roux was dense.
What about the beignet? The Sunday special? The beignet was a disappointment. I have seen it done where the dough is spread out thinly in a rectangular shape, risen and fried. The concoction here was literally a fried ball with a clumping of powdered sugar. Our children were the first to tell us that it was good but not as good as Cafe Du Monde!
Nonetheless, I am glad to find this joint and cannot wait to try his BBQ North Carolina shrimp...if it comes on the menu. Oyster in and around the Northern Neck, Virginia are hoping to be crusted. And a blue crab boil, done New Orleans style...please think about it? Having had Cajun food, at Acadiana in Washington, DC, which is the best Cajun food in DC according to the Washingtonian magazine, Raleigh has found its bargain. This gem... he is raw and real...so embrace your adopted child. I surely will become the frequent taster.
Cheers!
Teera
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