End-of-decade mustachioed variety show

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

By Ben Cannon

Jackson Hole, Wyoming - I spent the Christmas holiday with family in my ancestral homeland of New Orleans. I won’t bore you with the details, except to say that we built upon a recent quasi-tradition by having a leisurely lunch in the city’s historic French Quarter, at a famous restaurant called Arnaud’s.

Arnaud’s, which turned 92 this year, and is considered to be an ‘old line’ New Orleans establishment, or one of the city’s great traditional restaurants.

We enjoyed traditional delicacies like Oysters Bienville, a baked appetizer on the half shell stuffed with shrimp, bread crumbs, lots of onion and garlic, with a thick white wine sauce.

Oysters Bienville was said to have originated there about 75 years ago, and it must still be one of the best dishes in New Orleans.

If you’re ever in the Crescent City, try to visit Arnaud’s, if only for a ginger ale (or single malt) at the sumptuous barroom that is frozen in early 20th century elegance.

Next item of business: housekeeping.
A couple of weeks ago, in a column about recent changes and an emerging gourmet beer scene at Thai Me Up, I wrote that owner Jeremy Tofte said he would put his beer – that is, the small batch beer he makes and now serves – “up against any brewery in America.”

Tofte later told me that’s not what he said. What he said, according to him now, was that he was proud to have his beers on tap along with some of the best beers in America. Tofte, a real beer connoisseur, is also loyal to the area’s other local brewers and didn’t want it to appear that he might have been taking a jab at anyone else.

Before Christmas, a friend and I drove up Saddle Butte for a Sunday afternoon cocktail at the Amangani. On my salary, the Amangani is no everyday haunt, but we figured it was so close to the holidays that – well, why not?

Because the surge of holiday visitors had yet to arrive, due in part to the recent snowstorms that shutdown airports along the East Coast, there was almost no one else in the Amangani lobby, and we had that cathedral of wood and simplicity to ourselves.

So we made ourselves cozy in some chairs around the fire and settled in.
Because of the time of day – mid-afternoon – we only split an appetizer, the very good shrimp tacos with corn tortillas. Served with a citrus-y cole slaw, I think the dish could be enough to work as an entree for one person with a smaller-to-moderate appetite.

Because I like to go up to the Amangani lobby once every few months and knew our server both from seeing him up there and around town, I asked him how often he recognizes young locals when he’s working.
He replied, “Let’s see, when was the last time you were in here?”
More for us, I suppose.

But seriously, if you don’t ever think to go to the Amangani, if only to sit by the fire with a glass of wine, think again. It’s not for everyone, but if you’re inclined every so often to kill some time in one of the valley’s nicest settings, and comfortable in doing so, I would encourage you to consider it. Especially right now, while a very tall Christmas tree soars nearly all the way to the lobby’s vaulted ceilings.  It’s a very nice place to be. Happy New Year! JHW

Photo: Cannon still submits iPhone photos against editor’s warning. - eds.


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End-of-decade mustachioed variety show | Planet JH News Article: Restaurants And Dining

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