B2

AMERICAN PRESS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

SCENE
Located inside LAuberge
Sunday-Thursday

Piano Lounge: 5:30-11 p.m.

Grille Dinner Service: 6-10 p.m.

Friday

Piano Lounge: 5:30 p.m.-midnight

Grille Dinner Service: 6-11 p.m.

Saturday

Piano Lounge: 5:30 p.m.-midnight

Grille Dinner Service: 5:30-11
p.m.

Cuisine

GRILLE & WINE BAR

00933479

SCENE

M-TH
TH 11AM til 10pm F
F-SAT
SAT 11AM til Midnig
Midnight
Closed Sunday Buffet 11AM til 1PM M-F 337.419.1931

329 Broad Street

1911 Historical City Hall On Bilbo St., Lake Charles

If It Rains Look For Us Inside City Hall
Cold Pressed Organic Juice
Grass Fed Beef, Lamb and Pork
Okra Squash Kale Mustard Greens Turnips
Cucumbers Tomatoes Assortment of Breads
Sweet Dough Pies Baked Goods Pralines
Peanut Brittle Eggs Brown Jasmine Rice
Local LA Honey Jelly/Jam Fig Preserves
Pickled Items Homemade Soap Plants
Jewelry Variety of Woodworks

8am -12 noon

2nd Market
337-309-1389

Open Every Thursday

3PM-6PM

VENDORS INSIDE
University Park Recreation Building
1001 Central Parkway

New Vendors Always Welcome

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facebook

Its
s Time
Tim
me To
To Get
Get Down...
Do
ow
wn

DOWNTOWN

Great Food,
F
Drinks and
Live Music!

Mon.-Sat.
Sat
11:00 a.m. 10:00 p.m.

EAT LOCAL

719 Ryan Street 337-494-5862

To feature
your business on
this page contact:

Jessika Sarver
337-494-4047 or
preprints@americanpress.com

LARGE BREW MENU

Over 45 Scotches
One of the largest
Scotch Selections in the area

Pub Trivia Games

Tuesday Nights
Monday-Saturday
11:00 a.m. - Till
Closed Sunday

Happy Hour
Mon-Sat 2-6

417 Ann Street (337) 433-5992

M-F 10:30AM-3PM
SAT Closed
SUN 10:30AM-3PM

345 Broad St. 337-656-2798

Embers small-plate menu

is a big deal
By Mary Newport

mnewport@americanpress.com
My first impression on
walking into Ember Grille
& Wine Bar was darkness. I
moved from the bright lights
of LAuberge into a soft twilight of low leather couches
and plush chairs, punctuated
by flickering red candles. The
brightest point in the room
was a peak of bottles behind
the bar, tiered ranks lit from
below like a Mount Olympus
of liquor. Piano music flowed
through the room, mingling
with the soft chatter of guests.
This was Embers Social
Hour, a newly launched dining event featuring a rotating
menu of seven small-plate
items. From 5:30 to 7 p.m. Sunday to Friday, each item is $7.
Also on the menu are specially
chosen wines and a signature
cocktail, likewise $7 apiece.
The menu items range from
enticing, like the Kobe French
Dip, to puzzling, like Candied
Bacon. Cognizant of my noble
reviewing mission, I determined to try them all.
Let the record show that
I fully intend to live forever,
but if I have to go, trying to
manage seven courses is my
preferred method.
The flood began with an
enticing basket of fresh bread,
accompanied by a small bowl
of creamy butter. I refrained
from filling up on bread, but
it was a difficult undertaking.
Im a sucker for hot buns, and
the soft white bread, cheesetopped roll and sturdy multigrain demanded appreciation.
Then the dishes started rolling
in. Three waiters brought out
plate after plate, eventually
pulling up a second table to
hold it all. By the time it was
over, I was in anticipatory
heaven and my bread was
another country.

The first dish I tested was

the Ahi Tuna Tacos, tiny wonton-style taco shells filled with
seaweed salad and a morsel of
pink tuna. The tacos were a
crisp, crunchy mouthful, and
the zesty seaweed mingled
delightfully with the lightly
seared tuna. The combination
made for a stimulating snack. I
was sold, but I couldnt linger.
I resolved to return for more
tacos later, and rotated my
selections.
The BBQ Chicken Satay
combined the best of fine
dining and backyard grilling. Pieces of chicken were
marinated, skewered, grilled
to juicy perfection and drizzled
with a tangy sauce. The sight
of well-grilled chicken arranged with artistic precision
is one to make the heart sigh.
The smell causes the mouth
to water. The taste produces a
variety of sensations, the most
common being an appreciative
mmm.
The Crab Arancini was a
demonstration of the sort of
Italian cuisine any Cajun can
get behind. Embers arancini balls of rice coated in
breadcrumbs and fried were
stuffed with sweet crab meat.
The outer crust was thin and
crisp, giving way to a moist,
yielding center of delicious
crab. The three balls came
stacked in a bowl of tomato
sauce, a thoroughly appropriate setting. I approved highly
of the arancini, but I once
again rotated plates.
This is where things got
serious. The dishes heretofore
mentioned were pleasant, well
worth eating and enjoying,
but the next set were vicious
competitors for the title of
favorite. Sauces enticed me,
spices beguiled me, tender cuts
of meat tested my resolve to
only take a bite of everything.

It was culinary warfare and all

bets were off.
The Kobe French Dip,
which came highly recommended by my waiter, made
a strong leading bid with intimidation tactics. In contrast
to the lighter plates, it was a
meal unto itself, an imposing
sandwich of toasted bread
piled high with solid cuts of
beef. The warm brown bowl of
au jus twinkled invitingly. A
bite yielded the savor of thicksliced meat enhanced by rich
juice and the warm support of
crisp bread. It was torture to
only take one bite so I took
three. Purely for quality assurance purposes, of course.
The Prime Beef Tartare was
a revelation. It gleamed softly
in the low light, a column of
finely chopped raw beef topped
with an egg and partnered
with crisp crostini. Despite
being visually unassuming, it was boldly spiced and
captivatingly flavorful. After
much consideration, it smugly
nudged out the Kobe French
Dip and took pride of place.
And then there was bacon.
I admit I was initially unenthused by the dish much as I
adore bacon, the last few years
have been something of a
baconpocalypse. I have stolidly
weathered every permutation
of the craze, and I still shudder with disgust at the awful
memory of chocolate bacon.
When my Candied Bacon arrived, I expected it to be more
of the same, another attempt
to combine what should not be
combined and candy-coat what
should not be candy-coated.
Never have I been so wrong.
The Candied Bacon came
in what can best be described
as a short vase, accompanied
by a similar arrangement of
pickled cucumbers (not to be
confused with pickles). A vase
full of bacon, glistening softly
in the candlelight is there
anything more romantic?
The bacon was covered in a
sweet glaze that did something
miraculous to its inherent
meatiness, creating a harmony
of sugar-touched pork that lit
up the tongue like a beam of
divine light. It was bacon in its
highest form, bacon transcendent, the thing that happens to
the very best pigs if they live
a good life and love their neigh-

bors as themselves. When the

ecstasy became too much, the
vinegary crunch of the cucumber wiped the sweetness from
my tongue and prepared me to
indulge once more.
It seemed that nothing
could surpass the raptures of
Candied Bacon, but there was
one dish that exceed even it.
How do I begin to explain
the Beef Satay? Beef Satay is
flawless. It has adorable skewers and a rich, robust flavor. I
hear the sauce is a chef secret.
I cant work any more Mean
Girls references in here, but
trust me, the Beef Satay is the
Regina George of Ember. For
those of you who lost me on
that one, let me clarify: The
Beef Satay was grilled skewers
of tender beef in an Asianinspired marinade, drizzled in
a delightful sauce and served
with justifiable pride. The
meat was lean and succulent,
aromatic and savory, juicy and
rich. It was by far the most excellent in a field of superlative
dishes, and as soon as I had
tasted everything, I devoured
it.
Overall, the food was outstanding, and the setting was
equal to the task. The restaurant itself was opulent and
comfortable. The wait staff
were commendably attentive to
every possible desire. My glass
was never empty nor in danger
of being so; my requests were
met swiftly and politely; and
no sooner was a plate empty
than it was whisked away. I did
consider that I might be getting special attention I am
adorable, and my natural love
of people who bring me food
has entranced many a server
but as far as I could tell from
surreptitious observation,
everyone in the restaurant
received equal attention.
The dispatching of the
leftovers was equally excellent.
After a short powder room
break, I returned to find six
identical carry-out boxes (as I
said, I devoured all of the beef,
and I have no shame). In the
spirit of LAuberge, Ive been
using them to play Leftover
Roulette. The rules are simple:
1) Become hungry. 2) Select
an anonymous box for your
meal. 3) Know that whatever is
inside is bound to be delicious,
as everything at Ember is.