Nestled behind a plant-covered patio on St. Charles Avenue, Jack Rose is a hip eatery popular with foodies, influencers, and out-of-towners alike. There's something for everyone to enjoy, unless you prefer a stuffy, over-elegant restaurant. Jack Rose is immediately intense in the best way possible. You are immersed in a richly decorated space festooned with pop art, heavy fabrics, and even a disco ball hanging below a skylight.
For Friday lunch, you are urged to order bottomless Veuve Cliqot champagne, either the regular kind or the rose. You can also get a Chambong or two. A Chambong is a device for quickly, yet elegantly, downing a glass of bubbly. After some champagne in normal glasses and in the Chambong, my feasting partner and I had the Fritto Misto appetizer of various fried veggies. Nothing goes better with bubbly than fried things.
For apps, we also tried the Royal Red Shrimp Muddy Waters with Squid Ink pasta and Crawfish Bread. The plump shrimps set upon black pasta were doused with delicious sauce that was light so as not to spoil the true taste of the shrimp. The Crawfish Bread wasn't exactly the kind that you would find at Jazz Fest. Tow pieces of artisan bread were filled with gooey cheese, and those sandwiches were topped with flavorful shrimp and Creole-type sauce.
Don't fill up on the apps, though! The entrees are too good to pass up on. A little bit of champers to cleanse the palette, and we dug into the Pompano en Papillote and King Trumpet Mushrooms. The pompano fish came to the table in a thin bag that unleashed steam as it was cut open by a waiter. The expertly-seasoned, buttery fish was so tender that it could be eaten with a spoon. It sat upon a bed of steamy bok choy and sunchokes. The mushrooms were so meaty that I could swear I was eating beef. They were chewy, but not enough to tire the jaw and released a delicious sauce when chewed. The mushrooms were served atop garlicky pasta with capers. The saltiness went so well with champagne too. Perhaps the menu was based upon a champagne pairing.
Though we were stuffed, we couldn't help but order the infamous Mile High Pie. This foot-tall three-flavored ice cream cake came drizzled in hot chocolate sauce and crowned with mushroom icing. A meal like this is worth calling in sick for, I promise.
