There’s a whiff of Bourbon Street on Park
Slope’s Seventh Avenue. The dreary India House has closed, and
in its place is NoNo Kitchen, a Louisiana-style eatery with a
setting meant to "Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler" – or
"let the good times roll."
Gregory Tatis, the chef and co-owner of NoNo Kitchen, and his
wife, pastry chef Monica Jaramillo-Tatis, opened the restaurant
in October. Before coming to Park Slope, Tatis was the executive
chef of the Delta Grill in Manhattan. He worked for eight years
with the man who brought everything "blackened" to
New York in the late 80s, Paul Prudhomme of K-Paul’s Louisiana
Kitchen in New Orleans. A photo of Prudhomme hangs in the restaurant.
If diners can get past the restaurant’s name – which seems more
like an omen that an inviting moniker (NoNo is an abbreviation
of "north of New Orleans") – they can have an enjoyable
meal in a lively room. Long, etched glass windows facing Seventh
Avenue have the frosty look of white lace. The ceiling is high
and tin covered, and wooden tables line the space from front
to back. At night, with the music bouncing off the ceiling, the
screams of laughter and shouted conversation, NoNo can have a
theme park feeling.
I prefer the ambience at lunch, when the sun-filled space has
a sleepy, lulling serenity.
Since its start, the dinner service has been packed. With an
onslaught of customers, the kitchen hasn’t had time to perfect
certain dishes or edit down the menu. However, patrons who order
carefully will be rewarded with a complexly spiced, soul satisfying
meal. But there are clunkers among the dishes.
The "blue crab cake" holds together by sheer willpower;
it’s 95 percent jumbo lump crabmeat, delicately spiced and accompanied
by a subtly fishy, tangy remoulade (a French, mayonnaise-based
sauce that’s flavored with mustard, gherkins, herbs and anchovies).
It’s the king of crab cakes.
I could have eaten 50 of the oysters. Each plump little mollusk
is dipped in corn flour and fried to a crunchy, just-salty-enough
deliciousness with every bite awash in the mineral brininess
of the ocean. They’re great dipped into a slightly sweet apple
and caramelized onion tartar sauce.
The smoked duck and crackling gumbo, one of three gumbos on the
menu, arrived barely warm. In addition, the stew, which should
be one of the restaurant’s signature dishes, was oversalted and
its spices barely surfaced on the palate.
At lunch, a huge bowl of jambalaya, made with tender, dark-meat
chicken, slices of spicy pork andouille sausage, chorizo and
tasso ham helped me forget the gumbo. The menu warns diners:
"this dish is spicy!!!" And the jambalaya is spicy
– at first bite. A few minutes later, my palate had adjusted,
and I wished its seasoning was a bit hotter.
One nearly perfect item on the menu, and a lovely starter to
the meal, is a basket of warm cornbread. The crusty little loaves
were slightly sweet at dinner one night, and just barely so at
lunch. I prefer the less sweet version. Either way, the bread
makes joyful eating when smeared with butter.
So does Nono’s macaroni and cheese, which is the best on this
side of the Mason-Dixon Line. You’ll love Tatis’s traditional
take if you’re into creamy mac and cheeses, rather than the dense,
loaf-like style. This version is a mix of Brie and sharp cheddar
with mild cheddar creating a chewy, crispy top hat.
Two of the entrees we sampled are disappointing. Heavy batter
overwhelmed the delicate "trout meuniere amandine,"
that couldn’t be rescued by sides of lush mashed potatoes and
crisp, sauteed squash and string beans.
"Monday’s Red Beans and Rice" is a washout. The beans
and grain are perfectly tender but lack any discernable spices,
and the boneless fried chicken breast that keeps the duo company
is about as exciting as a slice of Wonder Bread. This is one
dish that needs a whole lot of love from the chef.
Jaramillo-Tatis’s bread pudding, studded with chocolate and raisins,
comes topped with a sauce (butter, powdered sugar and a touch
of orangey Grand Marnier) that melts over the top. Tatis says
that the sauce is a typical Prodhumme touch. It gives the dessert
a homey spin, but it seems like a missed opportunity to contrast
something cold, like a scoop of vanilla ice cream, with the warm,
custardy bread.
The coffee, blended with chicory, was strong and rich.
With the opening of the vibrant NoNo Kitchen, we’re reminded
of what New Orleans once was and the long journey still ahead
to restore its streets and spirit.
NoNo Kitchen (293 Seventh Ave. between
Seventh and Eighth streets in Park Slope) accepts American Express,
MasterCard and Visa. Entrees: $16-$24. The restaurant serves
lunch and dinner daily. Brunch is available on weekends, from
10 am to 4 pm. Take the F train to Seventh Avenue. For reservations,
call (718) 369-8348.
