Welcome Back
Gerard Maras returns to form with his new namesake restaurant.
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Thom Maras (left) played a big role in his brother gerard's
return to the local dining scene.
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WHAT: Gerard's Downtown
CUISINE: European
WHEN: Lunch and dinner weekdays, dinner Saturday
WHERE: 500 St. Charles Ave., 592-0200
CARDS: Major
One week before Thanksgiving, 46-year-old Gerard Maras realized a lifelong dream by opening a namesake restaurant on St. Charles Avenue. After more than 20 years in the food biz, the award-winning chef who headed the kitchen at Mr. B's for 13 years threw open the doors at Gerard's Downtown. Already, the restaurant is packed during lunch with power brokers and the local cognoscenti. Last week, I dined at Gerard's during the noon hour with my sister, who was celebrating her birthday between appointments. Thanks to the valet parking and excellent service (the staff was gleaned from several fine restaurants), we were able to celebrate in the allotted time frame and in great style.
Located near Gallier Hall, the handsome new restaurant was designed by family members, who worked with Maras to develop every aspect of the restaurant from the menu to the decor. Maras' wife, Tommie (who he hired in 1987 as a cook at Mr. B's and married in 1988), designed the dining room, and his brother Thom hand-crafted all the woodwork. Both Tommie and Thom serve as managers.
" The cuisine is 'contemporary classic,'" says Maras, who resigned from Mr. B's four years ago. He does all the cooking at his new restaurant without backup from a sous chef. "This is very nice, and a real contrast from turning 600 dinners a night at Mr. B's," says Maras of his new 60-seat fine dining haven. "I prepare everything to order, even the sauces, and I do every plate personally. Everything is as fresh as possible. I always ask my purveyors what is beautiful, and that is what we serve." Although the menu at Gerard's includes signature items, it will feature constantly changing dishes that are tied to the seasons, Maras says.
After leaving Mr. B's, Maras worked for a brief period at Cafe Sbisa. Then the mellow chef from upstate New York retired to his 40-acre farm in Franklinton to do consulting work and a bit of teaching while tending his garden and planning his new restaurant.
"I'm not doing the same kind of Creole cooking I was doing at Mr. B's. I do European or classic techniques while using all regional produce. I like to keep the flavors simple," says Maras. He initially trained with European chefs in New York and Florida before being discovered by Ella Brennan, who appointed Maras to his first job in New Orleans as a sous chef at Commander's Palace. When the Brennans opened Mr. B's Bistro in 1978, Paul Prudhomme served as its executive chef for several months until opening his own restaurant, K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen, in 1979. It was then that Maras took the helm at Mr. B's.
At Gerard's, mussel soup Provencal, a dish created by French master chef Paul Bocuse in the 1950s, is a marvelous starter for lunch or dinner, and it reflects the chef's passion for classic French fare. The soothing soup has a very light, creamy broth riddled with fresh mussels and herbs, and it's wonderful during frosty weather. Oysters on the half-shell mignonette, served with a sage lamb patty for dinner, rivals the oysters with spinach and lemon butter for lunch. Also served on the half-shell, the latter dish has bivalves set atop a bed of fresh spinach and topped with a luscious veloute sauce that blends bacon, onion, jalapenos and black pepper.
Lunch entrees ($7.75-$12) include an excellent salad for those with light appetites. The warm, fresh artichoke heart and crabmeat salad is chock full of fresh, lump crabmeat blended with crisp fall greens in a bracing vinaigrette. Another good choice is the fall garden salad, which was a delight for the vegetarian in our party of six. She nibbled on grilled eggplant bathed in olive oil, fresh artichoke hearts, pungent curls of white cheese, fresh sweet potato curls and assorted bell peppers. A tender, succulent London broil satisfied our group's only man, an athlete who heartily dug into his prime beef and mashed potatoes. The finest entree turned out to be the fish du jour -- fresh tuna, marinated in soy, orange and ginger and served rare with julienne peppers and cucumber.
Among the dinner entrees ($17.50-$27) are such delectable creations as lobster ravioli with homemade durum pasta; breast of Muscovy duckling with braised pears; and herb-crusted lamb chops with satin potatoes. The marvelous spuds are sliced paper-thin with a mandolin, layered with fragrant cheese from Italy's Piedmont region, and finished with a rich double cream sauce laced with fresh leeks and thyme.
The desserts prepared by pastry artist Lisa Anderson merit their own menu. Anderson, formerly at Mr. B's, Bacco and Bayona, creates theobrama, a must-try concoction of creamy chocolate ÒsoupÓ served warm with a little chocolate cake afloat in the rich, semi-sweet sauce. The gingerbread pear upside-down cake, laced with bourbon anglaise, is another marvelous choice. Cheese plates are also available in the European tradition. Finish it all with a first-rate cup of cappuccino.
One of the best new restaurants of the year, Gerard's Downtown is a welcome addition to the dining scene.
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