Gone Fishing
Buddies Micah Martello and Eric Bay have hooked a big one with
Nautical.
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Chef Micah Martello and owner Eric Bay share a fondness for fishing that led them to open NAUTICAL, a restaurant with definite ties to the sea.
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WHAT: Nautical
CUISINE: Contemporary Creole
WHEN: Lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday
WHERE: 7708 Maple St., 866-7504
CARDS: Major
A love of fishing often creates a common bond between people who
otherwise would not go out to dinner together, much less become business
associates. Eric Bay, the former director of guest services at the St. Louis
Hotel, became a close fishing buddy of Micah Martello, the former executive
chef of Charley G's. Their mutual adoration of fishing developed into another
common bond: the desire to open a restaurant with fresh seafood and a nautical
atmosphere.
"I finally asked Mike to join me in opening a restaurant last
spring," says Bay, who originally is from New York City. "We worked all summer
long on renovating the building ourselves. I even got a contractor's license.
Our wives were very patient, as they are with our compulsive fishing."
Their new, 41-seat Nautical restaurant is located next door to
Starbucks in a renovated house with a backdrop of buttery yellows and sky
blues. There are nautical flourishes everywhere, from the salt and pepper
shakers in the rear dining room decorated with a lighthouse motif, to the
captain's knots framed on the walls. The concept is unique to the neighborhood,
which is populated mostly by casual ethnic restaurants, coffeehouses, college
bars and a pizzeria.
Although a novice at being a restaurateur, Bay appears to be a pro
at running the front-of-the-house thanks to his years in the hospitality
industry. He manages to make most of the people who walk into his restaurant
feel like old friends. One technique he succeeds with quite well is getting
around the fact that Nautical has no liquor license. He has turned this into an
added attraction.
"We welcome people bringing in their own wine and liquor," Bay
says. "In fact, I tell our guests that we will even provide the set-ups for
free. We even keep bottles of wine leftover from dinners when guests say they
would like us to serve them for the next meal. We'll put a label with their
name on it in the back. And there is no decanting fee. When they come back,
we'll pour their favorite wines."
The menu is anchored by contemporary Creole dishes mingled with New
American and Southwest flourishes. Be sure to order a cup of the chef's
award-winning smoked duck and okra gumbo upon arrival. It is deeply flavored,
with a long finish. But don't let that make you overlook the appetizers (which,
I might add, are even better than some of the entrees).
No other soup du jour I have sampled so far has compared to this
dark, rich gumbo with the earthy flavors of smoke and wilderness. A recent
soup, chicken and black bean chili, paled in comparison to the luscious gumbo,
although the chunks of smoked chicken gave it an added dimension. I believe it
could be improved upon with a dollop of sour cream laced with pepper
vinegar.
The chef's love of seafood becomes evident with the appetizer
lineup. He has a strong hand with spice, and he seasons with gusto. Although
the grilled sausage trio is a delicious, toothsome melange of crawfish, duck
and green onion sausage served with a zesty housemade Crystal cayenne garlic
pepper jelly (which is so good, it should be bottled and marketed), I recommend
going for the crabmeat brie dip. Second choice would be the Crystal cayenne
garlic oysters. Although the crabmeat is so rich that it is difficult for one
person to finish it all in one sitting, the flavor of lump crabmeat and creamy
brie just can't be topped. It is served with several slices of grilled French
bread.
The succulent oysters are marinated in Crystal hot sauce, then
rolled in fine Japanese breadcrumbs, and fried. Although I prefer my oysters a
bit grittier, with a cornmeal batter, the result is pleasing enough, and the
marinade gives it a real boost. The pale golden oysters, five to an order, have
a very delicate crunch.
Among the eight dinner entrees, best bets include the savory
grilled beef tenderloin wrapped in applewood smoked bacon and topped with a
fiery bourbon peppercorn demi-glace. Seashell pasta gets a lift with large Gulf
shrimp sauteed with a trio of peppers and engulfed in a light Absolut Citron
and three-cheese cream sauce that is good enough to drink. The herb roasted
duckling is one of the most popular items on the menu, although the
semi-boneless bird, bathed in a sweet merlot reduction sauce, didn't dazzle me
like the grilled salmon, with its caramelized coating of herb compound butter
and presentation on a buttery bed of sauteed spinach.
One dish well worth sampling for vegetarians is the portobello
mushroom jambalaya, which reminds me of a dish served at the former Chicory
Farm Cafe down the block. The mushrooms are marinated 24 hours before being
grilled. They are fanned out in a circle atop a bed of creamy risotto studded
with fresh corn and accompanied by steamed carrots, broccoli, squash, eggplant,
or whatever is fresh at the market that day.
Because the weather is so wonderful right now with the change of
seasons, I recommend sitting outside at one of the four tables overlooking the
street, where you can hear the wind chimes and lively chatter of people having
coffee at Starbucks next door. It is particularly nice in the evening, when the
neighborhood comes alive with the sounds of laughter and trees rustling in the
autumn breeze.
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