Cheese and crackers are a perfectly acceptable meal to me. I've found myself at the end of a paycheck before with nothing to eat but a block of Havarti & rosemary Triscuits. It was a delightful 'adult lunchable'! I adore cheese with any sort of accompaniment, & I try to always incorporate it into an appetizer I serve at a dinner party. With that said, I'm on a constant quest for the perfect cheese plate. To me, a platter full of artisan cheeses with various meats, fruit spreads, olives, & nuts is the epitome of antipasti bliss. Cafe Degas on Esplanade Avenue near City Park in New Orleans has a fine cheese plate on their menu. It is served with house made pate & fresh bread & is simply delightful. Susan Spicer's gem in Lakeview, Mondo, offers a similar platter, depending on the season. The best cheese platter I have found is at Domenica in the Roosevelt Hotel. Chef Alon Shaya heads up the kitchen in this authentic Italian restaurant, & he is creating magic. All the dishes are carefully crafted with only the freshest ingredients available. The pizzas at Domenica are some of the best in the city & are fired in a custom wood burning oven. While pizza is my favorite food group, I can't open the door to this restaurant without ordering the 'Affetatti Misti', which is an assortment of cheeses, salumi, marinated olives, & roasted vegetables. It is more than enough to share with your table (even though you may not want to!!!), & the selections change daily.
As you can see, this beauty could easily be a meal in itself, but it is absolutely the ideal beginning to a feast that will leave you lingering at the table for an enjoyable while. Domenica is an hour away from home for me, and I can say with certainty that I would make that drive for the Misti platter every day. The happy hour here has been voted as one of the best in New Orleans & is available seven days a week from 3-6. You can get all of the hand-crafted, wood fired pizzas for HALF PRICE - that's $6.50 for a whole pizza!!! All wines by the glass, beers, & well cocktails are half price, as well. There are so many to choose from that you can get a few to share & still pay a fraction of the cost.
I won't find any 'adult lunchables' on the menu at Domenica (thank God), but I will find terrific rustic country Italian dishes that transport me to a place far from here. Whether you are a tourist heading to New Orleans, a guest at the Roosevelt Hotel, or a resident of the Central Business District, Domenica should be the place you have your next meal. Chef Alon & the knowledgeable staff will welcome you with open arms & treat you like family. It's a perfect slice of Italy right here at home.
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