In the 616

Last Friday, May 3rd, Mel and I went out to eat at SixOneSix, located in the JW Marriott downtown. It was our first time going and it was for a special occasion. I just passed my CSCS exam. I liked the way the restaurant looked. It was open with a glass wall facing the river, and a unique combination of retro cool and modern sleekness. Service was pretty good. Our server was knowledgeable on the menu and wines. Service was prompt for the most part. They even accommodated Mel when she changed her mind about what she wanted to drink with out any problems. Without further ado, here is what we ate.

 After we had ordered our appetizers, we were brought out a basket of bread and butter. A minute later these two small dishes of shrimp were brought to the table. They were butter poached shrimp with cucumber and basil oil (I believe). I was pretty surprised. The shrimp tasted fresh, without the toughness and rubberiness that frozen shrimp usually have. So I don't know if they were frozen or not. But the shrimp were perfectly cooked. They were tender and sweet, served chilled . The cucumber added a nice lightness and freshness that complimented the sweetness of the shrimp. The oil added just a hint of herbal flavor. It was a pretty nice start to the night.

For our appetizer Mel and I split the Crispy Veal Sweetbreads. In case you are not aware of what sweetbreads are, they are not bread. They are either the thymus gland or pancreas. Usually they are soaked in milk and the membrane removed before being fried. This was the first time I had sweetbreads. I couldn't wait to try them. Mel was a little more apprehensive, but she jumped right in with me. The sweetbreads were fried perfectly. They were crispy on the outside while the inside was not overcooked. They were somewhat sweet, but also reminded me somewhat of pork. In short, they were absolutely delicious. They were served on a celeriac (celery root) puree with maple bacon and micro arugula. The saltiness of the bacon worked well with the sweetness of the sweetbreads and the peppery arugula. The celeriac puree, with pieces of celeriac in it, added a nice lightness that really lifted the dish and contrasted the more intense flavors of the other ingredients. I really liked this and would order it in a heartbeat.

Mel ordered the Otto's Chicken. It was served with cranberry beans, arugula, and andouille sausage. The beans were ok. I didn't think they were special. The arugula added a little bit of green to the plate. The andouille was pretty good. It was better than most I have tried up here, but not as good as the best I have had in New Orleans. The chicken was good. It was pretty juicy and had a nice grilled flavor. For me it was ok. It was chicken with beans and sausage. Don't get me wrong, it was a good dish. Maybe I was just expecting a little more. 

I ordered the Maple Leaf Farms Duck. On top was a crispy duck breast. Below the duck breast was a confit of duck leg. This was on a leek fondue with potatoes. The duck was perfectly cooked. The skin on the breast was crispy and delicious. The leg was buttery and could be just pulled apart. For as rich as duck is (it has much more depth of flavor than chicken or turkey), I thought the fondue would be a little overkill on the heaviness factor. That was not the case. The leek and the fondue actually lifted and lightened up the dish, completely to my surprise. The greens added a little freshness. The potatoes added a much needed starchiness to help cut the heaviness of duck. It was a very successful dish in my opinion. It was surprising how all the components really went together well. My only real complaint was the shape of the bowl. It made it hard to cut through the duck breast. That was about my only complaint. It was very good

For dessert Mel got the Chevre (goat cheese) cheesecake. It was one of the best cheesecakes I have ever tasted. The slight saltiness of the goat cheese really revealed a lot of flavors in it. It also had a hazelnut brittle that added texture and nutty flavor to the cheesecake. It only let down was the seasonal compote. It was heavy on the rhubarb, and Mel was not a fan of that. The cheesecake though was awesone. 

I chose the champagne blood orange sorbet. It was so refreshing with the slightly acidic nature of the blood orange. It was also sweet and the champagne added a nice lightness to the actual sorbet. It came with a little shortbread cookie. I loved this dessert. A perfect end to the meal.

Sorry for the crappy pic. At the end our server brought out these little chocolates. I don't remember what he called them, but it was white chocolate, almonds, and something else. It was a nice little send off to the meal. 

Overall I was pretty happy with SixOneSix. The only real let down, in my opinion, was the chicken. Everything else was at or above what I expected. I definitely recommend dining here. Service was good and the foot was delicious.