Tastes: New Orleans Hot Spot: MiLa
From Wine Spectator magazine, May 2008 issue
New York's loss is New Orleans' gain. Chefs Allison Vines-Rushing and Slade Rushing met and fell in love while working in a Crescent City kitchen several years ago, then moved to the Big Apple. Three weeks after they got married, they started cooking at Jack's Luxury Oyster Bar in the East Village, quickly winning critical acclaim. But the couple was homesick for the South and returned to Louisiana in 2005. Their first venture, Longbranch, opened just before Hurricane Katrina struck. It earned rave reviews but eventually closed. Now the couple has started MiLa, named for Slade's native Mississippi and Allison's native Louisiana.
Located in a hotel in the Central Business District, MiLa's decor seems more modern hotel than cozy eatery, with sleek lines and cool blues. Regardless, the kitchen seamlessly combines hearty Southern motifs with sophisticated cooking. Start with the oysters Rockefeller deconstructed—a poached oyster with spinach, bacon chips and grated licorice root—or the pan-roasted sweetbreads, delicately breaded and placed on black-truffle grits and a Sherry-bacon jus. For the main course, try the surprisingly nuanced pig cheeks and langoustines.
The wine list contains 150 smart, albeit pricey, selections, including a good range of Rhône reds and Pinot Noirs. Try the Domaine Newman Côte de Beaune 2005 ($75)—winery owner Chris Newman is a New Orleanian with several acres in Burgundy, so you'd sort of be drinking local.