NEW ORLEANS — King Brasserie & Bar, the modern French brasserie located at Kimpton Hotel Fontenot, continues its culinary journey through France and the Côte d’Azur with a winter tasting menu showcasing the majestic French Alps region. Now through the end of March, King Brasserie’s Tour d’Azur: French Alps will highlight rich, hearty cuisine inspired by the mountainous region while incorporating New Orleans’ seasonal ingredients and flavors.
Executive Chef Samuel Peery and his culinary team have crafted a menu that ventures beyond the Mediterranean coastline to explore flavors of France’s alpine region. “Our Tour d’Azur map is not always about beautiful Mediterranean seaside cities,” said Chef Peery in a statement. “For this Tour, we turn our focus to the breathtaking views of the Alps and shift our inspirations to wild game items such as venison, duck, and wild boar and transition our larder to winter black truffles and Alpine style cheeses.”
The intersection between Alpine and Louisiana cuisines becomes apparent in the menu’s emphasis on hearty, slow-cooked meats and locally sourced ingredients. Each course thoughtfully weaves together French Alpine inspiration and Louisiana’s rich culinary heritage. Winter root vegetables from local Louisiana farms take center stage in the first course options, as do traditional Alpine cheeses – Raclette and Comte – known for their rich, complex flavors and buttery, nutty notes in the soup. The main courses celebrate a marriage of traditions, with duck leg (a staple in French and Louisiana cuisines) paired with locally sourced black-eyed peas and a delicious andouille, a pork sausage celebrated in both regions. The desserts complete this cultural exchange, featuring Louisiana’s prized Bergeron pecans in the Paris-Brest and winter figs paired with traditional Alpine winter flavors like chestnuts.
The $44 per person tasting menu offers three courses, each presenting guests with a choice between two exceptional options. The menu also comes with an optional $26 curated wine pairing to complete the experience coming highly recommended from their sommelier as King Brasserie continues to build a stellar reputation around their wine program.
First Course
Salt Roasted Beets with bitter greens, toasted grains, tahini, pistachio, and pomegranate
Or, French Onion Soup with Raclette, Comte, sourdough, and sherry
Pairs with: Jacquère, André & Michel Quenard, Chignin Vin de Savoie Blanc, 2021
Second Course
Blood Orange Lacquered Duck Leg with stewed black-eyed peas, collard greens, and smoked andouille
Or, Wild Boar Ragu with risotto, lardo, Grana Padano, and aged sherry
Pairs with: Mondeuse, Domaine Giachino, “Black Giac” Vin de Savoie Rouge, 2022
Third Course
Paris-Brest with banana praline and Bergeron pecan mousse
Or, Warm Fig Pudding with Port wine caramel, chestnut gelato, and streusel
Pairs with: Molett e/Altesse, Lambert de Seyssel, “Petit Royal” Vin de France Brut, NV
Dinner is served Sunday through Thursday, 5 – 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 5 – 10 p.m. In addition to dinner service and the Tour d’Azur, King Brasserie also offers a daily brunch service 7 a.m. – 1 p.m. Every Monday, the restaurant hosts Service Industry Night from 5 to 9 p.m. with food and drink specials. On Thursdays, guests can enjoy $2 oysters and $2 off all beers for “Two Buck Shuck” every week. Happy hour is daily, 5 – 7 p.m.
For more information and to place a reservation, head to kingbrasserieandbar.com. You can also follow King on Instagram at @kingbrasserienola for cooking tips and recipes to daily specials and exclusive tasting events and to stay tuned on what the team is mixing up.
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