Vizard's Off the Avenue

There are several restaurants in New Orleans where my wife and I have been dying to eat. While Vizard's was not at the very top of her list, it was at the top of mine, and seeing as how it was my birthday, we decided to give this Uptown gem a try. Formerly Vizard's On the Avenue, Vizard's Off the Avenue has relocated to a beautiful building on Magazine St. with great views of what's going on in the surrounding neighborhood. It is a small restaurant with a very intimate environment that provides an excellent atmosphere for romantic dining. My wife and I had little trouble getting reservations, but for those of you who do not plan ahead, there is also a nice little bar at which you can wait for a table or even eat. Once you get your food, you will not be disappointed. My wife and I were delighted to find that every patron is started out not only with bread and a spicy butter, but with a complimentary shot glass of the chef's favorite soup. Last Friday it was a leek and cauliflower bisque, which may not sound all that great, but was phenomenal. Not only did I take this small sample down quickly, but I would have happily eaten an entire bowl. My wife and I shared an appetizer, and my only regret in this is that I only got to eat half. We got the Oysters Mancuso, which was five fried oysters served on a piece of toast with claw crab meat and mushrooms smothered in a delicious demi sauce. It was amazing. As an entree, my wife got the Filet of Beef, which was a perfectly cooked piece of meat served with roasted potatoes and a very subtle demi. I got the Vizard's Cut, which was a succulent rib eye served with sour cream and chive mashed potatoes and an unreal bordelaise. Both my wife and I enjoyed our steaks immensely. I will say one thing though; normally when we go out for higher end meals, we rarely order the standard steaks. This leads me to the one major drawback of Vizard's; the menu was very limited. There were plenty of amazing sounding appetizers, but there were only a handful of entrees, and for me, nothing sounded better than a steak with mashed potatoes. This is not to say that we were in anyway disappointed by our dining experience, but if you are a very picky eater, or someone who likes to have a wide variety of options, Vizard's may not be the ideal place for you. The service was what you would expect at a high end restaurant, phenomenal, and the expense of the meal was also what you would expect, high. This is not the type of place that you would take a child to eat unless you were in a really large group, and the size of the restaurant is so limited that this might not be the best idea. I loved our meal and would happily go back again at the next available possibility. The only limiting factor is the small menu, but as long as they keep that top notch steak as an option, I will not complain. I give Vizard's Off the Avenue 4 stars.