The cuisine at Restaurant August is contemporary French with a focus on local ingredients, inspired by Chef John Besh’s training in Europe and New Orleans, and by his own Southern roots.
Destination Bottles:
Domaine Michel LaFarge 2001 Clos des ChĂŞnes Premier Cru (Volnay)
Anne Amie 2008 Prismé Pinot Noir Blanc (Willamette Valley)
An 8-vintage vertical of Forman Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley)
While Chef Besh alters the wine inventory as his menu changes with the season, Burgundy is always the go-to region. With more selections than any other classification, the wines work beautifully with the food. There are also library releases and great California Cabernets for those who don’t want anything else.
For more information about this New Orleans, LA, restaurant, click here.
For more New Orleans restaurants, visit Commander’s Palace, Emeril’s and Gautreau’s.
Hot Chef: John Besh
Wine Enthusiast: Can you describe your greatest wine epiphany in a restaurant?
John Besh: It was a 1976 Spätburgunder Trockenbeerenauslese, served with roasted foie gras, quince and freshly toasted brioche, at restaurant Sanct Peter in Germany’s Ahr Valley, a cottage with 13th-century foundations. The wine had a perfect balance of intense fruit and an incredible depth of flavor without an excessive amount of sugar on the palate, and an oily quality that allowed it to work with both the quince and the foie gras.
WE: What is your current favorite tool or ingredient?
JB: I love Lake Pontchartrain blue crab for its versatility: I toss the lump white meat with truffles and tender potato gnocchi for an incredible appetizer, and I use the shells to create deep flavorful sauces and bisques. In spring, nothing beats these crabs with toasted almonds and brown butter, not to mention that they come from right here in Lake Pontchartrain!
WE: Where do you go for an amazing wine and food experience?
JB: I go to Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in Bouches du Rhône, France. I think it’s amazing that you can have a cuisine that is very much alive and well throughout Provence yet still off the beaten path, with wines that date back to the Romans. We had a whole roasted lamb, a sauté of lamb’s brains à la meunière, a ragout of lamb’s liver, fava beans and tarragon with a simple Château Romanin Rouge grown less than two miles from the restaurant.