Eye Candy: Oysters Rockefeller with Sassafras Root Cream, Mustard Sprouts, and Po’ Boy Bread Crust

Mardi Gras celebrations at the Beard House are always inspired and indulgent affairs, and this year’s Fat Tuesday fête was one for the ages. Chef Daniel Causgrove of French Quarter institution the Grill Room at Windsor Court Hotel treated diners to a festive menu highlighting the best of the restaurant's classic and contemporary dishes. Bead-wearing guests sipped Champagne and sampled decadent canapés like deviled yard eggs with choupique caviar and sugarcane shrimp with crayfish mousseline before diving into a feast melding traditional Big Easy flavors with top-notch technique. One standout from the meal was the chef's rendition of oysters Rockefeller. The dish ran the gamut of high- and low-brow New Orleans dining, the silky sassafras root cream of the Rockefeller upper crust intermingling with the actual crust of the humble po’ boy. A compelling combination of textures from creamy to crunchy, the dish featured an unexpected side effect from the bed of sea salt at its base—any errant morsel immediately acquired an addictive salty coating that left diners savoring every single bite.

View this event's menu and details here. For upcoming Beard House dinners, check out our events calendar. Photo by Phil Gross.

--

Maggie Borden is assistant editor at the James Beard Foundation. Find her on Instagram.