Photo by Kate Fogle

Photo by Kate Fogle

Photo by Kate Fogle

Photo by Kate Fogle

Photo by Kate Fogle

Chef Anthony Spizale grabs a tray of orange cocktails off the bar and begins serving it to the 100 people crowding in the Rib Room Bar.  He easily swings the tray around while chatting with guests. 

“This is my take on an Old Fashioned, “ he explains while passing out the free drinks.  The “Old Fashioned Satsuma” is bitters, Makers Mark and Louisiana cane sugar, mixed and served on ice with Abita Satsuma beer.  The drink is the first of five Abita beverages served for Sips in the City, a dinner series helps raise money for local nonprofits.  Although some people in the bar are not here for the dinner, they gladly accept the free drink and a handshake from the restaurant’s Executive Chef. 

This past Thursday night, the Rib Room closed for the private dinner sponsored by Abita Beer and Tabasco Sauce.  Spizale created a four-course meal paired with Abita Beers and infused with Tabasco flavors.  This edition of Sips in the City supports the Young Leadership Council, a nonprofit that creates programs led by young leaders in the city.  For $65, the diners received four courses, four beers, the Satsuma Beertail, Hors d’Oeuvres and a night of entertainment and prizes.  Considering normally an entrée goes for around $30, this event is a Rib Room steal.

At 7:00, the guests trickle into the restaurant as the Hors d’Oeuvres rush out of the kitchen.  The dining room is lush with dark wood and elaborate chandeliers.  The tables are all white save for the glowing red Tabasco in the center.  The intimate room seats all 91 guests.  The balcony, used as a private party space, features musical entertainment, by the Donna West Trio.  The smooth jazz and blues plays every night at the Rib Room, but usually through speakers leading from the lobby of the Omni Royal Hotel.  Tonight, they perform on their perch above the crowd.  In the back of the room, a roasting station usually glows with Rib Room specialties.  Tonight, it is the stage for food and announcements.

The General Manager welcomes guests to take their seats for the meal to begin.  “I like everything fried,” he says, “but I never thought you could fry a Bloody Mary!”  He is referring to one of the Hors d’Oeuvres being served on upside-down shot glasses.  The fried ball about the size of a marble pops underneath my tongue, releasing the Tabasco Bloody Mary, which leaks down my cheek. 

“Isn’t that awesome?” asks the chef, as I sheepishly wipe the red liquor off my face. 

The General Manager points out the sponsor tables, with Abita right in front, recognizable by the number of already consumed longnecks in front of each guest.  The Brewmaster, Mark Wilson, describes the beers featured with each course and plugs the new S.O.S beer, a high gravity beer that was released this week to raise proceeds for the Oil Spill disaster.  Lastly, Spizale introduces his feast.  “The menu is really cool, fun and playful,” he explains with a giddy excitement.  “It is my marriage of Tabasco and Abita Beer, two really cool things that are very Louisiana.”  Spizale is a Louisiana local who has worked at the Rib Room for 20 years.  He started right out of Culinary School and became the executive chef in 2000.  Since then, he has played with the menu, keeping the traditional meat and potatoes that the Rib Room is known for, and adding his own flair.  He calls his food “Comfort food with an attitude” and this menu is no different.  He loves the Sips in the City events because they allow him to give back and show off.  This menu, he says, is the playful side of him.  With words like “deconstructed,” “foam,” and “reduction” coming out of his mouth, I feel like I’m on an episode of Top Chef.  This is the third dinner he has done with Abita beer, so it was easy to create an exciting, yet traditional menu to highlight both the beer and Tabasco sauce. 

As the intros end, the servers pass out the first round of drinks, the sultry jazz creating a sway to their service.  The Abita Wheat, served on ice with a lemon wedge, looks more like iced tea than alcohol.  It’s pairing is a Creole Andouille “Corn Dog” with deconstructed mayonnaise.  Dipping the fried dog in the oil and cream creates a sweet and spicy bite, easily quenched by the Abita Wheat.  This summer seasonal beer has a light flavor that does not linger, allowing the food flavors to come alive.  The extra bubbles kill the spice. 

The Rib Room is a New Orleans fixture in the dining scene.  Although attached to the Omni Royal Hotel, the restaurant serves mainly locals.  Servers say they have seen three generations of families come through the restaurant, watching as the guests who once ordered off the children’s menu walk in with their own little ones.  A number of locals show up to dine, only to discover the entire dining room taken over by the private dinner.  The manager makes sure to inform them of the Sips in the City program and invites them to attend the next one in the series. 

The second course, and Chef’s personal favorite, is his approach to fish and chips.  “The sauce is a hidden surprise,” he explains, his eyes lighting up with excitement.  It is a Tabasco butter emulsion reduced with Louisiana cane sugar, which tastes like a creamy vinegar, the usual pairing to fish and chips.  The side dish is beer bubbles, a try at the new molecular gastronomy trend in food.  The bubbles are light with the slight aftertaste of a beer burp.  As one guest bites into the crispy Zapp’s Potato Chip crusted local fish, he reaches to the shoulders of his tablemates and announces, “Oh my god.”  Around the room, guests are nodding their heads, not to the beat of the music, but to the flavors swishing in their mouths. 

The happy guests then have their chance to win prize drawings donated by the lovely sponsors.  The MC is Mike Theis of 92.3, a partner to both the Rib Room and YLC.  He announced all of the bands at the Wednesday at the Square Series, sponsored by the YLC this spring.  The crowd applauds as diners make their way to the roasting station to collect Abita Party Packs, Tabasco Olive Oil Bottles and certificates to the Rib Room. 

This Abita Beer Dinner is an event, not a meal.  Kent Wasmuth, the director of Sales and Marketing at the Omni Royal, created the series to introduce the Rib Room to new groups of people in the city and give back.  He was surprised to discover that the two YLC representatives and this reporter had never been to the Rib Room before, but was delighted to show us a good time so we would return.  The Sips in the City was so successful in the previous installment that the Omni Corporate office is considering making it a nation-wide program.  Matching the food with tequila, beer or rum, the Rib Room raised money for Café Reconcile, which provides jobs in the restaurant industry.  The future Sips in the City ideas are still rushing through Spizale’s culinary brain.

After the Abita IPA hits the table, the room gets a little louder, the guests a little rowdier.  One table makes faces at our photographer.  Another waves at the singer.  One gentlemen, who so far was only consuming Miller Lites, decides to happily switch brands.  The third course is true Rib Room.  Spizale took a whole Prime Rib and cut out the center to create succulent filet mignon.  For a new spin, he reduced a Chipotle Tabasco with the Abita IPA  as a glaze.  The side dish is a trio of organic micro carrots, cute and tasty.  The dark IPA is Abita’s Pale ale with the most hop flavor.  This flavorful brew enhances the sweet crust of the beef.  With each bite, my eyes close and I cannot control letting out an “hmm.” 

Spizale invites me to the kitchen as he prepares the last course.  A line of plates with mini doughnuts covers the counter as cooks take turns adding each layer to the dish: A Classic Anglaise sauce mixed with Abita Turbodog, Habanero chocolate sauce and toasted pecans.  The beer pairing, the Abita Turbodog, a dark beer with a chocolate mix, is the brewmaster’s favorite.  This last beer is served in Abita glasses the guests get to bring home.

After all courses are complete, the kitchen and wait staff gather in front of the roasting station for the guests to meet and applaud.  The staff announces the next Sips in the City event on August 15th.  The manager suggests to sign up for e-mail updates, because tickets go fast.  This edition sold out 10 days prior to the event.  The only way I got to partake in the meal was because of a last-minute cancellation.  Thank you, mystery 5-top, for making my night.