SARA ESSEX BRADLEY PHOTOGRAPH

Comeback Chef of the Year
Rene Bajeux
Native Frenchman back home in New Orleans

Rib Room, 621 Saint Louis St., 529-7045

When chef René Bajeux returned to his namesake restaurant in the Renaissance Pere Marquette after Hurricane Katrina, he and two cooks served food in the hotel’s lobby for a short time. As time passed and the hotel wrangled with their insurer, he became frustrated and decided to take some time off. Then he received an offer to take over the kitchen at La Provence.

Bajeux grew up on a farm in France and felt that the Lacombe restaurant, with its gardens and livestock, was the perfect fit. He was there briefly, but it didn’t work out, and when he was offered a job as a consultant at the Cap Jaluca resort on the Caribbean island of Anguilla, he accepted.

After a year, he took a similar position with a resort on the French side of nearby St. Martin, La Samanna. Another year passed and Bajeux was trying to make his way back to New Orleans when the BP oil disaster happened. A friend offered him a position in San Antonio, he accepted and so another year passed.

Bajeux says he never felt like he’d truly left New Orleans. His family stayed here and he returned to spend time with them when he could.

Although each of the consulting jobs he took could have been permanent, Bajeux was adamant that he never considered living anywhere but New Orleans. He can’t, he says, because there’s no place else like New Orleans in the United States.

At the end of his time in San Antonio, he received three offers to return to New Orleans in the span of two weeks. He came back and interviewed at all three, eventually choosing the Rib Room. It wasn’t the most intuitive of choices, but Bajeux felt that it was a restaurant where he could make the biggest impact. He was familiar with the restaurant’s operation after Hurricane Katrina, and felt that it was somewhat neglected culinarily. He liked the people involved and felt that he could improve things. In the short time he’s been there he’s certainly done that, but he has plans to continue what’s already the most significant restaurant renaissance in recent memory.

The first sign of change at the Rib Room occurred shortly after Bajeux arrived. The restaurant had been serving products that Bajeux found less than satisfactory. “Why do you need to serve tilapia when there’s fish in the Gulf?” he asks. Similarly, he replaced pasteurized crabmeat with fresh, and eliminated frozen vegetables and fish from the kitchen. Bajeux says that this requires attention and management ability; the reason restaurants use pasteurized crabmeat is because it has a longer shelf life, and the same is true for frozen fish. If a restaurant doesn’t sell these products before they expire, it’s a significant waste. But Bajeux is uncompromising, and thus far his judgment has proven sound. Recently the Rib Room started selling more fish than meat for the first time in its history. “It’s still a manly room,” he says, but he seems pleased to note that more women are dining there lately.

Bajeux also insisted on making products, such as stock, in-house. The onion soup that formerly relied on beef base is now made the traditional way with reduced veal stock. He sources rabbit from Mississippi, and gets as much of his produce locally as he possibly can. These are changes that the vast majority of patrons have enjoyed, and which reflect Bajeux’s real goal: to change the spirit of the kitchen.

What he’s accomplished so far is just the beginning of what Bajeux has planned. He wants to expand the rotisserie area to make it even more of the focus of the dining room. He is thinking of adding a bone-in ribeye and braised short ribs to the menu, and while he retained all of the restaurant’s employees who were there when he arrived, he’s looking for additional passionate cooks to join the team.

SARA ESSEX BRADLEY PHOTOGRAPH

Not everything has changed, of course. The Rib Room still serves prime rib that, Bajeux says, is unique due to its large size. When he arrived, he found that the restaurant had recently changed the source of its beef; he returned to the original purveyor. “This is never going to be an avant-garde restaurant,” he recognizes, but that doesn’t bother him. He relayed something he was taught as a young man, that the true measure of a great chef isn’t how he presents foie gras, but rather what he can do with humble ingredients such as oxtail. Bajeux is a man who loves to cook for people, and New Orleans is lucky that he chose to return to cook for us. Because of his passion, and because of his revitalization of the Rib Room, we are pleased to name René Bajeux the Comeback Chef of the Year, 2011.

– Robert Peyton

Chef Rene Bajeux has taken over The Rib Room’s kitchen; the restaurant’s signature prime rib remains.

Texturally, prime rib is closer to sashimi tuna than to grilled ribeye steak, a cousin cut from the same part of the cow. This at least is the case when prime rib is served (as it should be) medium rare, which yields meat that looks and tastes as though it were merely warmed, not cooked — a desired trait in a luxury protein that, like lobster, requires little more from a chef than the application of heat.

Prime Rib is also the kind of thing you order when you’re feeling — or want to make yourself feel — flush in an old-money sort of way. This is a service The Rib Room has been providing for more than 50 years.

The restaurant’s name nods to its signature dish, the inspiration for the description above. I’ve eaten prime rib at The Rib Room at least a dozen times in the past decade or so, most recently in late December, when it appeared — as it always does — a deep shade of blush in a shallow pool of dark brown au jus, a spoonful of severely potent fresh horseradish, served tableside by our waiter, at the edge of the plate.

The Omni Royal Orleans was still draped in Christmas finery, and its guests were flooding The Rib Room’s bar. Backlit by the marble-framed open kitchen’s rotisserie and the glow of streetlights reflected through the dining room’s cathedral-size windows, the scene offered a vision of Christmas in New Orleans when the kids aren’t around. It reminded me of the 2004 holiday season, when I reviewed The Rib Room following the first renovation in its history.

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That not much appears to have changed at the restaurant is curious, because something is definitely different. In May, René Bajeux returned to New Orleans to take over The Rib Room’s kitchen. Before Hurricane Katrina, Bajeux, who was born in Alsace-Lorraine region of France, was the most skillful interpreter of classic French cuisine working in New Orleans. His restaurant, René Bistrot, located in the Pere Marquette Hotel where MiLa is today, brought locals as close to the comfort food bliss found in Parisian bistros as any local restaurant this millennium. The restaurant never reopened following the levee breaches. After struggling to find a new professional home in New Orleans, Bajeux ultimately left town.

The chef’s New Orleans homecoming would be bigger news if he were making his presence felt more forcefully at The Rib Room. The menu has changed since Bajeux’s arrival, but not in a particularly substantive way.

That Bajeux has given The Rib Room a more or less routine upgrade, as opposed to a French-Anglo makeover, is not exactly a bad thing. The world will never be overburdened by too many soups as good as both The Rib Room’s turtle and French onion, which are undoubtedly made in larger batches this time of year, and we should all embrace the hospitable (if strangely dated) gesture of throwing in a free salad course with an entrée. Red meat as flavorful as The Rib Room’s — the 12-ounce sirloin steak and rotisserie-cooked lamb rack are also very strong — is enhanced by the assertive prelude provided by the house’s blue cheese dressing.

John McCusker / The Times-PicayuneBraised Mississippi Rabbit Legs at the Rib Room

If The Rib Room’s menu contained nothing but the dishes mentioned so far, its kitchen would be doing its part in carrying on the noble American culinary tradition of dressing meat and potatoes in a bow tie.

The front of the house is another matter. Where the institutional temperament of The Rib Room’s waitstaff once struck an insouciant note that was by turns charming and condescending, the coolly efficient service at least harkened to a bygone era.

The competency of the service today varies wildly, from suavely expert to fascinatingly clueless. The former seemed to be the rule whenever I was recognized as a critic — for a taste of it yourself, express an interest in the wine list, which is worth doing. A contrasting low-point came on a night when our waiter brought us a “negroni” that wasn’t a negroni. He later admitted to recommending the white chocolate bread pudding only because it was the only dessert he could remember.

The Rib Room’s food benefits from more consistent professionalism than its service, but it’s actually more frustrating, particularly if you go with the express purpose of being stimulated by Bajeux’s talent.

John McCusker / The Times-PicayuneA sign above the door welcomes diners to the restaurant inside the Omni Royal Orleans hotel.

The chef’s welcome additions to the menu include the mussels steamed with housemade sausage and the silken, house-smoked salmon, which came folded over crisp potato galettes. You could also walk the soles off your shoes searching for a moister flourless chocolate cake, which at The Rib Room is enhanced by a winking, decadent finishing touch: a scoop of butterscotch pudding.

But none of those perfectly fine dishes qualifies as the grand statement of culinary skill that would announce Bajeux’s arrival, inoculate the restaurant from complacency and compensate for the kitchen’s missteps.

And “grand” doesn’t have to be fancy. René Bistrot’s rabbit stew, for instance, was the best I ever had, which no doubt contributed to my disappointment in the stringy rabbit legs I had at The Rib Room. The swordfish was worse, partly due to its acrid citrus butter, partly because I had been acquainted with its dull sides of mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables more than once before.

The chicken grand mere was the closest The Rib Room came to recalling Bajeux’s pre-Katrina heyday. The tautly crisp bird, aided by a stewy mix of bacon, pearl onions, mushrooms and natural jus, tasted like someone trying to demonstrate affection. Too many other dishes bore the mark of a chef who has taken to his job like a hired hand.

Bajeux has brought stability to The Rib Room, which may need nothing more. In many ways the restaurant is, for better and worse, as good as it ever was. But eating there offers little of the excitement that should accompany Bajeux’s return home, which is a shame. The chef may be back, but I still miss him.

Fry the potatoes in batches so the pot isn’t crowded and the oil temperature does not plummet. Cook the French fries for 3 minutes, until soft but not browned. Remove the fries with a long-handled metal strainer and drain on brown paper bags. Add 2 squirts vinegar/ water solution and allow them to cool to room temperature.

Increase the oil temperature to 375 degrees F. Return the par-fried potatoes to the oil and cook a second time for 2 minutes, or until golden and crispy. Drain on fresh brown paper bags, then place in a serving bowl. Salt the fries while they’re still hot and toss gently to combine. Wrap the fries in a parchment paper cones and stick them in the bottom of mini martini shakers for serving individually.

Add all the ingredients, except the beer, to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake and strain into a highball glass filled with fresh crushed ice. Top with beer and garnish with an orange peel.

Combine flour, Cajun seasoning in a large bowl. Remove tips from chicken wings and discard; cut remaining wings in half. Place chicken pieces one at a time in flour mixture to coat well. Heat 2 inches of oil in a deep skillet to 350°F. Fry chicken in batches until crisp and golden brown, turning occasionally, about 12 to 15 minutes. Drain chicken on a parchment-lined baking sheet and keep warm in oven. Melt butter in a small saucepan and stir in honey and Tabasco Sauce and Cane Vinegar. Place warm wings in a large bowl and drizzle with butter mixture; toss to coat and serve immediately.

Place shrimp in food processor and process on high speed for 1 minute; slowly add whipping cream. Remove shrimp mouseline from processor and place in a stainless mixing bowl. Add crabmeat and fresh herbs, shallots and garlic, season with salt and pepper and toss lightly together till well mixed. Add some fine bread crumbs and mix again lightly.

Patty the crab cake in 5 0z. portions and place in refrigerator to chill for 2 hours. Remove and dredge each one lightly on both sides with the remaining bread crumbs. In a silver stone pan place 4 oz clarified butter and heat over medium high heat. Sauté crab cakes till golden brown on one side; turn and place pan in 350 degree oven for 5 minutes.

Buttered Popcorn Purée:

1/3 cup popcorn kernels
½ cup 2% milk
½ cup heavy whipping cream
4 oz parmesan rind
1 lb. unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp salt

Use the kernels to make popcorn, and discard any kernels that do not pop. Bring milk, cream, and parmesan rind to a simmer over medium heat.  Remove from heat, stir in popcorn, cover, and let sit for 20 minutes; remove rind. Puree popcorn using blender. Strain back into saucepan, and return heat to medium.  When hot, add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly, until thick. Add salt to taste.

Green Tomato Jam:

1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, small diced
2 oz garlic, chopped
1 oz olive oil
6 oz cane vinegar
6 large green tomatoes, peeled and seeded
2 oz cinnamon
½ box light brown sugar
1 tbs. cayenne pepper
6 oz honey

Sweat shallots, jalapeno and garlic in olive oil. Add vinegar and cinnamon and reduce by 2/3. Add chopped tomato, brown sugar, and cayenne. Bring to a rapid simmer. Reduce heat and continue to simmer for about one hour, until desired consistency is achieved. Finish with honey.

To serve, add a 2 oz ladle of the popcorn purée in the center of a warm plate. Place the crab cake in the middle of the sauce, make a small quenelle of the tomato jam, and place on the crawfish cake. Garnish with popcorn, shoots and flowers.

Put the flour in a shallow pan and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. In a wide bowl, beat the eggs, 2 oz each of the chives, parsley and garlic with 3 tablespoons of water to make an egg wash. Heat 6 oz of clarified butter over medium-high flame in a large skillet. Dredge both sides of the fish and shrimp in the seasoned flour, and then dip them in the egg wash to coat completely, letting the excess drip off. When the oil is nice and hot, add the seafood and sauté for 2 minutes on each side until golden, turning once. Remove the seafood to a large platter in a single layer to keep warm.

Meunière Sauce

1 cup white wine
½ cup lemon juice
¾ cup veal demi glaze
4 tbsp chopped shallots
1 tbsp heavy whipping cream
1 lb. butter (4 sticks) cut into 8 cubes

Put the wine, demi glaze and shallots in a sauce pot and reduce the mixture over moderate heat until liquid is completely gone and only the shallots remain.  Add the cream and combine with the shallot mixture.  With a wire whisk add the butter 1 cube at a time, beating constantly until all the butter is absorbed into the sauce.  Strain through a fine strainer into a clean saucepot, pressing the shallots to extract their flavors.  Finish the sauce with lemon juice.

Crab Reduction

2 tbsp butter
2 shallots, very finely sliced
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 lb gumbo crabs
2 tbsp Cognac
1/2 cup white wine
1-1/2 cups fish stock
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
2 tsp tomato purée
Pinch paprika
Pinch cayenne pepper
½ cups heavy cream
Salt and pepper

Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over low heat. Sauté the shallots and carrot for two minutes. Add gumbo crabs, turn up the heat, and cook until they turn bright red, about three minutes. Flame with the Cognac. Add the wine and reduce by half. Add the stock, bring to the boil, and reduce to a simmer. Add the bay leaf, thyme, tomato paste, paprika, and cayenne, and cook ½ hour.

Stir in the cream and cook 10 minutes. Strain through a fine strainer into a clean saucepot, pressing the crabs to extract their flavors with a wooden spoon.   Bring sauce back to boil in a saucepan, reducing to sauce consistency.

To serve: Combine the two sauces together and puree with a hand held emulsion blender for 2 minutes to add some air into the sauce, which will make the crab emulsion sauce.  Sauté the crab meat in the clarified butter with 2 oz of chives, parsley and garlic. Add the sautéed crabmeat into the sauce. On the center of a large dinner plate, place the drum fillet, then the sautéed shrimp.  Add the remaining garlic and parsley to the crab emulsion, spoon on top of the seafood, and garnish with micro greens and flower.

1 lb. bacon, medium diced
1 lb. Andouille, medium diced
4 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 tbsp. flour
8 cups vegetable stock
3 large yellow onions, peeled and chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1 tsp. cayenne
3 lbs. greens, such as mustard, beet, turnip or collard greens, kale, spinach, Swiss chard, carrot tops and parsley, alone or in combination, cleaned and chopped
2 bay leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp. filé powder

Heat a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and Andouille and fry over medium heat until most of the fat has rendered out and the sausage is browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage and bacon to a plate. Add flour and vegetable oil and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until deep golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Add onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic and cook, stirring often, until soft, 8-10 minutes.
Stir vegetable stock into pot, and then add Tabasco and cayenne. Increase heat to high and bring to boil. Add greens, bay leaves, bacon and sausage and season to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until greens are very soft, about 1 hour. Stir in filé and adjust seasonings. Remove bay leaves before serving. Serve gumbo over brown Jazzmen rice.