Herbsaint in NOLA?..Yuki jazz, preservation hall

I was second guessing my choice of restaurant when we walked over to Herbsaint in the central biz district of Nola for dinner last night because that’s what tends to happen in a city like this with so many fantastic dining options. I even was second guessing the entree I choose seconds after selecting it because the menu was so enticing. All for naught. We had one of the best meals I can remember. The ambiance was low key, not too hip or snooty, the servers knowledgeable and confident about the offerings. I was looking for something relatively light, fearing that my stomach will not tolerate days of rich southern food. So I picked the entree of the day which was speckled trout served with risotto seasoned with satsumas and tempora fried scallions. It was wonderful. I wish I could cook fish that successfully. It had flavor and moisture, while my efforts tend to produce dull and dry. The server coaxed me into abandoning my eating light pledge at dessert time and he was right. The malted milk chocolate mousse with creme anglaise, which I shared with F. Was unlike any chocolate mousse I have had, it looked like a tiny black breast, with a creamy shell of dark chocolate and then light less sweet mouse and anglaise inside. Sublime.
On our walk backmto Frenchman street we stopped to talk to people inline at preservation hall and learned we can book fix on line, for $30, double the regular price but it guarantees you a seat. We stopped at a jazz bar on Frenchman street called Yuki that was not your classic jazz scene. Most of the musicians were Japanese, including a woman on drums and keyboard. An old black and white Japanese film was projected onto the bar’s brick wall while they played. Fun crowd including a young woman I met from Istanbul. I love hour people just sauntered in, had a seat or in the cae of one young black guy, borrowed a trumpet and started blowing, very well.