Join me for supper, chère

Dai Due Supper Club

Last year was one of those big birthday years. I turned 30 and my dear friends Olivia and Steve felt this worthy of celebration. As I was still in Australia for my bday, they organised a belated gift for my arrival in Austin in May. Olivia and I both share a love (read: obsession) for the city of New Orleans, so she decided that an evening at Dai Due’s Creole Banquet was the perfect was to say “hey, congrats on the whole ‘getting older’ thing”.

Dai Due is a roving supper club which sets up shop at various amazing locations around Austin. Each banquet has a distinct theme using superb local and seasonal ingredients, and is served as a multi course shared degustation. They also run a weekly butcher stall at the Austin Farmer’s Market selling traditional sausages and charcuterie. The banquet events are booked out months in advance, and you can bet your Creole butt I was thrilled to be attending.

The Creole Banquet was held at the historic Pine Street Station site just off East 5th in the “so hot right now” Eastside of Austin. An old railway lot was transformed into a magical summer al fresco dining space. The quirky combination of mismatched chairs, hessian tablecloths and vintage china encouraged a relaxed feel in the midst of a formal dinner- classic Austin. An acoustic musical duo playing throughout the meal further enhanced the ambience. Each place setting had a menu featuring both the dishes of the evening, and a detailed list of where each local ingredient had been sourced from.

Upon arrival, each guest was served a glass of fresh Poteet blackberry punch which we sipped as we milled about and found our seats. The event was also BYO alcohol, which allowed beverage connoisseurs to unleash their inner sommelier. In keeping with their Southern hospitality, O & S brought a bottle of Veuve to toast my birthday, plus a pack of my favourite beer. Yes, I have a shameful lowbrow secret – I love Miller High Life. I like to think that our little galvanised drinks bucket was the perfect representation of the feel of the evening- fancy yet approachable.

Following a short welcome speech from the Dai Due crew and our chef, the banquet began. The courses were designed as share plates between four people. Seating was pre-designated, so the shared plate system encouraged you to meet and interact with fellow dining companions.

First course was Smoked Catfish Terrine with Pickled Beets. The flathead catfish was from Lake Travis, and the creamy seafood flavour of the terrine reminded me of the shrimp and alligator cheesecake at Jacques-Imo’s in New Orleans. The subtle and delicate terrine was complimented by the crisp sourness of the beets.

Next up was a Shrimp and Crab Ravigote. Not being completely au fait with all culinary terms, I did have to google ‘Ravigote’. Apparently, its some kind of vinegar sauce with a variety of herbs. Couldn’t quite figure out how that related back to the dish we were served, but I can assure you that there were fights to claim the plump shrimp pieces which cocooned the soft crab meat.

Can you imagine the most sinfully rich potato skins you’ve ever tried? That’s how I felt about the Creole Stuffed Potatoes which featured as the third course. Sadly, neither the menu nor the waitstaff identified the meat in the dish, but it did add a welcome savoury and salty note following the subtler seafood courses.

I love crawfish. You can’t get them in Australia, and yabbies just aren’t the same thing. Tiny delicate morsels of sweet crustacean flesh, and even better when you dont have to peel them yourself. The Crawfish Bisque was spoon coatin’ good – a salty thick broth punctuated by bright orange crawfish tails. Perfect course to impart a punch of flavour without filling up precious stomach space. The bisque was served with French baguette garlic bread. And given the Texas size of those garlic chunks – it definitely wasn’t date food.

As the sun began to set, the meat courses began. We started with a Wild Boar Andouille and Shrimp Maque Choux. Andouille is traditionally a Cajun rather than Creole sausage, usually smoked and made with pork. It was my first time trying wild boar and I was actually surprised the flavour wasn’t bolder. I expected a strong, gamey taste but the sausage was pretty tame. Maque choux is a classic Southern Louisiana side dish. Put simply, it’s braised corn usually cooked with the trinity. Though delicious, grilling the shrimp separately then placing them on top made the whole dish feel somewhat disconnected, nearly like you were just picking at random ingredients on a prep plate.

Alors, onto the Pigeon Pie. The menu describes the pigeon meat as being “organic and field-harvested in Mustang Ridge”. Which means “we done went out into the field with a shotgun and killed you this here bird”. Another food first, I hadn’t previously eaten pigeon, but it was delicious! I still haven’t encountered any poultry I dislike. A few fellow diners found it difficult to mentally separate the meat in front of them from images of dirty pigeons flapping around Downtown.

Now onto the most personally confronting dish. Frog’s Legs A La Creole. Ok, I understand that frog’s legs are are a classic Southern Louisiana food, given that the source is so plentiful. Hell, if it were more ingrained in Aussie culture, they’d probably eat cane toad legs up in Queensland. It still doesn’t stop me from seeing them as anything more than a slimy, sinewy amphibian. In my mind kept flashing the image of the cartoon I had seen as a child in a French restaurant, with sad little frogs wheeling their way out of the kitchen with tartan blankets over their laps. I cleared the thought from my head, took a swig of beer and tried one. It tasted like frog. Kinda like chicken but not as good. Meaning, if it’s gunna taste just like chicken, I’ll just stick with chicken from now on, thanks.

 

Finally, having reached well beyond the point of satiated, we were presented with dessert. Simple Buttermilk Pie with fresh blackberries. The pie had an understated, clean taste and was not overly sweet. The blackberries brought a tart burst of flavour, a welcome change after the cavalcade of rich Creole sauces.

The Dai Due Creole Banquet was not simply a meal, but truly an event. Both myself and my dining companions had the most remarkable experience; a whimsical summer evening with an old world menu, good conversation, great friends, expensive champagne and cheap beer. I believe that on the internet, this is known as an Epic Win.

 

Posted on Jan 25, 2011