Saffron NOLA review

I went on Friday 12/16. We made reservations, and showed up right before 7.30pm. We got sat immediately, and let me just say that the service was top-notch from start to finish.

They have their regular menu, and a dinner special menu. There's a lot of selection for a place that's just open 3.5 hours one day a week. The night we were there they had a crab and corn bisque on the dinner special menu, and as tempted as me and mr. cat were to get a bowl each, we decided to get items off the regular dinner menu.

Before we ordered our appetizer, the manager came over with some peppered foie gras (on the house), and it was delicious. It didn't have an overpowering taste as some foie gras does, and the night looked very promising.

I was trying to go easy on mr. cat's stomach and we started with the tuna chimichurri, where cilantro and green cayenne are the main igredients. While I could tell the tuna itself was fresh and the quality was good, I found the dish somewhat lacking. I loved the peppery kick to it, but found it dry, and there was hardly and chimichurri on the plate. Not what I expected.

We ordered Naan-bread to go with our main course. GET IT! IT's THAT good!

Before placing our orders for the entrees, mr. cat had several questions, and the server was extremely helpful. Things she wasn't able to answer, she went to the manager and got him to answer mr. cat's questions, and she was always on the ball with keeping our water filled and making sure our needs were met. Again,n I have to stress that the service was excellent.

On to our entrees. Mr cat got the Khyber Pass Lamb Chops which are rum soaked chops served with Rogan Josh Sauce and Kichdi. Kidchi is a sort of rice and lentil blend. This dish was amazing! He ordered the lamb medium, and the did a great job at leaving the lamb just pink and juicy enough. The Rogan Josh sauce was so flavorful and had a robust taste that complimented the lamb wonderfully. Possibly the best dish of the night.

I ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala, boneless chicken in the traditional tomato curry sauce. It was succulent. I can't think of another word for it. Just spicy enough, and it was a solid dish for the price.

The servings were a good size, and I was so happy to see a restaurant that didn't have servings that could feed a family of four. Just right, and we were both full, and decided to skip dessert (picked up some chocolate eclairs on the way home though!)

All in all I was very happy with my trip to Saffron. Atmosphere was nice, although we were sat close to the entrance, and each time the door opened we got a chilly breeze at our table, so if you are seated there, request to be moved. The service more than made up for the somewhat dismal seating, and though our appetizer left us feeling a little less than satisfied, the main dishes were out of this world good.

I'd give it a 4 out of 5.