“I have officially added Bayona to my “Must Eat New Orleans Restaurant” list. The atmosphere, the service, the presentation, the menu creativity and lastly the unique and fabulous taste of everything makes this the perfect dining experience. I can’t wait to return for lunch and dine on the patio.” ~Greta Perry~

I am always excited when our friends choose a restaurant that I have not been to before. Chef Susan Spicer’s excellent reputation in New Orleans and Bayona are often in local conversations. We had reservations for 6:30 in the upstairs small dining room. It was a beautiful and intimate setting for our party of 6. One person in our party was given the task of selecting wine from the large menu (dang wine allergy for me). Starters were ordered: Oyster, Spinach and Italian Sausage Gratin, Grilled Shrimp with Black Bean Cake and Coriander Sauce, creamed garlic soup and salad. Our group is wonderful about letting others sample their food and there were lots of spoons and forks around the table all evening. I sampled the Goat Cheese Crouton with Mushrooms in Madeira Cream which was yummy! The main courses ordered at our table were: Grilled Duck Breast with Pepper Jelly Sauce and Wild Rice, a rabbit dish, chicken and I ordered Hake with a grape leaf stuffed rice and sun-dried tomato relish and spinach. We all bragged about our own courses as we devoured every morsel.

For dessert we ordered the Mocha Banana Torte with Pecan Croquan, a lemon frozen dessert (sorry can’t recall the name) and a chocolate mascarpone with rasberries. We were out for a friend’s birthday and she also got ginger ice cream served with a cookie to end our meal with a chocolate drizzled Happy Birthday on her plate.