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The best way to describe this dining experience, is that Dick and Jenny’s is the gateway drug of gourmet establishments. The unassuming atmosphere and ambiance, the low key wait staff and locale, the unassuming place settings (half the silver of Commander’s Palace), all contribute to a feeling that an entrée of fries and a hot dog will be just as likely to come out of the kitchen as the upscale creole fare that actually does. If you are not a gourmet, and typically shy away from upscale culinary experiences, you might find yourself becoming hooked by the end of a meal here.

The surprise star of the meal was the wine, a 2007 Grüner Veltliner that we chose since they ran out of our first choice, and favorite white varietal, Viognier. Anastasia and I often battle over sweet versus dry whites, and both of these types of wine provide an elegant compromise between both flavors.

We ordered the appetizer sampler of fried oysters (somewhat pedestrian), BBQ shrimp cheesecake (a delight!) and fried tomatoes (mostly sweet with a hint of sour, a classic I’ve never had before). I ordered the duck duet, which was initially off-putting given the smokiness of the duck breast, a preparation I normally associate with hardier cuts of beef. I grew to like the dish, which paired nicely with both the wine and our other entrée, shrimp with scallops, an entirely lighter approach to food, and a welcome balance to the flavor heavy creole cuisine elsewhere in the meal.

The desserts were the weakest part of the experience. We finished with an entirely uninteresting banana-misu and chocolate moose cake. Good, not great, but at that point the place had already won us over.

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