#57 – ESCARGOT at KAZ AN NOU

Once again Time Out New York released their Top 100 Dishes of the year and once again, I’m going to eat my way through every one. And no price point or subway delay will stop me. In no particular order, here’s my take on their Top 100.

One of the first restaurants I remember being truly excited about in New York was a modest little French Caribbean restaurant off the beaten path of Soho called Ivo & Lulu. This must have been close to 7 years ago, well before I transformed into a self-proclaimed foodie. The food was exotic and delicious, the tiny living room space was charming and fun, and the best part was nothing was priced over $10.

Times have certainly changed and even though I still stop by Ivo & Lulu every once in a while (it hasn’t been as good for years), they’ve since expanded, the menu’s prices have increased, and it’s no longer the exotic hot spot it was in 2004. Fortunately Kaz an Nou has recently opened in Prospect Heights and my first experience there was as wonderful (possibly better) as my very first experience at Ivo & Lulu many years ago.

The reason I compare the two spots is because the chef, Sébastien Aubert, (who also played our jubilant server) used to cook at Ivo & Lulu. And his food is very similar, their kitchen is just as tiny, the prices are modest and fair, and it’s also BYOB. So after putting our name down on a busy Friday night, we searched the Park Slope area for a wine shop and got ourselves a warming red to go with the spicy Caribbean food.

Kaz an Nou means “our house” in Creole and the lively, but comfortable atmosphere stayed true to the definition.  Sébastien explained the menu to us and made our decision a little more difficult than it should have been considering the menu listed just a few selections. We settled on the escargots (TONY’s list item) along with a handful of other appetizers and one entree.

Back to the snails in a moment. The Maple Glazed Pear stuffed with Blue Cheese was a bit small but very similar to one of Ivo & Lulu’s starters. And it was great – sweet, funky, and slightly spicy. The chayote fruit stuffed with a crab salad was the most bland dish we tried with slightly mealy textures and not enough flavor balance. But both the ecargots and the Jerk Chicken entree were amazing. The chicken was as moist and flavorful as pork with a smoky, spicy flavor with some tangy goat cheese,  and cooling sweet honey sauce. This was a defiite Top 100 contender!

And the official list item, the escargots were another hit. At $7, this was a reasonable price for these plump delicacies. They were some of the biggest snails I’ve encountered and the first bite was rather standard – garlicky butter with wonderfully chewy, tender textures. But the subsequent bite with an explosion of aromatic curry flavor revealed the specialness of this version.

Along with some unique desserts (light coconut flan and spicy – and I mean spicy  – chocolate cake), Kaz an Nou provided us with a wonderful dinner. Ivo & Lulu might have been the first restaurant I got excited about, but Kaz an Nou is the latest.

Would Kaz an Nou’s Escargots make my Top 100 of the year? This restaurant is one of my favorite new places and the dishes that go along with it were mostly spectacular including these unique snails that get a 9 out of 10, but the jerk chicken would rate even higher.