Sometimes I inexplicably enter places with preconceived notions. At Restaurant IPO, I expected to find a slick, modern space filled with preened hipsters who were not only too cool for school but also too cool for you. What I discovered was a calming space with partially exposed brick walls, pictures of bucolic Louisiana scenes, rustic wood accents, old-fashioned filament light bulbs and handwritten specials on a chalkboard wall.
Our foray into this bastion of small plates began with Fire Roasted Corn & Crab Bisque, Pequeno Tacos and Roasted Duck Crepe. The soup was a very rich bowl full of corn with subtle spices and even more subtle crab—meaning none. The overall flavor was decent, but it went unfinished. Three phenomenally crispy mini taco shells arrived next, filled with redfish ceviche, avocado relish and andouille bits that were like tiny pieces of jerky heaven. The andouille was a tasty standout, but we all found the fish dominated by onion flavor. At our waitress’ suggestion, we ordered the duck crepe and found that this was what we had been waiting for: an extremely large, over-stuffed crepe with heaps of well-flavored duck and mushrooms spilling out. One friend noted the “good mix of flavors.” Another pronounced it the best so far while doing a happy dance.
Needing more food to feed our hungry table of four, we decided upon an evening special, Bacon Lady Apples, as well as Loco Portabello and Curried Mussels. With its mix of spicy honey glaze, crisp, salty bacon and sweetened goat cheese with an implied heat all stuffed into a tart apple, the off-menu special was incredibly interesting and well executed. Another big hit was the portabello. A creamy amalgamation of chicken, chorizo and Manchego pilled on top of a roasted portabello mushroom, this dish caused one friend to declare, “I could eat two more and be happy.” Receiving an equally strong, though not positive, reaction, the Curried Mussels were described on the menu as “Sweet and spicy coconut curried mussels.” What we got was a shockingly sweet sauce that so overwhelmed the delicate mussels that none of us could take more than one bite.