Write-Up on the Revel Cafe & Bar NOLA
On a recent 5 day jaunt to New Orleans, I and five friends enjoyed some really fine jazz performances and also patronized some really fine eating/drinking establishments. One of the high points of the trip was enjoying the food and drink at the Revel Cafe & Bar. While there were many places that served us well, this little place, new to NOLA, is a gem on many levels. Forgive the length of this write-up, but it deserves the space, and if any of my fellow B&B members are in NOLA, do yourself favor and give this place a visit. I think you’ll be glad you did. Throughout this write-up I’ll insert photos and various links about the place and the man.
The Space
Revel is a family run affair on 133 N Carrollton Ave, New Orleans, LA 70119. The owners are Chris McMillen and his wife Laura, both world class bartenders. As soon as you enter the place you are own a small dining area with typical rectangular cloth covered dining tables. Keep walking forward and you get to a few steps which lead up to the bar area. The bar itself is massive. Chris purchased it in Kentucky and had it moved for Revel. Laura mainly takes care of the dining area, but make no mistake, she can make a wicked cocktail. Chris covers the bar area and their son-in-law runs the kitchen. Let me first say that the food was outstanding. I had one of the best chicken sandwiches I’ve ever eaten, and the pulled pork nachos were wonderful.
The Drinks
One of the reasons I wanted to go to this place was because of a series of videos that Chris made for YouTube called “New Orleans Best Cocktails.” I found his Old-Fashioned in that video to be perfect. The more I researched the man, the more I wanted to experience his craft.
His style is simply from another time and place. He believes that, “a drink should first and foremost ‘taste good’,” While he has cocktails on his menu that are his creations, even these drinks are from standard ingredients that Chris believes any bar should have in stock.
On this trip I had, on three different visits, the following cocktails, a Mint Julep, Aviation, Old-Fashioned, Jean Deaux (original), Doctor’s Orders (original), The Last Word, and a Gin Basil Smash. The friends who were with me tried Corpse Reviver, Blueberry Bramble, End of the Road (original), New Orleans is Drowning (original), Mojitos, and Vespers. He is not a free-pourer. He measures all his ingredients and served many of them in neatly etched Nick & Nora glasses, and they are all delicious.
What makes the experience all the more enjoyable is the man is a walking encyclopedia of his craft. He is incredibly knowledgeable about the history of various spirits, how they came about in various drinks, and how these beverages are wrapped up in the history of their region, country, city, or time period. So, in addition to getting a first class drink, you get vast quantities of hospitality, good food, and knowledge!!
I simply can’t speak highly enough of this place. It’s only been open four months. Thus far the reception has been good. If you find yourself in NOLA, do your self a favor and search this place out.
Cheers!
eezee
Yours truly on the left and two of my friends Stephen Coleman and Justin Scott and Chris McMillen
http://www.nola.com/dining/index.ssf/2015/09/revel_chris_mcmillian.html
http://imbibemagazine.com/chris-mcmillian-past-presence/
PS I have just discovered that there must be a limit to the photos that I can out in a single thread. Look for a Revel Part 2 photos!!
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