Dijon

Located in an old New Orleans firehouse, I think Dijon is one of the coolest restaurant locations in the city. I love how a building that once housed fire trucks is now a white tablecloth restaurant.

Several months ago the chef from Dijon posted on yelp about opening this restaurant. His description of the restaurant, plus the coolness of the venue intrigued me. Since then I have been trying to find a reason to visit. When a friend and I were trying to find a place to eat before a show, I remembered this restaurant, and made a reservation via open table.

When we arrived we were greeted, and promptly seated by a very friendly hostess. The first thing I was struck by was the location. The large dining room was attractive with windows on either side and very high ceilings. It looked as if there was once a second floor that was no longer there, but the fireman's pole was still at the front of the room. I imagine the room was once the garage where the apparatus was stored. Now it works perfectly as a dining room.

We were served an amuse-bouche to start our dining experience. This was a nice touch, but I didn't particularly care for it. It was a crabmeat dish, but the crabmeat had a slight fishy taste which was off-putting. Despite that, we ordered the crabmeat in a phylo purse for an appetizer.

This dish came with crabmeat inside of phylo dough with a red onion vinaigrette on the side. The red onion vinaigrette was very good, but the crabmeat was still a bit off-putting. I detected the same fishy taste. Again, it wasn't bad, but I wouldn't order it again.

For entrees we ordered the rabbit stew and grilled sirloin flap steak. The steak was marinated chimichurri style, and came with with manchego croquettes and haricot verts (green beans). Since the server didn't ask what temperature I wanted, I was a little concerned, but the steak was very good. In fact, it was the best item we ate.

The rabbit stew was beautifully presented in a cast iron skillet. Unfortunately, we didn't enjoy it as much as the steak. The rabbit seemed somewhat bland, and it lacked the depth that other rabbit dishes I have had in the past had (Rabbit grand mere at La Provence is my favorite). It was disappointing to see my friend unable to complete this dish because she just didn't like it.

The owner did stop at our table and ask how our meal was. He was obviously passionate about the restaurant. He took the time to listen to our concerns, and told us all about his concept, and plans for the future. It was nice to have an owner that involved in the operation, yet willing to take time and talk to the customers.

Everyone we encountered was very friendly and gave us a great level of service. Our server (Nicole?) was particularly good. She was very attentive, but no so much so that we couldn't have a conversation.

In summary, Dijon is a very cool venue. The service was great, but the food did not blow me away.

Oh Dijon, I have been sitting on this review for over a week trying to decide in which direction to take it. I'll start at the beginning.

We came here early on a Saturday night and we were seated immediately. Maybe because we had reservations, but really because there was no one else there. Not a soul, besides the people working there.

The first thing that came out was the amuse bouche. It was good. Some sort of crab thing. My only complaint was that the crab tasted, well, fishy. Same goes for our appetizer, which was crab meat inside some kind of weird dough shell thing. It tasted overly fishy. Like, I wondered whether or not it was fresh or if it had been sitting out all day.

For my entree, I got the rabbit stew. It was ok, but it was really "meat dense" (I would have loved it over rice, instead of a few strands of fettucine) and the rabbit didn't have a ton of flavor. Honestly, I've had better at Cochon. Way better. My friend had steak which also kind of sucked. Sorry, just being honest here (it's how we learn).

Kurt, the owner, came over to inquire how our meal was (I guess when you are the only customers in the place on a Saturday, the owner gets friendly). We were honest with him about our meal and he was understanding, although I was a little put off when he asked me "have you even ever had rabbit before?", as if it was MY issue that the food didn't blow me away. Sorry, I know what I like.

Honestly, the best part of the whole experience here was our server Nicole, who was really friendly and seemed happy to be there, even though we were the only people in the entire place.

I'm willing to go back (for lunch) and give the place another try, but they need to make some menu changes. I would definitely suggest more seafood options. It is New Orleans, after all.

We live in the immediate neighborhood and have visited "Dijon" several times, twice for full evening meals and several times for late afternoon cocktails & hors d' ouvres.

We were uniformly disappointed by the food quality, prices, and the new ownership.

There are several much better choices nearby; try them instead.

Sorry, really sorry !

Rick

Delicious food! From the boudin balls to their salads and desserts. Love the historic building look. Perfect fit for NOLA. And the Sangria is truly one of the best.

Located in the old NOFD Engine 1 Firehouse, a unique menu, great drinks, and secluded and relaxing ambiance make Dijon a wonderful place for dinner.

The patio is a perfect place to relax with a drink and listen to live music. The Christmas lights really set the feel.

The menu is fantastic and carefully plated.

The staff is very accommodating and friendly.

I had my Wedding Rehearsal Dinner here back in November and they made it stress free for everyone.

After seeing some mixed reviews about Dijon, I was a little apprehensive about trying it out. But since I live in the neighborhood and saw the living social deal, I figured I would give it a try. I was definitely pleasantly surprised.

Dijon had a very romantic and elegant atmosphere. The restaurant was empty Friday night (as it usually is), which inspired me to write a review because it's worth checking out. As I'm a student, the regular menu is a bit pricey for me but it's definitely the sort of place I'll take my parents when they come visit. And with the living social deal it's 100% worth it. Also, they have free wine tasting and appetizers (cheese, meat, pickles) on Wednesday nights!

For the appetizers, we had the kale and fried oyster salad and the crawfish boudin balls. I thought I didn't like kale or oysters, but I was wrong. The kale chips were salty and crunch like a regular chip, and the fried oyster was fresh and had a satisfying texture. The boudin balls were also very tasty, as were the pickles that came with them (who knew pickles could be so good)?

For the main course, the gulf fish was served with a sweet orange cream sauce that really melted in my mouth. It was served over warm, buttery spinach. My fiance got the hanger steak, where the meat sauce dripped all over the mashed potatoes. The steak was also topped with caramelized onion that gave it some unexpected sweetness.

The dessert was coffee and chicory creme brulee served with four mini beignets and a chocolate mousse. I personally didn't care for the mousse because it was bittersweet and I like sweeter desserts, but my fiance really liked it.

I enjoy a free and diverse dining market, as any capitalist New Orleanean should. So I like to show support to young chefs and restauranteurs striking out on their own. But there is no culinary creative distruction coming from the kitchen at Dijon - nothing innovative, only mundane, overpriced and unsatisfying. You may locally source and farm-to-table a block of wood for all I care, and if you make it taste good I'll eat it. But organic, greenist neologisms alone will not make a restaurant stand out in New Orleans. That is done with the food. I eat out to enjoy food prepared by professionals that delights and surprises in a way that an amateur typically cannot match in his home kitchen. Dijon was a thorough disappointment in that respect.

I had a lunch reservation on a Friday and arrived to an empty restaurant. The pork ravioli appetizer tasted like poorly-cooked, tough and dry brisket. The fried oysters were barely warm when the julienned apple-cucumber salad was served. Though we were the only two people in the restauant, the food came at a glacial pace. We could not get our lunch in within an hour. [...edited...4/9/2012] The entrees were no better. The softshell crab looked like the inelegant result of an amateur cook's home kitchen attempt at pan-frying with a wet batter, with bits of burnt batter adorning the plated dish. The flank steak was simple and properly cooked to a medium rare, but again that is evidence of mere competency in the kitchen, not a justification for the kind of prices Dijon charges for such food.

The space was beautiful, and the location would be ideal for a pioneering chef doing some mad-scientist innovation in an off-the-path spot outside the FQ and Warehouse District. From my experience, the food at Dijon does not live up. We are spoiled for choice in New Orleans fine dining, and I cannot imagine I would ever again part with my money at Dijon when its price-point peers offer such markedly better food.

While things were apparently going well for a while, the chef at Dijon left a few days ago and the restaurant is unfortunately in chaos.

I ordered the Gulf shrimp, which were overcooked and flavorless. I could do better at home. My husband ordered the rabbit, which did not resemble any other rabbit dish in the world. Other people we were with liked their dishes; others hated them. One found a hair in his food. One had to send his steak back because it was cold - not lukewarm - refrigerator cold. They ran out of 5 or 6 things while we were there, which was for four hours because they were not adequately staffed for our large party even though they had accepted our reservation and knew we were coming.

When you are charging $20-$30 an entree, this is just not acceptable. There are so many great restaurants in New Orleans. Go elsewhere.

I decided to sample the lunch at this very new restaurant so this review is just for my initial visit and usually I like to eat at a place more than once before I review it but I was really impressed with some aspects of this place and thought it deserved some early comments. When I arrived the owner was at the front of the restaurant as I walked in, as he was acting as host, and he was a very friendly person and seemed very passionate about his restaurant. I had arrived for an early lunch around 11ish and I was the first person to arrive for their lunch service that day. As I walked in I found the ambiance and location of this establishment to be a total five stars as it really is a beautiful building that has been renovated nicely and they also have a very nice courtyard. I was dining solo so I requested seating at the bar and found that the bar is also very nicely done and it is a comfortable space. I haven't been this impressed by a new restaurant's interior in NOLA barely... EVER so they have certainly created a wonderful space.

I received my menu and I found it a bit limited in choices but as a new establishment that is acceptable if everything is done well. The thing that threw me off a bit was that there wasn't very much seafood on the lunch menu and the dishes seemed more like something for Fall than Spring. After a short dicernement of my choices I decided to order the duck gumbo and rabbit stew. The duck gumbo is a very rich and hearty dish with a very pronounced roux that shows no evidence of vegetables which seems more akin to the Cajun style gumbos in Acadiana than the Creole gumbo style more often found in New Orleans. The duck presents in large delicious slices and is extremely tasty so that this gumbo can nearly be a meal unto itself. The rabbit stew the owner told me is based on an "old family recipe" and it is also a very heavy dish with the sauce being extremely flavorful (it also reminded me much more of a dish from the Cajun lands than typical Creole New Orleans flavors). I found the sauce for the rabbit so tasty I was a bit sad that I didn't have any bread to sop up more of the flavor (they give you a flatbread here that doesn't work well for such attempts). Although I was very full from my meal I decided to go all out and closed out my meal with their decadent chocolate dessert. I ended up paying about $7 more for my meal here than I would for lunch at Commander's Palace (with the notable minus of the 25 cent martini bonus of Commander's of course so they might want to consider some type of drink special like that at Dijon).

Overall I enjoyed my meal but once again it seemed more like something I would prefer to eat on a cold Fall or Winter's night than a Spring lunch. I certainly would like to see more seafood and daily specials on the menu. The food was overall good with probably about a 3 to a 3.5 star rating for me when factored in with the cost while the ambiance was just fantastic except for the lack of people. They are still a very new place and currently working on a new menu and I believe if they keep working on polishing what they are doing with their food they can certianly get this place up to a four or five star rating. I really want to give them four stars but I just don't think the lunch is quite there yet. Their lunch is currently priced at Commander's Palace levels but they aren't yet up to par with what you get for around the same price as Commander's but their new menu might be a totally new story. Their dinner menu looks to have a lot more choices and I will certainly return to sample their new menu for dinner and I want to return soon just for drinks at their bar and patio. On my next visit, when I plan to return with a group, I fully expect this place to be at a four star level at the least!

First post woohoo. Went last Friday and loved it. Crabmeat in a beggars purse, Sesame Crusted Tuna, and bread right out of the wood oven. Definitely will be back.