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If you’re looking to expand your taste buds to Russia and France without leaving the Tri-parish area, LeBistro, the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute’s student-operated restaurant at the Carmel Inn in Thibodaux, is the place to be.
“We always sell out for these events, and we don’t even advertise,” said Randy Cheramie, culinary institute executive director and instructor at Nicholls State University. “It spreads by word of mouth. The event is a bargain.”
From now until July 27, at lunch on Wednesdays and Fridays, diners have the opportunity to experience dishes like rabbit, white beans and wilted greens soup and braised brisket with a smoked tomato remoulade. Menus for each day can be viewed at www.nicholls.edu.
Today’s menu will be an American Service/French Bistro mix. The first course will start with a Chilled Mango Soup of pureed mango chicken stock with bananas, tamarind, and mint salsa followed by Salad Lebouef with seared beef tenderloin tips, mango, avocado, grilled tomatoes on Mesclun mix with spicy honey-lime vinaigrette.
For an entrée, diners will choose from Salmon Pierre, salmon poached in a ginger flavored liquid with a lemon-ginger vinaigrette, lemon risotto, and sautéed snow peas, Cornish Game Hen a la Creole, a roasted game hen with roasted garlic creole mustard au jus, butternut squash puree, and bacon wrapped green beans or Panini a la Orleans, New Orleans barbeque shrimp with pickled mirliton on French bread Panini, sweet potato fries and Napa cabbage coleslaw.
If guests still have room in their stomachs, desert includes Cheesecake Spring Roll, cheesecake in fried spring rolls with a pineapple mint sauce.
If you miss the chance to make your pallet worldlier with this summer’s menu selections, Nicholls also opens the restaurant during the evenings in the fall and spring.
“We have seating for 90 during the summer and 120 during the fall and the spring,” Cheramie said.
In addition to American and Russian services, the restaurant also features French Bistro, Classical French, Buffet and Cajun Creole. Depending on the service, guests will be treated to appetizers, entrees, deserts, hors d’oeurvres, potage, sorbert, viande, salad and soup dishes.
“Russian service is eight courses and includes a wine course,” Cheramie said. “This type of service is used at the White House. Food is brought out on large platters, and service is very personal. Servers use serving utensils and put the food right on your plate. Choreography and practice are essential.”
According to Cheramie, Russian services draw the most reaction on the restaurant’s comment cards.
“Customers like the multi course meal because it takes away what we call menu anxiety,” he said. “Your course is already decided for you.”
Classical French service is also popular because of its table-side preparation on a specially built cart.
“Students use the cart to prepare Ceaser salad made to order or desert dishes like bananas foster, which involves an open flame,” Cheramie said. “It’s the classic flaming dish. Lots of cooking schools don’t even teach these services.”
About 30 students are currently working at the restaurant. They run the eatery themselves, something that has been done since 2006. Running of the restaurant is part of their curriculum for two classes.
“We’ve got about 15 students in the front of the house and 15 in the back of the house,” Cheramie said. “Halfway through the semester, they switch from front to back. They are revolving the leadership positions, from executive chef, sous chef, pot washer and grill cook to fry cook, maitre’d and seating and wine captain.”
Students learn how to adequately maintain a buffet, man an action and carving station and learn the timing and rhythm of the kitchen.
“It’s also a good way for them to interact with guests and see what they like,” Cheramie said.
Student Jacob Kilgore will be executive chef for this Friday’s Russian Service, which will feature hors d’oeurvres of Tomato Canape garnished with Fried Capers and Parmesan and Caramelized Mushroom and Onion Soup.
Arugula stuffed Tomato, with Tomato and Cucumber Dressing cupped in butter head lettuce will serve as the salad item, and Flounder en papillote, white wine and butter sauce and a bell pepper medley will be the fish course.
After cleansing the pallet with Mint and Lemon Sorbet, guests will dineon Lamb Napoleon dressed with mint pesto and twice baked tapenade potatoes. The meal will end with a classical Tiramisu, lady fingers soaked in coffee with mascarpone cream and a chocolate dusting
“It sounds huge when you hear seven courses, but each serving is about the size of an hors d’oeuvre,” said, laughing. “I searched online and in my culinary textbooks for menu ideas, and we have to have the approved by chef J.P.Daigle. He offers us suggestions and recommends what equipment in the kitchen to use with certain preparations.”
For the Russian service, Kilgore expects that students will spend about six hours prepping for the event, something that is done every Tuesday no matter which service is being used the next day.
So, stop on by the LeBistro and enjoy the fruits the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute student’s labor of good taste.
Seats can be reserved even on the day of service until 9 a.m. Menu items are subject to change. Admission is $50 person for the Russian/Classical French service, and $25 for all other services.
For reservations, call (985) 449-7114.
Sydney Breaux, a Nicholls State University Chef John Folse Culinary Institute student, checks place settings at LeBistro in the Carmel Inn in Thibodaux. Thirty students run the restaurant during the summer semester, taking turns revolving the leadership positions.
