Image from Rue 127 website

by Charlé Washington

Wedged between two relative monoliths, Rue 127 is a seemingly quaint eatery carved out of what appears to have been a single shotgun house. Upon entering, its domestic vibe is replaced by the odd feeling that you have, in fact, discovered a tear in the space time continuum. It felt like I’d entered the late Al Copeland’s attempt at modest decor. The combination of wall colors and paintings was reminiscent of a late 1980′s version of modern. It’s not Oak, but it’s not Brennan’s. Not new school, nor old.

Rue 127′s food makes up for whatever clunky first impressions the aesthetics emit. Each dish so handsome, we could sense the server’s pride in presenting them. You know that cinematic drug vignette when a character has just popped a pill or injected something into their veins with the macroscopic closeup of a pupil dilating followed by a psychedelic animation? Yeah, that’s what happened to me. With every spoonful of earthy duck confit Gumbo or slice of the succulent Double Cut Pork Chop, I became closer to achieving nirvana. Rue 127′s food is confident. The flavors are rich and the portions are perfect.

Despite wanting a second entree, we settled for dessert. Anticipating greatness, the deep fried cupcakes were definitely a miss (and really embarrassing to order aloud). This sweets-n-treats lover was pretty appalled with the amount of warm icing stuffed into each beignet-like sphere that fills your mouth, seeking out potential cavities and exploiting them. In addition, there are suggested dipping sauces which is superfluous when one is holding a golf ball of sugar encased in a greasy dough-skin. Instead, opt for the House Made Sorbet of the Day. The mango flavor was an incredible finale to a mostly life altering meal.

Rue 127 is located at 127 North Carrollton, New Orleans, LA.
Visit http://www.rue127.com/ for menus and reservations.