My husband and I missed our reservation for a restaurant in Uptown, so we asked our concierge about possibly getting into a fine dining restaurant closer to the Quarter. She didn't hesitate before recommending Cuvee. Luckily for us, they had a late table still available. We had never heard of Cuvee but the concierge assured us that we would not be disappointed - we were not. \r
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The food was absolutely out of this world! The chef is incredibly creative and obviously very talented. I had a ""deconstructed Bloody Mary"" with flash-fried oysters served over cucumber ribbons. It was such an interesting concept that the chef carried out to perfection. My husband went for something heavier with a ""foie gras creme brulee"" which is what it sounds like. The browned sugar crust on top added the perfect flavor and texture to the dish. It was deliciously rich. For dinner, I had a salmon dish served over creamy brie orzo -almost like a very sophisticated version of mac-and-cheese. There were also little pieces of lemon ""confit"" mixed into the orzo which tempered the richness of the dish. My husband had an unbelievably good ""bouillabaise"" with lobster and scallops and three individually wrapped, raviolis (I guess that's what you would call them?). They were more like soft-pasta wontons with a different filling in each. When the chef (""Bob"") came out, he said that he makes all of the pasta in-house - which you could tell by the lightness of the pasta. \r
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Our server was incredible, too! He chose an excellent wine for us that went magnificently with our meal. He was very attentive and never missed a beat. The whole evening ended with a glass of dessert wine that our waiter chose and my husband and I shared the ""Moon Pie"" dessert. It was a very memorable evening. If we hadn't missed our first reservation, we never would have found Cuvee. Although, when I got home, I realized that I should be familiar the restaurant - it was just written up in Wine Spectator!
Pros: Food, ambience, wine service
Cons: Bathrooms in hotel were messy by the end of the night
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